Dinner Plates

[woodburner]

I was so hungry I could have eaten the plate.

Sound familiar.

I'm sure there is a slew of ingenious service ware that serves as the vehicle of great food.

Pictures are incouraged, and I'll show you mine, if you show me yours

Have at it.

woodburner

Edited December 14, 2004 by woodburner (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

thread on how dishware enhances the food presentation

See if that doesn't answer some of your question ...

[spaghetttti]

Woodburner, I'm away from home for awhile so I can't play show and tell with you. But there are sets of dinnerware that I covet. With my birthday and Christmas coming up, who knows -- hopefully they'll be in Santa's big old bag!

Wishlist1

Wishlist2 (such a girly-girl)

Wishlist3

You know, I really admire Susan in FL's plates, quite lovely & elegant.

Edited December 14, 2004 by spaghetttti (log)

[marie-louise]

There's another old thread about this too. I recently posted to it, and despite no one offering me advice to my question, I managed to place yet another order! Here's the thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=6111&hl=

Anyway, I have lots of dishes, but my favorite are my pottery by Luna Garcia. I have lots of different colors-I mix and match them like Fiestaware. I also have a set of square black plates for times I want a dramatic presentation.

The pictures don't do it justice, but here you go: http://www.lunagarcia.com/index.php?cPath=23

I do own a set of plain white French china (Revol) when only white will do.

And then there's my set of Gorham Ariana china for 16 I've had for 25 years. It's fine china but looks relatively casual. Great for Saturday night dinner parties.

I have more but that's enough confession for one day.

Edited to try & post a picture of Luna Garcia right into my post, but no success. Sigh...

Edited December 14, 2004 by marie-louise (log)

[Cusina]

My everyday dishes are this pattern.

This picture is a bit odd, but you get the idea.

I chose them because they are extremely durable and replaceable. We are demading of our dishes. I have olive green, dark red and butternut colored plates and bowls, with serving pieces in ivory and dark red. I like having a selection of colors. I find myself reaching for the dark red plates most often as many things look beautiful them, especially vegetables. My china is a very simple white Noritake pattern which is suitable for more formal meals.

If I were to buy another set, it would be more 'spring to summer', though I'm not sure exactly what that means yet. I'll know it when I see it.

[bloviatrix]

When you keep kosher, you need to have lots of dishes! Fortunately, I have a lot of cabinets in my NYC kitchen (very unusual). Blovie and I picked all our patterns 9 years ago. At the time we figured after 10 years we would be sick of all of our stuff and want to replace it. Suprisingly, we still think it looks pretty nice.

These are my dairy: High Spirits (it's not a great photo) and the cutlery that goes with it is the Richard Meier design on the left.

For everyday meat we use this pattern. I particularly love our meat cutlery. It's designed by Lisa Jenks, a jewelry designer. The only drawback is the pieces are very heavy!! And the soup spoons are the size of serving spoons.

We also have china and silver which gets used for shabbos and entertaining.

[snowangel]

I have kids. I have plain white Corelle. It works. Kids can drop plates, bowls, whatever on the granite counter and they don't break or chip. Someday when the kids have quit being pubescent or 9, and prone to the dropsies, I will go back to Nice Dishes.

When I worked outside the home, the office had black plates. Rare steak looks really nasty on black plates. As does salad.

[Gifted Gourmet]

When you keep kosher, you need to have lots of dishes!  

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Okay, let's go with the kosher home stuff ...

Everyday meat dishes are a white Corelle with white on white tulips ... can't recall the name of the pattern ..

Lenox China's Solitaire is my fancy meat set of dishes .. which goes with Towle El Grandee Silver for formal dining occasions.

Everyday/nicer dairy dishes are all clear glass ... don't know that there is a particular brand actually ... glass can be used for either milk or meat meals so it seemed a logical choice.

Passover meat plates are white by Johnson Brothers, I think .. I only see them eight days each year ... more glass again for Passover dairy ...

Thanksgiving meat plates are by Noritake .. an autumnal pattern given to us by an aunt .. very festive ...

[petite tête de chou]

When I was a young woman I fell in love with most of Dansks line and settled on filling my hope chest with Christianshavn Blue.

[Milagai]

maybe south indian food looks best

on the traditional banana leaf plates?

easy to dispose of too.

no washing or storage needed...

compost or feed to cow in backyard

here is a picture randomly taken off the internet:

http://homepage.mac.com/cintos/Lori/PhotoAlbum23.html

milagai

[marie-louise]

My everyday dishes are this pattern.

... I find myself reaching for the dark red plates most often as many things look beautiful them, especially vegetables..

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Among the many colors of Luna I have is Grape-similar to the purple in your picture. Asian stir-fries over white rice looks particular beautiful on this color. So does salmon.

Perhaps you need a few more plates?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Perhaps you need a few more plates?

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only if she keeps kosher ...

[marie-louise]

Perhaps you need a few more plates?

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only if she keeps kosher ...

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Perhaps "need" was the wrong word.

Since I'm Jewish, do you think I'm allowed more dishes than gentiles, even if I don't keep kosher?

[robyn]

Perhaps you need a few more plates?

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only if she keeps kosher ...

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Perhaps "need" was the wrong word.

Since I'm Jewish, do you think I'm allowed more dishes than gentiles, even if I don't keep kosher?

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I'm Jewish - don't keep kosher - and have 4 - plus a "lunch set". Just in case I ever decide to keep kosher . My big problem now is I want a new set - and don't have room for a new set without getting rid of an old set. But I like all my old sets. Perhaps I should just box one up - give it a rest for a few years - and buy the new set I've been eyeing for the last year. Robyn

[hjshorter]

For everyday we usually buy an inexpensive set from Target or the like, use it for a year or so, then give it away.

Our casual dishes are Bridgewater Pottery's Black Toast and Marmalade. I love this pattern, it's very unusual in the US, funky, and suprisingly versatile. Replacements have to be shipped from England. They were slightly more practical before the dollar tanked again the pound.

The kids (age 5 and 2 1/2) use Ikea Kalas plastic dishes. $.99 for a set of 4 plates or bowls.

Our china is Wedgwood Amherst, platinum trim. It almost never sees the light of day. As Susan said, when the kids get older it will be time for nice dishes again.

[reesek]

bloviatrix - i LOVE your dairy cutlery. the spoon is so round...i just want to pinch it's cheek!

gifted - did that lennox ever come with a gold border? it looks very much like my mother's wedding china with that alteration.

i love dishes. no kids, but i'm a major klutz. i'd love to buy some square white plates. otherwise, i'm addicted to glazed stoneware. i have some sushi, salad and dinner plates in a blue-green glaze and rob has some more everyday stoneware with a yellowish cast to the glaze. i'd love to have a full set of them - all mismatched in color, but the same theme. with bloviatrix's dairy cutlery!

[Suzanne F]

I have always had Johnson Brothers Rose Bouquet, pink -- I mean ALWAYS: since 1970. Used to be, when we went to Europe, if I saw a piece that I couldn't find in B. Altman's (the late lamented ), I'd buy 8 and bring it back on my lap on the plane. Now I just spend all the money I don't spend on cookbooks and AllClad at Replacements Ltd.

I probably have enough now to more than make back everything I've spent there, but I still like this pattern.

[Gifted Gourmet]

gifted - did that lennox ever come with a gold border? it looks very much like my mother's wedding china with that alteration. 

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They certainly do have a very similar dish with a gold border right here!

Eternal  -  Introduced 1965

The signature ivory and gold of Lenox in a dinnerware pattern of exquisite beauty. From the homes of dignitaries to your gracious home, this is the pattern that defines Lenox and expresses your impeccable taste.

[malarkey]

I'm a sucker for old transferware. Love old china/pottery patterns. Johnson Bros., Spode.. Love old glassware too. I was madly collecting stuff till I realized its sort of a stupid thing to collect when you live in an earthquake zone :-/

[marie-louise]

I'm a sucker for old transferware. Love old china/pottery patterns. Johnson Bros., Spode.. Love old glassware too. I was madly collecting stuff till I realized its sort of a stupid thing to collect when you live in an earthquake zone :-/

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Hey, I live less than a mile from the Hayward fault & I still buy lots of dishes! I figure, enjoy them while you have them-they may or may not break someday.

[marie-louise]

... Perhaps I should just box one up - give it a rest for a few years - and buy the new set I've been eyeing for the last year.    Robyn

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I highly recommend that. I kept giving them away when I got tired of them-but then I wished I'd had them back. Now I store them in the basement. (Oh, and I also got a bigger china cabinet this year. )

[Curlz]

I know I shouldn't be surprised b/c it is eG after all, but it's SO nice to know I'm not the only one who is dish-obsessed! I'm single and I've got 3-4 different sets of dishes + umpteen serving pieces that I just HAD to have whenever I first saw them! Granted, I do entertain, but it's a bit ridiculous for one person.

My 'nice' dishes came from Bloomingdales over 10 years ago, and I'll have to look to see what they are or take a pic. I bought a 2nd set of them when they were on deep discount a few years later.

For the last year, my everyday dishes have been a mix of Corsica's deep purple, light green and a great yellow/orange that I found REALLY cheap, as in under $5 each for the dinner plates and bowls. I love the shape of the bowls--that's what drew me to them in the first place. I keep them stacked in alternating colors and pick whichever one suits my mood, but most foods look pretty gorgeous on the bright yellow plates. Except for yellow/orange foods, of course...

Then there's the set of 4 salad plates that my mom bought me years ago; each has an herb print on the plate, and I mix those in with the everyday dishes.

I'd love to know which strand in the DNA holds the dish-loving gene...

[Gifted Gourmet]

this thread discusses the colors, shapes of plates which is rather related to this topic ...

[budrichard]

http://www.replacements.com/webquote/BERMET.htm

We have service for 12. The unique thing about this Bernadaud Metropoles pattern is that each of the 12 dinner plates is a different city of the world. Add the soupl terrine, serving plates and various other items and it is quite a collection. -Dick

[Sandra Levine]

I have Wedgwood Lotus, which went out of production almost immediately after we bought it 28 years ago. We need replacements for several pieces, but it's just too expensive.