The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-07-21
EATING HOUSES.
SOME OF NEW YORK'S NOTED
RESTAURANTS.
A Scottish Spread - "Pig Foot
Georges" Dining Room-Steaks
Broiled in an Ancient Stove
Boothblack's Delight.

In an article describing some OF the
noted New York restaurants Amos j.
Cummings and Blakely Hall say:
A restaurant in John street has been
kept for quarter of century by Cap
tain Parrish, an old Scotchman. Its
speciality is chops, steaks and sauces.
The steaks and chops are of extraordinary
thickness. Parrish has contract with
q Washington market dealer, under
which he secures two choice chops from
each sheep killed by certain butcaer.
These chops are b:oiled to nicely, and
then served with immense roasted pota-
toes, which are scooped out and but
tered on plate with the chop by a
waiter. To add zest to the meal Parrish
has pure barley wine, brewed by Bass,
and served in pewter mugs. 1t is su-
perior to the once-famous old burton
ale, and is quaffed frequently by the old
time jewelers. and paint manufactures IN
and around John street. A few ladies,
once a week, join their husbands and
lunch at Farrish's. For their delectatlon
he sells brand of fine old port wine at
40 cents a glass. The tumblers are so
small that they hold not much more than
thimb.eful. The proprietor is sad to
be worth nearly quarter OF million OF
dollars.
Parrish, however, has his rival in
George Hopcraft, of Franklin street, bet
ter known as "Pig-Foot George. " he
keeps colored cook almost as famous
In his line as the old eastern shore col
cred woman who does the cooking for
the Carleton club Hopcraft's steaks
and chops are on par with any sold by
the Scotchmar. He serves with them
the real East India chutnah sauce, bat
neither barley wine nor rare old port:
The colored cocks great speciality is friei
pigs feet. They are simply delicious.
Wholesale merchants and others, while
on their way uptown in the evening, fire.
ouently drop into Hopcraft's, and carry
away dozen of them for use at the
family dinner table. Another spe-
cialty here is roast ''possum," In the
preparation of this de.icacy the black
cook surpasses the b b.st old plantation
hand. He parboils the animal first, and
then fills him with chestnuts. 1t is
then roasted to turn and set upon the
table with flavor so savory that it beats
all the glories of delicate sucking pig.
Another remarkable rcstaurateur is old
Miller, of Market street. Fifty years ago
he picked up an aged stove that had
done service for Major Andre in the
Revolution. Miller's place stood near
excellent fishing ground on the East
River. He began to boil steaks in the
stove for amateur fishermen. The march
of Improvement destroyed the fishing
ground, but nothing could destroy the
fame of old Miller's steaks. He kept the
ANTIQUE stove, and it does duty to-day.
Night after night swell parties of ladies
and gentlemen gather around it on three
legged stools, and with napkins on their
laps, eat the su culent steaks, with
Juice dropping fingers, and the meat is
drawn from the bed of hickory Goals.
No man is thoroughly initiated into the
mysteries of New York life until he has
attended one of these beeksteak par
ties at Miller's. The proprietor does all
the cooking himself, and has amassed a
fortune while squatting in front of the
old stove.
While writing of quaint New York
restaurants. Oliver Hitchcock's must not
be forgotten. He keeps what is known
as 'sThe Bootblacks' Delimonco's, where
pork and beans are called "fried sleeve
buttons" Thirty-five years ago Oliver
was waiter boy for 'Butter-C Cake Dick, "
who kept a coffee and c,ke saloon in
Spruce street. next 10 tie old Tribune
Office. Greeley, McElrath, Dana, Bay
ard Taylor, Henry J. Raymond, James
Watson Webb and James Brooks were
among Dicks patrons. Dick finally left
the business and broke into the field Of
politics. His last political exploit was
in the heyday of the Tweed ring, when
he stole the tall iron fence that enclosed
the City Hall park. He sold it for cid
iron, aud got over $1,000 for it. The
money, however, led him to the grave.
It set him on spree that ended only
in death. The boy Oliver bought out
Dicks saloon, and transferred it
to the cellar of Matthew Good
erson's famous hostelry. Here he
presided night and day, keeping open at
all hours, except between 8 o'clock A. NJ.
and o'clock p. NJ. on Sundays. No
man ever attended to business so ear
nestly. He fairly coined money in the
little basement, and saved every cent.
Gradually he be an to make investments
in real estate. His capital was tripled
and quadrupled year by year, until to-
day he is estimated to be worth all the
way from $4,000 to s750,oOo. Two
years ago he removed his beancry to the
basement of what was once known
as Lovejoy's hotel, opposite the ground
formerly occupied by the old World
building. He now owns some of the
fastest trotters on the road, but he
never attends horse traces, and has never
been seduced into betting on his own
horses. Despite his great wealth, he
visits his bcanery every day, and spends
hours in slicing corned beef and ladling
ou plates of the Boston delicacy to his
customers. He has taken his boys into
partnership, and, as they have inherited
the old mans disposition, the whole
family is growing rich.