Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-12-18

somme, bouillon and bread soup are each 8
cents There is nothing remarkable about
them except that they are hot and filling,
and enable . man to eat a quantity of
bread
Portions of Meat and Fish.
At the Duval establishment the fish is
very often good, therefore it is only natu-
raj that the portions should be small.
Among the meats plain boiled beef with
out gravy or q vegetable costs cents-gar-
nished with vegetable it is s cents Here
there is a curious manipulation of prices.
The "garniture" of meats by vegetables is
charged but little extra for; but the guam
tity of vegetable given is half that of a reg
ular order. Thus, pears are IL cents plate;
but plain boiled beef ''garnished" with half
as many peas costs only 2 cents more
than plain boiled beef alone. To eat
cheaply, therefore, it is only necessary to
taEe meat dishes garnished, and to leave
separate vegetables alone.
The European use of vegetables is prime
matter of complaint with Americans abroad.
Sweet corn is unknown outside of Hungary
and the lower Danube. Here they call it
maize, and feed the young stalks to cattle.
Tomatoes are not cheap and are most often
too delicate, without favor and with too
much seed matter. There are no sweet po-
tatoes, no Bermuda onions, no Lima beans;
while white potatoes are used just as any
other vegetable and no more, Neverthe-
less there is good list of vegetables on the
Duval card.
Customers Make Their Own Salad.
OF salads there are chickory, cultivated
and wild, romain, lettuce, cucumber and to-
mato-running in price from the chickory at
cents to the cucumber at Is cents. The
9olo &c ell
one tomato-served in a salad bowl. So
also with the rest, each customer mixes his
own salad dressing, using the contents of
the cruet stand at discretion. Americans
and EngliShmen occasionally ask for sugar
to add. The waiter girls, although thev
have brought sugar to Americans and En-
glishmen hundreds of times, cannot resist a
lifting of the eyebrows at every fresh de-
mand. 1 have seen one wild with vexation
when PIttsburg dude asked for ice to cool
a fresh tomato before he should cut it up in
sugar and vinegar. These waiter girls at
the DuVal establishments are generally
cheerful and good, but they are custom
bound, like all their people.
French restaurants have few puddings
and no pie. If pie is desired one must con-
suit the columns of the Paris edition of the
Herald The proper addresses will be found
under the scare head of "corned beef hash,
pie, Goldfish balls and other American deli
cacies" For ruddings it is only necessary
to take board at a moderate priced pension,
preferably English.
The Fruits and Creams.
The DuvaI restaurants have a variety of
sweet dry cakes, which are dear at cents
an order; and there is pineapple in kirsch
for cents, and fruit in season at varying
prices. For instance, in September a small
plate of raspberries, or green figs costs 10
cents; cherries and green almonds were 10
cents, and peaches were IL cents apiece.
But these fruits are very fine, especially
peaches and pears; they are grown along
the sunny sides of walls, the trees being
trained like grapevineS and constantly
prUned.
They have also creams, always slightly
turned, and which partake of the nature
of cheese. The ordinary Normandy cream
is 10 cents q portion, and creme d'Isigny,
in little brown pots, very delicate, is IL
cents. Among the desserts are sweet
omelettes and rum omelettes. The sweet
omelette is made by rolling the half cooked
egg batter around jelly just as 1t is ready to
take from the pan. The rum omelette is a
good dish for cold DAYS, but it does not
digest we'll Plain jellies, currant, cherry
and plum are cents a portion; mirabel,
strawberry and raspberry are cents a
portion. The last foods are the cneeses and
they form an important element in q cheap
meal
Tips Average Five Per Cent
After this glance at each division of the
Duval card it will be noticed how minutely
the prices are arranged and how the profits
must be made up from small reckonings.
The Duval secret is to have no waste. The
service costs nothing, as the girls are paid
by tips alone. Tips, though small, add up
handsome sums daily. The average Paris
tip is five per cent ont the total OF the bill
Everyone tips The management gives the
girls their meals, including wine, and they
choose about what food they please.
Back of the foods and always q source of
considerable profit, is the wine. Everyone
drinks wine or beer, and the beer is nearly