Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-16

<H~ that OF Sir Julian
Pauncefote. the British ambassador. A
pretty sight 1t is-so clean and orderly.
with big double ranges. scores Of bright
copper utensils and molds by hundreds for
boned meats, jellies ice creams and Gus
tards. big establishment like this. when
a dinner or reception Is to be given. does
not have to buy supplies from q caterer.
The pastry cooking. candy making and
preparing Of ornamental table pieces are
all done in the house.
The British embassy spends more money
for mere living than any other legation
here. Sir Julian can afford II, inasmuch as
his government gives him an allowance of
$4,000 year for entertaining and Incl
dentals. He has a head cook with two
assistants The chef is a German woman.
who speaks French and English also. She
does the marketing. Nearly every Sunday
evening during the winter Ambassador
Fauncefote and his wife give dinner Few
Entertainments at the capital are 20 select
and exclusive.
The Most Expensive Household.
The mott expensive household in Wash
ington is that Of Senator Brice, who occu-
pies the old Corcoran residence. He has
a French cook. and probably spends not
chef often buys as much as $40 worth of
vegetables and fruits in q morning at the
market. or perhaps he will purchase $50
worth Of imported grapes at once. The
Brices give dinners night after night in
| the season. at which from thirty to 100
guests sit down.
The hospitality Of the rich Illinois Con-
gresham. Mr.. Hit. is on a similar scale.
His establishment Is probably the most
costly here, except Brice's. As Is usual
| also At the Brices'. dinnera at the Hits
are commonly served on many tables. Per-
haps there will be as many as twenty ia
bles scattered about the dining room. draw
ing room and hall. with half a dozen guests
at each. This plan is quite fashionable
nowadays, but conservative persons de-
clare that the people who do not happen
to find themselves at the same tables with
the master or mistress of the man sion are
servants. In short, the dinner, however
fine, is too much on the hotel style.
Various minor objections are urged
against this method. 1t Is much more ex-
pensive. requiring score OF walters for
as many tables. This is Of no consequence
to millionaires. Of course. But IL is a fact
that the walters. having entire charge Of
the entertaining. exercise a favoritism that
to others. For example, one table will get
three bottles Of champagne while another
obtains only one bottle.
Many diners-out say that the best din
ners in Washington are given by the mil
lionaire dry goods man, l.. z. Letter At
his entertainments there Is never more
than one table. His new mllion-dollar pal
ace on Dupont circle is on such a scale that
repast OF 200 covers may be served in the
large music room. The marketing for the
establishment is done by an English butler,
who has been with the family for many
years. He is a remarkable man, in his
q 70 rit xn-,f1,
people here.
The kitchen Of the new Letter mansion is
on a scale for a hotel. Its floor - of pol
ished oak, and the walls are tiled to a
height of six feet. There are ventilators
and fans to carry out the odors of cooking
Connected with the Eine-foot range are
charcoal broilers. The scullery. like that of
the British legation, is independent and
apart. The establishment employs four men
in the stable, four men in the house, three
ladies' maids, three women in the kitchen
two women in the laundry. and two house
maids-in all, eighteen persons. This is OF
an extraordinary number of servants. Sen
ator BriCe has more. and Levi p. Merton
had greater number when he lived In
Washington.
Marketing Done by Buffers.
The marketing for :he great houses in
Washington is done by the buffers and
cooks. They are shrewi buyers. and. while
they get the best that is to be had. they pay
less for 1t than ordinary folks 10. The ma
jor domo of a millionaire's establishment
was giving some hints to the writer yester-
day. One Of them. worth noting by any
housewife. related to beef. He said: Buy
a whole loin at once. The butcher will cut
1t down to about twenty pounds. You can
then cut out the fillet. which in that way
costs you only about twenty cents a pound,
instead of 81 a pound. The balance you
can chop up into steaks and roasts."
The food of servants In a private palace
Of the sort described costs enormously At
the British legation the cook. according TO
the English plan, receives an allowance of
seventy-five cents a day per head for feed
ing the domestics. In a mansion run on
such a scale the quantity Of edibles con-
sumed Is astonishing. One small item Of
the weekly supplies Of Levi p. Morton s
house on Scott circle was fifty dozen eggs
the year around. AT single reception
given by the Letters last winter torty-nine
and a half gallons Of ice cream were fur
nished.
The Russian legation is the most expen-
sive diplomatic residence in Washington,
probably with the exception of the British
embassy. Its cook. though a woman, is I'M
surpassed. She is an Austrian. The best
women cooks in the world are Austrians II
is said. The kitchen is a model. The Ger
man legation has a German man cook He
is an all-round expert in his business being
a pastry maker and confectioner. The
French legation employs a French woman
cook.
An expensive household, run in that style
of quiet elegance which costs so much is
Senator Cameron's, on Lafayette square
The Camerons are famous for Sunday night
dinners. Sunday morning breakfasts are
Senator Wolcott's speciality in entertaining.
Senator Mcmillan entertains a good deal:
he is a great epicure. Mrs. Bonaparte is in
mourning now for her husband. She has
been Accustomed to entertain layisnly
A no, q ire1 to l.
her establishment in order. Her French
man cook does the marketing.
Others Who Go to Market.
Senator Henderson goes to market him.
self. occasionally. So. likewise. does the
much scandalized Col. w. c. P. BreckIn-
ridge. with a basket on his arm The DEAL
ers in vegetables and provisions say tina,
men who go to market get the least for
their money; they Are the chosen victims