The New York herald., 1866-03-09

u1SrAUhAT AND HOTEL LIVIN0 In NEW
YORK, PARIS AND LoNDoN.-A few years ago
the old American hotel system Of the table
d'h6te was general, and we might say almost
universal, in this metropolis. 1t is still SO in
the provincial cities and towns. But there
has been great change. The refined, educat-
ed and wealthy classes, both visitors and resi-
dents in the city, who do not wish to keep
house, now prefer the restaurant plan. Some
good hotels in the old style still flourish, 1t is
true; but the new are fast superseding them.
We think this shows better taste. The only
objection we know of to it-and that naturally
would come from the ladies-is, that this excel
lent way of living is calculated to make bache-
lors contented with life Of single blessedness.
However, this need not be, for our restaurant
hotels are as comfortable for families as for
single persons. The old system Of hotel living
has good deal Of the mess-table character in
1t. The hungry expectant guests stand watch
ing the opening of the dining room and
signal for operations, then rush in eagerly and
gobble up their dinner hastily. There is
always the same everlasting bill of fare, except
that for the sake of variety the order Of the
dishes named is changed sometimes. Every
dish has taste of every other, as If they had
acquired an affinity by standing long and
through proximity to each other in the kitchen.
They certainly all smell alike. Then, the noise
among the walters and the clatter on the table,
the crowded and mixed condition of things on
the table, and the jammed condition in which
one has to sit, with scarcely room to stir the
arms, are features of the table d'h6te not at all
comfortable. We admit that to some Of our best
hotels on this plan these remarks are not 30
applicable; but the general character is the
same everywhere. We say nothing about the
enormous charges of five dollars or more day
for little crib on the sixth story; we refer
only to the matter of eating.
Compare this with the system that has been
coming into fashion, for the last few years, and
that has now become quite fashionable-the
elegant restaurant mode of living-and the
superior taste and advantages of the latter will
be admitted at once Take, for example, the
Brevoort House, Delmonico's, the Maison Doree,
Hoffman House, Albemarle, and others that
might be named, and where in the world can
one live better or more elegantly? We have
the best market, and one in which everything
can be obtained; the richest wines can be pro-
cured here, and the very first French cooks are
to be found at the places referred to. A gentle
man or family may live at whatever rate their
taste and purse prescribe. A person can live
as cheaply or perhaps for less than under the
old system, his tastes be moderate, and more
comfortably. Or he can live as extravagantly
as he may please. Then what charming places
they are for dinner party, or for a petit souper
after leaving the places Of amusement New
York, which is making such strides in every
thing as great metropolitan city, now COM
bines the best features Of hotel and restaurant
life in Paris and London. The heavy, solemn,
and what we would call the strong appetite
system Of London does not prevail here, while
we use ~ many Of the elements of good living
as the English. We have the lightness, elegance,
charm and finished cooking Of the best restau-
rants in Paris, with more substance, more liber-
ality, and less that is mean, trifing or merely
fanciful. In fact we combine the best fea-
lures of hotel-restaurant living of the two
great cities of Europe, without adopting their
worst There is no place in the world where q
person or family can live better or more ele-
gantly than in New York.