food presentation

At the Chicago restaurant Baume & Brix, octopus is grilled and served "Fun Dip-style." This means that it's laid out in a small bowl with a strip of olive oil on the side. Guests are instructed to dip the octopus into the oil, then dunk it into Peruvian yellow chili powder, coconut powder, or smoked-paprika-tomato powder.

At L20, a fine-dining seafood restaurant in Chicago, chef Matthew Kirkley fills small balls of melon with proteins such as tuna tartare or foie gras. He presents them to guests on a flowering-branch platter at the beginning of a meal.

L20's mussel tart is presented on a bed of seashells.

At Dallas restaurant FT33, chef Matt McCallister serves pork with butternut squash, red Russian kale, and almonds. He serves the dish on a hand-crafted platter created by local designer Richard Wincorn. The platter, designed expressly for the restaurant, is intended to look like the cross section of a tree.

At L20, bite-size sweets are served in tiny, colorful boxes that all stack together; guests pull the boxes apart themselves.