Plating for 17

We have had a lot of large tables come through the restaurant recently, spanning anywhere between 14 and 17 people. Today, we had a table of 17 for lunch (with three children in attendance) that paid 240 Euro or 320 US dollars per head. I hope it was a special (very) occasion.

Plating numerous comprehensive and complex dishes is a production. Every individual has a role to play; every tool is a prop and has a function. To start, trays are set up in one line on one of the black slate counters of the central kitchen and plates brought out and placed on top of the trays just moments before the course is fired so that they are as hot as possible when they get to the table. Cooks stand on either side of the counter (or island, for that matter), ready to move deliberately, precisely and without hesitation at the servers command. When the course is fired, it is like the curtain going up at the start of a play—everyone moves into action. Typically, one cook will have only one item to place on the plate. Every plate is plated in the exact same order, so in the instance of the fennel risotto, the fennel risotto is dropped, followed by a ring of foam, followed by a small heap of raw fennel salad, followed by two fresh herbs. When the first cook starts with the first plate, the second cook begins to follow. There’s a certain rush when everyone is moving uniformly and in tandem with one another. When I am a part of this line, I like looking back to see how quickly the pieces have melded together to create an image that is awesome.

I love watching this production as much as I love being a part of it. I find it mesmerizing. It’s like watching an artist do a sketch in fast-forward. It begins with a blank white canvas and within seconds, becomes a beautiful composition of layers, textures, colors and temperature. Moments later, the tray is whisked away, brought to the diner, only to be deconstructed and delayered to its original white state.

There was an extra egg dish leftover today at the end of one of these grand platings. The chef de parti of carnes, Sergi, allowed Freddy, Valentina and I to sample the dish. (We were also lording over and behind the cooks as they plated—he had no one else to give it to!) It begins with a layer of mushroom ragu over which a perfectly poached egg (poached to the tenth of a degree for an exact number of minutes) is gently laid. Four thin strips of sautéed duck hearts complete the stack. A swipe of a butter-colored foie and truffle cream adorns the plate’s rim in addition to diminutive buttered and toasted breadcrumbs that have been pushed together by two pieces of stiff paper to form a perfectly straight line. Pretty. Darn. Delicious.