The 18th-century English dinner table was a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Sumptuous dishes, served on silver and porcelain and adorned with towering sugar constructions and trompe l’oeil jellies of playing cards or bacon and eggs, were a means to impress guests.

Rienzi, MFAH's center for European decorative arts, will recreate this dining experience during English Taste: The Art of Dining in the Eighteenth Century. The first special exhibition ever held at Rienzi, English Taste will display a dining room typical of a 1760s English country house, featuring stunning recreations of foods from the influential period cookbook by Mrs. Elizabeth Raffald, the 18th century’s Martha Stewart, curated by British food historian Ivan Day.

Tours are available Wed. through Sun. The exhibition will remain on display through Jan. 29.