Full of It?

Serious Eats, a blog I follow, has a poll today concerning the restaurant trend of small plates - debating whether they are a cool, Tapas-esque thing, or a way lame attempt to cheat their patrons.

I have to laugh because I'm always a little nervous when Scott and I dine somewhere that offers small plates in lieu of entree-size portions. With the opportunity to taste a variety of things, I love the concept. However, Scott is wary of anything "small" about a meal. The man requires certain amounts of food, and anything less is just a big damn shame.

Recently we took two friends visiting from Nashville to a Greek/Middle Eastern place where we each selected two things to try. Between the four of us, I felt we all received enough food and the price was just fine. Scott didn't speak up to say if he was satisfied, and I didn't ask, but his raid of the pita basket to sop up the remaining sauces and bits on each plate indicated maybe not so much.

Is it a total racket for a restaurant to center its menu around the small plates concept, or do the small plates encourage communal dining, a more adventurous and diverse palate?

Weigh in - fabulous or full of it?

Comments

  1. It really does depend on the resto. I like tapas menus overall -- you don't overeat; the food is usually creative; and it's fun to share. Only once was I really disappointed with skimpy portions and high prices.

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  2. Yes, the dishes are usually more innovative than entrees. Good point!

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  3. I directly work on a team, Mindless Products, LLC. with Dr. Brian Wansink who accepted a Presidential invite to assist in the creation of the new U.S Food Pyramid. Dr. Wansink is the Director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University. This lab is a major contributor to "The Small Plate Movement" - a movement encompassing academia, government, media, and industry helping people lose weight promoting a healthier lifestyle simply by reducing the size of their dinnerware.

    Dr. Brian Wansink worked very closely with the Mindless Team to design the ideal dinnerware, called Thinware,™ taking into account the size, shape, color, dimensions, and quality encouraging smaller food portions while leaving a person feeling completely satiated.

    Very interesting research was done by Dr. Wansink which is described in his book, Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think” The book is entertaining and funny and is the premise of our companies, www.mindlessproducts.com and our weight loss plan www.mindlessmethod.com.

    "Change your plate first. Change your habits later."-Dr. Brian Wansink.

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