Are restaurants that specialize in small plates a way of life or a ripoff? Some think it’s marvelous to sample many different things, and others think it’s just a more costly way to order a dinner that may not fill you up. Small plates are exactly that, plates smaller than dinner plates with a small serving of something delightful. That serving, by itself, could not be considered a meal. This style of dining is most often associated with tapas, a galaxy of appetizers from Spain, but dim sum also falls into this category. In the United States it’s not unusual for someone to suggest “dinner” at a small plates restaurant.
If you go, you need to be prepared to share, because that’s part of the ethos of small plates. Three plates for two people is one suggested formula. Everyone has a little bit of the Little Bit, and then moves on to the next Little Bit. Etiquetteer loves what this article from Toast has to say about it: “Small plates service tends to be quite social and collaborative, making it a great choice for large groups or smaller parties who want to try many dishes.” This establishes that those seeking out small plates are ready to experiment, and also to spend lots of time talking about the food.
But what if you’re quite social but also territorial about your food? Dining doesn’t just mean quality, but quantity enough to keep your tummy from waking you in the night. And continuous “debate” about who gets the last Tasty Morsel on each plate is not “social and collaborative.” Etiquetteer was reminded of what Tudor courtier Andrew Barclay* wrote about dinner service at the time of Henry VIII:
"If the dish is pleasant, either flesh or fish,
Ten hands a once swarm in the dish;
And if it be flesh, ten knives shalt thou see
Mangling the flesh, and in the platter flee.
To put there thy hands is peril without fail
Without a gauntlet, or else a glove of mail . . . "
It’s kind of like hip-checking people out of the buffet line, or stationing yourself near the kitchen door at the wedding reception to catch the waiters with their trays.
Etiquetteer enjoys both a hearty meal and an evening of small plates.** If you are more, ahem, cautious about getting your fill, or just not interested in “trying many dishes,” it’s best to be candid when asked to a small plates restaurant. “You know, small plates just aren’t my thing, but I would really love to see you,” you can say, before suggesting another restaurant.
Etiquetteer wishes you a happy, filling, and Perfectly Proper dinner, however small your plates might be.
*Quoted in Alison Weir’s Henry VIII: The King and His Court, page 76.
**Not on the same night, rumors to the contrary.