[rzn]

Are there any resturants out there that serve just appetizers? Something where you could select/pay by the piece what you would like (sort of like the sushi bars) and try a little of everything instead of just ordering a big plate of one thing?

I certainly could make a meal out of some of the neat finger foods out there & would like to try some new things, but hesitate to buy an entire plate of something I don't know I'll like. Whereas if I could just buy a single piece of it to try, I'd go for it.

Is something like that commercially viable, or do they exsist & I just don't know what to call them? (can you tell I just bought an appetizer cookbook)

[Free Rider]

Are you talking about tapas perhaps?

[rzn]

any kind of appetizers (I can't spell hor's... properly) that could be served as a single piece. the mini quiches, small empandas, the bits of crackers, differents pates & dips, the rolled up odds & ends, the cups of puff pastries with different fillings, the skewered things, etc, etc, the variety seems so endless & usually when you go in someplace you have to order a whole plate of something.

The only place you get a taste of this & that is a cocktail party & those don't come around that often, & usually since people serve what they are comfortable with, you end up getting the same stuff over & over. The stuff may be great, but it would be nice to get to try new things.

[Suzanne]

Yes, I do believe rzn is refering to tapas places! While they originated in Spain (tapas being small plates of food meant to be consumed with sherry or other wine), there are now tapas bars serving all sorts of ethnic/fusion food. Wine bars that serve food also tend to serve small plates of stuff that is more appetizer than main. And let's not forget dim sum restaurants, which serve small plates of Chinese dumplings and other delicacies; there are non-Chinese versions of that, too. Some years ago when the trend was supposed to be "grazing" -- eating smaller portions, if in greater numbers -- some regular restaurants offered the same dishes in several different size portions. I'm not sure how much that's still done, though.

The basic plate at a tapas restaurant is pretty small, just a few bites. Next up in size is the pintxho, then the racion is pretty much a full portion (forgive me if the spelling is off; I'm doing this off the top of my head). Here in NYC we have lots of places that serve "small plates" of varied cuisines.

And it's spelled hors d'oeuvre.

[rzn]

do they let you choose one of this & one of that? & is it all spanish style food? I always thought of tapas as south american type hors d'oeuvre. We don't have any "tapas' or dimsum bars here, just sushi.