We Immediately Recognized These Maximalist Plates in Horror-Comedy The Menu

Dark humor is best served on Italian dinnerware.
Samantha Weiss-Hills Avatar
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Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

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I somehow always end up seeing a horror movie on Christmas. Whether it’s some old-fashioned gore or more psycho-thriller stuff, there’s just something about the dark (and decidedly unmerry) genre that lures me into a seat each and every December 25. This time the film in question was The Menu, an absurdist skewering of the highest end of fine dining, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Fiennes, Nicholas Hoult, and a few other familiar faces like John Leguizamo and Judith Light.

In short, a group of well-to-dos is ferried to a remote island to dine at famed Hawthorn, where wild and weird (read into that how you will) antics ensue throughout a tasting menu. Plating is paramount in The Menu, so much so that the director and screenwriters brought on the creator of Chef’s Table to get the cinematography just so. It sets the scene for each dramatic course, including one, in particular, that immediately caught my eye. (And if you’ve seen it, not for the reasons you might think.)

Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

As an avid fan of Italian tabletop stalwart Ginori, I easily clocked the richly hued charger used during the dinner’s fifth course, titled “The Mess”—it was the same one pictured in the movie’s poster. (It also graces the section of showstopping singles in our guide to the best dinnerware sets.)

The plates, a part of the Oriente Italiano collection in a silky malachite palette, are beguiling, much like the mystique surrounding chef Julian Slowik (Fiennes) and his unique restaurant. Designed with a classic, delicately undulating Antico Doccia shape and handcrafted in Italian porcelain, each piece is adorned with a scene that features garofani (carnations), an enduring motif of Florentine ceramics and reimagined by Gio Ponti for Ginori in the 1940s.

At $110 per plate, this isn’t an everyday buy, but what else would you expect from a world-class dining experience? Here’s the thing: They will never go out of style and are surprisingly easy to care for; you can put them in the dishwasher or microwave without concern. But if you want to make an impression without investing in several place settings, here’s a little tip: Go for serveware instead.

Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Maximalist Dinner Plates

What makes a maximalist dinner plate? Color, a dash of personality, and, likely, a splash of pattern. While restaurants often feature all-white porcelain to make food really stand out, layering in a striking green base would frame textures and colors and be a conversation piece when things, ahem, inevitably get a little awkward at the party.

If You Want the Real Thing

Oriente Italiano Dinner Plate by Ginori 1735

Neiman Marcus
$110
 ginori oriente italiano plate

If You Want Edges But Not Extra

Garden Green Lines Dinner Plate by Villeroy and Boch

Bloomingdale's
$56
 Villeroy and Boch Garden Green Lines Dinner Plate

If You Like a Fresh Take on Something Classic

Speckled Dinner Plate, Green and White

Cabana
$90
 Cabana Speckled Dinner Plate

If You Aren’t Dropping $$$$ at Hawthorn

Sicily Ceramic Dinner Plates, Set of 4

Williams Sonoma
$69.95
 WS Sicily Ceramic Dinner Plates
Samantha Weiss-Hills Avatar

Samantha Weiss-Hills

Managing Editor, Home & Shopping

Samantha Weiss-Hills is the managing editor of home and shopping for Domino. She edits and writes home tours, shopping guides, and features, and she’s the friend who everyone texts for glassware, sofa, and sheet recommendations. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Alex, and their beagle-corgi, Elsa.