Synopses & Reviews
Coming together to share a meal is one of our most vital traditions. Whether dining with friends, family, or business associates, we know that an elegant setting and gracious manners bring a sense of harmony and order to the occasion. Yet when it comes to knowing precisely how to set a table for formal and informal dining, which fork is for dessert and which for the appetizer, how to serve different types of wine -- even how to eat certain foods -- many of us are not fully confident.
Suzanne von Drachenfels learned this firsthand in her career as an expert on table setting, tableware, and etiquette. Conducting seminars throughout the country, she would hear the same questions again and again: Should bread be buttered entirely or bite by bite? What is the purpose of holding a wine glass by the stem or the base? Is handmade crystal worth the price difference?
The Art of the Table answers all these questions and more. A treasure trove of timeless information, this complete guide is to the table what Joy of Cooking is to the kitchen. Von Drachenfels shows us how to select, lay, and use tableware to enhance any dining experience, and how to properly store and care for it -- whether it's your grandmother's porcelain or everyday stainless steel. She provides guidance on mixing and matching tableware patterns; the basics of coffee, tea, and wine; menu planning; napkin folding; and the proper service techniques for all types of entertainment. So as not to let the lore of the table fall away, she delves deep into the history of specific tableware and the customs we keep, making today's practices understandable.
For the novice host, this is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide with more than one hundred helpful illustrations. For the host with more experience, it is a rich and exciting source of new ideas. Like its author, whose passion for the table is contagious, The Art of the Table is an authoritative, elegant, and sophisticated resource for all one's dining needs.
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Jean-Georges Vongerichtenchef and cookbook authorThe Art of the Table is filled with information that people have forgotten or just don't know. It's a great reference for dining and entertaining.
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Dorothea Johnsondirector of the Protocol School of WashingtonThe Art of the Table covers everything you ever wanted to know or need to know about tableware....This book is a real treasure.
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Nathalie Dupree
television host and author of Nathalie Dupree's Comfortable Entertaining
When your boss is coming to dinner and you can't tell your dessert spoon from your demitasse spoon and you're wondering if you actually have a five o'clock spoon, turn to The Art of the Table for all the answers on the finer points of dining and tableware.
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Diane Fordeneditor in chief of Bridal GuideThe Art of the Table [is] a staple for every household. Read it once, refer to it often -- you'll never question your dining savvy again.
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Jacques PépinPBS-TV cooking show host, cookbook author, and cooking teacherThe arts of cooking and wine making have made tremendous headway in the last few years. It is time for someone to teach us how to properly and elegantly serve and enjoy the fruits of this progress. The Art of the Table is that guide.
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Millie Martini Bratteneditor in chief of Bride's magazineFrom acing the basics of setting a beautiful table to perfecting the fine points of entertaining, The Art of the Table will inspire confidence and creativity in every newlywed who quivers at the thought of entertaining the in-laws.
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Judith Réauthor of Social Savvy and etiquette expertFascinating...historical...practical...a worthwhile guide for the new and seasoned host.
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Letitia Baldrigeformer White House social secretaryThe Art of the Table is a must have -- fun to read and chock full of information -- that will help America raise its hosting and guesting manners by several degrees. As young people begin to renounce their plastic flatware,...this book will be invaluable. And for anyone setting a table, it's an ABC primer!
About the Author
Suzanne von Drachenfels's passion for table things led her to a career as Tabletop Consultant to FitzandFloyd, a maker of fine dinnerware that has been used in the West Wing of the White House. As an expert on the table, she has traveled extensively to conduct seminars and appeared on local television morning shows throughout the United States. She lives on the Monterey Peninsula in California, where she and her late husband, Baron Alexei von Drachenfels, have lived for many years.
Table of Contents
ContentsPreface""""
Part I: Dining Fundamentals
Chapter 1 Words Used in Table Setting
Chapter 2 The Difference Between Formal and Informal Dining
Part II: Dinnerware
Chapter 3 From Pottery to Porcelain
Chapter 4 Decorative Methods and Styles
Chapter 5 The Different Categories of Dinnerware
Chapter 6 Plates: Piece by Piece
Chapter 7 Bowls: Large to Small
Chapter 8 Cups: One and All
Chapter 9 How to Lay Dinnerware
Chapter 10 The Interchange of Dinnerware
Chapter 11 Serveware: At the Table and in the Home
Chapter 12 How to Purchase Dinnerware
Chapter 13 The Care of Dinnerware
PART III: FLATWARE
Chapter 14 From Silver to Sterling
Chapter 15 Decorative Methods and Styles
Chapter 16 The Different Types of Metal Flatware
Chapter 17 The Knife
Chapter 18 The Spoon
Chapter 19 The Fork
Chapter 20 Serving Utensils
Chapter 21 How Flatware Is Laid on the Table
Chapter 22 The Way to Use Flatware
Chapter 23 The Interchange of Flatware and Serving Utensils
Chapter 24 How to Purchase Flatware
Chapter 25 The Care of Flatware
PART IV: STEMWARE
Chapter 26 From Glass to Crystal
Chapter 27 Decorative Methods and Styles
Chapter 28 The Different Categories of Glass
Chapter 29 Stemware: Shape and Purpose
Chapter 30 How to Place Stemware
Chapter 31 The Interchange of Stemware
Chapter 32 How to Purchase Stemware
Chapter 33 The Care of Glassware
PART V: TABLE LINENS
Chapter 34 Tablecloths, Placemats, and Table Runners
Chapter 35 Napkins
PART VI: SERVING TECHNIQUES
Chapter 36 Formal Dinner Service
Chapter 37 Informal Dinner Service
Chapter 38 Dinner Service from a Buffet
Chapter 39 Service of Formal and Informal Luncheon
Chapter 40 Service of Afternoon Tea and High Tea
PART VII: DINING FINESSE
Chapter 41 The Protocol of Seating
Chapter 42 Giving Thanks and Making Toasts
PART VIII: MENU PLAN
Chapter 43 From Food to Cuisine
Chapter 44 Menu Primer
Chapter 45 From Vine to Viticulture
Chapter 46 The Rudiments of Wine
Chapter 47 From Tea Leaves to Teacups
Chapter 48 Choosing the Right Tea
Chapter 49 From Coffee Beans to Aromatic Brew
Chapter 50 The Basics of Coffee
PART IX: TABLE MANNERS
Chapter 51 How to Eat Specific Foods
Chapter 52 Table Manners
Chapter 53 Table Manners in a Changing World
Bibliography
Photography Credit
Index