New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-07

away but he who occupies an apartment n
Savoy Court, or stays at the Savoy Hotel, fares
worse the further he goes for his luncheon
dinner, or supper The happy thousands Of
Savoyards, although they number many IL
sleepers, number so many more out-sIeepers. that
when one thinks Of the Savoy one thinks Of it first
as the foremost Of London restaurauts-foPemosr,
not only because the modern luxury OF London
lie made its beginnings ct the Savoyhiteeu years
ago. but also because 40 other restaurant II
London makes quite so elaborate and sustained al
effort 10 please 50 many flstidioUS palates. Kings
ana PrlDces and even American AladdIns, live n
state at CIlrIdge where they End noble Cntertail-
ment; yet there, as IN some degree at the
Berkeley, the admirable restaurant is better
known. as an appanags Of The hotel than as
resort OF all London. Most LondOners, when
they desire TO play the colnoisseUr 40 table,
when tho last refinement of gastTonOny IS the
purpose OF the moment, bOtGke themselves TO the
Savoy, to find not only the first cooking in
London, but-since Bgnon's and the AIoison d Or
have ceased to distinguish Paris-perhaps the
first IN the world. 1t was, then, behind the
scenes, through those corridors OF the Savoy
which lead to the kitchens and the l2rde-s, that
directed ny steps when / sought TO learn the
secret OF the S2voy's success-ot that l0nS-esta-
bIished power which even the most ambitious OF
recent rivals hns failed TO shake.
Looking back, IS I write these words, tS the
precolceived opinions which 7 then held, it &eems
have well repaid a longer journey. Ny view os
the Savoy, founded upon ny own experience IS
frequent visitor to the restaurant and an
occasional occupant Of the hotel during almost
every year since It's opening, was fancy, that Of
the average LOndOneP. Ny feeling had been, On
the whole, one Of satisfaction /; for one does not
resort year after year TO house with which one
is not pleased. But it had always seemed to no
that the Savoy prices were excessive ! do not
mean that had ever thought them higher than
hoe "a 49,. -
standing; Tor The mere fact that / had
persevered in going to the Savoy shows plainly
that l had no grave Gauss for complaint.
Indeed, the Savoy had always seemed to. ne Z
little better and little less expensive than any
Of its rivals but it had been ny belief that in
London, as in Paris, in Vienna, or IN New York,
really good hotels and restaurants are all uncon-
eclonaoIy dear. All the world knows, since the
fashion Of Joint stock companies laid open to the
public eye all sorts Of trading accounts, that the
dividends OF the great hotels are not excessive :;
but the IN the street, who IS always surprised
to see, when he finds himself n that street after
paying his BILL how much money he has left
behind him, Is not concerned with tie share
holders point OF view. His Own private con
ciUslon, II 1 may judge others BY myself, Is thnt
there Is q mOnstrOus disparity between the price
OF fowl II the pOultereP 5 shop and o fowl on the
restaurant table. ! may as well get forward with
ny story and spoil my climax By saying at. once
t4e5 this Sleory. OF mine was founded upon
3snoFAnee> IL IS to-day ny profound belief
after investigation that the 6roDrietOrs OF 2
restaurant, even though Il were restaurant some
@ha6 deerer and somewhat less good than the
savoy, must exercise the greatest ingenuity and
the most painstaknS vigilance In order TO give as
4nueA AS Chey- do TO the public for the uubIic's
money 20 vas, however, IN & less informed state
o. grace, and even with 3 cynical desire TO SEQ
now the game was played, that I descended the
stars where the heat nom successive kitchens
mingled anonymously with the chill from
successive 12rders. There was present TO NJ
mlnd-f the reader cares TO know, under what
conditions such a narrative is Written-ths
possibility that might ind ny time and trouble
wasted, that might be driven to the conclusion
th2U the Savoy was not fitting subject for one Of
the counters!gned advertisements which are pub
4lshed IN Inc 43BgeS only when business is found
to be conducted upon such lines that an honest
account Of IL may still be 3 favourable one.
TIE KINGDOM OF THE COOK.
Passing through an ante-charnber. where clerks
were checking IN huge ledgers the income and
outro Of trU1Ies, and goose Iyers, I found in =
little private Office the white-capped Master who
weave5 the spell I had never heard his name :.
he is not & vaingioriCu5 Ruler OF the Roast
ne Is not interviewed and par1graDhed. He
was apolOgetic because his midday meal-tvO
po3ched eggs and q glass of FIcly-had not vet
been removed from the corner of his writing
table. learned that ne whose bills OF fare TEMPT
all London takes his frugal sustenance in soli-
tude, Ike the captain OF Ean-of-Tar that hs
who selects thousands Of dinners every week does
not order his own. For his indifference, this
cuTiously simple and earnest artist excused
himself. " Il VIII seem to you a nose but
- leave It to the Affection Of one. OF nv DEPART
'tmCnta1 Chiefs TO see that I do noc 20 hungry
= II our house o. plenty II new dish :
q have composed Is OF the SIMMER sort nav try
. 1t myself /; but hardly need to do so the
"a aroma tells ne when have succeeded. And
my good friend-he has been with me since
" twenty years ago, in Paris-giEes ne what it IS
" best that z very busy man should eat no red
meat, 10 game for anticipate Z little, eat
" as you VIII eat When you are twenty years older
than I an now. TO think always Of table com
pleZIties brings one the earlier to that stage
which we all must reach some day, when the
dinner served IN an English nursery for the
3" children is--uO, it would be Il It were cooked,
"not massacred-the ideal. You must mot
" encourage NE to talk about myself; vet it is
. Of interest, what ! say there, for the Light
" spreads in London. ! looked. back the Ctaer
. day at scEe old accounts. Ten years ago the
" Savoy used, Tor q thousand pounds sterling OF
50 red meat each month. OF white five hundred ::
" that was two reds 20 one white. This October,
q twentytlree hundred pounds sterling Of chicken
. veal, and s7eet5Eead 10 nine hundred OF the
" butchers meat at least two whites for one
" red. 4 hundred years $50. the English loved
" the larder Of the WOLF and, 20 follow, great
9 draughts OF Portuguese wine. The change
=" came slowly, but IN tE;7 last generation you
+" English have begun 10 have the true feeling"
felt my guilt. knew that there had been
chops and steaks in ny scarlet past, that the
juice Of the joint had followed my knife
suggested that perhaps the Savoy ITSELF had done
much 10 Topress this barbarian since the year e
darkness 1889.
sit IS true" said the Nasaer IS We have led
" you from the crimson shade of the slaughter
" house, Just rs the good Prince of Saxe-CobUrg
" Gotha brought you the love OF rra-c when he
. married your good Cleeu-ah au- she EHetD :
.I she Va, Ike EAur KIM ~ t------ --a Inadc 10