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Comfortable dining chair considerations

Steve Maskery

Steve Maskery

Old Oak
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87290 Laplagne, France
There are a couple of excellent dining chair threads on here at the moment and I thought it might be a good idea to give folks the opportunity to chip in what makes a comfortable one. I've made a couple of sets and a few one-offs over the years, and, apart from the very first one I made, I've been happy with the end result. But yesterday I found myself uncomfortably trying to enjoy my dinner.

I've posted before about the disappointing nature of French cuisine, far removed from its reputation. But last night we went to a nice family-run place in La Souteraine, about 40 mins drive from here. At last! Proper linen tablecloths and napkins. A genuine welcome from the father-and-son duo front of house. Excellent, proper French cuisine, not a burger or pizza in sight, Hurrah!

But.

After a while, I found myself rubbing the side of my leg. The front legs of the chair wer too close together, so whilst it was fine if I planted my feet on the floor in front of the chair, as soon as I tucked my legs in, under my seat, they were in contact with the inside faces of the chair legs and very soon became uncomfortable, to the point of being a bit painful, TBH.

So, the best restaurant we have found so far (although I was driving, so no wine and it was siling it down all the way home), but I'd rather sit on my own dining chairs.

What other chair characteristics come high on your own lists?
S
 
Steve Maskery said:
There are a couple of excellent dining chair threads on here at the moment and I thought it might be a good idea to give folks the opportunity to chip in what makes a comfortable one. I've made a couple of sets and a few one-offs over the years, and, apart from the very first one I made, I've been happy with the end result. But yesterday I found myself uncomfortably trying to enjoy my dinner.

I've posted before about the disappointing nature of French cuisine, far removed from its reputation. But last night we went to a nice family-run place in La Souteraine, about 40 mins drive from here. At last! Proper linen tablecloths and napkins. A genuine welcome from the father-and-son duo front of house. Excellent, proper French cuisine, not a burger or pizza in sight, Hurrah!

But.

After a while, I found myself rubbing the side of my leg. The front legs of the chair wer too close together, so whilst it was fine if I planted my feet on the floor in front of the chair, as soon as I tucked my legs in, under my seat, they were in contact with the inside faces of the chair legs and very soon became uncomfortable, to the point of being a bit painful, TBH.

So, the best restaurant we have found so far (although I was driving, so no wine and it was siling it down all the way home), but I'd rather sit on my own dining chairs.

What other chair characteristics come high on your own lists?
S
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Uncomfortable backs...

Like two rods that go up and clash with your shoulder blades...
 
Interesting topic Steve. I've never built a chair of my own design but this little tome:

IMG_5611.jpeg

....I picked up in Copenhagen at Easter would probably be the first 'port of call' as it contains working drawings of virtually all the many chairs he designed, as well as his thoughts and underlying principles on chair design. I haven't yet read it but it's on my imminent 'tuit' list - Rob
 
As we now operate a small 18 seat restaurant, I think we have the T-shirt on dining chairs. We've been through a few iterations over the last two years. People sit down to dinner at 7.30pm when service begins and can be there on the chair until 11pm if they are keen.

Plain wood chairs, however well made, are not comfortable for long. All of ours are now upholstered. Sprung seats and wide, padded backs. Heavy duty cotton cloth that can be washed with a steamer and detergent. Really solid legs.
 
AJB Temple said:
As we now operate a small 18 seat restaurant, I think we have the T-shirt on dining chairs. We've been through a few iterations over the last two years. People sit down to dinner at 7.30pm when service begins and can be there on the chair until 11pm if they are keen.

Plain wood chairs, however well made, are not comfortable for long. All of ours are now upholstered. Sprung seats and wide, padded backs. Heavy duty cotton cloth that can be washed with a steamer and detergent. Really solid legs.
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I take it it's not the Toby Carvery!
 
Lurker said:
Adrian doesn’t know how to make prawn cocktail, so that’s a no.
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Cheeky begger. :D

We had prawn cocktails on for a family group last Christmas. Probably the most expensive PC's anyone has ever had as they were fresh (ie alive when delivered) Scottish langoustines. It's a chef's table so they were prepared in front of the guests super fresh. Served with suitably cold Krug.

Not sure I have ever been to a Toby Carvery, or ever seen one actually, but I like a good carvery: solid grub in plentiful quantity for a Sunday lunch.
 
AJB Temple said:
Cheeky begger. :D

We had prawn cocktails on for a family group last Christmas. Probably the most expensive PC's anyone has ever had as they were fresh (ie alive when delivered) Scottish langoustines. It's a chef's table so they were prepared in front of the guests super fresh. Served with suitably cold Krug.

Not sure I have ever been to a Toby Carvery, or ever seen one actually, but I like a good carvery: solid grub in plentiful quantity for a Sunday lunch.
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You haven't missed much!
 
Don't knock the Toby and its ilk.
The first time I took a young lady out for dinner was to a Bernie Inn. Steak and chips. We were really living it. Well, at least I thought so. But she married someone else, to my eternal dismay. And now she is divorced, widowed and dying of cancer :(
Life's biggest regret, by a country mile.
S
 
AJB Temple said:
I've never had Mateus Rosé. I fear I've missed out. :cool:
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Rose is funny stuff. IME a bottle where you think, "This is good wine" is the exception rather than the rule. The last time I enjoyed a rose was at a French bistro in Berlin this summer. Oddly enough, it came from a vineyard owned by Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie. It really was quite good. Mind you, the obligatory glass of port at the end was a bit naff. I tried to explain LBV to the waiter and the difference it makes. Not sure that I got through.

BTW, I am definitely not a wine snob. However, unless you're just trying to get legless, it really is worth paying a bit more for a decent bottle of whatever type of wine you're after. Top tip: for those looking for a really good summer wine (probably for next year), get hold of the best Grüner Veltliner you can afford. It's Austrian and simply lovely.
 
I don’t think that I have ever had cheese fondue.
I do enjoy a toasted cheese sandwich from one of those toastie makers.
 
Steve Maskery said:
I think LBV must be made solely for the UK market. My goto used to be Niepoort. But LBV doesn't exist over here.
S
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You can certainly get it in some of the better German supermarkets and better wine merchants. That said, there needs to be a bit of missionary work done in Germany. I usually give my students port and cheese on the last day of lessons. They mostly like it.
 
I just googled with my terrible schoolboy French (only O level I failed - admittedly on purpose): acheter LBV port en france and immediately got some links.
 
Andy Kev. said:
... port and cheese...
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As long as it's Stilton! No1 son's Canadian partner had never tried port until she was introduced to it shortly after they met; she's now a fan and glugs it down with the rest of us. Our favourite (and we've tried a few spendy ones) is this organic one from Waitrose; more than one bottle is guzzled over the Christmas celebrations - Rob
 
I guess LBV to port is like VSOP to brandy?
Port around these parts tends be served up with melon quite often, I mix I find a bit strange.
 
I guess LBV to port is like VSOP to brandy?

LBV is Late-Bottled Vintage. So it's from a single year and spends more time in the barrel before being bottled.
Our friends over here serve port as an aperitif. Also the cheese course comes before the dessert, rather than after it.
Very strange, these Frenchies.
AndyP said:
Port around these parts tends be served up with melon quite often, I mix I find a bit strange.
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When I was a student, the ladies often had "port and lemon". Perhaps someone is just dyslexic...:)
S
 
Also, I've yet to see a bottle of "brandy". Apparently Napoleon brandy is for export only. We get Cognac and Armagnac and Calvados, but nothing as generic as "brandy". It makes making your own liqueurs rather more expensive.
Personally I prefer Spanish (Fundador or Soberano), Greek (Metaxa 5*) or Italian (the stuff in those triangular bottles). I've seen Fundador once, in Aldi on Special, the rest eludes me. The French do make excellent brandy, but the good stuff is not cheap and the cheap stuff is not good. Whereas the rest of Mediterranean Europe makes good, affordable brandy.
S
 
Steve, "brandy" is related to the German verb "brennen" (the past being brannt). Also think of branding e.g. horses. German for brandy is "Brandwein", literally burned wine i.e. distilled wine. Cognac and Armagnac are simply regionally specific varieties of brandy.

Woodbloke, Stilton is of course the traditional cheese for port. However, if you take a mouthful of brie and then a sip of port, there is the most remarkable burst of flavour for about a second. I think that ultimately port is best accompanied by whatever cheese you like most with it. I remember when a Foreign Office bloke I was loosely working with bought a whole Stilton (a wheel?), cut a hole in it and "fed" it port daily for about a week. It was the only time I've really enjoyed Stilton.
 
I've just bought two bottles of aged Calvados 1997 vintage.
We stock half a dozen Armagnacs, I love it but the good stuff is not cheap, even trade.
Cognac is twice distilled and rather different. Premium aged is ££££. Cheap is rough.

UK prices are insane. Rachel tax and duty. We buy in EU now.
 
AndyP said:
I guess LBV to port is like VSOP to brandy?
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Steve's already described LBV, but to stretch this comparison further, then tawny port is surely the equivalent of XO brandy.

Tawny port starts out as the same stuff, but gets aged for longer than ruby or LBV, and in wooden barrels instead of steel. It loses some of the bright red colour, but gains new dimensions of flavour. Since being introduced to it I've rarely felt the need for the red stuff. Best of all is a good Colheita, which is a single-vintage tawny.
 
spb said:
Tawny port starts out as the same stuff, but gets aged for longer than ruby or LBV, and in wooden barrels instead of steel. It loses some of the bright red colour, but gains new dimensions of flavour. Since being introduced to it I've rarely felt the need for the red stuff. Best of all is a good Colheita, which is a single-vintage tawny.
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I didn't know that. Every day is a school day. Now, there are plenty of Tawny offerings, I shall have to experiment!
S
 
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