Just how many courses can there be in a meal?

[atikovi]

Just reading some restaurant reviews where the writer goes on about how they feature 8, 12, 15 or more course meals. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought courses refer to a category while the reviewer erroneously thinks it means the number of dishes served. As in, appetizer, soup, salad, entree, dessert, etc. Not each individual dish. Anything more than 5 courses seems superfluous. This example talks of a 22 course meal,

This DC Restaurant Features A 22-Course Menu And Each One Is Better Than The Last | Essence

The first Colombian restaurant ever to be included in the Michelin Guide, the restaurant has become a signature DC experience.

www.essence.com

 

[supton]

At $228 per plate, and $150 if you want the wine too, well, if you can shrug that off then chances are more courses is better.

22 courses, sounds like a marketing strategy. I mean, ice cream shops used to advertise how many different flavors they had. Who needs more than 3? but there you go, more choices is better.

 

[atikovi]

At $228 per plate, and $150 if you want the wine too,

Umm......no. It's $228 for the whole meal, 22 courses, not per plate. I know DC has expensive restaurants, but not THAT expensive.

 

[supton]

Umm......no. It's $228 for the whole meal, 22 courses, not per plate. I know DC has expensive restaurants, but not THAT expensive.

Ok, nit pick. I meant $228 to eat--where I go, it's but a single plate, hence the term.

 

[atikovi]

Ok, nit pick. I meant $228 to eat--where I go, it's but a single plate, hence the term.

They reuse the same plate for each course? Salad, fish, beef, apple pie? Do they at least wipe it clean between servings?

 

[racer12306]

A "plate" is a "seating"

Not literal plates.

 

[atikovi]

A "plate" is a "seating"

Not literal plates.

What about blue plate specials? Doesn't that literally mean everything on ONE plate?

 

[John105]

Can't there be quite a lot at an Asian wedding? I've never counted but even the biggest eaters can't eat anymore as the later courses are coming....and the food is amazing lol

just googled as I suspected the number is 8....

 

[billt460]

It's not so much the food, as it is these people wanting to be waited on hand and foot. If you look at the portions, you need 12 courses if you don't want to leave hungry.

 

[John105]

Umm......no. It's $228 for the whole meal, 22 courses, not per plate. I know DC has expensive restaurants, but not THAT expensive.

I know there is clearly a perception for us, that DC is way more expensive than Phila. We stayed over in Jan., went to an ordinary restaurant in a strip mall in NoVA, and it was like $93 before tip, 2 adults and 9 y.o. We were thinking back home this is still expensive being 2023, but around $65. Times like those I remind myself I can afford where I live....and find other places pricey...

(hehe thinking back to our wedding in 2008 in Manhattan. My only task was to get a place for the rehearsal dinner. First place I went...."We can give you special pricing, sure. We can do $95/plate." I almost choked, I actually said, "For a rehearsal dinner?" )

Plan B--asked my wife, how about Jersey? She said, you mean everyone has to cross the tunnel, instead of walking? I dunno....and NJ was the same price maybe $10 less

 

[JohnnyG]

How do you define a "course"?

 

[atikovi]

How do you define a "course"?

That's MY question. I see it as appetizer, soup, salad, entree, dessert, etc. Maybe a half dozen categories. It seems THEY refer to a course as each separate dish. No such thing as 22 different categories of food.

 

[JohnnyG]

Who could eat that much anyway?

 

[Donald]

If you want to be the kindest to your body, eat the carbs last in a meal.

 

[earlyre]

If you look at the portions, you need 12 courses if you don't want to leave hungry.

How do you define a "course"?

Who could eat that much anyway?

It's the "Tasting menu" so those "courses" are likely some where around 2 Tbs each. ( that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but they'll be SMALL)

 

[atikovi]

Who could eat that much anyway?

I think each course, err....dish, is three or four bites worth.

 

[fdcg27]

I could see multiple course within each major division, as in multiple small plates of starters, with the distinction of one being a shellfish course of maybe an escargot and an oyster, followed by a pasta course of maybe a single ravioli topped with a decadent white sauce, then maybe a meat course consisting of a beef carpaccio or steak tartare or maybe sliced veal kidney braised in red with mushrooms, which I had once as an entree and found to be very good.
This would all require a lot of effort on the part of the kitchen as well as the servers.
These would all be very small servings beautifully presented.
You get the idea.

 

[skyactiv]

If you want to be the kindest to your body, eat the carbs last in a meal.

What’s the reason behind that?

 

[billt460]

How do you define a "course"?

 

[BISCUT]

Umm......no. It's $228 for the whole meal, 22 courses, not per plate. I know DC has expensive restaurants, but not THAT expensive.

$228 for the whole meal is rather inexpensive if compared to NYC. A few weeks ago I took my queen to one of my favorite Italian restaurants in NYC. Not inexpensive but far from some other costly places. App, two entrees, 4 glasses house montepulciano (my favotite wine!) and $340 bill to go with it.