New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-04
A MODERN BONIFACE.

pISGY ROOM.
There is nothing particularly inviting IN
The ASPECT OF the place nor the Appearance OF t"o P
,r,etor The entrance the long, low and dlney un-
;nr room is by narrow staircase, and then through
che iarder and Kitchen The proprietor is
np,lv unshaven, brigandish Italian, who Ia never
-, N wear coat or for that matter
,lsan linen But once within one may get IOr
Ct 25 the best cooked and most elaborate iIaiah
dinner 10 be had America and he cannot oiten 'si'
the place without getting interested In the character
who presides over 1t. The place Is In foureenth-s'
near Tnrd-ave IL is called the Cafe Moretu ana lts
proprietor is stenani Moretti. who calls himself
asp,ied priest" having educated In Italy for the
church
Morett himself Is not more curious IN MS charac'er
than some his customers have been or now are. i"
times past he has had for guests who have praised his
macaroni salvin Grisi, Ristor, Mario, Brrnoh 9usn'
Campanini and Galassi. Commodore William de Roman,
n brother Of Admiral John A. Ddhgren, who assumed
hi. mothers name in consequence OF some family al
fair is frequent visitor Henry Ward beecher COMICS
occasionally with his sister, Harriet Beecher e'o"e.
Every now and then Chief Justice Charles r. Daily ana
ms wife are TO be there. Among other iani'"'
faces frequently there those OF ex
nor A. r. Shepherd, OF Washington; Managers maple
SON. Maretzek and StrakOsch Sarah Jewet OF lhe Ouo
souare; Laura Don. ex-Speaker Gaus"a A. Grow"
the House of Representatives; Police Commissioners
MacIean and scores OF others amostequaiy prominent
ago, OF Carotta and Adelina Patti, Mario hioan''
Annie Louise Cary, Tieens, Nilsson Campanlni hoh-
conf Aimee, Rosnati snlvini Max srasosch kistorl,
Brignol Charlie Backus and others The picture Oh
Brignol Is a laughable caricature, representing 'ne
tenor with one shoe of, and with an lnspneu ca
presson on his face, seated at piano. upon Which ne Is
playing vigorously. The idea Of the artist was u
luresoue Erie,oIPs passion TOR exemporaDeous com
positlon while he was calling his friends AdeHn"
PATHS portrait represents her as she looked VINE" d.
sixteen years OF sine began 10 sing lous po'u'0
giving pird's-eye of Rome at one period OF the
Garibaldi wars. Gift to Moretu from OOmnou0ic
Rohan hangs conspcuously on one side OF TIC rooi'
A DESCRIPTION OF the HosT
Morctt himself is of rather short stature, thick-set
with large pleasant brown eyes, straight black hall-
combed hair short caring mustache anu DineA sluo
bic of a beard that always seems 10 nave heeoeu
razor for three days at least From one oil bis "so"'
rockets hangs single slr1ng by which he hshes up s
eve glasses Whenever he has figure ny customers
account .
Desnite his uncouth appearance, Moretu Is most
ioyal host Always in good bumor, except when ny
some once careessness pet fish Is hcooAeu ne On
terms Of easy familiarity with all OF MS patrons WHO
seem 10 delight In calling him 10 table so tha nc may
listen 10 some ones praise OF his culinary SKILL Inc Sc
cre of Moretts is the fact that lie is an niue
fatgable worker and attends personally to all the de
tails of his business He goes TO Washington M"iAe'
every morning at a. M, ana seecis Inc hhes' ''"'
sou game fish, vegetables and fruit That can be lOun
He handles all the money has assistant cashier
To rob him" Two walters and three women DO al inc
orv,oa IA he dome He has apparently spent nothing
for wears on the interior bis cafe and his rent cannot
cost him much He laughs eOOd-nsturedb "heh peoplo
comment Oh the dirty appearance OF everything except
hi. table linen aud dnDer service is always ieduf 10 ca
nlan the my stories small kitchen and hot ovens To
his lady visitors and is highly amused Ut Their expires
sons of astonishmeut that sucn wonderful results can
he accomplished by such apparently inadequate means
THE BILL OF FARE.
At the present day Moretus Dill OF fare is varied
enough TO suit OF an epicure HIS specially u
mscaroni OF which he imports drger quantities every
wear Moret patrons require an average OF hVe boxes o
macaroni each week. or three and quarter Ions taen
wear The dish Is served in most tempting form, WIN
tomato sauce, bread, celery and with grated imported
Par,oesan cheese SIX years Old which MoTett
claims Is the best the world" His shelves are nheu
with the of Italian as well as French wihes-LE
ma Christi Capri and other brands WIN LIS course
dinner for 81 ne serves bottle Of Italian care VINO
orara,-a and for 81 25 he gives a finer brand His
customcrs drink from forty fOrynve gallons OF VINO
Ordinaire each week. He also supplies any who may
wish wine their houses.
Moretts bill Of fare for his course dinner Will wine
Is as follows; p.a,-n.s Olives
Celery, lsauirnes,
AUChONies.
MacAroni
Fish win Vegetables.
kidneys la mode or chicken, game and fowl.
VenlsOn squad.
Fruits cheese. dessert
Coffee.
The same dinner Of quality and quantity would
cost SIS SO at DcimoIeos or me Gale bruh>"'cA'
MocrITl's TALK ABOUT his PATRONS.
ts amusing Go hear Moretti talk Of the men OF keen
onne,itcs who have left bills that never can be col
leced 81 lose a great deal OF money be says WITH a
characteristic shrug Of the shoulders You see an
onera troupe comes around with some such man as
M,retzek for manager. We'll, lie pays Two or three
xeeks, salary in advance, aud they buy some clothes
and nav Their washerwoman, and then come mere and
,er.lade me 70 board them until their next pay day
BEFORE that time comes the company breaks up-bad
season-and Tm lost" with laugh One man.
Frepehap who died Chicago, owed horetti bill OF
1888 for meals
"Brignol," says Moreth in his broken English "is
GOOD fellow aud good pay. Many o time he u-ed 10
bring all the la the east over mere lot dhner'
sslf S Ssre ana "O"De' VIII -'''''''
Garden Morefti has heard al the great singers who
have been 10 this country and sun remembers me
Milan He is an unsparng cTIic Of the singers of the
present aud at times he becomes so earnes. IN
HE corner with ais exaggerated limitations OF the ue
fecve methods Of singers over wnU we and
d,sgst I'm regard TO what he calls the decadence OF The
o,,era' aud loves TO recall the evenings be has
spnS IN listening to ike Lagrange,
Grisi CarozzLZueohi, Nilsson, TIeuens, Mario,
Nitrate saly Maurel and Carl ForIics. ." Lagrange,
sad Morctu day ago. was the greatest pflina-
donua tnat ever this country. she was never
mi woud sing ave six mes week, aud never dis
sppointed the public. She good IN Gil operas IL
Barbiere,' Les HuguenOts, Roberto II Davolo, -
siueiug tonight in dramatic part and o-D0rfow
perhaps m the BaTbere' She TALL OF me nguIe,
with a somewhat long lace. and was splenuioy edu-
sense OF the word. Nowadays managers have singers
that can appear only in what called light operas
IKE sOpnambula' La Figlia del ReggimentO,' and
1D1uorah.' We great dramatic singers Tor
onsras like Les Huguenots,' Norma or Ernani.'
Norma was OF Lagrange's best operas Some
newspaper fellow brought her over here hrst. Her
husband was a Russian who used to come here often.
Grld was the first great singer TO come TO New ork
Her manager actor who used 10 plaY AT NlDO s.
Lem, her fayOrlte OpfIAs