A line cook in Portland told me my plating looked 'too safe' three years ago.

He pointed at a dish and said, 'You have great flavor, but it's just a pile in the center.' I started using negative space on the plate and adding height with a single herb or crisp, which changed how guests see the food first. What's one piece of plating advice that really stuck with you?

4 comments

4 Comments

laura_schmidt821mo ago

Seriously, you got critiqued by a line cook in Portland?

lilya761mo ago

Wait, is this a real thing that happens? I've eaten out a lot and never had a cook come out to talk about my plate. That seems like a wild story, maybe the guy was having a really bad night.

seth_singh201mo ago

Yeah "critiqued by a line cook" is putting it nicely lol. Laura, it's a specific type of pain. My move is to just agree with them super hard. Like "you're totally right, man, I messed up the sear." They run out of steam real fast when you don't fight back. Then you just enjoy your overpriced eggs and never go back.

wesleyb201mo ago

Ever try that with a wine snob at a table next to you? Same energy, just swap the sear for the tannins.