, 1874-09-13
LES B0NS-ViVANTS,
An O1u-Ti1ne Philadelphia Dim
ncr.

| Row Fifteen New Workers Were
Brought by Fifteen PhliadclphianH
to n Just appreciation aud n Full
Understanding OF What Constitutes
a Dinner, Properly So Called.
| 10 BROADWAY. NEW YORK, Aug. u. 1874,
| To the Editor e} the Philadelphia P7e&s:
S1H have 1ead with great pleasure tho 2rti-
| cles By Mr.. Parkinson on american Cookery
] printed in your journal on the 3lst July. have
| also read with much interest an article on these
| articles By the New York World, xnd which you
| reprint under the head OF Centennial Cookery
"Reminiscences from New York Of Philadelphia
Tables"
| These published " "reminiscences by New
| York editor Of his p1easurabie experiences ut
certain tables in phiiadelphia awaken flood
of delightful "reminiscences ~ in my own mind
| Of connection with memorable ld-time Phla-
deIphia banquet whore had tho honor to bo
| guest In tho year 1851 WAS one Of fifteen
! Residents OF New York who gave dinner to as
! many highly-esteemed citizens OF Philadelphia
We went to our most celebrated caterer, the re-
| nowued Delmonico, and told him that We wanted
to sstoolsl our Quaker City friends By the sunp-
| tuousness Of our FEAST "Mouey WAS OF no con-
sequence. Our honor and the honor Of New
! York we're ut stake. and for him to do his lerel
| best" And certainly the entertainment be gave
ns and our guests Was great one, aud, ~ We
| thon supposed, unsurpassably tine-
| In their calm, undemonstratve maauer, as il
simply in the way OF return compliment, aud al
most ab matter OF course At that, our phlladel-
| phia friends now invited tho New Workers. " to
| drop in upon them some evening 2nd take pot
| luck with them." Phlladelphia habits" four
guests said in substancc) ''Philade3plAa habits.
Of course our New Io,k friends well knew, were
in all respects simple, and in some respects se-
vere, but suen as they might happea to have in
the house, the 1atch-striug would be out on the
18th Of April" I have already eald that it IVES
in the year 1851
PROMPTLY on time we all fell into line and
| answered to our names st roll-cAl at the rcstau-
raEt OF James W. Parkinson. The manner Of
the caterer, like the rest Of our Quaker CITY en-
! tertainers. WAS go quiet and serene that our q,
pectations continued to be very moderate and
certainly We formed no impression that anything
WAS about to happen out Of the usual. In fact,
the Heathen Chinee, with his hands, pockets,
and sleeves all full OF aces, never looked more
''childlike or bland or moro relglously in"
nocent Of any special masterahip in tue game.
We very soon found that 70 had been reckon
ing without our host, and With very inadequate
idea OF the RANK which Philadelphia held in the
high and pr1ncely '~sts Of hospitality and good
| living. single g.ance at tho banqueting-hall
opened cur eyes to our mistake. Not only the
general appearance, but every detail and miuu-
tin. showed the hand OF q master The arrange
ment of the lights. the crockery the cutlery, tue
glass; the flowers, the ornamental confectionery.
and tho many other table appointments and dec
oration8, were all marked With the most exquisite
tsste; wl.ile tie entertainment as whole dis
nlaved such original fertility Of design aud such
abounding amplitude OF resource TINT tho New
Yorker4, accustomed MS all Of them we're to the
bost shat this city could d. we're soon hlled with
as much amazement ns delight. Never aince
that memorable night did any OF the party cease
to express their wonder at this superb and sump-
tuous banquet as something wholly unapproached
by any other ENTERTAINMENT they had either Wit
messed or imagined.
As this dinuer was given in April, it took the
caterer greatly to disadvantage as to both
came aud ycgetab1eg It Was ''betHeen sea-
sons" He could only obtain vhat he did by
special usc Of both telegraph and express. HIS
lettuce, green peas, caulihowers. etc, had to be
ordered from Georgia. His reed birds came
from South Carolina Hesent anglers and hunt
ers to tue woods and waters Of Virginia. The
salmon Of the occasion wera swimming the night
before in the Eennebec. in Maine.
This dinner consisted OF seventeen distinct
| itself Every separate course OF viands was nc
companied with It's own appropriate course OF
wines The expensiyencss and rarity OF the
liquors will be inferred when I say tho OPEN
ing" :" Cognac" cost Sc q pint at Wholesale.
Before every one Of the thirty guests WIS vino
cooler. Behind every guest was 4 waiter (col-
ored). in the full evening party-dress OF the
day-black pantaloons and swallow-tsil coat,
with white vest and white crayat. The gloves
Of the walters we're not cotton or berln, but the
newest and best Of white kid.
Among the choice aud voluntary contributions
to the common fcaet were two bottles Of Madeira
wine, which we're brought by Joshua Price,
citizen who was as we'll known III Philadeiphia
at that dav as Independence Hall. These bottles
h,l corne down to him from his great-1reat-
-r.,dfotIor Tbav kai, haen in tha fam;lv for
g. ~ -: -.s4 -. -, ,tt,u; ~ n,
over 4oo eea!s. @At1t S1o1N ~ 80 tseoe ~, =.
the accumulation OF duSs' coo"eps' anu "uns
not. These lnc1uSt2tton9 On Tie glass; were n@l1
an inch thick.
Eucha1ued to OUT seats by this long npd brill
i.nt euccessiOu Of culinary entlcement8, inter-
anarsad of enurae With that feast OF reasOn
~ a. - uo,,, - in tina uav nf vit and snY1r
oHA 49, - ' .5 .n..J,to 1L;,t erch
poetry elo4usnee, eaa ~ ;ss,;-a - CO.. a. 81
bountuu! gooa cneef 10 su1o ~ inspne' 1o'eat eo
long at the table that the sun IN Tue nehntiue
hod both Get and risen again. It F." ns precisely
o'clnrk in the evening when ne sat down. and 1t
,roa h;pb s in tbe morning wheu we arose. At
Mncn. te uo 'aa1 aouo1, ,1,,n "n'0 .on mar
p1tt u l1ie' Ise4J a., t:,i -
Well believe. kept nls copy u tlto Dii4 A9 Uo
mento OF the occasion. ono OF our parts, On
his return, threw his copy down befUro the
r,ronrjetor of the then most famous hotel in
~ VII o,a oa;}. :. .r,nera rhn-lev ro to
NJ -, ,oi1; aad 1oarc 1,orr ~ cat nm a ainnarn
9niaueipo@ aan @ .,1 ~ .a;I',Tor, TN ~ fsrn
tlausc11oe seloatiu os "et,o Col - - 49,
Which, now tnat Ceuteuuia4 eooh'1I uAo ~
come ! tonic, throws light upon Hlat the Ee-
sources aud tho art of our country can do at
fha conninr e,nos1tion and comes nearer to our