Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-02-14
PORTALS new YORK LETTER.

y
In grillroom? l think next to the
charm of ohating-dish supper comes
the grill supper, and the Cynic and /,
lant evening, sat at tho most delightful
little supper, covers laid for two in
the Dutch grillroom at the Hotel Ma
varre. Sitting over this grill supper,
the conversation, Of course, led up to
chafing dishes, aud you know every
man prides himself on being master
in the art. Dumas took his greatest
delight in experimenting the cooking
OF the simplest dejeuner. and the late
George Augustus Sala was not only q
most accomplished cook, but his dis
sertstions on the subject were exceed
ingly infectious. Dion Bouoieault
rrided himself more on his knowledge
OF cooking than that Of acting. Mems
stomachs have always had their weak
nesses, aud 1t has bern fairly said that
IL women wish to control the Lords al
Creation" 1t is only necessary to treat
them as kindly "a they would brute
feed them. Tho chatting dish is not
a creature of society born in our time
lit IL historical. 1t belongs to the
| tale Of the civilization OF the world.
Whatever has been its origin, it is
always found in the wake of prosperity
and conyipiality. Ii is known among
the Romans and Greeks, and In the aye
Of Nero no fashionable. family pretend
ing to know how and what to eat could
do without it. Sylla bad a collection
| of ehatng -dishes tho description of
which has come down to history, and
the Rreat tragic actor, Acsopus, RECALLED
himself after the play with larks'
| tongues cooked in a "chaffern worth 100
sestertii. Chatting dishes arrived Ia
America, it ia said, 10 about 1920,
though | can't tind out where
Surely not with the early Puritans.
] fancy the chafing- dish suggests tdo
much Of Bohemian tone Tor their
straight-laced habits. No, the ohafing-
dish must have come In with those good
,old liyers in Virginia, who knew the
art OF catering to the inner man. Louis
! XIV was an artist with the chhling- dish,
and over them two most remarkable
women, Madam De Stael and Madame
Recamier, made witty and historic
speeches 30 now in the great popularity
of the chatting. dish we are Witnessing
its renaissance, not it's birth. Miss
i Bachelor Maid is beginning to learn
the secret that Eve must have known
| when she allured the angel to- the
garden for dinner. But now man firmly
believes in his heart that the chafing-
dish is his prerogative and he only
looks on the Bachelor Maid with a
lenient good hearted smile.
| '.This grillroom is all very wello
said the Cynic when we had made to
disappear the most luscious tender
steal. that had been smothered in the
chatting dish and stuffed around with
pieces of carrot, onions, potatoes and
other sayory things. but want you
| to taste me of my chatting dish sup
pers, and over hisfacs came smile
of self-satisfaotion which is usually
born only with o consciousness of being
well groomed and having partaken Of
a good dinner.
1t is usele to set down the culinary
invention of connoisseur before q
hungry canalboat driver. Some men
simply eat to live, and then there is
the glutton who lives to eat; but the
man it is pleasure 10 dine with Is the
moderate man, VINO thinks well, whose
mind is keen and clever, and yet who
has just appreciation of the pleasures
of the feast and who with just sus
picion OF smack to his lips will say
"See here, Portia, what do you say
to a chop? | know the cosiest place in
town, interesting people -best cooks
wines mulled to the right temperature
and all that" and then when you are
seated at the table with him he has
such an insiduous way OF making you
believe that you are hungrier than you
ale. This grill supper and the PROMISE
of ohafing-dish one came from what
the Cynic thought rather joke ON me.
You know, Beth and are always wild
to do the Bohemian thing which il
New York is rather difficult to de
unless one knows just where and how.
However, one day | was determined tc
be Bohemian and try one of the much
talked-of table d'hote affairs. w,
started and there were three places nsxt
door to each other, not far from Twenty
seventh street, that held out allurIne
signs and canopies down torthe side
walk. The dinner was an astonishment
half dozen courses, claret and coffee
To be sure the oil on the salad 5astec
as il it were made OF old shoes, and tn,
salt was OF the quality one buys in bag
for make-believe briny t?) baths. i
entertained us SO much to see some
of the patrons about us devourinl
macaroni as a COW would hay. 70,
know people who go to such places hav,
an idea that spahgetti and maearon
should never be cut with fork anC
they suck it in with provincia
grimace OF satisfaction that q Htorl
would have enyied in trying to swallow
an eel When we, left felt tinge o
disappointment. but would not admi
it for the world, for you see it hat
been my selection, 80 | said, II thiDl
those chick livera were pretty good
don't your"
DO you mean those things on a sticI
| with pieces of underdona bacon bstweer
themf For my part | feel aa thougl
the stick were going through my owl
liver. We had better be unl3ohemial
next time, eh?''
well, what would you cook on tn,
chatting dish for nice little after the
theatre SUPERB"
"The chafn-gdish is especially
very close friend to the oyster Per
haps no other thing suffers 30 ofteI
from being overlooked or served cold
but panned Oysters in chatting disl
are surely welcome these Februar,
nights. Nnw for my recipe: | mel
three tablespoons of butter in thu
blazer, which means the upper par
without the water, and when hot pu
in two dozen oysters, thorough,
drained. AS soon as their edges begiI
TO curl add half cupful OF scaldet
cream, a tablesI oonful OF Madeira,
good dash OF paprica, some celery sail
and serve while steaming hot on toastet
crackers.
Oysters a Ia John Chamberlain wert
invented by the famous viveur of WASH
ington. Add TO the Juice of one dozer