While we wait….I think just arranging them in a circle with maybe a frilly toothpick is enough.

Bacon lovers won’t be concerned with presentation!

Do a google image search and you'll see that no matter what you do, they look pretty awful. But as blasphemous Jews in my family say, "If pigs weren't meant to be eaten, God wouldn't have wrapped them in bacon!" The bacon lovers won't care what they look like.

Distraction.

A bed of baby arugula. A pretty plate. A placecard holder with a little tag announcing what it is.

Definitely going to use a cute plate. Dry-ish arugula might work as a pretty base , had not thought of that!

Considering how fast they will go, you might consider having less eye-appeal!

I just looked at Google images. The most appealing looking dishes were on white plates with sprigs of rosemary tucked in. Example below (I think I’d go a little more rosemary sprigs rather than rosemary stems)

The only way to make bacon wrapped dates more appealing is to remove the dates! ;-)

I have never liked the taste or texture of dates. Someone I know made a large platter of bacon wrapped dates for an event and hardly anyone ate them.

We just had bacon wrapped dates as the appetizer for the October Cookbook Club luncheon (stuffed with blue cheese) and there wasn’t a morsel left!

I don’t like dates either, but if you stuff them with cheese and wrap ’em in bacon, I’ll eat every one of them! 🐷

Someone I know made a large platter of bacon wrapped dates for an event and hardly anyone ate them.

Interesting, my experience more akin to BBSTX's - they are very popular. I have never made them but now of course I am craving them.

I'm a sucker for sweet and savory and really nice dates are delicious and rich. I have had some that were an odd texture, perhaps they were old.

A few years Lars mentioned this very quaint date farm that is in Indio, near Palm Springs. We always go when we visit our niece. There is a lovely outdoor restaurant and the dates are delicious. And a date ice cream shake is a must try!

I hope Lars is doing okay, I see he participates in the games thread but I miss his posts in here.

https://shieldsdategarden.com/

There are many recipes, @mtnrdredux_gw. Mine is pretty simple. If not pitted, pit the dates. Cut a small chunk of Parmiggiano-Reggiano about the size of the date pit. Slip the cheese into the pocket left by removing the pit. Wrap in bacon. Secure with a toothpick. Bake at 400 until the bacon is done. Comments: Use about 1/3 - 1/2 of a slice of partially cooked bacon. The date will burn before the bacon cooks if you use raw bacon.

I think this is the one that was brought to cookbook club. https://cookingwithcocktailrings.com/blue-cheese-stuffed-bacon-wrapped-dates-recipe/

I've made them with blue cheese and goat cheese, I've never tried Parm. I like to stick an almond in to help counteract the chewiness.
These are the dates they serve at the restaurant I mentioned above. Medjool dates stuffed with jalapeño, bleu cheese, and prosciutto.
The picture is on their Flickr account which give you an idea about how quaint the place is!

Trader Joe’s has really good precooked bacon. It is very thinly sliced but still requires cooking/crisping to seem edible to me. But it would be perfect for this dish because it cooks quickly and renders virtually no fat. The partially cooked slices would be very easy to handle. It crisps up beautifully.

I preter prunes to dates as they are much less grainy. Bacon-wrapped prunes need no extra presentation because the bacon typically covers the prune completely, and what’s more appetizing than a chunky piece of bacon??

Hmmm. Well argued.

IDK, I like prunes but they seem to be something that many people won't touch. I think dates and cheese/bacon combo is much more appetizing than prunes and cheese.

For many people, prunes are basically seen as Miralax. I wouldn’t serve them at a party. Dates are, like, a more elevated ugly brown fruit.

I make proscuitto wrapped dates, and they are ugly, but there are never leftovers.

I did an image search and this arrangement/presentation is definitely the most pleasing to me. It is taken from https://www.realsimple.com/bacon-wrapped-dates-with-goat-cheese-recipe-8750587

Yes to serving the dates with picks in them—- nicer to grab and keeps the seving tray more organized. Replace the picks with fresh ones after cooking. Dates look a lot like locusts but people eat them anyway.

One of the most shockingly popular hors d’oeuvre is deviled eggs. Sometimes even served at a fancy event and still get scarfed up. Surprised people don’t worry about egg breath at a cocktail party.

Deviled eggs are my go-to for potlucks and party contributions. I used to make them for all of my grandson's grade school and middle school events, and it was almost comical how people would meet me at the car and offer to help carry them in so they could get the first crack at them. I made so many it was difficult to carry them and keep them from getting messed up in transport. Sometimes I'd have to shoo away a couple of middle school boys who would stand by the eggs and just shovel them in, one after the other - asking them nicely to leave some for others. I never had one egg left, no matter how many I made. Now I am making them for the high school swim team - and those boys don't leave a one.

Dates have had better PR than prunes.

I agree in re devilled eggs, but I only like them piped and I hate piping.

"I agree in re deviled eggs, but I only like them piped and I hate piping."

I bought the BEST little thing for making/piping eggs - I hate using a piping bag. It's silicone, easy to fill, has several tips, perfect for eggs. Goes in the DW. I think the big A sells them, too. piping bulb (link)

Sorry for the thread hijack @deegw

This is a nice presentation….and maybe still add chopped chive on top.

Everyone seems to love deviled eggs! I've made two mistakes when packing a large amount of deviled eggs to take to a party. The first mistake was to use paper doilies under them... it held the eggs in position perfectly, but the doilies acted like a wick and the moisture from the eggs ultimately caused the doilies to rip. The second mistake was to use a bed of shredded lettuce to hold the eggs... it was a good idea until I also had the not so brilliant idea to add some shredded red cabbage for color. It definitely added color, but not in a good way. lol!

Make a cute sign, as suggested above, and then take out the word “dates“

This image seems to have some microgreens, rosemary, and cranberries.

Here is the image