Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-26
CHRISTMAS AT HOTELS.

A Feast Of Fat Things Served at the Local
Houses for the Epicures-The Lunches
at the Leading Resorts Disappear in
Short Order.
The dinners at all the hotels yesterday
were elaborate. The Monongahela House
and Anderson led with the fullest bill of
fare. The menu cards lacked no
delicacy of the season. When a
house serves quail, venison, pheasant,
duck and the old reliable turkey
with any number of side dishes, the epicure
must be hard to please who can't find some
thing to satisfy his appetite. Game is
plentiful and cheap this year, no thanks,
however to the game laws, and the quality
is frst-class. A great crop of grain seems
to bring with it full supply Of birds and
four-footed animals of the forest. There
were plenty of delicious meats on the tables
yesterday, and the plum ruddings were rich
and nalatable.
The dining room of the Monongahela
House was neatly decorated with flowers
and green plants, and the dinner was e1-
cellent. Ever since this famous hotel was
started the Christmas dinner has been a
feature. Captain S. S. Brown, the proprie-
tor, established new rule this year. All
the employees of the house were
given a present in money in proportion
to position and salary. John w. Mackey,
the California millionaire, has for years
given his men gift of a half months
salary at Christmas, and now Captain Sam
Brown sets an example of his generosity.
The menu card at the Anderson was very
pretty and artistic The words "Merry
Christmas, were worked in old gold and
crystal on an inside leaf. Each card was
ornamented with bow, of some bright
colored ribbon. On the outside cover was a
partial view of banquet table with the
wine bottles and glasses full of good cheer.
The lunch of young pig and turkey at the
Duquesne was devoured between 10 o'clock
and noon. At 1 o'clock the platter was
cleaned up and the porkers had disappeared.
The luch was served early, and while it was
in progress the barroom was crowded with
people. Wine flowed freely, and all agreed
that it was a jolly way to eat Christmas
dinner.
There was display of triumphs of the
culinary art yesterday at NJ. Albert Men
jou's Cafe Royal such as Pittsburg has
never seen before. Five French cooks had
been at work for q month past preparing
the monumental dishes for yesterdays ex-
hibition. In the main room of the cafe
these edIfices of sugar, and spice and all
that's nice, were set up at 8 o'clock, and the
public took such interest in them and
the delicaces which five white-aproned
cooks sliced up and 16 walters
distributed, that by o'clock there re-
NAMED only the ruins of no less than 60
dishes, ranging from elaborate center pieces
to comparatively simple trufaed pheasants,
boned turkey, chicken and quail All the
noted epicures of Pittsburg were on hand to
remember Albert's good health, and drink
it, too and not less than 1000 people ad-
mired the cookery, after sampling it.
Among those who attended as art critics, as
it were, were many hotel people. some of
them Mr.. Menjou's old associates. A rep
resentation of the Bartholdi statue, in
sugar, which remained on exhibition all
day, was a fair sample of the whole dis
play. M. Meniou got lots of compliments.