Question about working in a restaurant kitchen

[foodfiend]

Once again, I was almost done with my dinner tonight when I realized that the garnishes, chopped parsley and lemon wedges, would have been great on the tuna steaks. If I had remembered to put them on the plate. I mean, really.


I do this often.

Anyway, my only restaurant kitchen experience was so long ago and I have a question.

In a restaurant, is there someone whose job it is to make sure that the plates going out to the customers are correctly finished?

A "garnishiere", of sorts?

Sort of a silly question, but I was wondering...

[chef_Tab]

Vicci, I cannot answer your question but I can certainly sympathize with you. More often than not I forget to add the cabbage to Corn Beef and Cabbage. It is usually the morning after that I find that head of cabbage all cleaned and quartered in the fridge. It has become quite the joke in our family.

[labradors]

The expediter (aboyeur or aboyeuse) is supposed to make sure each plate is correct before it leaves the kitchen.

[HomeCulinarian]

Labs gets to the answer first! I've done that quite often myself...

[foodfiend]

So, I guess that I need an expediter in my kitchen.

Thanks, guys. I worked the salad bar for my very first job when I was 15, and was a waitress between my freshman and sophomore years of college, but in neither instance had any direct contact with the kitchen staff. I knew that someone had to do that sort of thing, especially in a large restaurant.

[DFen911]

Vicci yes there is actually. In big kitchens there is a person manned to that station. In smaller ones sometimes it's the server who is to garnish the plates.

[cjs]

And the chefs job to look at it last and know it's done properly.

One suggestion - in the case of parsley and lemon wedges you mentioned, Vicci - how about leaving a parsley leaf and the lemon next to the stove as a reminder. The leaf so you don't leave the parsley out to wilt while cooking dinner. Should be part of your mise en place, then you won't over look any ingredient.