Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-16
GOOD DINNERS.
Perfect Food, Perfect Service and APP
preciative Guests.

preciative Guests.
Barbarians eat; highly civilized people know
now to dine, and Of them only thOughtful
minority. Looking back over ten years. writes
Ernest Hart toa London paper, I can recognize
a distinct advance in London dinner parties
not Que, think, TO any individual influence.
out 10 general growth in cosmopolitan ex-
perience, nicer attention 10 the minor arts OF
itfe, and a general advance in artistic percep-
ton The table is more full Of color. and the
decoration frequently betrays thought. and
sometimes-though too INDEPENDENTLY.
Ihe banal repetition Of the insipid sweetbread.
the . tasseiess vol-au-vent, the pasty quenelle,
the sticky jelly, the blotting paper blanc
mango; the perennial Nesselrode ice pud-
Iing, the rasping cheese straw which pervaded
the pretentious but wearisome dinner marty OF
the prosperous bourgeois are giving way 60,
say, clear soup, flying angels, bouches a Ia
RENE, "glgot Breton" dish of truffies an
nGt'neL a jambon de Montanche cooked in
champagne. with CARTOONS a la moelle. a dish
OF ortolans. bashawed lobster an aspic OF
foie gras. and devilled Bath biscuits viennese
ices, fruit shaped, and each with It's proper
naVor, or glace au feu. Ten OF us enjoyed a
dinner OF this sort lately. and we agreed that
we were grateful that there was a sense OF
novelty IN the combination which added 20 the
charm OF very pleasant company, and good
table covered with cloth of hand-woven linen
having broad insertions of old Rhodian lace.
In the centre was a Japanese fonllsSd of the
seventeenth century. richly embroidered
with gold, and on aud around this stood a
profusion of vases. koros and kylins in precious
Chinese porcelain of the old turquoise crackle.
dating from the Ming and Kienlong dynasties
Inc unartistc and stiff dinner napkin-an
ugly object, generally. but senselessly paraded
ON the tabie-was replaced by oriental rose
"A far Is % -
blue and gold. such as abound in the bazaars
az Constantinople (whence they had been OBJ
tained). and which might easily be made pop-
ular in England. The flowers were yellow; the
dinner service of old Nankin blue and white;
the glass, Myrrhine and Venetian; the sweet
meats, cold hors d~uyres, were in small rec
angular dishes of old turquoise-blue crackIe.
Inc company included an ambassador with his
young wife, an African traveller just returned
from the Cameroons, two eminent doctors.
TWO members OF the Punch staff, the best
contalto IN Europe, who was not ashamed
10 sing after dinner. a tory editor and A
home rule NJ. II. The company was as .sfull of
color as the dinner table. and the evening was
a success. At another dinner the KEYNOTE Of
the decorations was Japanese The center Of
the table was filed with very low dwarf palms
(Which did not obstruct the view. banked IN
with hlmy ferns. Among them were disposed
some rare old Satsuma and Imari figures and
almost hidden among the ferns were quaint
little bronzes; long articulated dragon in re-
pousse iron just lifted his quantity moustached
head and gaping jaws from among the
fern, and bronze lobster by Miochin was
lost IN little cave of moss. The menu hold
ers were painted in Japan from designs
by Hokusai, and the knives we're mounted in
japanese dagger handles in shakudo shibui-
chla and "haricot" bronze. damascened with
gold and sllver-veritaDle pictures in precious
metal, such as only the artists of the land of
the rising sun know how 20 produce. The
society was mainly political, and would have
been dull but for the presence of a poet who
Is also consummate man of the world. and of
a northern philosopher who is a wit The
menu was well thought out. and with elements
OF novelty. among them Russian soup. fried
hilets OF turbot, and sterelet roe deer, with
cherry sauce.
An ''octave dinner" praty. which was inter-
esting because chiefly composed of remarkable
men above the age OF fifty. was given in a pic
turesque studio, wholly lighted by reflection
from lamps hung in frontof pictures by Leigh
ton, Alma-Tadema, Albert Moore and Bnrne-
Jones. The table was covered with hand
woven linen decorated with pale indigo KeIls
embroideries in chrysanthemums and paullow-
ma leaves. The porcelain was of blue and
white Sevres china. and the centerpieces of old
Wedgewood. The host was a bachelor. and
the guests male. The leading features of the
menu were hare SOUP souche of founders
and crlmped salmon from Christchurch
drought alive to London). Pomeranian
goosebreasts, roe deer venison. Syrian pou-
lards, sorbets glaces, croutes bananas. and
marrow on toast. At very charming dinner,
to which five of the prettiest women in London
ana as many of the most brilliant diplomates
had been gathered (the year before last. was
served in blue and white The centerpieces
were choice specimens of old Nankin, disposed
along the middle of a long table, on a table
center of lustrous blue linen. embroidered by
Irish hands with sprays of hawthorn, and filed
with profusion Of white flowers Each lady
had bouquet of white orchids. in fan-shaped
blue and white porcelain holders. The service
was chiefly in gold plate. There was a either
concert IN the next room. which / thought OBJ
jectionable, but the ladies liked it, The menu
included PURGE of chicken aud clear. salmon
trout an st. German as at the pavilion d Henri
Quatre), buisson d'ecrevisses from Berlin
lred finger cloths were provided. but not used)
Egyptian quails stuffed with truffies. canetons
de Rouen aux navets, a wild turkey, sent by an
American millionaire, with celery sauce. and
somG broiled Rock Island oysters. A tisane OF
champagne was served all through dinner, and
with the dessert some imperial Tokay The
confectionery was elaborate, and perhaps too
fanciful; but 1t pleased the eve, and was pro-
by the ladies to be ''lovely"