Table d'hôte (English pronunciation: /ˌtɑːb(ə)lˈdoʊt/) is a French loan phrase which literally means "host's table". It is used as restaurant terminology to indicate a menu where multi-course meals with only a few choices are charged at a fixed price. Such a menu may also be called prix fixe (English pronunciation: /ˌpriːˈfɪks/ "fixed price"). The terms 'set meal' and 'set menu' are reasonably common as well. Because the menu is set, the cutlery on the table may also already be set for all of the courses.
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Etymology
The phrase table d'hôte originally referred to a table shared by guests, where a meal was served at a specific time. The meaning shifted to include any meal featuring a set menu at a fixed price. In the original sense, its use in English is attributed as early as 1617, while the later extended use, now more common, dates from the early nineteenth century.[1]
Other countries
In Japan a similar practice is referred to as teishoku (定食). This has a fixed menu and often comes with side dishes such as pickles and miso soup.[2] Typical prices can range from 800 Yen to 1500 Yen.[3]
In France, table d'hôte refers to the shared dining (sometimes breakfast and lunch) offered in a vacation named chambre d'hôte (similar to "bed and breakfast"). Every guest of a chambre d'hôte can join this meal, cooked by the hosting family. It is not a restaurant, there is only one service, the price is fixed and usually included in the vacation. Everyone sits down around a large table and makes small-talk about the house, the country, etc. What is closer in french to the meaning of table d'hôte in english is plat du jour ("dish of the day", "lunch special" or "fixed menu"). It usually includes a choice of entrée (introductory course) or dessert, a single main course (or a choice between two dishes) changed everyday, bread, beverage (wine) and sometimes coffee, all for a reasonable price, fixed for the year (usually between €9 to €15).[4]
In Spain there is the Menú or Menú del día which usually includes a starter, a main dish, bread, drink and choice of coffee or dessert, it may range from 8€ to 30€, 10€ being the average price. Patrons must specify they will be ordering the Menú in order to get the list of dishes and the special price.[citation needed]
See also
- À la carte, the opposite of table d'hôte
References
- ^ "Table d'hôte". Oxford English Dictionary (draft ed.). September 2008. http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50245852. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
- ^ Japan Glossary | Japanese Terms :: Japan Visitor
- ^ Boye De Mente (1995). Japan Made Easy. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 111
- ^ All Things French - About France
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