The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-13
JAPANESE CAFE
OPENS in new YORK
PREVAILING TASTE TO THE
FOOD Is THAT OF SWEETNESS.
Daintinegs Pervades the Food and the
Service Some Strange Dishes That
Prove to Be Very Palatable-Win the
French Cooking Be Superseded by tine
Oriental?
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
The first real Japanese restaurant
has opened in New York.
The white tablecloth plays an unim-
portant part in the oriental dinner, for
square Lacquer tray Is Placed f before
served. The teacups, thin, white and
without handles, are also there, and so :
are the two white bowls Of biscuits.
+. The tea is, Of course, unaccompanied
by any Of the accessories regarded here
as indispensable. 1t is not only with
out sugar and cream, but to blunted
New York taste seems deplorably weak.
1t is very hot, however, and is served in
a dainty strawhandled pot Of white por-
celain checked with thin lines of blue.
e The biscuits were thin waters the size
OF 25-cent piece and hard balls as
large as an August pea. The waters,
glutinous and little tough, seemed to
be favored with tea and like the white
biscuits were very sweet. That was
the omen. for all to follow in the COM
ing four courses.
The biscuits disappeared. but the tea
cups remained when the soup was put
is the. Japanese dinner wine, came also
at this. Juncture and in its pale gray
porcelain vase, held in an ebony box
with carved sides, stood on the profane
tablecloth between the two lacquer
trays. The sake was drunk from china
cups similar to those in which the tea
was served. With the soup came for
every diner crisp slices OF sweet GU
cumber pickle.
The soup was a delight to the eye in
its contrast Of tints. A brown liquid
like strong boullion filed the shiny
lacquer bowl. In it foated pieces Of
pink and white lobster, deep green
crosses and a bunch of thin paste resem-
bling vermicelli. The soup was CRATE
full to the taste. It was guiltless Of
salt, and pepper had never touched it.
It had, moreover, faint sweetishness
| of taste that seemed to come from the
attempt to escape from this prevailing
sugary taste. 1t permeates the jap
anese dinner from beginning to end. It
was there with the fish, curious, exot-
lc looking product of the sea, square
and short. It came on the table with
its head and tail turned up, as if it had
just attempted to wriggle itself about
into proper swimming shape and failed.
The combination of sugar and fish
anese cook to accomplish. But the
flavor was distinctly sweet, altho in this
course it came from the preserved cher
rles and the currants in the stuffing.
For the form of the fish proved to be a
fraud. The skin Of one side had been
preserved, but the meat had been used
to make delicious and savory interior,
composed Of rice dried and grated like
Hour, currants, ground spice and other
unrecognizable elements that exist only
in the Japanese kitchen.
With the fish the eager and amiable
waiter placed on the table a wooden
frkln, bound with brass and having it's
cover sufficiently lifted to admit flat
wooden spoon. Twice before the waiter
: had put this on the table and only once
had there been any demand for the cold
rice it contained. Neither salt mol
! pepper. is added to 1t, and served cold
: taste that is accustomed to rice hot
1 buttered, salted and peppered.
:; Inc roast, it that substantial word
q may. be used to describe the slight re-
2 freshment that came in as the principal
Item of the dinner, was no nearer meat
. than eggs cooked in what seemed the
e form ola rather thick omelet. Then il
was cut into thick slice like pound
cake and dressed with translucent slices
Of what looked like citron cut yery
thin, but tasted like gum arabic. The
waiter called it suet. but that was q
fault of his English. This ingredient OF
t the meal escaped without Identification
t 1t was plainly Of foreign origin, but
n indistinguishable as to taste. The tai
e of lobster with more cherries complet
, ed this dish. There was more SAX.
brought with it. It's taste resembles {
a strong Rhine wine, altho it's effect i.
d more potent. Luckily, it is not very
n sweet. The salad was as delicious al
- any novelty could be. It lay in
: sweetish dressing that supplied the onl,
suggestion of acid pungency In tn,
meal. Sprinkled over the top of Gu
cumber was a bright crimson powde
made Of chopped cherries, adding tn,
=. color and the invariable touch of sweet
&c ness as well. This salad abruptly end
the meal. There is no sweet-ther,
$ has been nothing else in every course
: and no coffee.
Is The Japanese daintiness dominate
the food just as it does the service
The dishes are all of delicately-tintet
china, almost free from ornament, THU
and graceful in outline.