In Praise of the Entree

NYT restaurant critic Frank Bruni has a nice piece defending the entree as non-boring food.

The trend at new restaurants tends toward the miniature and microscopic, the kind of thing that make you think you just add water to get a full-sized meal.

The goal is for the diner to order a whole assortment of these little bites, all the more to delight the senses with the new. But Bruni protests:

A too-long sequence or too-broad collection of too-small plates is like being tickled and tickled and never flat-out hugged. It keeps you alert and leaves you impressed, but it doesn’t always leave you sated. It doesn’t necessarily leave you feeling fed.

How perfect a summation, especially since we probably remember what it's like to get into a tickle fight with someone and be hugged afterward. At least I hope we do.