Small Plates?

[KYHeirloomer]

As some of you know, I'm a small plates fanatic. Would rather make a meal from several appetisers than a regular entree.

How about everyone else? Are you in to the small plates thing? And, if so, what are some of your faves?

[cookie]

That's a Good question. I was just thinking about dishes that I have. I used to put everything on a small plates, then I went threw craze, where I Loved "Big" Plates, put everything on one plate "how fun". I still use small plates for single serving thins like English muffin or waffles, even some appetizers. I like a 9 inch. plate to eat food on, it's just basic does the job but not over the top. Cookie

[KYHeirloomer]

Cookie, I think you misunderstood me.

I'm not talking about the physical size of the plate, but, rather, the size of what's being served. Variously called small plates, small bites, appetizers, tapas, dim sum, mezze, etc. etc.

The idea of the small plates movement is that you get to sample lots of small offerings of different flavors, rather than a big helping of just one. Like a tapas crawl in which you don't move.

[jfain]

I LOVE small plates. I always am more interested in the appetizers than the entrees and I almost always end up making a meal of the small plates. I also am happy that more restaurants are doing reasonable portion sizes. Of course I love tapas but if I am going to get an entree I'd rather it wasn't served in a trough. I just don't need that much food. I'd rather just get a smaller portion that I know I can eat with out pain or having to take home leftovers.

[cookie]

Oh sorry, yes I like lots of small stuff finger food, appetizers etc.. on small plates small portions are fine. Cookie

[The Ironic Chef]

I'm the type that likes to make and have a regular meal. Meat, a starch, and a vegetable with a side salad. I'm not the type that wants to pick at a lot of different items. That is unless I go to a buffet or a nice salad bar. I love salad bars and always eat enough off of that that I don't want the meal.
If I have guest over I will usually set out platters with finger foods as I call them. Everyone can pick as they socialize.

[KYHeirloomer]

>I also am happy that more restaurants are doing reasonable portion sizes. <

Are you finding that to be so, Jfain? In my experience it's just the opposite, with most American restaurants serving portions that are far too large. In fact, I'm working on an essay for ChefTalk.com with the working title, "The Not So Small Plate," exploring how so-called small plates are anything but.

Here's an example. We recently helped a friend celebrate his birthday at one of the few upscale restaurants in Lexington. For "appetisers" Friend Wife ordered Fried Calamari tossed with Asian Slaw, Banana Pepper Rings, and sesame ginger Vinaigrette. I had the Fried Green Tomatoes with Country Ham Salad.

Both were very good. However, they could have been entrees. Had to have been at least a half pound of squid in Barbara's calamari, plus all the garden truck. My appetiser consisted of six slices of fried green tomato, a mound of the ham salad, and a garnish of sauteed scallions.

Appetisers are supposed to stimulate the appetite, not sate it. Yet, the dozen and a half books I have specifically on the topic of small plates, tapas, mezze, appetisers and finger foods mostly belie that when you look at the size of the portions.

Here's just one example. It the Roasted Beets with Moroccan Spices appetizer we've been discussing above, the recipe calls for 2 pounds of beets and half a red onion. Says it serves 4-6. I'm sorry, but I don't consider half---or even a third---a pound of beets to be a small taste. As a side dish, perhaps. But not an appetizer.

[jfain]

Well it's certainly not the norm but it is more prevelant than it was. I agree most restaurant appetizers are as big as a regular meal and considering most of them it seems are fried they have MORE calories than a regular dinner. It's true that when I go to a nice restaurant it's really hard to get a small plate unless you order an appetizer like mussels or ahi tuna. I always try to avoid the fried stuff.

One thing I have noticed since hubby and I travel quite a bit if we do eat on the road we tend to choose restaurants that we know so that we can make good choices. This means unfortunately chain restaurants.
PF Chang's actually has a lot of good choices. Their singapore street noodles is 500 calories for the whole plate. The curry vegetables with tofu 600, ahi tuna on spring greens is 350, stir fried asparagus or spinach is less than 100 calories and so on. They have a lot of things to choose from.
Appleby's has their weight watchers menu with items ranging from 250-500 calories and they are really tasty.
Macaroni Grill has the baslamic Chicken at 600 calories,
Long Horn Steak house has many choices under 6 or 700.
Bob Evans potato crusted fish with veggies and baked potato is about 550 (no butter or sour cream).
Chipotle now has crunchy corn tacos at 250 each
and many more too. You just have to go to the website look for nutritional data and plan ahead. One thing I have learned is to stay away from the salad. Just say no. Normally the only vegetable in there is lettuce then they pack it with every kind of fat imaginable. Unless the salad is field greens with low fat dressing walk away.

[The Ironic Chef]

I love salad bars Jfain. I take full use of them. The ones I usually go to have many many choices besides lettuce as far as healthy eating goes. They offer many fresh or prepared vegetables form cucumbers, carrot and celery sticks, beets,sliced onions, scallions, peppers of many varieties,tomatoes and the list goes on. I really enjoy the soups and breads. The different slaws and pickled items. Most of all I enjoy the fresh fruits that are offered. I enjoy the fresh melons, strawberries, fruit salads, pineapple and even the jello, lol. Many items on a salad bar are items I won't purchase for home use because I know that I am the only one that would eat it and because such a say large piece of fruit like a melon, it may just go bad before I have a chance to finish it.
I find that ordering a salad with a meal is very dissatisfying. Not because of a fat content. The salad usually comes with lettuce of one or several varieties, some slices of onion, maybe some slices of pepper and tomatoes. I just find that mine never looks fresh. I hate seeing the use of old lettuce. The tomatoes are like cardboard unless I am lucky enough to have a salad with maybe some grape tomatoes in it. I don't think that in some chain type restaurants much care is given for salad or freshness.

[jfain]

I think a salad bar is different than an actually composed salad on a menu. If you are doing it yourself from a bar you have more control. I'm talking about for instance the Wild Fire Chicken Salad from Bob Evan's or the Pecan crusted Chicken salad from Friday's. These salads have well over 1000 calories and enough fat to clog up your arteries for a week.