The Formal Dinner by Louis Sherry

The formal dinner setting for the first course of Oysters, by famed gilded age restauranteur and hotelier, Louis Sherry.
Oftentimes, hoteliers and restauranteurs get some aspects of the table setting wrong. It could be a matter of personal or establishment preference or possibly wanting to start a trend. — “At the left of the service plate are three forks — prongs up and perfectly aligned. Nearest the plate is the salad fork…”
Note that he has only one glass or goblet at the setting, he placed the napkin on the left and refers to the fork tines as “prongs.” These were unique choices in an age of definitive social rules.

 

THE one occasion of the day, perhaps, when we do not stiffen perceptibly at the idea of formality— when we do not mind a slight tightening of the bonds of acceptedly good procedure. Here the candle-sticks which all through the day have been frowned upon, come into their own-great high ones, for they are with- out shades and must be above the eye level. The question of bread and butter plates is an open one, but they are convenient. I like them and I use them.

The cloth is of white damask over a “felt.” The decorations are flowers, in a flower bowl of silver. Dinner napkins are either folded square and flat and laid on each place plate or they may be loosely folded and placed at the right of the oyster fork. Silver place plates are extremely desirable and are not removed until the soup course has been finished — the oyster and soup plates being placed on top of them.

At the left of the service plate are three forks — prongs up and perfectly aligned. Nearest the plate is the salad fork. Next to this comes the dinner fork, while the fish fork takes its place at the extreme left. At the right and nearest to the plate is the Mirrorstele-blade dinner knife— next the silver fish knife, both with edges turned toward the plate the soup spoon and last the oyster fork.

At a formal dinner no place is left uncovered by a plate at any time. The only dishes placed on the table are the small, decorative silver holders of sweets and nuts. The carving is done in the kitchen. — From “Silverware: The Autocrat of Every Table,” 1926

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