Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-22
THE PROPER DINNER.
To Give One Nowadays Requires No
Little Executive Ability.
FASHIONS DICTATES In GOTHAM.
How Very Rich Baby Has Put on Mourn.
ing for Near Relative.
MARGARET II. WEIGHS FRESH GOSSIP
rvp1rTrN FOR THE pIsPATCH.1

WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATCH.1
To give a dinner in New York after the
| manner of fashionables Is a complex and IN
tricate thing. Not more than a dozen fami-
lies probably of even McAllister's $50 can
manage large dinner of 40 covers, for in
stance, without assistance from outside. An
establishment of 20 and 25 servants with
chef at the head finds its routine seriously
interfered with. and usually gets in a few
men to assist. In the busy season an order
for a dinner must be booked at lea.t ten
days beforehand and there are two dinner
weeks in the year that need six weeks
booking.
"In the mid week of December and Eas-
could not take another order month before
hand if were offered $4,000" Still it
might not be safe to make this offer.
Having made up her list and settled upon
her date the hostess consults with her
caterer. If she is regular customer she
knows his chefs and has preference. She
will change her date to secure an especial
chef The caterer consults the chef and
menu is submitted. This is carefully gone
delicacies out of season added-all of which
influences the estimate. Ten to twelve
dollars a cover at this season will secure
brook trout and choice visnds all through
of course exclusive of wine, which ought
always to come from the family wine cellar
and not from the caterer.
But so much plate by no means covers
|ha he ut If
profusion is used, and the dinner cards are
another large item. These the caterer will
provide, but hostesses prefer to get them
made to Older after some exclusive design.
Two to five dollars apiece may be easily in
vested in these dainty trifles. The table is
now to be considered, oval, square or
round. All caterers and many families
have an assortment of dinner tops of diff
ferent sizes and shapes, which are fitted
onto the usual dining table of the house. A
dinner of over "a guests is usually served
at small tables; two or three dining rooms
in private houses in New York are of sufi-
ciently noble proportions to seat 40 persons
about single round table. On the night
of dinner to be served at 7:30 the chef ar
riyes about o'clock with his assistant,
and the family cook leaves him in undis-
puted possession of the kitchen. The butler
and his men also come at that time and
proceed to lay the table. One man is al
lowed to every six persons, so that for
dinner of IS two besides the butler will be
needed.
AS the hour approaches for the guests to
arrive, one of the men servants of the family,
the coachman or footman, is stationed at the
door, provided with list of the guests e1-
pected, so many ladies and SO many gentle
men. As each comes in he checks the
arrival off, and when the last has come he
sends word to the chef The rule is to serve
dinner Is minutes after the last guest
arrives Meantime, just before the hostess
is dressed and just before she takes her place
in the drawing room, she steps in to look
over the table, approving, suggesting, criti-
cising or sharply condemning as she discov-
ers things. If possible her changes are
quickly carried out, but, from the moment
a man throws open the door and announces
"dinner is served" the responsibility Of the
dining room rests with the butler.
After the dinner the clearing-of process
is usually prolonged to touch the time
when the guests shall have gone, as an in
teryiew with Madame to hope that she is
pleased means a IS or $40 bill sent out to
the chef, and second one to be divided by
the butler among his men and himself. Be-
fore the house is closed for the night there
will be no trace IF the evenings entertain
ment left, save the freshest of the drawing
room flowers,