The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-11
OLD NEW YORK ~GOURMETS.
MEN MofEb AZ HOSTS AND THE
9UEsTS AT FaEIR FABLES.

MON VINO Nave hren ConspuciouH W hhetn'
No European visitor to New York who camo
with n social passport. over quilted 1t without
bearing testimony to the excellence OF It's pri-
vato dinners and to tho charm OF tho guests par
ticipatinR In them. For instance, tho late
George Augustus Sala, in his pleasant volume
of rcminiscenccs touching his two visits to this
city In tho years 1894 and 1881. has left such
testimony In most complimentary terms. Tho
prominence OF New Workers as dinner givoro
and as dinersout was acknowledged even in
tho coloninlinfancy of'New York society; for on
their return In 1888 to London many English
officers who had resided hero as enemies ex-
pressed themselves In published letters or dia-
ries rs delighted with tho Knickerbocker hos
pitality Of that ora. But, substantially, 1t
was not until tho later twentios that dinner
giving among Knickerbockcrs took rank as a
gastronomic artson a plane with tho dinner Civ
ing in creole New Orleans that boastcd its
Chcrrystono oysters, Caribbean pompano, and
gumbo okra soup); or in cavalier Charles
ton, with its delicate broilcd ricebirds; or in
aristocratici Baltimore. with It's matchless ter
rapin. In this comparison Philadelphia and
Boston did not demand important place.
Tho seventy years past Of Knickerbockor
dinners may be divided into three eras-tho
Madeira era, tho claret and burgundy ora,
and tho champagne ora Tho Inst named is in
NS ~ sNS eaos tRshohA "hSub
the thirties; and tho second through the quar-
ter century succeeding. In tho carly period no
dinner giyon by o householder residing along
Bowling Groom or in fashionable vcscy. or
Barclay street, or Park place, would have been
considered complete unless 1t included among
its sudsts some Of tho Following persons:
Dominick Lynch. whose hospitablo dwelling in
white marbled Leroy place in mid Blocker street
was u metropolitan feature; Mr.. and Mrs. Will
Itau1 n h,to, T.,-~n. C.-- n xxr.t.
wright, who subsequently became an Episcopal
Bishop, and whose grace before meat delivered
in his generously musical voice really sharpened
a%ppetitc; Bishop Dubois of 81. Patrick's Cathe-
dral; Chancellor James Kent, whose dinner
table commentaries were delightfully."- crisp;
Financier Thomas w. Ludlow; Isaac 8. Homo,
with a:never-failing fund of amiable raillcry;
George GriTcn, pondorous as q lawyer, but as
a guest light armed. with quips, antitheses,
and puns;' President Duer of Columbia Col
lcge. who left his learning outside along with
hat and cane; James A. Hamilton, who did not
hide tho Hamiltonian talent beneath his dinner
napkin; DR.. Hosack, evcrybody's family physi-
clan. whose very presence behind knife and fork
seemed to give assurance that digestion would
wait on appetite; Gen. Winfield Scott; James
G. King and Albert Gallatin, sententious Wall
street mon; Charles King, tho editorial, who
lived TO DO, as President of Columbia College,
a Knickcrbocker. diner throughout the later
nfties and s~itxies; Mr.. and Mrs. Hamilton
Wilkes, a stately Knickerbocker couple; Wash
ington Costor the gallant; Nicholas Saltus, the
poetical eccentric; Samuel Swartwout, who
held Tammany politics in the hollow Of the
hand that raised a wine glass to his lips, and all
unconscious that many years later he would be.
as an eX-Collcctor of the Port, a fugitive from
Justice as h defaultcr to the Government.
or course Washinston Irving, the ,timid in
RvapTthtnr ArNAr Fiji AZ yNAr. II-fH
man. WIN 'h iio9 Of Tt elesa nt G Gietio 9Fp prolo h9sti
dinner courses; Prof. Renwick, who with dim.
plate plat b sSPas'i him n os W ieHEdle w asP bis f srsa @is sIic =
OF spcculent Vermont mutton cut from the
first s;shoiar'aso New YORK. during urf sfhn alf a esni
tury; David G., Golden, who himself gave so
r n1any S'n a mon thHs n to /, snEf Fisz a GTeen ss H Z Essst
received Fiansess Of adi%r1stion from esni the hostess sSs.s,s,
liam who were knickcrbocker Chcsterfelds
and f4chard kikeI. to whom host and guests
co!lonuial name OF :Dicky," and who, although
q perennial Recorder, and therefore a criminal
been the hero Of two duels. in one OF which he
hs la a1!n satYer n,s n ahs ,Ind hn n in t hf o other he1, Of which = h.
CALI ca . for 'I RiRsr ~ sns i the ,Irsiy t Hs t nsi1 kee sn has
as John Keteltas Hackett was the second; and
both were psohclSn.s with The pistol. =.
and conversational wit. He al v; :n,0f buSbied
Comments. His. published rccoiicctions OF the
New York Of HIS generation proves his rcputa-
come diner; for he held ct his ready disposal a
fund Of amusing stories relative 10 his daily sit
s sinsi ia tho to G shis day' eG of an A 2Gs G6 'he si,, has
with him AS associate magistrate ut the Spccini
s sesrsa hold f,dsn sh X I 'SS G aiqe h, ipnf"si On i R,, tie
well, in which ,petty prisoners were confined
then, stood in the par&Ithe Recorder raped
dorSe that action by saying In q plaintivc tone.
Justice, demands more quiet; speaking for
send several 10 prison without having heard one
word OF the testimony"
When the years comprising the forties came
had sueceeded. No dinner; was then complete
who in City Hall annals ranks us an affablc and
dignihed head of the. municipality along WITH
Dc Witt:Clinton, and John I. Hoffman OF a lafer
to- tp" society itGyI at thidss roslEd FSe en on 0i Bro a,hRsIs s on tSe
site now occupied by the Aston House, and
bond street. The stock dinner guests N tho
forties were British Consul Barclay, whose ap.
Judge samuel il. Belts and Local Judge Sam ssn
Jonos the Second, who were equally proficient
sion s0 y, n,sliaw and as tb as M5 Hrd5siis; S9a in ,S disP;0 oh.
iSs proper PANS pSsasssn Sss%ssn iiPs; EdmSf%s IT, ]:
Who carried into tho chair Of the lieutenant.
dispiayed be H hHs n hso@e F %i'Rh!oTHH sSyry a' J. Ray!
mond, and Stewart L. Woodford; Robert
Emmett, who combined the. elegance OF his
father; Charles Augustus DAVIS and his charm,
ing daughter Helen; Philip Lydig of st. Johns
square, whose descendants still keep alive fru-
grant memories Of his hospitalities; Herman
hcircss found means TO build that once show
house on West Sixteenth street which is now the
reception entrance OF, the New York Hospital;
John J; Palmer, u, .. Kennedy, Joseph r. Gi.
rand, the brothers Hamerslcy, Mr.. and Mrs. Ed
ward Jones, Simeon Draper the witty, Moses II.
Grinnen the lavish, ltich9rd Milford .Blatch-
ford tho nncluous, Robert 3. Minturn the phil.
anthroplc, young Isaac Bell, who had captured
Miss Mott for bride. and James Bowen, who
leans rs It's provost marshal.
1t was a quaint fashion among the dinner
givers OF n half century ago sometimes to ask
each guest to. send a bottlo OF Madeira to the
giver OF tho Toast, who would mark 1t when dc.
canted for his private knowledge. The va
ri9ua wlnos would DO tasted in turn and q vote
s9leinnly taken as to which docunter held tho
choicest brand, and II was great fun 10 fire.
guentiy lind the siyer Of the wine innoccntly
During the tlfties the dinner parties of the
brothers, Wolfe, OF the brothers Kinssland. OF
fhn hrnthApl M ~ And H.. a. atrl