Intermezzo service

[Greg]

Hear, hear, Jim! There's nothing better than having perfection as a goal; even if you shoot for it and miss, you'll still be doing well. If the quest for perfection involves agonizing over details, then so be it; this it what will set you apart from "hack" cooks that only do this work for a paycheck. P.S. for Carol: I'll take you up on that bet regarding what Julia, Jacques, et al, would do in this situation. Just don't bet your restaurant, it's too long a commute for me !

Aiming high is a great thing Jim! It's better to sweat over the details, timing, and taste of a meal than to skimp and have people say,"Is this it?" I think I would do the same but I always think that if I do too much for one party or person, some where down the road its going to haunt me. You know the people "well you did it for so and so!!" Hope you don't have to many of these parties in the near future, I don't know if we all have the details down to help you!!

[Jim]

Greg & Tiss,
Thanks for the support. I have always sweated the details... to be honest, its what breaks the monotony sometimes. Each meal seems to progress past the previous; an extra something here and there seems to go a long way. Besides, I don't have any other chef-types at my unit, so if I want to learn, I have to take the initiative and lean on myself to really hone in on the details so people never, ever have to ask "is this it?" I guess in some sick way(!), I enjoy the challenge.

Dear Jim, I'm sorry I surprised you by my response... I think you missed the point... or maybe I did. i think, all too often, fine dining ( which technically my restaurant IS NOT) more attention is paid to ... is the spoon chilled? than is the food right? THere is too much attention paid to outlandish plating and the addition of too many redundant and superfluous items to a plate simply because they are buzzwords.... I recently dined at a restaurant that had adzuki bean, fingerling avocados,banyuls vinegar and meyer lemon in one dish... Oh [please... buzz buzz buzz... it sounds reminiscent of the 80's... OVERKILL>... I truly believe that the true flavors of the food in their truest form is what is so special... The cold spoon is a nice touch but not to be mistaken as the FOCUS/ Pardon me for being misunderstood.... Maybe I sounded a tad callous.. Do you get what I mean NOW?

[Jim]

Carol,
I think I do get your intention. And I whole-heartedly agree about the 'buzzing' menus. They certainly do sound like nouvelle food that was (and still is) around. That was not my intention, however I tend to err on the side of supplying a bit more information to the diner rather than not enough. And, I agree about the focus on the food.
Perhaps there was a lot of discussion about the spoon, however, without knowing the protocol, I turn to this educational forum to enlighten me so that I may pass what I have learned on to the guests. Nonetheless, the 'tweaking' of that particular detail was not the primary concentration of the meal. The food is the epitome of the meal. Period. You eat beucase you are hungry. You spend extra money, because you are hungry AND want it too be a fantastic meal; meal being defined as the entire dining experience, including the smudgeless wine glasses, properly placed flatware, exceptional service, perfect food and enjoyable ambiance.
So I think you can see my concern with that one particular item. Although a chilled spoon may be a bit trivial, it still, all the same, plays a role, however insignificant, in the the dinner.

Jim:
That meal sounded just legendary! I assume your client was one RICH sum'***** . As they say in newly-fashionable Texas.

As to your sweating (pun intended) the intermezzo spoons, the architect Mies van der Rohe's most famous aphorism was "God is in the details." You're clearly in tune.

Wish I knew somebody wealthy enough to invite me to one of your meals.

Mike


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travelling gourmand

[This message has been edited by MikeLM (edited 01-20-2001).]

[Jim]

Mike,
Thanks for the compliment! Next time we have a meal like that, I'll be sure to send you an invite ! We had a pretty high-end one just last week... sorry you missed it! Here's the menu:
Butlered Hors D’oeuvres~
Miniature exotic mushroom duxelle in strudel
Smoked salmon rings with whipped cream cheese and fresh chives

Plated Dinner

~
Lobster Chowder, crèm fraiche, salmon roe

Sahara Bread

Seared Tenderloin of Australian Lamb Loin with minted brandy demi glace

Toasted sweet potatoes and sautèed Snow White asparagus, broiled tomato
Salad of winter greens with Watercress dressing,
Camembert cheese, brioche crostinis

Sahara bread

Perugina chocolate pyramid with Amaratto Zabaglione

Demi-tasse service

Cordials

[This message has been edited by Jim (edited 01-21-2001).]

my dear Jim --

I have a protocol and event logistics consulting practice in Washington. I have just finished doing several events for the Inauguration and I wish I had had people with your attention to detail.
There is an order to service and a correct way to present utensils. Chargers are always removed at the beginning of the meal. Decorative but useless. Chilled salad plates and forks are always a sign of a good food service operation.

You are right to ask and frankly as many of these dinners as I do, I am always scared to death that I have violated some arcane French rule of service.

I treat aan intermezzo like dessert. The utensil can be placed on the underplate when it is served. But then few formal diplomatic dinners have this course today. Mostly they are business-like. Maybe all the diplomats are as confused as you and I about the proper way to do this.

Dam*it Jim:
Will you please stop putting up descriptions of fabulous banquets that I will never get to smell, let alone eat! I'm going to brood about this last one for days.

Seriously, I hope you are enjoying your work as much as your imaginative menus suggest that you do.

Mike

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travelling gourmand