Loading…
16
I used to think plating was for fancy restaurants, then a 12 dollar plate of pasta proved me wrong at Basil & Vine
Last Tuesday at Basil & Vine in Portland, I watched a line cook send out a plate of cacio e pepe that looked like a bird's nest collapsed on a plate. The chef stopped the whole line and said 'you have 30 seconds to fix that or it goes in the trash.' I used to be the guy who said plating is just for Instagram, that taste is all that matters. But then I saw a regular customer send back a perfectly good risotto because it looked like oatmeal mush. That was my wake up call. The chef pulled me aside and showed me how a simple swirl of the bowl, a crack of pepper, and a little olive oil drizzle takes 10 seconds and makes people actually want to eat it. I started doing the same thing at my own spot and our ticket times went UP because people stopped sending stuff back. I'm not saying you need tweezers and foam, but a little effort goes a long way. Has anyone else had a chef call them out on plating and actually been glad they did?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
james6726d ago
Funny thing is this happens everywhere, not just food. Watch a guy hand you a receipt and he either shoves it at you or sets it straight and says have a good one. Same info, totally different feeling. My barber sweeps the hair off your neck before he takes the cape off, that's his version of your olive oil drizzle. Small stuff that takes ten seconds and people notice even when they don't know they're noticing. Half of good service is just proving you cared enough to finish the job.
2