Global Urban
This is the first of a few posts on the opportunities and challenges of accommodating enough friends for dinner in relatively small spaces. When we moved to New York friends told me that I might as well give up on the idea of dinner parties for 8 in a Manhattan apartment. That sounded like a dare to me.
Of course it needed to start with the table. When we first looked at the apartment i figured out the maximum size table the space would accommodate without it feeling like a dining table was consuming the whole apartment. Looking at it carefully nothing wider than 27 inches was going to fit comfortably. I went to a lumber supplier that specialized in re-claimed lumber and had a top cut to that width. It works great but there are some things that need to happen to make it work.
Standard 10 1/2 dinner plates technically fit but on that 27 inch width there’s essentially no room for serving pieces on the table. Most of my life that would have been fine because I preferred to plate in the kitchen anyway. But more and more either group activity foods like Vietnamese wraps (see the post on that subject), or many other ethnic foods like Indian or Ethiopian just aren’t meant to be enjoyed pre-plated.
Rectangular plates are great for saving table room where space is limited.
A trick I like to employ is a rectangular or oval plate. Any plate that extends into the center of the table less than the standard 10 1/2 inches helps to give room on a small table for serving pieces. Shown are some amazing blue hand-painted rectangular plates from Tunisia. The color is perfect for showing off the vibrant oranges and yellows of Indian cooking.
The intense blue of these Tunisian hand painted plates looks amazing with the bright oranges and yellows of Indian food.
Rectangular and oval plates are a great way to still serve family style on a narrow table in small spaces.
As I always recommend… even though it sounds obsessive… set the table with everything that will be put on it during the course of the evening so that you know it will all fit and already know in advance what food will go where to eliminate last minute shuffling or having to put serving pieces on nearby furniture just because there’s no room on the table.
Ready for the guests to arrive
Candles lit… ready to go!
Flowers don’t have to be in vases. Worked around throughout the table adds that layer of life and detail without bogging the table down with yet another object (vase) .
