Presentation

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• True refinement is invisible.  A showy turnip and a(n overly) friendly waiter have their virtues, but refinement is not among them.  Refined cooking, like refined behavior, does not call attention in itself.

• Select the plate with purpose.   Here's the rule:  the more intricate the food, the simpler the plate.  When in doubt, use a plain, white dish.

• Avoid even numbers when plating food.  Bilateral symmetry can suggest animal or human forms; shun such anthropomorphizing unless you are making gingerbread men.  Imbalance adds interest.  One exception; eggs, sunny-side up look good for some reason (likely Freudian.)  Another exception: Children who are fussy eaters.

• Hide the misery. Concealment beats disposal of an otherwise fine pice of damaged food, particularly when the clock militates against alternatives.  Did you tear a piece of skin from the chicken thigh?  Garnish it with chopped herbs.  Burn a corner of a salmon filet?  Nap it with a little sauce.

• Garnish with intention.  Use functional garnishes.  The proverbial lemon wedges that accompanies a filet of fish counters brininess by adding citrus brightness.  The archtypal sprig of parsley, once considered a refreshing palate cleanswer between courses, has now acquired some cliché baggage that easily signals an afterthought.  Better to chop the parsley and sprinkle it over the dish when it plays a role in flavoring the food.  Send an invitation that it be eaten.

• Never sabotage a dish for the sake of color.  Avoid the temptation to add "red" or "yellow" to a dish.  Color, for its own sake, is your lowest priority. It has to look good, but you are making food to be eaten.  Do not sacrifice a dish with, say, finely diced red pepper where it does not belong flavor-wise.

• No fingerprints on the plate.  Wipe it before you table it.  A little white vinegar on a clean, damp, rolled cloth is how the pros do it.

• Food never lies.  No excuse or explanation makes the slightest bit of difference.  All that matters is on the plate and in the diner's mouth.  Be grateful for cooking's objectivity; in its mercilessness one earns mastery and dignity.

*Disgusting food courtesy of a 1970's Weight Watcher's Diet Card.  Liver Paté En Masque.