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Dining: Place Setting Etiquette You should be able to tell how many courses and what will be served just by looking at the place setting. Contrary to what you might think, the place setting was not designed to trap you into looking awkward. Each piece has a purpose. When you eat in a fine restaurant or at a formal dinner party, you may sit down to a vast array of flatware. Remember Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman? Familiarize yourself with all the utensils. Note how each one has a distinct shape that indicates its use. Keep in mind that each flatware designer may differ a bit and some patterns are very different looking. American designers are smaller than their European counterparts. To avoid picking up the wrong fork, familiarize yourself with the pieces. Lets look at a Formal Place Setting:
Stemware (Glasses) There are four glasses which go on the right side of the dinner plate in this order working out to in. The order closest to the top of the plate follows: Water Goblet, Red Wine, White Wine and Champagne Flute beginning with the white wine. The Water Goblet is the largest and sits at the top of the plate. It is never removed dinner as it is always refilled. The Red Wine glass is smaller than the water goblet, but larger than the white wine glass. Its shape allows maximum air to touch the red wine to mellow the flavor. Red wine is often poured with the entree or meat course. It is served at room temperature so you may hold by the bowl for warmth. The White Wine glass is smaller and has less area in the bowl as it doesn't need room to breathe. White wine is most often poured with the appetizer or fish course. You hold at the stem of the glass only so as not to warm the wine which is served chilled. Champagne Glass. Champagne is not poured until dessert as its a dessert wine, so it may come out with dessert or placed off to the side. Please note: Champagne must come from the Champagne region in France. If not, its referred to as Sparkling Wine. It is also served for during cocktails. Flatware (Silverware) There are three forks in a place setting: Salad, Dinner and Dessert. The golden rule is that you always work out to in for their use beginning with the salad fork. The Salad Fork is smaller and on the outside. This is used for the first course. In Europe, the salad course is often served last. In The U.S., we serve the salad as the starter course. The Dinner Fork is closest to the dinner plate and has more tines than the salad fork and is larger. This is the for the second or main course. The Dessert Fork is smaller and will either be placed at the top of your dinner pate or brought out when dessert is served. If its at the top of your dinner plate when all other silver has been removed, you drag it down to the left fork and spoon right, or the waiter will do or you. Either is acceptable. The Salad Knife is smaller and on the outside. This is used for the first course. The blades are always tuned in. The Dinner Knife is closest to the dinner plate and larger than the salad knife. This is used for the second or main course. The Soup Spoon is smaller and on the outside. This is used for the first course. This is used only for the soup course. The Dessert Spoon is smaller and will either be placed at the top of your dinner plate (on top of the dessert fork) or brought out when dessert is served. If its at the top of your dinner plate when all other silver has been removed, you drag it down to the left fork and spoon right, or the waiter will do or you. Either is acceptable. Bread and Butter Baskets may be passed with rolls, sliced breads, crackers breadsticks, or the roll may already be on your bread plate when youre out dining. Take only one roll to leave some for others around the table. You can always have seconds! Place the piece on your bread plate to the left of your dinner plate. For butter, also place one pat on your plate. If the butter is in foil, remove the foil, fold and place to the side of your bread plate The golden rule of bread is to only break off a small piece of bread, hold it in your fingers (not your palm) and butter it ONE bite at a time. One never butters an entire roll! When you are ready for your single bite, butter it with the butter knife on your butter plate and gently glide the piece to your mouth with as few crumbs as possible. Bread may de dipped (or sopped) in gravy or soup but buyer beware, it will be messy! Bread baskets are always passed to the right. If you are the host, pass the basket to the right but offer one to the person on your direct left first so they do not have to wait until the basket makes it around the table. For larger groups, there should be more than one basket on the table.
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Lisa M. Grotts |
