Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1907-02-04
ENGLISH ASToNISHED AT THE
WAY WE EAT.
VIANDS. AT FANCY PRICES
New York Restaurants the Most Law
ish, Though Not the Most Artistic
of Their Kind Anywhere-the Col
ossaI Total of Years Tips-London
Almost cheap.


fashionable restaurants in New York
are by far the most costly IN the
world; | would rate them all the way
through dainty little dinner a hum
dred per cent higher in price than the
same class of restaurant in Paris,
London or Vienna. 1t by no means
follows, however, that the food, wine,
service and general surroundings are
proportionately better.
Naturally the smaller establish
ments fight shy Of boar and bear,
since these must be bought uncut
that is to say, whole, or not at all, and
that at about two shillings pound,
which makes a Rocky Mountain griZ-
Fly weighing over a thousand pounds
a somewhat costly plate. Inc great
restaurants buy fantastic meat OF
this kind from eighty cents to dol
Of wild game hunters actually had a
small rhinoceros killed for their ban
quet at the New Astor, and one may
imagine the disgust of the proprietor
when this stupendous Joint" smashed
two Of his passenger elevators.
Venison, of course, is quite common
and moose also when the hunting
season is on in Long Island and the
Maine woods; and there is any quau-
tity of imported game birds, such as
Scotch grouse, Canadian ptarmigan
and Egyptian quails.
The jeunesse doree of Fifth avenue
and Newport are fond OF giving very
costly banquets, such, for example, as
that of Mr.. James H. Hyde, the late
president of the Equitable Assurance
company, who is just now so pronli-
nent in the public eye. Mr. Hyde's
eighteenth century dinner, followed
by bal poudre supper, was in it's
way as remarkable as the bradley
Martin dinner ball, which caused
such sensation some years ago.
We are apt to think our own fash
ionable restaurants expensive, but their
charges are not to be compared with
the almost incredible lavishness oD-
served in New York city. On the
occasion of Mr.. Hyde's dinner emf
nent artists were engaged months
beforehand at huge retaining fees to
advise about the decorations; noted
sculptors wrought in sugar for the
dinner table and each table was built
around an enormous rosebusn
smothered in perfect blooms
The supper alone cost $4,000 or
$4,000, and no fewer than 270 per-
sons were required on the catering
staff for the evening. rhe smarS
of New York c1ty-and
they can be counted almost on the
figures of one hand-represent an in
vestment of nearly G1O,O0O.O0O. AS
service in the private home is prac-
tically impossible to obtain in New
York City, the number of persons uln-
ing out is greater than any other city
in the world.
Mr.. Louis Sherry, the great restau-
ranter of Fifth avenue, estimates that
between $50 900 and 100000 New
Workers dine in public evenings, and
the number is fast increasing. Since
America is a "Get-rich quick" land,
and fortunes are made at a turn OF
the hand in grain, cotton, stock ana
share, the other speculauons-noe 10
mention real estate and land and min
ing and since, forever, moneyed
men naturally make for New York, it
follows that the restauranters do
gigantic business. and stand in with
the hotel people, yacht builders. mot
or car firms, modistes anu others
whose palatial establishments line
Fifth avenue.
To cater to New York's diners-out
calls for an army of chefs, Taiters
and maitres-d hotel estimated at co.
600 in Manhattan Island alone The
Waldorf Astoria employs three hun
dred attendants in its various restau-
rants; Mr.. Sherry has an equal num-
Der, Delmonico's $50, the New Astor
210, the ST Regis 120 and several
others from so to 15O
Some of the restaurants maintain
leading American artists to design
their menus, and other specialists are
retained at extravagant salaries start
ling table novelties In the way or
floral decorations and scenic devices.
Mr.. Louish Sherry, by the way, pays
his chief G2 600 year. had an in
teresting talk with M Prosper Gre
vilot, Delmonico's chief, who knows
the reckless and extravagant New
York diner-out as none other knows
him.
MY only despair M. GreyiIot adj
lies in devising dishes suffi-
GENTLY expensive for the tastes and
bottomless purses of our patrons.
of the chief reminds me that