Presentation
There’s no doubt that the way a plate is presented can enhance the enjoyment of its food. Arranged with art, a meal can be turned into something special. And while arrangement doesn’t change the actual taste of the food, it gives us a chance to add aesthetic appreciation to our enjoyment of the taste. I had dinner with friends at the Maison de Marie, found down a little alleyway off Nice’s Pietonnerie, and close to the Place Massena.
I had the tomato and cheese starter. The tomatoes, nice tangy ones, came sliced and laid in a wide circle on a bed of virgin olive oil, topped by a neat circle of goat’s cheese in the middle and decorated with a single leaf of basil. It look good as well as being very tasty.
For my main course I ordered swordfish. It came, cooked beautifully rare, and resting on a bed of rosemary and clams. Accompanying it were a grilled tomato, a squash and a lemon, plus a loose rissole of cooked vegetables including mushrooms. The plate looked so elegant, as well as tasting absolutely delicious. Provence rosé was, as so often, the perfect accompaniment,