Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-01-26
COSTLIEST BANQUET.
Twenty Dollars a Head About +ba
Limit in Price fer the
Very Best.


Very Best.
Oscar, famous over the country as the
head waiter of the Waldorf Astoria. was
asked by a reporter for the New York
Evening Sun to write out the mem for
the most expensive dinner he could nos.
Sibly get up.
With unlimited capital at my com
mand, he said, Il would still have r.
depend on my resources in producing the
most expensive dinner. All the money In
New York would not produce Strawber-
RES IN January unless | knew where t.
md them. Also | might find them i'm
one place during one season and mics
away during the next. There are also
matters of taste to be considered ana
matters of reason. 1t would he absurd
and out of place TO have on our holiday
tables eatables which properly belong uu-
" TO the tropics ana are not eaten in
the United States, even in summer
I'm the matter of food alone the most
expensive dinner would not run so high
in price as you might suppose at first
thought. In any dinner in which com
mon sense is taken into account the food
alone would not cost more than $50 a
cover. That is, without wine, deccra-
tons or attendance. Now you may buy
new wine at almost any price, depending
on the reputation of the winners. but Won
may not always buy old wine. The cor
noisseur often values his dusty bottle
more highly than gold, and will on DO
account surrender them. Therein dipl0-
macy and opportunity must come to pro-
cure what mere money cannot buy. The
matter of attendance is matter of taste
You could have a waiter for each guest
if necessary, but it would not be in good
taste.
But in decorations you could 20 to an
almost unlimited extent. \ short tine
ago | assembled a dinner of eighteen coy
ers, which cost in the aggregate S13.oOO,
that is, over S122 cover. 1t was, and
still is, the high water mark in the mat
ter of dinners. In order to 80 higher |
should simply have to take each course
and each decoration and try to supple
ment it by some more expensive item. Il
is, after all, the decorations that cost So
much in these dinners. In the Sl3o."
affair / decorated the room with a maj
ural grape arbor, through which Tire
guests walked and from which they
plucked the lunches Then there was
fountain with fish in it. which in Itself
was an expensive affair, entailiug much
plumbing and carpentry work. The flow
ers were all out of season and yet many
plants were shown growing in a native
pot. 1t was these decorations that east
so much.
in the most expensive dinner I might
bearing fruit such as cherries. | could
send to the Orient and import at a co!oN-
sal expense any of the fruit-beaTing trees
that grow there. Dwarf pears, apples
and other fruit are sometimes brou2h
to this country, and | could have theM
growing on the table or the dining room
would be arranged as a garden, IN WheA
birds would sing, plants and trees W90.a
grow, ripping cascades would fan. i'
effect of sunlight or moonlight could uF
produced electrically; we might mahr
summer, oblivi0us to a holiday Storm
without. Oh, yes. all of these, tnhE'
could be produced at a cost as hGh ~
you please. Such dinner would r.
quire months of preparation ana nil-"s
cost $4,000. maybe more maybe le>S
it would depend entirely on the Foapi
involved.
But. as have intimated, all this =
not food. 1t is decorations 10 % So.
you would eat some of the decora'i""e
just as you would eat the contents W.
the decorative fruit basket on you
table. But in the matter OF m'.'
food alone | must refer back t'
my estimate of $50 a cover. for Fo.'
can not eat more than a certain amour
and that certain amount is saiane '''
at the market rate. You could h"''
diamonds in the meat"
What would be the menu for the Gl'N'
expensive dinner Oscar was asked
"Well since | have already tried ny
best to make one dinner as expensive ~
possible. l must take its bill Of fare am
substitute still more important things.
Oscar turned to his desk and thoH@@.
awhile. Then he turned 10 ms @1,
writer and dictated the following.
Buffet Russo.
Oyster cocktails.
Amontilado
Lemardelais In priucesSe.
Pasad0. Green turtle, bu'N"'.
Lobster In basket
Colonlne of chicken Califorf" sly
Rocky Mountain sheep with pure" ~ .'
nuts
Jelly. Brussels sprouts sa2'e'
Fresh asparagus.
Fancy sherbet.
Diamond back terrapir .r
Canvasback duck. Grape fraif -a.'-'
Fresh Strawberries.
Vanilla Mousse
Connections. Coffee. tf"''s
There. now. sir" said Oscar. Per
now that is the very best l f.3.b
merely with food if | had a ter' ah'
deal with. OF course, | could aoo0+
size of the dishes and l could
in many things which would S"Ea.
hut which the guests would H
There would be no reason =, IT.
however. You will examine INA
Won will see that several hunting T..
would be required to procure rae ID
Mountain sheep, the duck, the 'ei."t
the aSpa raguS and SO forth, & t-t'
son of the year. Add private wiz.
extensive decoration to such
and you viii have dinner that '
you a small fortune