Restaurant flatware thoughts

[gfron1]

4 hours ago, BeeZee said:

Georg Jensen...I like Scandinavian design for tableware. Simple, sculptural, functional.

I have some dishes from that designer. Love them and way too expensive for a restaurant. I'll check out the flatware though.

 

Now, not that this is a democracy or anything, but let me show you another I've been looking at that actually addresses some of the comments that have been made. I found that last round immensely helpful so let's roll the dice again...

Its called Kaya Black Pearl cutlery and is a black stainless. Stays on the plate. Has some girth. Stylish but hopefully not annoyingly so. 

ETA: Read reviews on Amazon and these are an absolute no-go. Scratching issues.

Edited October 27, 2018 by gfron1 (log)

[gfweb]

2 minutes ago, gfron1 said:

I have some dishes from that designer. Love them and way too expensive for a restaurant. I'll check out the flatware though.

 

Now, not that this is a democracy or anything, but let me show you another I've been looking at that actually addresses some of the comments that have been made. I found that last round immensely helpful so let's roll the dice again...

Its called Kaya Black Pearl cutlery and is a black stainless. Stays on the plate. Has some girth. Stylish but hopefully not annoyingly so. 

 

I vote "yea"

[lindag]

No.  Way too futuristic to me.  I'd be willing to bet that if you go with anything this modern that you'd be replacing it very soon. I think many folk would complain about it.

It looks like plastic in the photo (I realize it’s not.)

Edited October 27, 2018 by lindag (log)

[Anna N]

 My first thought was bones retrieved from a mass grave.  I vote no. 

[rotuts]

@gfron1

 

OK so far

 

you listen which is long term worth while 

 

but

 

what are your dishes like ?

 

do they fit this sort of flatware ?

 

and , most importantly 

 

does he food you cook fit 

 

first the plate set ?

 

Im very ford of white porcelain - ish

 

as it reflect all food 

 

not a patterned palte

 

but you know ovals etc

 

Id like to see the plates first

 

as that holds your food

 

the flatware should not over state the plates and the food it contains

 

these might I think.

[gfron1]

17 minutes ago, gfweb said:

 

I vote "yea"

See my ETA on that post. Amazon reviews nixed it for me. I'm guessing all of the black stainless has the same issue. There's a reason flatware has been silver for quite a long time.

[gfron1]

1 minute ago, rotuts said:

@gfron1

 

OK so far

 

you listen which is long term worth while  but what are your dishes like ? do they fit this sort of flatware ? and , most importantly does he food you cook fit first the plate set ? Im very ford of white porcelain - ish as it reflect all food not a patterned palte but you know ovals etc Id like to see the plates first as that holds your food the flatware should not over state the plates and the food it contains these might I think.

Hope you don't mind i edited out all of the line breaks...they were making my eyes go bonkers

 

Your point is taken, and I'll just say that I have a diverse set of dishes, some commercial and some custom. I thisnk the point  is that the flatware needs to be neutral enough to work with all of it. I have a few bright plates that black flatware would be ugly against...we could change out for those courses, but that's a silly unnecessary step at my price point. The pieces I've shown so far would easily work with my food.

[Anna N]

6 minutes ago, gfron1 said:

There's a reason flatware has been silver for quite a long time.

And anything else draws attention to itself immediately.

Edited October 27, 2018 by Anna N (log)

[curls]

I was going to recommend my flatware but Oneida is no longer making that pattern. How about one of these... I prefer the first one but the second might be nice too depending on your dishes & food.

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/gorham-reg-studio-trade-5-piece-place-setting/1010605156?poc=1041677032

 

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/gorham-reg-studio-trade-5-piece-place-setting/1010605156?poc=1041677032

[ElsieD]

I like the first one @curls posted.  Glad you are not getting the black ones.  Idon't know why, but the handle on the knife would drive me bonkers.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

10 hours ago, gfron1 said:

I'm going to show you something I've been eyeballing and reading all of these comments is making me second guess it. While I'd prefer my flatware stand out, it would be okay if it just disappeared all together - meaning good enough to make sense but not remarkable on a positive or negative side. LOOK HERE

 

Not only do these pieces look impractical, they don't exactly scream "Ozarks" at me.  Isn't there some traditional regional pattern that you could emulate?

 

My own stainless is Oneida but I no longer remember the name of the pattern.  The design is colonial but simple, and I would not trade it for the finest silver.  (I used to have the finest silver from when I was married and I gave it all away.)

 

My main concern about flatware in a restaurant is "Is it clean?"

 

 

Edit:  my Oneida pattern seems no longer available.  (Not to worry, I have lots.)  The closest current pattern I could find was Paul Revere:

https://www.oneida.com/flatware/fine-flatware/paul-revere.html

 

Very similar.  I think I should be most happy with Paul Revere if I found it in a restaurant.  Even if that patriot and rum bibber never made it to the Ozarks.

 

Edited October 28, 2018 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[curls]

Brilliant @JoNorvelleWalker -- I google'd and found this Ozark set on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/OZARK-Trail-Hobo-Tool-7-in-1/dp/B00AR8069U.

Rob, not really suggesting that this is what you use in your restaurant!

[Kerry Beal]

Totally agree with Jo re the Oneida Paul Revere - also closest to the one I went to the factory to buy years ago. A nice basic flatware, no frills, matte instead of shiny so more forgiving of water spots and such.

 

 

[DesertTinker]

1 hour ago, curls said:

Brilliant @JoNorvelleWalker -- I google'd and found this Ozark set on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/OZARK-Trail-Hobo-Tool-7-in-1/dp/B00AR8069U.

Rob, not really suggesting that this is what you use in your restaurant!

It would be a test of a diners adaptability for sure! 

Edited October 28, 2018 by DesertTinker
1st comment incorrect. (log)

[kayb]

I'm liking the first one @curls posted above. Simple, understated but has some good looks to it. Should go with most dishes. I could see it with the Ozarks theme, although something more angular and a bit rougher might fit better, more like the second one curls posted, although that design doesn't appeal to me nearly as much.

 

[MSRadell]

13 hours ago, gfron1 said:

I'm going to show you something I've been eyeballing and reading all of these comments is making me second guess it. While I'd prefer my flatware stand out, it would be okay if it just disappeared all together - meaning good enough to make sense but not remarkable on a positive or negative side. LOOK HERE

Definitely No my opinion. I can't see anything good about them other than they look unusual. It looks like would be very difficult to eat with them and the handles are just terrible.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

13 hours ago, lindag said:

I prefer substantial pieces like this.

 

I have some pieces exactly like that and I always reserved them for my husband. Now, with him in the nursing home, they are not used. These are the ones I like. I first ran across them in restaurants and liked them so much I had to buy some. I have other forks, but when these are expended, I make it a point to run the dishwasher. Men will happily eat with them too, but I am a woman. My linked pieces are plenty substantial, but not as heavy as the ones lindag links to and that my husband preferred.

 

I will also be one to say that it is about the food. The cutlery should be a support to that and not a distraction,  if you ask me, and certainly not a pretty irritation. 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Maybe reduce the budget for flatware a winch and buy something that doesn't invite theft? Then increase the budget for fresh flowers in the restaurant and on the tables a little? That would be more memorable to some patrons, like me.

 

You can still buy substantial flatware that your patrons will be pleased with. I just think maybe this area is not where you might express your creativity most effectively. Now dishes and serving boards for charcuterie is a different matter. Investment in that area will be memorable with folks who eat at your restaurant, I think.

[TdeV]

Most of the time I eat with a dessert fork--it's lighter and easier. I find big heavy knives very awkward.

Edited October 28, 2018 by TdeV
Clarity (log)

[KennethT]

Personally, I'm not a fan of knives that have a large flat handle that is perpendicular to the blade.  I used to go to a high end restaurant in NYC that had them, and they drove me nuts because the knife would always flip over when resting on the plate or even on the table since the large flat handle wants to lay with the flat side on the table - so you wind up with the blade either facing down on the table or facing up - or if you rest it on the plate edge, in invariably spins around the moment you let it go, and sauce can go flying..,,

Edited October 28, 2018 by KennethT (log)

[lindag]

What's become of the round soup spoons that I remember from years ago?  

[ElsieD]

11 minutes ago, lindag said:

What's become of the round soup spoons that I remember from years ago?  

 

Good question.  

[chromedome]

They're still around. I have two or three left from when my restaurants were open (the rest have fallen by the wayside somehow over the years).

[lindag]

16 minutes ago, chromedome said:

They're still around. I have two or three left from when my restaurants were open (the rest have fallen by the wayside somehow over the years).

They're just not included in modern flatware sets.  I miss having them.

 

[Anna N]

On 10/27/2018 at 7:21 PM, gfron1 said:

that I have a diverse set of dishes, some commercial and some custom. I thisnk the point  is that the flatware needs to be neutral enough to work with all of it. I have a few bright plates that black flatware would be ugly against...we could change out for those courses, but that's a silly unnecessary step at my price point. The pieces I've shown so far would easily work with my food.

 

While @Kerry Beal was over at my house  we began to discuss flatware and sought to investigate what Thomas Keller might be using at the French Laundry. Not surprisingly he uses something very traditional.  Attractive, certainly, but not in any way “in your face”.  Grant Achatz on the other hand.... Just interesting to see two very different chefs and their choice of flatware.