Courses and Cutlery Signals

A full-course meal usually moves from appetizer to soup, fish, meat and finally dessert. Some restaurants serve a palate-cleansing sorbet between fish and meat, or a salad or cheese course after the meat. Cutlery is laid out in the order you’ll use it, so simply work from the outside in, one set per course.

How you rest your knife and fork tells the server what you want. When you pause mid-meal, rest them on the plate in an inverted V. When you’re finished, place them together with the handles pointing toward about four o’clock, with the knife blade facing the fork.