An array of distinctive, smaller service plates and tableware helps add value and interest to a small-plates menu selection, showcasing foods and creating an appropriate “tablescape” for this new style of dining.

The new Arcoroc Appetizer collection of plates, bowls and other smaller pieces, for instance, offers a variety of pieces in porcelain and glass in distinctive shapes that create a real “wow factor” around small plates. Even glassware suits the trend: Make a dramatic presentation of an oyster shooter in a Trek Shot glass, or seafood cocktails in stemless Mini Martini or Margarita forms in Arcoroc.

Some restaurants have abandoned the old appetizer/entrée/dessert progression altogether, to focus on menus that showcase small plates, allowing customers to sample a variety of different items—sort of the “sushi bar” approach to dining. An investment in appropriate dinnerware will help “sell” a small-plates menu.

The casual small-plates dining style also lends itself to a mix-and-match style of table design: Consider any of the distinctive glass forms in the trendy Gourmet Concepts line, including Tiny and Fresh, which play up the color and form of ingredients. Mix Up, from Arcoroc, is also designed with a variety of different menu items in mind, featuring more than 40 different pieces in a collection of mixed materials, shapes and colors—square and deep for saucy meatballs, or rectangular for a selection of roasted vegetables. Bowls and small deep dishes in Arcade or Minerali are perfect for small items like nuts and olives.

From the Grands Chefs line by Chef & Sommelier, Purity and Divinity provide sleek modern style in sizes that are perfect for smaller portions, including presentation plates and diminutive glass and porcelain bowls for sauces and small tastes.

Visit us online to download our catalogs at www.cardinalcatalogs.com, or call 973-628-0900 to speak to a sales representative.