The CSC Gala Happenings

I come from a frugal family. We rarely ate out, and when we did, it was nothing more than a brunch at Shoney's after mass on Sunday morning. For all other meals, my mother served us healthy, homemade food while my father taught my two siblings and I proper etiquette.

That being said, I'm still daunted by the procedures faced at a fancy restaurant. So many spoons, forks, plates, saucers. What is the proper position for a knife while not being used? If you're done with your salad fork, do you leave it on the plate or on the table? Can you move things you're not going to use, like coffee cups? Is it okay to tear chunks from a piece of bread, or should you bite it?

Because eating out was a rare occasion when I was growing up, it's always a treat now when I go out as an adult. I rarely go for decadent fare, certainly not at the level that our meal at the Ritz will be on April 5, but I enjoy nice restaurants like Atlas (in my neighborhood) a few times a year.

Despite the excellent service at Atlas and many other local restaurants, I'm not used to being treated like royalty. So when I was contacted by the Ritz to arrange for a tasting of the food for the Gala, I assumed we'd be given a small plate of food (one bit per dish) and a quick view of the ballroom. The tasting was at 1:00, so I prepared by eating a full lunch beforehand.

Boy was I wrong.

Let's just say that I underestimated the Ritz, and in discovering how classy and accommodating that establishment actually is, I came to realize that we're in for an amazing evening on April 5. We were essentially served a full meal consisting of several options from which to choose, and we came to a consensus on all of them based on (a) what tasted best (this was difficult, because everything was top-of-the-line) and (b) what would be the best dish to show you, the guests of the Gala, our appreciation for coming. I took photos of the food, so check out the final menu spread here: http://www.cscgala.org/menu.php

In terms of service, it was amazing, and of course I was in way over my head. At one point, Cathy accidentally left her dessert fork on her first dessert plate. After the waiter returned with the second dessert option, she realized that she needed a new fork. The waiter said he'd get a new fork, but before he could leave, I noticed that I had an extra fork (not sure what its purpose was; maybe "tea fork" or some other specially designated utensil that only the fanciest of people understand). I began to pass it over to Cathy when the waiter said, "Please, sir. I will get another fork." I suddenly realized that I was about to commit the most sacrilege acts of fine dining: Encouraging someone to use silverware for something other than its primary purpose. If the waiter had allowed me to do this, he probably would have had to hand in his resignation on the spot.

Needless to say, I let the guy give Cathy a new fork.