We were down to a sad array of four dinner plates. Two dating from 1998, when we bought a set at Williams-Sonoma upon moving to New York. One from IKEA, some time after we got back. And one flowery blue plate from Sur La Table, from when we needed serving plates for something.
“I’m going to Crate and Barrel for new plates,” I said. They’d served me well in the Big Bowl hunt. This turned into an all-morning Dada-and-Iris adventure at the mall, where in addition to C&B, we visited Jamba Juice, the play structure, the Apple Store, Pasta & Co, and the candy store. Iris came along willingly to all of these except the pasta store, and she felt bad about resisting, because it turned out they had a free sample of chocolate cake.
In fact, we had to go to the Apple Store twice, because Iris realized after our first visit that she had not tried the iPhone. (Geekery alert!) I am not exaggerating at all when I say that Iris was able to pick up the iPhone, unlock it, and begin using it without any help from me. The parts that don’t require reading, at least. Dear Apple: Iris is already a seasoned TV veteran, so feel free to hire her for a commercial.
So about those plates. We ended up with plates from the Diner series. They couldn’t be more boring, but they were $4 each and seem to be chip-resistant so far. They fit a little more snugly in the dishwasher, but they fit.
Unlike the Big Bowls, these plates could not be said to have any features that the previous plates (which Iris was delighted to put out for free in the lobby) lacked. So why am I so excited about setting the table or emptying the dishwasher, just because I get to *touch the new plates?*
You can never go wrong with simple white plates. All food looks good on them. Personally, I am not a fan of flouncy plates that detract from the food.. That being said, some amazing dinner stuff comes out of Japan, that is just brilliant. OK, one exception to my rule then!
Oh, man, I totally know what you mean. A week ago Sarah and I went to Maine for our anniversary, and we stopped at the Crate & Barrel outlet in Kittery. We ended up spending $50 when all we wanted when we arrived was some new wine glasses. I love simple, classic glassware and kitchenware.
Don’t get too attached, my friend. I’ve been in love with my heavy, white, and very chip-resistant dishes–only to find they’ve been discontinued!
And I had hoped we’d be happily every after (sigh).
This may be a false accusation, but I’m pretty sure I once bought some bad pint glasses at Crate and Barrel–they looked like real pint glasses, but they were light and flimsy. Only time they’ve steered me wrong, though.