The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1908-04-17
EXPENSIVE BANQUETS
Dinners Costing $500 a Plate
Are Not Uncommon:
.FADs THAT SWELL THE BILL.

urious surroundings Help to Pile Up
the Priee-Methods Of the Manager
of Modern Dining Palace.
How would you like to pay 800 for
single meal? There was a time
when this question would have seemed
absurd. but now, with our rapidly
growing wealth. it excites little COM
ment. Yes. 500 plate banquets are
not uncommon among the Four Hum
dred. and $40. $50 and $50 plate are
quite ordinary charges for twentieth
century banquets. To the ordinary
mind. however. it is not easy to mag
inc list of delicacies expensive
enough to foot up such an amount or
an appetite so expensive as to desire
them. Nightingales' tongues and hum
ming 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 and his steward for the sue
cess of great functions" Artists and
mechanical genuises are his chief as
sistants. He must be able to 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 within may die
tate.
Fads of millionaires and the fancies
of clubs and societies always seeking
the unusual have brought to pass the
500 a plate dinner. The production
Of the surroundings they demand me-
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 a new
hotel in New York a bachelor dinner
at which the guests were seated in a
corner of Venice. The effect was a
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 Vene-
tian balconies. Beyond stretched a
transparency $50 feet long and twenty
feet high, showing most realistically
street in the city of canals. Between
this and the dining room was a wa
terway on which piled gondola with
a party Of troubadours. who played
and sang as they passed to and fro.
The tables were set about the room,
at one end Of which a beautiful gar
den of growing palms and flowers had
been laid out, in it's center fountain
which tossed its light spray almost to
the ceiling. Thousands of tinted cleo
trio 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 the glare and rumble of
Longacre square.
But there is an endless variety Of
elaborate and picturesque effects Gre
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 fondness for the an
cient in effects. and in Grecian court
her guests sit at Greek feast and
| fill the room with their singing. An
other striking effect followed supper
to notable visitor from abroad. The
| guests were led to 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 it.
The banquet itself is a gigantic un-
dertaking. for under the managers SUI
pervision comes the selection Of dish
es. their cooking. the silver, glass and
china. the mode of service and the
hundred and one other details. A great
dining palace seats from 1900 to 1000
| persons, all Of whom must be served
simultaneously and each of whom
must be served as If he alone were to
be considered. This gives some idea
perhaps Of the banquet managers task.
The Office of this modern magician
suggests. with its roll top desk. its
typewriter and its telephone. the Office
of any 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
suggests. consults, advises and decides
on each item not only of the menu,
but of decorations and OF service. FIRE.
quently and particularly in the case of
clubs and societies he is offered a
fixed figure and must lay out scheme
to come within its limits.
| When the commercial arrangements,
so to speak. have been made he sits