The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-10-16
A JAPANESE RESTAURANT.
WHERE A HUNGRY AMERICAN CAN
DINE IN ORIENTAL STYLE.
Well Cooked Food-Polite Attend
ance-Pretty Table China-Very
Moderate Prices-No Water Used.

anCe-Pretty Table China-Very |
Moderate Prices-No Water Used. |
A writer in Hdyper's Weekly gives this
description of japanese restaurant re-
Gently opened in New York city:
The dining-room is long, narrow and
high-ceiled. A quiet paper covers the
walls, which are ornamented here and
there with peculiar Chinese banners, Jap
anese straw hangers and abominable
American chromos. Clumsy chairs and
little tables covered with white oil cloth,
are arranged on either side of the room.
Everything is delightfully."- cool, clean,
and fresh looking The floor, walls and
ceiling are innocent of dust or debris.
The proprietor, cook and waiter are
japanese of the purest type. They dress
neatly in American clothes, and wear
their hair and sparse beard in regular
New York style, but in manners, gait,
carriage and opinion are genuine children
of the Orient. They speak English fair
ly well, using the low tones, the half-in-
tonation, and the musical infection So
common to the languages of the East
The dinner opens with little slices of dried
smoked, or salted fish, served with bright
coored vegetables. The next dish is a
fish soup, which ought to be adopted in
our own land for its delicious and whole
some qualities. 1t is made from n stock
like our soups. but with the difference
that the japanese cook makes Il stock eX
clusively from fish, as we do with meat
The cheaper mild favored fishes are boiled
for days, until all the gelatine and solu
bic elements are extracted by the hot
water, and nothing if left but mere skin
and bone. These are strained out, leav-
ing heavy, transparent yellowish brown
fluid of very grateful favor and great
nutritive power. When served. it is
brought on in bowl in which have been
placed well steamed fillct of blue fish,
weak fish, or salmon, two or three boiled
tree mushrooms, and such spices and
other condiments as the chef may fancy.
The third course is fish, roasted ol
broiled 1t is served unbroken on a hand
some platter, and decorated in II manner
altogether Eastern. The favorite style
in this respect is to fill one corner of the
dish with little blocks of omelet, either
plain or highly seasoned; second cor
ner, with pile of spinach, with which
have been cooked minute pieces of radish
skin, carrot, or beet, to give contrast in
color: Il third corner, with radishes cut
into curious shapes that display the Grim
son of the exterior as well rs the white
within; and the fourth, with mushrooms.
ma tais IAN exquisite Eastern escuent)
or truffles. This dish when served is 4
perfect poem in color. The fourth course
is an entree, either of fish cooked some
thing like the boullibaisse of Marseilles,
of meat, poultry, or game as with us. II
is followed by dimutive fish or meat
dumplings, of which the enclosing dough
is hardly as thick as cardboard and the
spiced filling has been chopped into al
most a pulp. The roast that succeeds is
the ordinary American article, though
originally it was baked stuffed fish. Nege
tables accompany the various courses, bu
in Il very empirical way, the waiter for
ever removing one and bringing on an
other, without rhyme or reason. Besides
those familiar to Western palates, ar,
picked carrots and soused beets (both o.
which are charming IN appearance, but
mawkish if not nauseating in fiavoD
tree mushrooms, yams, bamboo tips
Chinese potatoes, and watermelon seeds
Unlike the Chinese, the japanese il
New York serve no alcoholic beverage
with their meals. At home the rule il
the opposite, the very poorest using thu
reeking and powerful liquors known Il
saki and samshui. Like the Chinese
they use no water, employing tea in it
stead This, under the present admins
tration, has attained nm excellence rs higl
as that Of the finest crops of Oolong anC
Pekoe.
The tableware deserves especial men
ton The knives, forks and spoons ar
silver plate aud of the best AmGEical
make. 1t is only thirty years since thes
articles were almost unknown in Japan
the chopstick and the china spoon bein.
the only tableware employed. The chin
and porcelain are altogether Oriental i
appearance and character The teacup
are wide and shallow, with brims that
instead of being fiat, curl up at one poin
into graceful apex, and on the opposit
side sink down into a delicate Y-shape,
hollow. Both inside and out, beneatl
| AlAt Nblbtth SiuAt1 alN AAN NAAbll9 AAoNl
by the potter in Throwing the cup.
The service of the soupis very curious
The waiter brings Il bowl to each gues
which is ovid in shape, about six inches j
diameter and five inches in height. Tn
top is channeled, and is covered with
closely fitting lid, almost saucer-like in aI
pearance. The guest removes the cove
and lays it alongside the bowl using it a
receptacle for fish bones, vegetabl
stems or animal cartilage, When tn
course is over, the waiter seizes the cover
and with swift turn of the wrist rC
places it on the bowl, throwing into th
latter with the same movement the debri
it contains.
All of the table china in the Japanes
restaurant makes a pleasing contrast t
that usually employed by UIr own rae,
Its color, shape and decoration vary in
finitely, but are always restful and agrees
BILE to the eye.
Last of all, but of equal interest to III
reader, is the fact that the japanese fave
economy and low prices. A superb me,
with them costs not more than quartz
of what it would under American {
European auspices From first to la
their dinners are good, delightful an
very cheaU