A Course is A Course

[Ericandblueboy]

I don't know if there's a way to pose this question without sounding like a douchebag, but here goes - do petit fours count as a course?

[DonRocks]

I don't know if there's a way to pose this question without sounding like a douchebag, but here goes - do petit fours count as a course?

I didn't know if there was a way to pose this question *with* sounding like a douchebag.

(No, they don't unless you're talking about places like Minibar.)

[Heather]

I don't know if there's a way to pose this question without sounding like a douchebag, but here goes - do petit fours count as a course?

I've seen "Mignardises" listed as a course on some menus, and would assume petits fours could be part of that.

[DC Deb]

At school, they considered mignardises to be a "bonus" at the end of a meal, not counted as a course.

[Ericandblueboy]

I didn't know if there was a way to pose this question *with* sounding like a douchebag.

The question itself isn't inherently douchey, it's the context in which I asked it. So what do you think about a restaurant that advertises 5 courses for $X (i.e., a prix fixe 5 course meal) but only lists 4 courses and mignardises? My initial reaction is - what am I missing?

[DonRocks]

The question itself isn't inherently douchey, it's the context in which I asked it. So what do you think about a restaurant that advertises 5 courses for $X (i.e., a prix fixe 5 course meal) but only lists 4 courses and mignardises? My initial reaction is - what am I missing?

Okay, now I see. You're talking about this menu (which is probably why you posted there in the first place ). I'd say it's pretty clear the dinner consists of 4 courses + mignardises, not 5 courses, and that the paragraph preceding the menu was specifically written for members here in haste. I'm not even sure this qualifies as anything more than an exuberant moment, but it's one that's pretty easily corrected by a glance at the menu.

In the general case - and I suspect you already know this - the traditional, "proper" French dégustation would not include the amuse-gueule(s), trou normande, or mignardises in the course count (it would be too coarse), but with zose peeg Spaniards (and I'm not sure if this originated in northeast Spain), every speck of dust that arrives is counted as a course. Think about it: even Komi, at one point, included a cracker course although I'm not sure they ever advertised "x courses for y dollars."