Poll: Do You Like Small Plates?

A little ramp toast as part of a meal. The best way to dine? [Photo: Robyn Lee]

While meals were once neatly divided into appetizers, entrees, and desserts, an increasing number of restaurants (in New York and elsewhere) now structure their menus around small plates—little dishes, generally meant for sharing, that can be ordered free-form. You might do a set in place of appetizers, one to nibble on between courses, or three or four as a mix-and-match meal.

Some diners love the experience of trying more dishes at a given meal, but others prefer the traditional format, seeing small plates menus as difficult to make sense of, and often more expensive. What do you think?

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