The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-23
JUICY BEEFSTEAKS.
A CLUB THAT EATS MEAT WITH
ITS FINGERS ONCE A MONTH.

Within hearing of the continuous clatter
of the east side elevated road, in the rear
room of shop crowded, fromtthe 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
steafs. He was big, powerful man, with
large, strong hands, n large and massive
head and determined face. Yet he
handled the savory segments of meat as
delicately as woman might have done.
Sitting around the room onstools, chairs,
trunks, piles of books and tables loaded
with prints, playbills and autograph let
ters were dozen men or so, all of more or
less local notoriety. There were couple
of politicians among them, n prominent
up town builder, a famous contractor and
house raiser and mover, a composer whose |
music is played throughout the world, n
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 pan, which,
filled with boiling fat, sizzled at red heat
on the top of the stove. The surface of the
meat was hardened in moment, and then
it was extracted from the pan with long
fork and broiled over the glowing Goals in
the body Of the stove. AS each piece Of
steak was deposited upon a thick slice Of
bread in amonstrous 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
tenderness and its juiciness. The pile upon
the trencher grew quickly; but when, at a
given signal, which consisted in rap of
the chiefs fork on the stove, the company
fell to, its diminution was even more rapid.
Each man ate with his fingers for fork
and the gravy soaked slice of bread for
dish.
The Old Curiosity club is an organiza-
tion composed of men who collect some
thing One is a collector of old masters
and another collector of modern pictures.
One gathers up bronZes, another ivories,
another books. There are in the club col
lectors 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. 1t has regular weekly meeting
on Saturdays from October until June,
when members drop in and drop out again
informally, and once a 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 a gold hunter in
the mines of eastern Venezuela.
On the other side of town to the Old
| Curiosity Shop, and in a vastly more aris-
| tocratic neighborhood, let us drop in at q
private dining room over the store of u
fashionable caterer. 1t is 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 noseless movement of
| ghosts. On every side magnificent groups
Of roses load the air with their sensuous
| perfume 1t is that hour of the evening
when the theaters 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 it, and admits lady and gem
tleman in full 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
|
or two of a 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 a pri-
vate party in private house. In fact,
however, we are looking in on a regular
supper of the aristocratic 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,
charger after charger of noble steaks, OF
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 bt
told, one may hear more bright and clever
things, more wit and originality in thu
dusty back room of the east side shop il
one evening than during the whole season
at the caterers palace up town.
And when it comes to the business of thu
meeting, no steak and oyster sauce evel
had the SAVIOR of those melting morseli
that the Old Curiosities eat in their natura
juices, tender and fragrant from theil
journey through the red hot frying par
and the bed of fiercely glowing Goals
Still, half loaf is better than no bread
and beefsteak prepared for service on
Royal Worcester platter is not to be giver
the cold shoulder because 1t has not thu
picturesque surroundings Of one broileC
at the end of an iron fork.
Professor Wilson held that the only fl
honor mankind could accord to beefsteak
was to cook them properly and eat them
and his ideal of the culinary portion o.
this ceremony was that which is adopted
by the Beefsteak club. Cobbett, on tn
other hand, favored his steak withou
sauce, favored With shalot or tarragon
and with horseradish for condiment. /
both these old time steak experts could ca
a supper with the Curiosity club, the,
would, | am sure, abjure their apcien