POSH 101: Fork It Over

 

Fork it over stylishly, of course. From top to bottom flatware: Gold Lyons, Dynasty 24K, Parisian Gold, all POSH. Mocha Swirl Velvet Linen by Resource One, exclusively at POSH.

December marks a busy time of the year on the social calendar. From work holiday parties and social gatherings to family dinners with in-laws and friends, it's safe to safe that it's the most wonderful and busiest time of the year. So, what to do at those holiday gatherings? This week we will bring you etiquette and social pointers for everything from where the fork goes to the art of conversation. Whew! What a relief.

Stylish Silverware. From top to bottom flatware: Floral Elegance, Michelangelo, Christofle, Birch Hall by Redd & Barton, Marie Antoinette by Reed & Barton. Rouge Ribbon Taffeta full round linen by Resource One, exclusively at POSH.

Forks

A good rule of thumb: When in doubt, use a fork. It is the preferred utensil over fingers, spoons, and knives. For formal dinners, the hostess should serve food you can eat without embarrassment, like easy finger foods. Forks are even preferred for things like asparagus and ice cream. Eating Italian over the holidays? The spoon you use to assist in twirling the noodles is not part of etiquette - just use your fork to cut up the spaghetti. If you ever drop your fork, leave it and tell the server if at a restaurant; at someone's home, it is all right to pick it up, give to the hostess, and ask for another. Never use silverware that has fallen on the floor - even if you love the five-second rule, it does not apply ever in social settings. Finished? Lay your silverware on the the plate, never on the tablecloth. 

If you have more than one fork to use, don't panic, just start with the fork on the outside. The silver is set in the order it is to be used, with the first course’s silver being on the outside. Forks (tines up) on the left, knives (cutting edge pointing in), and spoons on the right. Remember, if the silverware you need isn’t on the table when you sit down, they will bring it when that course is served.

Seafood fork - This fork is the smallest fork. It will have only three tines. (Tines are the teeth.) It’s used with seafood, such as oysters and shrimp. It may be found to the far left of your place setting, or it may be resting in the head of your far right soup spoon.

Salad fork - This fork is larger than the seafood fork, but smaller than your dinner fork. It will have four tines but will be shorter and fatter than your regular fork.

Dinner fork - This fork will look like the ones you’re used to seeing at home (may be called a place fork).

Dessert fork - This fork is smaller than your regular fork, and you can recognize it by its placement. It will either be above your plate, or it will be set at the table during dessert.

Feel better about which fork to grab? Good. Check back this week for more POSH 101 tidbits.
 

Fall Fete: Basic Prep

Festive designs from Paperless Post.

We're anticipating Fall and the festive fetes that will be thrown once the crisp weather arrives. If you've been gone all summer and need to get back in the swing of things, have no fear. We're sharing our favorite ways to prep for Fall, starting with the basics. Step one, check out invitations from paperlesspost.com and send a save the date or invite. Fall fills up quickly for society swans, so set the date and time!

Engraved coasters and menu cards from bell'INVITO /  Top hostess, Gwyneth, of course, has great recipes to try with friends on GOOP. / The D Cookbook has top chefs from DFW with the ultimate recipes to impress guests. Pre-order here.

Get your menu planned: The D Cookbook features local chefs (including those on the hot list right now from FT33's Chef McCallister to mainstays like Stephen Pyles) which are sure to impressed a well-heeled crowd. If you want a little more foodie fun, or just want to host  friends a' la Gwyneth, check out Goop for healthy yet delicious options. 
Go the extra mile: Order engraved coasters and menu cards from bell'INVITO. Nothing pleases like personalized paper goods.

Image via Pinterest.

Places: Get reacquainted with tabletop placement and etiquette. Knowing the proper places sets a luxurious tone for dinner, as well as making guests feel important. A few easy tips: Four-lettered flatware goes on the left (fork) and five-lettered flatware on the right (knife, spoon). Drinks are always in the top right corner of the place setting, above the knife and spoon. For tried-and-true etiquette tips, look no further than The Emily Post Institute. 

Check back tomorrow for more prep tips to make your party unforgettable with tips on decor, tabletop, and more!

POSH 101: Tea Party

We're excited about sponsoring the Dallas International Art, Antique & Jewelry Show's High Noon Texas Tea this Friday. So excited, in fact, that we thought we would share a few tea party pointers just for fun. It will be the beginning of a great weekend at Dallas Market Hall. The best part? We have several complimentary one day tickets for two for Fall show, this Friday through Monday (November 9-12th). Stop by the showroom to get yours today! Go here for an overview of the 80+ international exhibitors.

Top image via Pinterest / Loren silver tea cup, saucer, and plate / Gold Florentine charger, Gold Scroll Dinner plate and B&B, Gold Leaf salad plate and tea cup, Gold Bead B&B charger, Gold Lyons flatware // All POSH Couture Rentals

 Tea Time Etiquette 

An excerpt from Tea Time Etiquette and the History of Afternoon Tea

• Greeting/handshake
• After sitting down — put purse on lap or behind you against chair back
• Napkin placement — unfold napkin on your lap, if you must leave temporarily place napkin on chair.
• Sugar/lemon — sugar is placed in cup first, then thinly sliced lemon and never milk and lemon together. Milk goes in after tea — much debate over it, but according to Washington School of Protocol, milk goes in last. The habit of putting milk in tea came from the French. “To put milk in your tea before sugar is to cross the path of love, perhaps never to marry.” (Tea superstition)
• The correct order when eating on a tea tray is to eat savories first, scones next and sweets last. We have changed our order somewhat. We like guests to eat the scones first while they are hot, then move to savories, then sweets.
• Scones — split horizontally with knife, curd and cream is placed on plate. Use the knife to put cream/curd on each bite. Eat with fingers neatly.
• Proper placement of spoon — the spoon always goes behind cup, also don’t leave the spoon in the cup.
• Proper holding of cup — do not put your pinky “up”, this is not correct. A guest should look into the teacup when drinking — never over it. Since ancient Rome, a cultured person ate with 3 fingers, a commoner with five. Thus, the birth of the raised pinkie as a sign of elitism. This 3 fingers etiquette rule is still correct when picking up food with the fingers and handling various pieces of flatware. This pinky “up” descended from a misinterpretation of the 3 fingers vs 5 fingers dining etiquette in the 11th century.

POSH 101: The Invite

Being in the event rental business, we get to see the most beautiful events and the most beautiful invitations. With the holidays upon us and wedding season around the corner, we thought it would be nice to brush up on our invitation etiquette. Cue Susan Strauss, Owner/Creative Director/Everything of Simply LUXE, a Simply Personal company. 

You may remember Simply Personal and Simply LUXE for winning the NACE 2012 People's Choice Award earlier this Fall. (We loved their "Tree of Life" tablescape! See images here.) See what Susan has to say about invitations for your most important events. 

Images courtesy of SimplyLUXE

From Susan Strauss:

"At SimplyLUXE, we love to assist our clients with common questions regarding addressing, RSVP information, and timing on when to send invitations out for their big event. It is the first glance a guest will have of their personality, style, and event - so make a statement! The invitation should provide guests with practical information such as directions, location, parking information, and often time attire - it truly sets the tone for the event. As we often say, 'Every event deserves a great invitation!'

Gathering the guest list is often the hardest part of the planning process. When sending invitations, we suggest that the client provide her address list to us that has state names and words such as street, drive, or avenue spelled out. We like to keep abbreviations to a minimum for aesthetic and practical purposes. Normally, we have our clients write out exactly who is invited to their event, including children's or significant other's names. The more specific the better, which will clearly communicate to the guest who is invited and who is not. SimplyLUXE also offers envelope addressing using dozens of font options and colors - it's a great match especially for wedding invitations.

Wedding and large event invitations are typically sent out 8 weeks before the event to give guests enough travel and planning time. The suggested date for the RSVP return date is about two weeks before the reception venue/catering final count is due. We try to allow time for those RSVP cards that trickle in - they always do! Remember, if you are a guest to a wedding, always send back your RSVP! The bride and groom have gone through painstaking measures to ensure that YOU are on their final guest list, so please do them the honor of responding on time!

Visit SimplyLUXe at www.simply-luxe.com

 

POSH 101: The Rules of Wine

Wines of France recently came to Dallas for a progressive wine dinner, four stories of wine tasting with delicious foods by Michael Ehlert with wines paired by Jennifer Jaco (you may know her from Del Frisco's or Al Biernat's). With society season around the corner, we figured this is the perfect time to brush up on your wine skills. Whether you're a neophyte or an oenophile, a fine wine connoisseur or a thoughtful hostess, we've compiled a few protocols that are often expected with these flavorful goods. POSH provided the background for this tantalizing feast for the senses with a treat for the eyes with our barware, Blue and White China, and Exotic Bird China collections.

No.1 Start with Sables d'Azure, Gassier en Provence Rose 2011. Served with summer melon soup, poached rock shrimp, foie gras torchon, brioche, blood orange crudo of halibut, and grapefruit. / No.2 Chilled salad of Texas peas with truffle-egg focaccia and baby lettuce paired with Chateau de la Grave, Bordeaux Blanc 2011, on our Blue and White China. / No.3 Grilled vintage striploin with anchovy butter, Texas peaches, smoked potato and watercress paired with Chateau Fourcas Dupre, Listrac-Medoc 2007, on our Exotic Bird China. / No.4 End the evening with Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne, Brut Reserve served by Jennifer Jaco - in the act of sabering. / No.5 A perfect setting with our Villa O Chairs and red Chiavari chairs.

 TIPS
~ Serving wines at proper temperature is dire for optimal tasting. White wines are served best at 48 - 54 degrees F., while reds are served best at 57 - 68 degrees F. (Note: Chilling takes about ten minutes.)
~ Uncork red a hour beforehand to begin the oxidation process, which will give you the full flavor and aroma of the red.
~ For presentation purposes, pour on the right side of the guest so they can see the label, never touch the bottle to glass, and master the twist of the wrist to avoid dripping.
~ Decant red; the chemical reaction releases a whole new dimension within the wine.
~ If the wine has bubbles (hello, champagne), pour slowly down the side of the glass. Otherwise, pour in the middle of the glass, and never more than 1/2 to 3/4 of the glass.
~ Serve reds in wide rimmed glasses (like decanting, it serves the purpose of letting the wine breathe). Serve whites in more narrow, smaller rimmed glasses.
~ Always hold wine by the stem. Wine temperature is important, and you don't want to change the wine's temperature with your own.

 

POSH 101: Finger Foods

Whether you're hosting a dinner for the CEO or attending an event as a guest, your etiquette should be just as polished as the flatware. With this in mind, we thought it would be fun to brush up the rules of graceful entertaining. Thus, this is the start of a new series of timeless traditions and modern translations - POSH 101.  

Our business revolves around events where food often gets top billing. We've witnessed firsthand the somewhat confusing song and dance of patrons at galas or dinner parties unsure of how to eat the amazing hors d'oeuvres and entrés. Rather than let your taste buds miss out, we thought it would be apropos to start this series with dishes that are acceptable to eat with your hands. Unless your accustomed to traditional Indian restaurants (which abide by the ritual of a more emotional and intimate custom of eating with your right hand), eating with your hands may initially seem a bit awkward in a Western setting. To make things easier, we've listed a few dishes below. Nervous? Here's a good rule of thumb: Follow the host's lead; if he or she embraces finger foods you should as well. It's sure to lighten the mood! 

Cherries and our vintage glass compotes | French fries in amuse bouche and our Onyx compotes | Lemon bars and breads on our serving dishes and Copper Metallic Moss B&B charger | Asparagus, corn, and artichoke on our Catering Collection

Notes: 

Toast: A CLASS ACT

Emily Post: Table Manners via here. 

What makes a lady? The way she carries herself? Her ability to distinguish the salad fork from the dinner fork? Her circumstances? Certainly a POSH lady knows that clothes and appearances can help make a woman look nice, but it’s manners that make the world want to mirror her. This is why POSH partnered with Cassandra Fine Catering and Alley’s House to create a memorable evening of great food and a lesson in table etiquette.

Alley’s House is a nonprofit organization that empowers teen mothers and their children to achieve independence through support service, education, and mentoring. As a cause near and dear to the heart, POSH owners Jami Goetze and Laurel Howell understood that table etiquette shouldn’t be lost of single mothers. “I think being exposed to the basics of etiquette are important in success. Knowing how to conduct yourself in an interview, what to wear, how to answer a phone, and what fork to use during a formal dinner are becoming a lost art for today’s young people.” 

While Jami and Laurel led the dinner, waiters Randa Johnson and Gloria Azurdia served dinner from Executive Chef Juan Garrido. Cassandra Tomassetti, owner of Cassandra Fine Catering participated with Alley's House because she, too, realized the lost art of table etiquette. “I was raised in England, and table manners were a huge part of my training that helped me later in life. I didn’t realize [at the time] how grateful I would be [to have them]. The opportunity to teach and empower girls was a doubly great opportunity.”

This post is dedicated to the March graduating moms from Alleys House: Yesenya, Emerald, Kaylee, and Sophia. Class acts, indeed.

-   To learn more about Alley’s House, go here.