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The Mere Mortal's Guide to Fine Dining: From Salad Forks to Sommeliers, How to Eat and Drink in Style Without Fear of Faux Pas
From aperitif to digestif, approach every meal with savvy and grace.
We’ve all experienced Fancy-Pants Restaurant Jitters at some point – the fear that you will unknowingly commit some fine-dining crime, whether it’s using the wrong fork, picking an amateur wine, mispronouncing foie gras , or gasping when your fish entrée arrives with its head still attached. Relax. The Mere Mortal’s Guide to Fine Dining is the ultimate antidote to restaurant anxiety.
Where does your napkin go when you leave the table? Should you sniff the wine cork? And why, pray tell, are there so many forks? This comprehensive and accessible primer answers these and dozens of other questions and offers the basics on every aspect of fine dining,
* How to navigate a place setting
* Speaking menu-ese and the language of fine food
* A refresher on polite and polished table manners
* 911 for wine novices
* A carnivore’s guide to beef, pork, lamb, and veal
* What local, sustainable, and organic really mean
* Japanese dining dos and don’ts
* Who’s who on a restaurant’s staff
* How to be a regular—or get the perks like one
* Top restaurants across the country
* What the food snobs know (and you should, too)
* And much more…
With a little help, any Mere Mortal can order wine with confidence, get great, attitude-free service, decipher menus, and finally, truly, savor any dining experience.
We’ve all experienced Fancy-Pants Restaurant Jitters at some point – the fear that you will unknowingly commit some fine-dining crime, whether it’s using the wrong fork, picking an amateur wine, mispronouncing foie gras , or gasping when your fish entrée arrives with its head still attached. Relax. The Mere Mortal’s Guide to Fine Dining is the ultimate antidote to restaurant anxiety.
Where does your napkin go when you leave the table? Should you sniff the wine cork? And why, pray tell, are there so many forks? This comprehensive and accessible primer answers these and dozens of other questions and offers the basics on every aspect of fine dining,
* How to navigate a place setting
* Speaking menu-ese and the language of fine food
* A refresher on polite and polished table manners
* 911 for wine novices
* A carnivore’s guide to beef, pork, lamb, and veal
* What local, sustainable, and organic really mean
* Japanese dining dos and don’ts
* Who’s who on a restaurant’s staff
* How to be a regular—or get the perks like one
* Top restaurants across the country
* What the food snobs know (and you should, too)
* And much more…
With a little help, any Mere Mortal can order wine with confidence, get great, attitude-free service, decipher menus, and finally, truly, savor any dining experience.
228 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2006
18 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 15, 2021
More than an etiquette guide, this book outlines how a professional kitchen works, food trends, ingredients, what to ask your waiter and introduces top chefs.
December 28, 2024
Such a great book of information you wiil be a table master by the time you are done with this book. So many tips, information, details on how to entertain and fine dine. This is a must for all that want to go the extra mile when having guests over for dinner.
October 10, 2020
Meh….You could get as much from Pretty Woman about a table setting and still be entertained.
With that said, the information on wine is detailed and the chapters about meat and vegetables were interesting and useful. Especially when explaining the vocabulary used by many restaurants on their menus. The Q &A at the end on etiquette is also useful.
It’s a very easy read- I really did finish this in a day. However, to name the best restaurants for various things is pointless unless this was printed in a magazine. Assuming you want your book to keep selling don’t include something that links you to one city or year. And given the year I’m reading this (2020) - when many restaurants have minimized or shut down completely due to quarantine - this shouldn’t be used as a travelers guide.
With that said, the information on wine is detailed and the chapters about meat and vegetables were interesting and useful. Especially when explaining the vocabulary used by many restaurants on their menus. The Q &A at the end on etiquette is also useful.
It’s a very easy read- I really did finish this in a day. However, to name the best restaurants for various things is pointless unless this was printed in a magazine. Assuming you want your book to keep selling don’t include something that links you to one city or year. And given the year I’m reading this (2020) - when many restaurants have minimized or shut down completely due to quarantine - this shouldn’t be used as a travelers guide.
January 8, 2018
This book, so far, is a fun light read. The section on drinks (that are not wine) was really great, and the peak season for fruits and veggies is nice. The list of top restaurants was a nice addition, but it of course seems a bit silly, since they were the top for the year of publication.
However; there are somethings that would make true fine diner's cry, or worse, want to snub you. I love reading etiquette, and want to go to Protocol School, so I know these are WRONG.
Your napkin goes on your SEAT when you get up for whatever reason. It NEVER touches the table until you are finished dining.
When dining American style (why does this book-so far not mention Continental!?) The 'finished' position for your silverware is 10 and 4, not 10 and 5.
I wish the Japanese dining section mentioned that when taking from a communal plate, don't use the ends of the chopsticks you are putting in your mouth- take from the plate with the other end! It sounds obvious, but really, it's not. I don't like their translations from Japanese more of than not either. "mouth-chewing sake" is not how kuchikami sake (zake? what was that about) transliterates. Points for trying to clear up the whole 'rice wine' thing.
However; there are somethings that would make true fine diner's cry, or worse, want to snub you. I love reading etiquette, and want to go to Protocol School, so I know these are WRONG.
Your napkin goes on your SEAT when you get up for whatever reason. It NEVER touches the table until you are finished dining.
When dining American style (why does this book-so far not mention Continental!?) The 'finished' position for your silverware is 10 and 4, not 10 and 5.
I wish the Japanese dining section mentioned that when taking from a communal plate, don't use the ends of the chopsticks you are putting in your mouth- take from the plate with the other end! It sounds obvious, but really, it's not. I don't like their translations from Japanese more of than not either. "mouth-chewing sake" is not how kuchikami sake (zake? what was that about) transliterates. Points for trying to clear up the whole 'rice wine' thing.
July 12, 2007
I found this book informative and, more importantly, fun to read. Somehow, the author manages to avoid the bland and blah of the stereotypical etiquette lesson and make the information interesting and accessible. Some of her tidbits were surprising to me - apparently sushi nigiri is supposed to be eaten with the fingers.
I personally got bogged down in the wine section (don't much care for wine, nor can I legally purchase it for another year) and in some of the cheese section, but that is forgiveable. The author kept the listings of things that require rote memorization (wine and cheese pairings, cuts of meat, seasons for fruits and vegetables, etc.) to a minimum and created charts for handy reference purposes.
I only hope that someday I will be able to eat in a fine-dining establishment that requires the knowledge of all those rules. At the very least, however, I know enough not to embarrass myself in future business meetings and such.
I personally got bogged down in the wine section (don't much care for wine, nor can I legally purchase it for another year) and in some of the cheese section, but that is forgiveable. The author kept the listings of things that require rote memorization (wine and cheese pairings, cuts of meat, seasons for fruits and vegetables, etc.) to a minimum and created charts for handy reference purposes.
I only hope that someday I will be able to eat in a fine-dining establishment that requires the knowledge of all those rules. At the very least, however, I know enough not to embarrass myself in future business meetings and such.
February 27, 2011
i thoroughly enjoyed this book and am thinking of purchasing my own copy as a reference. One might think that given my past-60 age, I would have learned all of this - but while I probably did, there is much that needed reminding and I'm sure my fellow dinner companions will be glad I read the book - if I can just remember and put it all in practice. It is a great gift for a recent college graduate.
August 2, 2013
I had been wanting to read this book for three years now, and finally got around to it. I love food, particularly wine and cheese, and wanted to learn more about both topics. This book definitely goes into detail on these and many other subjects, though it would take much more experience and repetition for me to really learn. Nonetheless, I found it accessible and entertaining, though some of the restaurants and celebrity chefs mentioned seemed somewhat dated and regionally biased.
January 31, 2008
this book was really informative. etiquette is something i'm really interested in; this book gave amusing historical pieces of information while also explaining why these rules are considered important.
June 24, 2007
Must-have reference on the basics of dining out. This book could basically be titled "how not to make an idiot of yourself in fancy restaurants." Easy to understand as well as use.
March 26, 2010
Exactly what it sounds like. I may never get to use the info in this book, but I really kind of want to go somewhere to try Molecular Gastronomy now.
May 31, 2013
Great book about which knife to use, how to properly eat a roast chicken, and how to generally behave. After dinner, there are drinks and the proper behavior ends.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews