Tabletop: Simple Pieces, Part of The Larger Picture – Chef Ed Brown

The entire package of china, glass & silver as well as the extras i.e., salt & pepper, sugar caddy, vase, candle holder, etc… Every piece on the table plays a part in the bigger picture and must be considered as such. In some cases, china may have small amounts of etchings or reliefs or the most decoration used. The current trend serves me well as I have focused my food to be simpler, cleaner, less complicated. This is a natural for me when preparing my specialty, seafood.

In the past I used to use a huge array of designed/patterned china and often designed food specifically for that plate usually inspired by the plate design itself. I believe there is still a market for those plates, albeit toned some toned down versions.
The highly designed plates are appropriate for a restaurant that has a fun atmosphere or theme…..no longer to be found in fine dining. I also agree there is room for small elegant design in fine dining, especially custom design where a restaurant can set itself apart from anyone else. Everything we do as restaurateurs affects our guests experience and make them want to return which is our goal. We are in the restaurant BUSINESS, not the restaurant HOBBY. Every touch that makes our restaurant unique, further promotes loyalty.

I think fine dining is alive, I am happy about that… but has a new face. Gone, for the most part, are the stuffy over wrought, precious dining rooms, snob service and table top settings. The new face still can have elegant appointments with some small amounts of design, but offered in a much more casual style and with a much more familiar atmosphere.

Bottom line for me is, great food, nice table top, great hospitality with technically proficient service with a warm friendly atmosphere….and maybe you are wearing slacks and a polo shirt!

Best Fishes!

Chef Ed Brown’s bio:
Edward G. Brown Chef/Collaborator, Ed’s Chowder House :
For more than 25 years, Chef Ed Brown has cultivated a culinary prowess by working in some of the most celebrated kitchens in the world. His passion and considerable talent in regards to all things seafood have earned him wide acclaim including numerous New York Times stars and a Michelin star. Brown’s skills, creativity and expertise with the finest seasonal ingredients are now on regular display at his latest venture, Ed’s Chowder House located on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Brown’s professional life in the kitchen began shortly after his graduation from the Culinary Institute of America in 1983, when he joined Le Parker Meridien Hotel at its New York Times three-star Maurice Restaurant as Sous Chef working beside Chef Christian Delouvrier and Chef/Maitre Cuisinier Alain Senderens. Two years later, he traveled with Senderens to Paris to work at the famous Michelin three-star Lucas Carton as Chef de Partie Tournant. It was during this time that Brown was introduced to the cuisines of the world and the variety of techniques that are still evident in the combinations, flavors and simplicity of his cooking style today.