re: My Dream Plates!

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So what do you do at a restaurant when all of your food is served on one plate?

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We've discussed this before, and while I don't mind some things running together (pot roast and rice and green beans can be mixed together for all I care), I totally agree with her that a nice piece of meat atop mashed potatoes completely ruins the dish.

I don't want my meat dipped in potatoes. Bleh. No idea why that became "gourmet" plating. Luckily, it is now considered outdated.

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You probably stir up all your food together

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Doesn't everyone? Like my momma used to tell me, it's all about to get mixed up anyway.

As far as the plates in question, those dividers take up carrying capacity, always a consideration on the family holiday buffets, where a second trip through isn't a guarantee as all the kids get bigger than the parents. I'll stick to my run-on food.

You're right I don't like the potaotes mixed with the meat. If shepherd's pie was made with rice instead, I could probably handle it.

Like when KFC or whoever made this, I wanted to puke:



Fried chicken smothered in potatoes.

I just use an absolutely flat, huge (12" dia) charger so my items don't touch. Doesn't look as cafeteria as those.

I love dipping my potatoes in runny meat juice.

Because of GG I think I'm gonna start paying more attention to my foods touching. Hopefully I don't develope this peeve. Meat and potatoes mix together like beer and cold fried chicken at the Mardi Gras.

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I know. I'm insane.

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There ya have it people. The truth is finally out on the table.

Motorboat makes a good point with the Chinet. I also kinda like the porcelain cafeteria tray idea Gris. But I also don't mind all the juices running together. For instance I reheated some sliced rare tri-tip last night that had blood running all over the plate which then mixed in with my mac n cheese. I thought it was delicious. I know. I'm insane.

How do you go to restaurants?

There's nothing running together on your plates. I'd serve all of those foods on my regular plates.

This isn't about all foods. I use regular plates a lot of the time, probably most of the time. I prefer sectional when the entree and/or the sides are "juicy". I prefer not to have all of those juices mixing together. I like to taste the individual flavors of my foods. Making a nice strong gravy is pretty pointless if the pot liquor from my mustard greens is going to run up in it and dilute it. I don't care for the flavor of gravy and mustard green pot liquor together. I love both separately. May as well cook them all together otherwise.

All foods may go to the same place in your body, but that doesn't mean they must all travel the route at the same time shoveled in the mouth such that the palate isn't able to distinguish what is what. Again, just cook them all together.

I don't care if food slightly touches. I do care if all the juices or foods run together when there is fluidity. My foods don't generally touch because I don't load my plate such that every space is full of food. That's not pleasing to the eye and I won't eat that much at one time, anyway.

Like LL, I despise proteins put atop a starch or vegetable. I love my steak juices, for example, and I don't want them soaked up by the mashed potatoes which I probably won't eat anyway. If I know that's going to happen, I sometimes ask the restaurant to put the starch on the side or leave it off if its not too much trouble.

When I get the andouille crusted fish at Emeril's, I ask that the shoestring potatoes be served on the side rather than under the fish. The fish is substantial and I probably won't eat more than 5 fries anyway, especially if I've had an app or a salad. I'd rather them not soak up all the fine juices/sauce from my fish.

The one dish I didn't care for at Peche was the catfish and greens because the crispy catfish was served atop the juicy greens. The greens were delicious and I enjoy greens served with fried catfish, but the entire underside of the catfish was mush and unappealing.I ate the greens and left the fish. I wouldn't order it again.

Many restaurants serve the protein ala carte. Most steakhouses do not place that beautiful piece of meat on top of mashed potatoes. It gets a plate unto itself.

When I see someone mixing their foods on the plate or getting some of the meat and two or three sides on the fork for one bite, I wonder if they are eating to be full or eating to enjoy. Looks like the former to me and it looks sort of rustic caveman. On the other hand, some things are meant to be eaten together like roast and rice 'n gravy.

I use sectional plates for certain meals, not all of them. I have tons of other plates I use.