The daily gazette., 1879-08-29
FIRST EDITION.
Feeding a Host.

Il q G0hLk n "OSt'
THE STORY OF DINNEB-IN THE
KITCHEN OF A SARATOGA HpTEL-
WITH THE CHIEF COOK AMONG THE
POTS AND KETTLES.
Correspondence OF the Tribune.
The preparing and the serving of din
ner at one OF the great hotels Of Sarato- |
% At the height Of the ssason Is = g,and
achievement. Whether one has 10 IN nd |
Congress Hall with its eight or nine
hundred dinners, or the 1rand Union |
with It's thousand, or the United States
with q hundred or two more, the work
which any one Of them performs prob
ably Is not equalled outside of Saratoga.
The serving Of breakfast In these hotels
Is easy enough, for 1t Is comparatively
simple meal, the preparation Of which
ID extended along from daylight almost
t. MONDAY. Supper, too Is easily man-
aged, for Il h ordfrxnily only matter
Uf little tea and toast and few slices
of cold meat. But dinner Is all elabor-
ate meal, for which the thousand or
more guests wait expectantly, aud which
Is disposed of to very large extent
within au hour and half of the time
when the grand parsonage, known as the
head waiter, orders the dining hall doors
opened. It must als0 be taken into &C
count hat the dinners At Saratoga ho-
tel are not hungry men and women such
as one would $50 hanging about the pit
It a barbecue waiting impatjeptly for the
roasting OK. The Saratogians do not
look forward to dinner because they ex-
pect that it will afford some pleasures to
their efiete palaies. In Other words,
they sre IN measure epicures, and the
dinner that will satisfy them must be an
.picurean banquet. 1t is not strange
that people are curious to know what
are the facilities and methods of the
great hotel kitchens, that thy turn out
every day in the week, exactly on time,
these enormous dinners. Your cores
pondent was one OF asmall party Of gen.
tlemen which . few days ago was per-
NIT ed to rummage about In the kitchen
| and pantries and stOrerOOms Of what Is
supposed to be the largest hotel at Sara
tOga. The proprietor claims that 1t Is
| the largest hotel in the world. We wit
messed the preparation of the dinner
from the beginning to the end. Mr.. An
toine Ennessee, the head cook Of the
Establishment, was our cicerone. We
found that gentleman clad after the latest
fashion plates of his guild, and looking
every inch Of him French cook in dis
guise.
$50 you have come TO help me get din
ner, have yoI, gentlemen ?" said he.
swell, I need all the help can get, for
l have to feed 1, 100 to-day, and my bill
of fare Is generous one." One Of the
gentlemen inquired who made up the bill
Of fare. 81 make It up" replied the
cook. "The steward buys whatever he
likes, and make my dinner out Of what
there is in the house. For example, steI
this way, gentlemen aud the cook lee
TO one of number of large blue chest
which were ranged about the sides Of {
large room. In the middle of the room
was butchers block and table. Open
ing the chest the cook showed us a hun
dred or 80 beautiful fish stretched upoI
The ice side by side. There were salmon
weak-fish, stripped bass and Saratoga
lake bass Each fish was thoroughly
cleaned and ready for cooking. 81 have
two kinds of fish on the bill to-day
said the cook. "and may as well lay
them aside" Thereupon he selected ter
Of the largest salmon, the average weight
of which was about thirty pounds, and
fifteen bluefisb, which together would
weigh about a hundred weight. "Ont
of my assistants will come for them
when he vans them," said the cook
"It might interest yOu," he added, "tt
know that have eighteen ass 'stants, be
sides the two bakers, the five pastry ant
L. o~on..> r<>olro nd tho oiN team VnvuaI
who prepare and cook the vegetables
This is the meat room, gentlemen: II
this next chest are the steaks and chops
all ready cut for the gridiron. We hav'
.w0 butchers who cut and dress the meat
There must be 1000 or 1900 steaks
small and large, in this chest. In thi
next chest are the lamb and mutton
We use about l25 racks day. Let
see what there is to come out of here TO
dinner. Leg of mutton, caper sauce,
and six saddles OF mutton left over, ant
we will use it tomorrow under the heat
of cold meats. In this chest is the beef
We use a great deal of beef. To-day W,
shall roast fifteen ribs OF beef that aver
age forty-five pounds, and fifteen tender
loins. There will be one RIB left fo
supper. Here, now, are the little spring
chickens, and we use between 500 ant
900 day. Don't they look pretty will
their arms tucked away behind thei
backs? For dinner alone We shall wan
about $40 of the little chaps. We shall
boil 40, roast 225, and use Is more in tn
Spring saute, a la Marengo.' The Othe
. chests are for cold meats and the salads
We boil about eight hams aud twelv'
tongues every day, and they answer 10
) cold meat the next day. The salad dress
ing we make as often as necessary. To
day 1 have a COED supply. While WI
are here I'll show you where we put tn
soup bones. You know we make tn
stock for our soups by boiling the bone
from the Joints after we have carved al
the good slices of meat off them. W.
boil the bones in great kettles by steam
The stock for to-day's soups was boil,
Yesterday. It takes about l25 gallons Q
soups for a dinner. To-day we hav
, green-turt!e soup"
One of the gentlemen interrupted th
cook in his story to ask him If he reall
. used turtles in the making Of green
. turtle soup. The cook looked at tn
base insinuation in silence for a momen
and then said eyes, sir, we use eight.
pounds weight each" We were jus
! about to leave the meat room wheI
; giancing at the bill of fare the COO
said: "Excuse me, gentlemen, over
looked the .Hsricot of lamb, a la prints
nier." use sixty pounds Of lamb 70
that" He selected the lamb and the
; proceeded to the pastry room, where th
- Mt ttr,