La Junta tribune., 1907-12-28
EXPENSIVE BANQuETS.
Dinners Costing sl00 a Plate
Are Not Uncommon.
FADs THAT SWELL THE BILL.

ofhbNS ou0 OSSUse SHGSkb &Vo SeA-
vr'ous Surroundings Help to Pile Up
the Pries-Metheds Of the Manager
Of . Modern Dining Palace.
How would You like TO pay sioo for
q single meal: There was n time
when this question would have seemed
absurd. hut now. with our rapidly
growing wealth. II excite~ little com
nacnt. Yes. 500 plate banIucts are
not uncommon among the Four Hun.
dred. and $40. $50 and 500 II plate are
quite ordinary charges for twentieth
century banquets. To the ordinary
mind, however. 1t is not easy TO lmas
enough To foot up such an amount or
an appetite so expensive AS to desire
them. Nighungales' tongues and hum
hg birds wings. washed down with
the costliest wines. would not satisfy
the up TO date diner. however. The
caterer does not depend entirely upon
his chef aud his steward for the sue
cess OF great functions" Artists and
mechanical gcnuises are his chief as
sistants. He must be able 10 trans
form New York banquet hall Into
plaza in Venice. corner OF old Japan
or an ancient Greek or Roman palace.
as his guests taste or whlm may die
tate.
F'ads of millionaircs and the faucies
OF clubs aud societies always seeking
the unusual have brought to pass the
SlO0 Il plate dinner. The production
Of the surroundings they demand ne
cessitates the outlay OF thousands of
dollars for each separate banquet. 1t
would never do to have two banquets
alike. as goes without saying.
There WAS recently given in new
hotel in New York bachelor dinner
at which the guests were seated In u
corner OF Venice. The effect WAS
masterpiece OF scenic art and electrical
ingenuity. and that. quite as much as
the rich viands. was what the host
wanted and was paying for. The
doors along the corridor at the sides OF
the great banquet hall were removed.
and in their places balustrades were.
set to give the appearance OF Vcne-
tian balconies Beyond stretched
transparency l50 feet long and twenty
feet high. showing most realistically
street in the city OF canals. Between
this and the dining room was wa
terway on which piled gondola with
a party OF troubadours. who played
and sang as they passed to and fro.
Ne tables were set about the room,
~ one end OF which n beautiful gar
den of growing palms and flowers had
been laid out. in its center n fountain
which tossed its light spray almost TO
the ceiling Thousands OF tinted cleo
tric lights shed soft blue illumination
over the whole. giving the effect of
Italian twilight One could scarcely
realize that shut out only by the stur-
dy walls OF the hotel and thick hang
ings were tfie glare aud rumble of
Longacre square.
But there Is an endless variety OF
elaborate and picturesque effects ere
ated for the twentieth century diner.
New York furnishes the most striking
examples and the most numerous.
though London and Paris vie with her
for the honors OF extravaganza. Mime.
Madeleine Lemaire's dinners are per
haps the most notable Of Paris. She
has special fOadness for the an
cient in effects. and in Il Grecian court
her guests sit mt Greek feast ana
fill the room with their singing An
other striking effect followed supper
TO notable visitor from abroad. The
guests were led to y room which had
been arranged to represent pastoral
scene, with growing turf and foliage.
and running about among the trees
were several little lambs. Overhead
was suspended huge ball which sud
denly burst and showered American
Beauty roses on those beneath 1t.
. The banquet itself is q gigantic un-
klertnking. for under the managers s''-
lpervision comes the selection OF dish
=. their cooking. the silver. glass and
Ina. the mode OF service and the
u,dred and one other details. A great
dlllIng palace seats from i.JOO TO 1000
persons. all Of whom must be served
simultaneously and each OF whom;
must be served ms II he alone were to
be considered This gives some idea
perhaps of the banquet managers task.
The ONCE OF this modern magician
suggests. with Its roll top desk. its
typewriter and Its Telephone. the ONCE
Of Sny manager Of large enterprises.
Here he meets the people playing the
part of hosts and goes over the details
OF the entertainment with them. He
1ggests. consults, advises and decides
y . each item not only Of the menn.
Iat OF decorations and OF service. Fire.
neatly and particularly I'm the case Of
dub and societies he is offered a
ixed figure and must lay out .xchenic
% come within its limits.
D When the commercial arrangements.
10 70 speak. have been made he sits
down to map out his campaign. A
fvn~~rfffen nlan n seot tn the steward