Wow!  Wasn’t Christmas Week wonderfully busy?!  To take a short break from the Old Guy’s home cooking, the wife, my Mother and I dined at a nearby Chili’s last evening.  Courtesy of a gift card from the son and daughter-in-law, we enjoyed each other’s company.  I have read a number of reviews on the chain over the last year which knocked Chili’s down a quality peg or two.  So, I was interested to see for myself the current state of affairs at this old favorite.

The service was good, the piped in music too loud, overall the food was good, but not great.  Frankly, I would give them a “B” and wonder if that is what they are shooting for?  Frankly, my observation is that management has lost their passion for excellence.  That’s sad.

One reason I say that is because they seem to be satisfied to present a nice, large, beautiful and varied menu, then serve “blah”, even unappetizing plates.  Since this isn’t a restaurant review site, I’ll stop my critique with one more point:  There wasn’t a garnish in sight … unless the slick menu counts.   For the cost of an orange slice or a pinch of chopped fresh parsley, they might have appeared a little more proud of their food, and I am sure I would have enjoyed it more.

Garnishes are a big thing with me.  In my book, Cook Live Learn, I have an entire chapter devoted to the topic.  Here is an excerpt I hope you take to heart.  Adding a garnish to your plates is super easy and will turn a meal into an special occasion.

From Chapter 4: Garnishes

It would be different if using a garnish required that you travel to China to learn the skills from the masters needed to carve carrots into Buddhist temples.  It simply does not.  Beautiful, effective garnishes can be made in seconds by the art-less.  All that is needed is “want to” and a little planning.

Now that I have pounded the table, what is a garnish?  It is something edible that is arranged and placed on a plate of food to enhance the appearance of the dish being served.  The human being enjoys food with three of his or her senses:  Taste, Smell and Sight (appearance).  Your good work and the recipe are going to take care of two; taste and smell.  Just before serving, it is also your job to take care of the third sense.  Thoughtful garnishes are so seldom used, people go gaga over them.  I promise that you will enjoy the praise!

The basics of deciding what garnish to use are few and easy to apply:

What do you have on hand?  This is where planning comes into play.  Think about a garnish when you make your grocery list.  If you do not have a morsel or tidbit to use, you cannot plate it, right?

Color.  Generally, you want to use a contrasting color in a garnish.  This creates “pop” and interest.  For example, if you are serving Fettuccini with Vegetable Marinara, which is very “red”, a radish would not be the best choice, nor would a strawberry – no contrast with these!  An orange or a lemon would offer a color pop in this case, right?  Also, chopped fresh or even dried parsley, would bring another color to the dish if sprinkled lightly over all.

Thinking of parsley, I am not a big fan of placing a sprig of parsley, curly or flat, on a plate and calling it a garnish.  It has been used to death and is thoughtless.  Parsley leaves, chopped finely, may be used as a sprinkle garnish whenever its deep green is a contrasting color, on eggs or macaroni and cheese, for example.

Be bold and have a big imagination!  For example, when serving Fettuccini Alfredo on a large white oval plate, with lots of white showing, sprinkle chopped parsley all over the plate!  A sprinkled garnish can be anything edible.  Like a couple of carrot sticks, a few thin cucumber slices, a cinnamon stick, a tomato peel wound into a flower, 4 or 5 small avocado chunks soaked in lemon juice … anything!  

Here are two simple garnishes (lots more in the book) that you can make that will “Wow” your diners.

Stand Alone Citrus Slices.  A favorite garnish of mine uses an orange or other citrus fruit.  These are super easy to make and most diners will eat them, as an added bonus.  To prepare, wash a citrus fruit and cut uniform slices from the middle as seen in the following picture.  The slices work well at 1/4” thick.  Next, lay the slices flat on your cutting board and cut from the center, straight out through the rind.  Use both hands to grab the orange on each side of the slice; twist carefully in the opposite direction and stand up on work surface as shown.

Strawberry Fans. Wash a whole fresh strawberry, leaving the green leafy stem in tact.  Lay the berry on its side on your cutting board.  Use your sharp paring or utility knife to make several cuts all the way through the strawberry lengthwise, being careful to leave about 1/4” just below the leaves uncut.  Place the prepared berry on the serving plate.  To spread the “fan”, hold the big end between thumb and index finger, while using the other hand to spread and push down on the thin slices you cut.

Rustic.  Anything can be used as a garnish as long as it is the right size and clean:  a 4” long fresh sprig of rosemary or thyme or chunks of pineapple with a cherry will do the trick as well.  A chopped herb or leafy part of a vegetable minced can be effectively sprinkled over your service plate … before or after the food has been arranged on it.  Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese lightly over appropriate dishes just to add color.  Cut three pimento-stuffed green olives in half and arrange on the side of the plate, cut sides up.  (See featured picture above for ideas)