Watching the Chef at Black Eyed Susans

Nantucket is a famous culinary mecca, with great chefs opening expensive eateries and each season coming up with new and higher standards for dining....with the clientele that comes ashore from multimillion dollar yachts and sprawling summer homes, this is a place where prices can soar and smiles will still greet even the most exhorbitant checks. But at this time of year, most of these temples of gastronomy are shuttered until May. Black Eyed Susan's fortunately, was open last night. We sat at the bar and watched the chef make us seared halibut with wilted beet greens and perfect mashed potatoes.

The one thing I kept noticing was how the chef would cook up a full skillet of some delicious looking creation, and then plate the dish and leave so much in the skillet to be sent to the trash. It struck me, does this have to do with careful attention to portion control, to how it will look on the plate? Besides all this, our halibut was lovely and maybe that's why most restaurants keep the chef out back, not 2 feet away from the diners.