In case you haven’t checked a calendar lately, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. This is perhaps one of the most special days for couples, most often celebrated with a romantic evening at a great restaurant.
For many, the idea of a sit-down dinner in a nice restaurant may bring about a bit of trepidation. Too many forks, extra knives, mini-plates and more glasses than you could possibly drink out of – urgh – what do I do? In this fast-food era, it is easy to forget, or perhaps never learn, the fundamentals of dining etiquette.
Jackson’s is here to help. Here are a few basic pointers to ease your dining dilemma. Thanks to Jackson’s Manager Barry Phillips, these basic tips will make you look like an expert at Valentine’s dinner or dinner parties anytime of the year.
Jackson’s sets a standard table setting:
- To the left of your place setting you’ll find – a salad fork, entrée fork, and small bread and butter plate
- To the right of your place setting you’ll find – a butter knife and dinner knife
Let’s start with the knives. The knife to the far right is your butter knife. It’s to be used to butter your bread once the breadbasket arrives. We recommend taking a bit of butter, placing it on the bread and butter plate (the small plate to the left of your place setting), and then passing the butter along. Proper etiquette suggests buttering each piece of bread as you eat it from a dab of butter on your plate. After buttering your bread, place the butter knife on the lip of the bread and butter plate to be used throughout the course of dinner for the sole purpose of buttering your bread.
The knife closest to the plate is your dinner knife. Use this knife for any cutting that may be required during the meal; such as asparagus or other vegetables, your starch and of course your entrée. If you order steak, chicken or another entrée selection that requires more umph than the ordinary dinner knife, Jackson’s will present you with a steak knife to make easy cuts. When a steak knife is presented, it is perfectly acceptable to use it in replace of your dinner knife to cut anything on your plate.
As far as forks are concerned…the shorter fork furthest from your plate is the salad fork and should only be used when eating your salad and appetizers. Your server will remove your salad fork at the same time the dish used for your salad or appetizer is removed. The longer fork closest to your plate is your entrée, or dinner, fork. You can save this one for the arrival of your main dish. If you get confused, remember what Julia Roberts learned in Pretty Woman, “If you get nervous, just count the tines. Four tines: dinner fork. And sometimes there are three tines in the salad fork…”
If you accidently get carried away and use both forks in the beginning, don’t worry. Your waiter will replace any needed silverware that you’ve used before serving your main course. But, we aren’t wasteful at Jackson’s. If you manage to get through salad and appetizers without using your dinner fork, it will remain on the table for you to use during the next course.
After each course, place the fork (and the knife if used) on the lip of the plate to signal to the server that you have finished. And, relax knowing you’re an expert in dining in style.
These basics should get you off to a good start. If you have questions, we want to hear from you. Bon Appetite and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Tags: etiquette
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