Fairmont Olympic Fine-Dining Class

There’s no stress so great as sitting down to a five-courser with the company leadership. Holiday parties and the like are ostensibly a chance to let your hair down with the powers-that-be at work, but everyone knows such gatherings are actually minefields of power plays, a chance to show up co-workers or leave under a cloud of shame until the next time you gather at the Chinese Room for filet mignon and lobster tails. Nowhere is the terrain more hazardous than with the silver service. End the night with nothing but the dessert spoon gently laid across the remaining bite of mousse and you win. But go into the soup course with only escargot tongs and you might as well hit Craigslist the minute you get home. The Fairmont Olympic is here to help. Tonight they hold a fine-dining etiquette class for those of us who grew up east of the Cascades and think fork, knife, and spoon are just fine, thanks, and do you have Bud Light on tap? Up to ten students will sit down to a three-course meal in the Petite, the Georgian restaurant’s oh-so-fancy private dining room. (Not to worry, there’s another session February 6 if you don’t get in tonight.) Yes, you ate your salad with a cocktail fork at the holiday party, but it’s a new year and there’s plenty of time to clean up your act before your next “bonding” meal with the boss. As for mastering the nuances of the golf course, you’re on your own. The Georgian, Olympic Fairmont Hotel, 411 University St., 287-4059 (reservations required), www.fairmont.com/seattle. $69. 6 p.m. LAURA ONSTOT
Thu., Jan. 31, 6 p.m.; Wed., Feb. 6, 6 p.m., 2008