Almost like the face of a clock you had the starch at 10 o'clock the vegetable at 2 and the entree' straddling 4 to 8.
Chances are there was a veggie and starch of the day that went with all entrees.
Well now this would be considered old hat or at least retro in that many establishments are reverting back to the old steakhouse or supper club themes as people have become a little nostalgic with the new millennium, and to be sure this type of presentation is not wrong. A few years back things began to change, though. With talented young chefs coming on the scene, like David Burke, Roy Yamaguchi, and others, flavors began to be fused and presentations began to change. Food started to be stacked instead of laid out, vegetables and starches became part of the composition of intertwined presentations that made up a dish, a harmonious piece of work that was thought out instead of every item getting the same vegetable and starch. So instead of ordering roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables, or a grilled steak with the same now there was variety that fit the dish, like a Tandoori Chicken Breast on Cardamom scented Basmati Rice with Curried Vegetables, or the same menu might offer a Seared Hanger Steak on a pan crisped Potato Galette with Bacon Braised Winter Greens.