Tasty Food is Pretty Food...and Other Thoughts (& Suggestions!)

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be part of my friends’ 10-year wedding anniversary celebration at the renowned Talula’s Table.  The reservations were made more than a year in advance, and we were served an eight-course Extravaganza (with a capital “E”!) of a meal.  Pictured above is one of the courses.  Can’t quite remember the details, but I believe it was a pea soup with a scoop of whitefish.  I showcase this dish not because I plan to share the recipe, or tell you about the nutritional benefits of pea soup and flaked fish.   I’ll spare you . But my experience at Talula’s reminded me of the importance of presentation.  The food was delicious, to be sure, but what truly inspired our “oohs” and “aahs” was when each course was placed in front of us, and we spent a few moments just admiring the look of each dish (and, as you can tell, snapping a blurry pic with an iphone!).  But just look how the bright green contrasts with the red tomato—and all against the simple backdrop of a white plate.  Stunning!

Alas, the art of presentation often gets lost when we serve ourselves at home.  But there’s really no need to lower your standards just because a waiter won’t be giving you a check at the end of the meal.  The truth is, when we take the trouble to make our food look better, and serve it better, it tastes better.   It just does.  And an everyday weekday dinner (even eaten in front of the TV, shhh...) can still have a touch of the gourmet when you follow some of these suggestions:

1.       If you’re lucky enough to have good china (either inherited from your grandmother or acquired by way of a wedding), by all means, get it out of storage and use it!  What are you waiting for?  I absolutely adore my Wedgewood India place settings (I have 12!), and I try to use it at least once a week. 

2.       Don’t be shy about pairing more casual plates with your “good” stuff.  My simple fiestaware-ish plates I got from Crate & Barrel look eclectically charming when paired with the Wedgewood.  If you’re concerned about appearing too stuffy when serving your friends and family with fine china, then dressing it down with the cheaper stuff can make it look less intimidating (kind of like wearing fine cashmere with jeans).

3.       At the risk of sounding prim, I’m just going to come out and say it:  please, get yourself some cloth napkins.  Paper napkins (or, god forbid, paper towels) are okay in a pinch (I guess), but it’s really so much nicer (and more environmentally-friendly) to use cloth. 

4.       Same with paper or plastic cups—just don’t do it!  Any drink (even tap water) tastes much more refreshing when you drink it from the right glassware.   And I promise that that under- $10 white wine that you have chilling in the fridge will taste like you spent $20 when you pour it in a proper wine glass.  And no, I’m not talking fine crystal—a $2 IKEA wine glass works just fine.  

5.       Even if you’re heating up a Lean Cuisine for dinner, get it out of its plastic dish it came with, and put it on a plate/bowl.  You can even pretend that you made it yourself.

6.       Accidentally made a monochromatic meal?  (for example, is that mushrooms-with-pasta concoction looking a little too beige-y?).  Parsley can spruce up most meals—an inexpensive solution to curing the culinary “blahs”.

Happy Pretty-Plating,

Jennifer