The Mere Mortal’s Guide to Fine Dining isn’t here to tell you not to blow your nose in your napkin. If you’re allowed to sit at the grown-up table, you should already know the basics when it comes to manners. But it’s easy to forget some of the finer points of proper etiquette. Highbrow restaurants also pose new and different service challenges for us that aren’t always clear how to handle. These table tips and restaurant pointers are simply gentle reminders of what you may already know, but could use a refresher on.

* Keep your elbows — and car keys, lip balm, sunglasses, purse, iPod, Blackberry, and so on — off the table. Your personal doodads are not only aesthetically out of place; they also create an obstacle course your waiter must maneuver around. * Don’t order the most expensive wine or entrée on the menu unless the credit card is coming out of your wallet. * Wait until everyone at your table is served before you dig in unless the host or guest of honor insists you start eating. * Don’t push your dishes away or stack them for the waiter if you are finished eating. Leave plates and glasses where they are set. * Utensils shouldn’t touch the table once they’ve been used. Rest forks, knives and spoons — handle, too — on the side of your plate. * Don’t blow on your food to cool it off. If it’s too hot to eat, take the hint.

* Never intercept a pass, like snagging a roll out of a basket or taking a knock of salt from a shaker that’s en route to someone else. * Do not pick up food or mop spilled wine off the floor, even if you’re the reason it landed there. Discreetly and politely call it to the attention of a waiter. * Keep personal grooming moments behind bathroom doors. No one wants to watch you use a toothpick, reapply lipstick, powder or blow your nose, attempt to remove a stain on your tie or fiddle with your contacts. * Licking a utensil, even if it’s covered in buttery, creamy goodness, is rude. Deftly mopping sauces, soup and tasty giblets with a piece of bread, however, is French. * Always pass the salt and pepper together.