Connecticut western news., 1886-01-27
UNIQUE DINING-PLACE
A Slice of Bohemian Life in
 the Metropolis.

the Metropolis.
 Many Languages Spoken, and an Enor-
 nous Onion for Dessert
 Much as has been written about the places where New Workers eat, the writ CTS have shown an almost uniform dispo- sition to go to extremes. Either pal ace or "dive" was the selected subject. The reader was expected to be either dazzled or disgusted, as far as it was pos sible to affect him either way. The gen. eral assumption has besn that the mid way establishments are know and un- 'derstood of all men, and that they have nothing in them worthy of remark, That is far from being true. I have in mind just now dining place that would beia genuine astonisher to ninety-seven per cent. of my readers at least yet there is absolutely nothing in it to either over whelm or revolt. It is simply slice out of Bohemian life with European garnish- ing. I had heard of the place as a re- sort of artists mainly, and with some difficulty found it. It is basement in an oldfashioned house on University Place. A small, weather-beaten, dingy tin sign outside may accidentally convey to the passer-by hint that somebody with an Italian name feeds people down there. The intimidation is so modestly conveyed, however, that one is apt to re- gard the fact in the light of a betrayed secret. When I went in l found twenty five or thirty men seated at a long table eating soup. The instant that l took my seat soup was placed before me. Three or four more late-comers followed me, and before each dish of soup appeared with almost marvellous celerity. There was no question as to whether one wanted soup. It seemed to be viewed in the light of social duty that one should take soup. At the right hand of each newcomer a bottle was pumped down, with napkin fantastically knotted on it's neck. There were all sorts of bottles long white ones holding Rhine wines stout dark ones containing claret; flasks filled with Chianti; bulbousanecked ones that held absinthe; squat ones bearing liquor brands; square ones that spoke to the practised eye of gin. But with all this array of bottles there was little drink ing, except of light wines. Only very small glasses of the liquors were taken, as appetizers.
 About the table Babel of conversa- tion was going on in French, German, Italian, Spanish, and English-all at once. Everybody seemed to be acquaint. ed with everybody else. Groups of volu. ble takers were established along and across the table, but between the groups flashed constantly salutation, question, i reply, comment, repartee, jest, denial, and affirmation, quick and sharp, with { polyglot interchangeability of tongues that might we'll confuse stranger to the scene. After the soups we had smelts then two kinds of meat, served in slices covered with rich gravy, upon large platters, from which every one helped himself, as they went along the table, te as much as he wanted.
 For a finale to the meal an enormous Spanish onion was put upon the cloth a one end of the table with dish of sal beside it. The nearest man grasped th' huge bulb, sliced off big piece of it an( passed it to his left hand neighbor; tool spoonful of the salt, and passed tha along also. Nearly every one took
 chunk of the onion and ate it. Whel one big onion disappeared another like i was brought on. Toward the end of tn dinner all were smoking cigars or cigar cites, and all took coffee. Each man as h finished dining made a cravat of hi napkin on the neck of his bottle, ant each cravat was made differently iron any of the others, the knotting being tn owners private mark, which the waiter were supposed to remember. Some wcr square-notted, others with bows, or hood that capped the bottles and gave them
 funny feminine look, or with ends tha hung down like clerical bands, or point that stood up like Toodles' necktie, an so on in surprising variety. The conve, sation never ceased, but only waned q the number of takers diminished, unt
 the last one went out. talking back q the landlord as he went. Cooh