Serving a Gilded Age Dinner

To have the service and attendance good, remember to have thoroughly trained waiters, to have a waiter to every two guests, to place a card with the name of the guest upon it beside each plate at a ceremonious dinner, to use menu cards for public dinners, to place one to every two persons, to have a cover for each person accompanied by two large knives, a small silver knife and fork for fish, three large forks, a tablespoon for soup, a small oyster fork for eating raw oysters, a goblet for water and, where wine is used, to have glasses for claret, hock, champagne, sherry, etc., placed around the water goblet; to place the knives and oyster fork on the right and the other forks on the left of the plate. Place a napkin, folded in some simple form, on the left side of each plate, place the glasses on the right of each plate, place extra and very delicate wine glasses, one for sherry or madeira and the others for claret or burgundy, on table with the dessert. Put the more ordinary wines on the table first, and the choicest brands with the dessert; put an individual salt-cellar beside each plate.

Table Etiquette

How to Decorate, Place Dishes and Serve a Ceremonious Dinner

The correct thing at a dinner party is to have the waiter enter the drawing room and announce in a low tone that “dinner is served,” and to light the dining room with white candles or lamps. Have part of the light come from above the table or from side brackets or branches on the wall and have colored shades for the candles on the table. Have the tablecloth of plain white of very fine quality and ironed with perfect smoothness. 

Arrange the decorations of the table high enough for the guests to be able to see under or low enough for them to see over and use flowers of delicate and agreeable perfume or have a handsome dish of fruit alone for a centerpiece. Place carafes of cut or engraved glass at each corner of the table, and for a large dinner, in the center also. Remember that plain dishes well prepared are better liked by everyone, than elaborate dishes made without the requisite skill, and to give things that are good of their kind and that go together harmoniously. 

To have the service and attendance good, remember to have thoroughly trained waiters, to have a waiter to every two guests, to place a card with the name of the guest upon it beside each plate at a ceremonious dinner, to use menu cards for public dinners, to place one to every two persons, to have a cover for each person accompanied by two large knives, a small silver knife and fork for fish, three large forks, a tablespoon for soup, a small oyster fork for eating raw oysters, a goblet for water and, where wine is used, to have glasses for claret, hock, champagne, sherry, etc., placed around the water goblet; to place the knives and oyster fork on the right and the other forks on the left of the plate. Place a napkin, folded in some simple form, on the left side of each plate, place the glasses on the right of each plate, place extra and very delicate wine glasses, one for sherry or madeira and the others for claret or burgundy, on table with the dessert. Put the more ordinary wines on the table first, and the choicest brands with the dessert; put an individual salt-cellar beside each plate. 

Begin the dinner with raw oysters, or in summer, small raw clams on the half shell, served on the regulation oyster plates, with a piece of lemon in the center. Serve one or two soups simultaneously after the oysters, a white and a clear soup. Serve fish after soup and then entrées, which are served in the first course after the fish. Then serve the roast after the entrées, then the roman punch (which is an entremet, or dish coming after the roast in the second course), then the game and salad. Serve salad either with the game or as a separate course, accompanied by cheese and bread and butter. Have the bread cut very thin. Serve some vegetables, as asparagus, sweet corn or macaroni, as courses by themselves. Serve the ices and sweet dishes after the salad and cheese, then the fruit, then the bonbons. Serve after dinner coffee, which should be strong and black. – Boston Globe, 1900

 Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia