Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-11-12
JUICY BEEFSTEAKS..
A CLUB THAT EATS MEAT WITH
ITS FINGERS ONCE MONTH.

| trast with Another Club.
Within hearing of the continuous clatter
OF the east side elevated road, in the rear
| room of shop crowded, from the stand of
old books at the door to the back windows,
with the dusty, rusty, musty and curious
odds and ends that have won for it the
title OF the Old Curiosity Shop, man sat.
before a sheet iron stove cooking beef
| steals. He was a big, powerful man, with
large, strong hands, a large and massive
head aud determined face. Yet he
handled the savory segments of meat as
! dellcately as woman might have DONE
Sitting around the room on stools chairs,
trunks, piles of books and tables loaded
with prints, playbills and autograph let
1 tiers were a dozen men or so, all of more or
| less local nctoriety. There were a couple
| OF politicians among them, a prominent
mp town builder. famous contractor and
house raiser and mover, composer whose
music is played throughout the world. a
bronze founder, a sculptor, several paint
ers, the art editor of great magazine and
a sprinkling of literary men, brokers,
| physicians and men of business-all of
whom supervised the culinary preparations
| in progress at the stove with grave interest
The rattle of conversation was as inces-
SAINT as the kissing and splitting of the
steaks over the fire.
The method employed by the large man
in preparing the meat was peculiar. The
| steaks, which were cut in thick Slices were
| piled on platter. A sharp faced, shrewd
| eyed, small boy cut the slices into generous
| pieces. These were put in "a pan which,
! filled with boiling fat, sizzled at red heat
| on the top of the stove. The surface of the
meat was hardened in a moment and then
1t was extracted from the pan with a long
! fork and broiled over the glowing Goals in
| the body of the stove. As each piece of
steak was deposited upon thick slice of
| bread In monstrous trencher part of a set
of priceless old English china from the
stock, the rich juices confined in it com
menced to leak out of the perforations
made by the tines of the fork, and to soak
| into the bread in a gravy, whose perfume
| filled the air. The process of cookery was
rapid, for the meat was not allowed to re-
main long enough on the fire to lose its
tendernessand its juiciness. The pile upon
the trencher grew quickly; but when at n
given signal, which consisted in a rap of
the chiefs fork on the stove, the COMPANY
fell to, its diminution WAS even more randi.
Each man ate with his fingers for a fork
and the gravy soaked slice of bread for a
dish
The Old Curiosity club is an orgapiza-
tAph tohiDp>tu vi men WHO Collect some
thing. One is Il collector of old masters
and another a collector of modern pictures.
One gathers up bronzes, another worries,
another books. There are in the club col
ieetors of pistols, playbills, porcelains,
photographs, armor, aliases autographs
and great many other collectible things
1t was from their casual meetings in the
shop IN the course OF their prowlings in
quest OF the curious that the club took its
origin. Ii has regular weekly meeting
on Saturdays from October until June,
when members drop in and drop out again
informally, and once month treats itself
and such guests as it may choose to invite
TO feed on beefsteak cooked upon the
plan invented by mine host Fullerton
years ago when he was gold hunter in
the mines of eastern Venezuela \
On the other side of town to the Old
Curiosity Shop, and in vastly more arts
tocratic neighborhood, let us drop in at q
private dining room over the store of n
fashionable caterer. 1t is a spacious room,
down the center of which is laid a table
| shimmering and sparkling with crystal
and silver Tall pillars of piled up plates
load the sideboards. Champagne cools in
silver tubs. buried to the bottle necks in
cracked ice. Walters in full dress glide
about with the noiseless movement of
ghosts On every side magnificent groups
of roses load the air with their sensuous
perfume. It is that hour of the evening
when the thedtefs disgorge their audiences.
A rattle of wheels halts short outside.
Steps, voices and the rustic of silks sound
on the staircase. The silent waiter at the
| door opens 1t, and admits lady and gen
tleman IN fun dress. Others follow in
| couples, quartets and little parties. Along
| both curbstones of the dark side street
| lines of carriages are drawn up. The COM
pany make themselves at home Nearly
everybody knows everybody else. Those
| who do not are speedily introduced
Some one plays an air brilliantly and
| boldly, like an expert on the grand piano
| in the corner. A few couples whirl a turn
or two of dance. The splendid costumes
| OF the women and the wealth of jewelry
| they display, the elegance of the men, the
opulent appointments of the room itself
combine to convey the impression of pri-
vate party in a private house. In fact,
however, we are looking in on regular
| supper of the aristocratc Beefsteak club,
an organization composed of the flower of
fashion in New York
The musical chime of huge japanese
temple bell in the rear of the room calls
| the club to table. The walters, headed
| by the steward. bring in, in procession.
the proper English rump cut, smothered
| in oyster sauce. There is none of the rude
and hearty enjoyment of the Old Curiosity
club here. The finest English china re-
| places the gravy soaked chunk of bread.
| Knives and forks of silver take the place
| of fingers, and champagne that of Spanish
| wine and beer. But, if the truth must be
| told. one may hear more bright and clever
| things, more wit and originality in the
| dusty back room. of the east side shop in
one evening than during. the whole season
at the caterers palace up town.
And when it comes to the business of the
| meeting, no steak and oyster sauce ever
had the saror of those melting morseIs
| that the Old Curiosities eat in their natural
| juices, tender and fragrant from their
/ journey through the red hot frying pan
and the bed of fierceIy glowing Goals.
| Still, half a loaf is better than no bread,
and a beefsteak prepared for service on a
Royal Worcester platter is not to be given