In today’s busy world, most fine dining will be semi-formal which is simple but elegant, but if you choose to go formal. Go for it!
- Select the table cloth or place mat of your choosing, one that is pleasing to the eye and coordinated with napkin and color scheme. Cloth table cloths and napkins are usually more appropriate for fine dining; however, a good quality plastic or paper table cloth and paper napkins can substitute per your preference
- Choose a size table cloth that would hang over the table sides approximately 12 inches
- Depending on the table surface if using a table cloth, you may consider using a silence cloth underneath the table cloth if necessary to keep down on the noise.
- You can plain fold or fancy fold the napkin as below. The napkin is traditionally placed underneath the forks however if fancy folded it can be placed anywhere for maximum effect as below. Large good quality napkins are great for fancy folds.
5. Most dining tables come with a preset number of chairs which allows adequate space for each individual place setting, however, if you add seating you will need to allow approximately 2 feet for each place setting or more as needed
6. Use your best dishes and cutlery
7. You may set the table as you wish, however arranging the dishes and utensil for each place setting in an orderly manner within easy reach, will make the dining process convenient and pleasant.
8. The traditional system below has worked for years and may serve you well
a. For family style dinners, you may , or may not use a service plate which serves as a base for the dinner plates and all the other plates during the meal.
b. Place the service plate or dinner plate in the middle of the place setting about 1 inch from the edge of the table, with any designs or patterns on the plates properly displayed.
c. If several courses are served, stack the plates in order of use on top the service or dinner plate with the one to be used first on the top.
d. Bread and butter plates if used should be placed on the left side just above the forks with the butter knife across it.
e. The silverware is placed on the side of the plate corresponding to the hand that will use it, in the order they will be used. In general knives and spoons are usually picked up by the right hand and so are placed on the right side of the plate and forks on the left. Most people eventually transfer the fork to their right hand which is ok, but nevertheless they are placed on the left.
f. The knife is placed closest to the plate with the blade turned towards the plate. If more than one knife is used, they are placed in order, with the one to be used furthest from the plate, then the next to be used, with the one to be used last closest to the plate. The spoons are placed to the right of the knives, in order with the one to be used first on the outside, usually the soup spoon, then the next to be used with the one to be used last closest to the knives.
g. Similarly, the fork to be used first is placed on the outside, followed by the next to be used with the last one to be used next to the plate, so for example if you are using 2 forks a salad fork and a dinner fork, the salad fork is placed on the outside and the dinner fork next to the plate as above.
h. Make sure the knives, forks and spoons are placed 1 inch from the end of the table in line with the plate.
i. Note the dessert fork or spoon can be placed across the top of the plate or be the one next to the plate as it is used last.
j. Glasses are placed on the right-hand side just above the tip of the knife or knives for convenience. Because water is often the most popular beverage the water goblet is placed closest to the hand on the outside, with the wine glass on the inside. You can of course place them in any order you prefer. If several glasses are used it becomes more complicated. For now, we stick with a simple set up for ease.
k. Coffee cups and saucers would be placed to the right just below the glass or brought in afterwards.
l. Note although traditionally knives, spoons, glasses cups are placed on the right and forks on the left, it depends on your preference. I once had a left-handed child come behind me and switched the cutlery around which made sense to him.
A simple, elegant, orderly place setting lift the spirit and the dining experience
Ionie Ponde, MS, RD, LDN
B Food Savvy 