Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-10
LONDON RESTAURANTS
RECENT CHANGE IN HER PUBLIC
EATING PLACES.
Some Dining Palaces Of the English
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS." the
Secret of Success.
From the London Telegraph.

AoAH tAe ASnoon ASietfaPh-
do you still take your pleasures sadly.
your prime steaks Off grimy plates, your
fine beer out Of clammy pewter and your
food and drink generally from walters with
dirty hands and facesT' queried a Paris
boulevardier. who had not been to London
for nearly ten years. His friend from Pic
cadilly only replied: wait and see." and
brought him over by the next train. Now
the Partisan is In London. and does not talk
of going back. He says that we have revo-
luuonized our way Of living, and that We
do not seem to realize it. He positively does
not know US. we enjoy ourselves so. He
goes to our smart hotels and our new res
taurants and wherever modern London
amuses itself. and everywhere he says that
ne feels as IL he were in Vienna or even in
Paris. Being true Partisan, he could not
pay us better compliment than that. His
opinion of us now is summed up In the OBJ
servation that If French novelist first the
orized about the joy of living he really
thinks the Londoner of today takes the
palm for practice. "Of course, 1t was we
who educated this age up to the pleasures
of existence; but believe you are beating
US in the cultivation of modern luxury"
A Partisan Saying.
Tell me how man dimes, and 1 will
know how he enjoys existence" says the
Partisan sage. He does not think the revo-
luton in London life is anywhere more
strikingly exemplified than in what he calls
our modern dining palaces. On reflection.
the Londoner will agree with him. These
dining pala ces of ours. which are necessities
OF our enjoyment of existence today,
but things of yesterday. IT is only six years
ago that the famous resort known as the
restaurant of the world" was built. Yet
modern dining palaces have by now nearly
killed the old-fashioned eating houses.
g. ~Ia.
vive by strengthening their ancient reputa-
ton with vigorous and careful progressive
ness. The others are moribund. The wood
en- box. with narrow benches devised for
discomfort. to make customers "sft up" the
cloth clean at noon. but doubtful at / and
dirty at }, the era cked earthenware plates.
sometimes decorated with thumb impress,
otherwise unadorned. are quickly becoming
things of the past: There are already few
left of those small, low-celinged rooms.
whence ladies are excluded and where
smoking is only permitted after g. for the
obvious reason that by then 1t no longer
matters whether the place be totally OBJ
scured and the atmosphere become I'M
breathable.
Change in Appointments.
They certainly gave you a fairly good
chop or steak and greens in those eating
houses-few other dishes had ever been
heard of by the cook But did the waiter
doubtedly dirty apron for the sole purpose
of taking your appetite away? In the mod
ern restaurant everything is devised to give
you one Picture the Londoner of the good
old days. when he managed to WELD a Wig
orous knife and fork in spite of the sur
roundings, suddenly set down without warn
ing before the dainty table laid with spot
less linen and silver dishes bright enough to
mirror the choice fresh flowers in delicate
glass vases, within hearing of good band.
among noiseless walters. well groomed and
in spick-and-span uniforms and white ties
in the immense grill room of modern pal
ace of dining. The old Londoner would
of 1t.
Teaching Their Masters.
We have learned the art of dining on the
continent. but We are teaching our mas
ters. Modern luxury in this respect has
reached a pitch Of perfection and finish in
London which neither Berlin nor even
Paris, all things considered can equal
Possibly Paris still retains the palm for
the COOKS rarest masterpieces, for dinners
each dish of which is unique and the COM
position Of which is a long-thought-out
harmony and which cost a small fortune
As for Berlin, it is the paradise of smack
fanciers, and nowhere can the delectable
sausage, savory ham or copious and tooth
some pastry be obtained in such variety
at such diverse hours, or so fnstantane-
ously as in the beer palaces under the
Linden and in the Friedrchstrasse Rut
the tourist will look In vain there or on
the Paris boulevards for the equivalent of
the really modern London grill room The
idea OF the latter has been borrowed from
the large German beer hall or the neat
clean and airy French cafe but the orfyi
mails have been improved upon by our cater-
ers ~ " |a'ei