Would you use your own classy gents folder at a fancy restaurant?

The issue that I have is with the premise that one would contract a premium service and then supplement it with one’s own tools and skills when it fails. Is that realistic; or is it more likely that we would raise the issue with management and demand it be resolved to our satisfaction.

n2s

 

If you want a sharper knife at a restaurant, and you don't have your own, I suppose you could "demand" it, as you suggest. My hunch is that whatever they brought to you would likely be another knife, quite similar to the one you don't think is sharp enough. None of their provided knives are likely to be as sharp as your own personally sharpened and cared for steak knife.

Clearly, whatever knife you were given at a premium steak house would quite likely be at least sharp enough to cut or tear through a steak - though it will possibly not be as sharp as you might like it to be.

n2s... my take is that the people who choose to use their own knives do so NOT because the provided knife has "failed", but simply because they choose to! And, I have no beef with that.

This isn't a big deal, though of course anything can be made into one.

 

I've never been impressed by a restaurant-provided steak knife - even at a high-end steakhouse. Of course, their knives will quite likely serve the purpose of cutting or tearing through a steak, so it isn't necessary to bring your own knife. But their knives will not likely do so with the clean, precise ease that a very finely sharpened steak blade can achieve. Is this a critically important thing? Of course not. Is it a matter which some people may appreciate? Certainly.

"Personal" folding steak knives, intended to be taken "out" most certainly do exist. They come in a nice leather or leatherette pouch and they look sleek, classy, and elegant.



These are nothing that should raise an eyebrow by anyone, as a tactical folder or hunting knife might. But, there is always the occasional person who would raise an eyebrow (or a stink) over almost anything. There is no point in worrying about them or their snowflake feelings.

 

I find it hard to believe there are 10 pages on this. I use kitchen knives in the kitchen, restaurant knives in a restaurant, and my pocket knives for most everything else. I might cut a sandwich or a piece of fruit or cheese with one on the job site, but I'm with @ScooterG 's mention back on Page 1 of not wanting to drag a good, sharp, personal knife across a ceramic plate. Honestly, I didn't read the 9 pages in between.

 

I stopped somewhere on page 2.

 

What I find amusing is that I can guarantee that most cutting with a knife that people do in the world is their food

What I can’t understand is that even on a knife forum people would question using a better grade tool to do so

you would think that it was a watch forum

the other thing I’m sunrised at is how many people fear plates

 

Indeed, my friend... amusing as can be!

But, we've been fore-warned here... FEAR cutting anything (using a knife that you care at all for) on a plate!

(I wish there was a ROFL emoticon.)

One might go so far as to say, don't use a knife, that you paid good money for, cutting ANYTHING! The blade will need to be sharpened and will never again be factory pristine! ROFL.

Any nice knife is best handed just once, then beautifully photographed, before sealing it in a glass display case on the knife shelf... to be forever admired for its pristine beauty.

If you want a knife to comfortably and casually put to good use, without FEAR, buy a budget knife and just enjoy using the heck out of it!

 

It’s not a fear of plates...it just isn't logical to rub my own knife on a sharpening material at a 90 degree angle when the restaurant’s knife is provided for me and works quite well. If a serrated steak knife doesn’t work well...stop with the well done steaks.

 

A highly smoothed, glazed, and polished dinner plate is far from what I would consider a "sharpening material" - especially when the knife is drawn against the meat, with little if any pressure applied against the plate itself.

But our disparate views on this matter really don't matter in the least - each of us operates in our lives just as we wish to and all is fine with that.

This thread has gotten a bit voluminous; apparently we have some opinions to share. At the same time - it has fairly quickly become a bit boring. Obviously some of us have plenty of disposable time on our hands to spend chatting about such an unimportant matter.

 

I have plenty of disposable time right now. My wife is housesitting. It’s just me and the cats.

 

And here I swore I wasn't gonna post in this thread again. I do appreciate the touch of levity that's appeared above, but must insist that I have no fear of using my knives for their intended purposes as the marks and wear on almost all of mine will attest with my work users ranging from Spydies up through Shiros. I just didn't buy them to cut meat.

Besides, I really can't mange bringing another object to a restaurant to use when I already have my more comfortable chair, favorite drinking glass and coffee mug with me, along with better soap and softer towels for the mens' room.

 

I don’t use serated knives on steak at home. Tearing meat gives me no pleasure. I’m not afraid of plates. I have never noticed one ruining the edge on a knife. I cut the steak not the plate.

 

I dont like putting a plain edge on a ceramic plate and dont usually carry serrations. That said, if I had that serrared laguiole I saw earlier, thats what I'd use.

 

I'll chime in again. I have been asked a few times by other customers and the serving staff about my custom steak knife (The "Gatsby" by Bradford Larkin of Bradford knives. A few were "impressed" but that was not my intention for bringing the knife and using it. It is a phenomenal slicer on a fine steak and I enjoy using it. It has also started some nice conversations among knife enthusiasts and non enthusiasts alike during dinner, which is always enjoyable.
I'm not sure if the places my wife and I go are considered "fancy" or not, but I do know that the stock cutlery is mediocre at best for reasons mentioned already in this post.

As far as cutting on the plate is concerned, I've already described how I do it, and others have as well, but the bottom line for me is to use my knives as tools and sharpen them when needed.
I'm not quite sure how anyone can even own a knife (or two or more) and NOT consider sharpening as part of the owning and using. UNLESS, you're just a collector and never use them, in which case, this whole thread is about "using" knives at restaurants, etc. and you should probably move on based on what the OP is asking.

 

This. I mean, are we serious here? I cut with my personal knife all the time, and most times, my edge never actually touches the plate. Maybe some of these folks need better manual dexterity (shrug).