I play my forts more compact, in my experience this saves time on digging and allows me to focus more on the survival of my starting dwarves and migrants in the first year, though by doing it I may become overwhelmed when more and more migrants arrive.
Our styles are different in terms of the physical layout of the fort and long term strategy(At least from what I perceive).
Farming-wise I usually go small scale, focusing rather on industry and crafts, the latter of which I trade for food with dwarven caravans.
I also lay off smithing and smelting at first, though I think that is to my own detriment.
My experience is still limited though, so it would be interesting to adapt to something new.
Side note: Were you planning to channel out the dining hall?
I only thought about the possibility after I dug directly under it.
I can always start over though, I'm still in early spring.