The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-16
B0HDMIA DUCKS And Dimes
r.r BASEMENT RESTAURANT
r RESORT NOWADAYS.

u.,drorked Mario and the Good Maoa-
ron, -Restaurant OF the Horrible child
french bourgeois Cooling by Ma
d,me-Guests strange - Americans.
=. 10 said that all Bohemia has a dent
.hs front Of its hat nowadays. for m
...s Il forsets to duck. Bohemia Is eat
w. now in a basement. The most popu-
,.r ,lsecs are enough below the stoop rise
"k the entering patr ms duck whether
!, is really necessary or not.
Nsrio's dark eyes smile a welcome
.,d an does his handsome face as he looks
n.,uob the iron gate and then backs
.s.ousb the door hat the guest may fol-
~. him. The dingy house belongs to a
- NJ New York domestic architecture
~ foo elementary for a hallway in the
,.same,t. So the door leads directly into
~. dining room just as the stairs that
mount to the upper stories start direotiy
from a corner Of the Don
Tho tables are 30 closely set together
Ito Leave little space for the passage Of
A. orests or even the practised Mario
.h,,t the room. At some there Is barely
a,oce for two, while one table accommo-
dates four guests on zach side and one
A. either end. They are all spread with
arse clean cloths. There is ample clean
cookery and thick glass about the tables
before the smiling Mario appears with
,bs erst course Of the midday meal.
f Is rather for the ample Continental
,,,ch that the guests descend into this
h.sement than for the dinner. The mid
dav hour finds every seat taken in the
little room. Almost every eye Is black
and Italian is the language OF the l
n.ted sroups at the tables. 1t seems to
make very little difference what language
thew speak. however, as the word they
use most frequently is Mario"
ne mods his head in the direction
from which the cry comes as he puts
down on the table the broad plate OF
sausage, salami. d'Arles and mortadella.
the parmesan cheese. the thickly crusted
loaf and the picked peppers. When
a,Tario," sounds from another quarter
of the room the single servitor smiles
hack at the guest with no sign OF 'rrita-
,ion at being in such demand
.Nario!- snaps ven more imperatively
from the lips Of a thin man who appears
AZ the door of the kitchen.
He is tall and. wrapped in a long white
spron. looks unpleasantly mortuary. Be-
hind him CLOVIS the stove. Fitting in
the background is the figure Of a m
trained TO the customary humility OF the
Italian women in such domestic en-
vironment.
In spite Of the call for his services
Mario is intent on the customers whom he
happens to he attending Mt the time.
His sense Of personal Importance never
changes TO the outward view except at
the second course. II makes no diff
ference whom he may he serving at this
iunctlre. he cannot help showing his
pride when it comes to bringing in the
macaroni. The grand entrfe Of that
macsroni, however. would make any
waiter swell with pride.
The gray crock il two feet in diameter
and Mario's arms are wrapped about it
Il, spite Of the heat. There is a sigh OF
relief as he places it on the table. Scat
tered through the ivory colored strings
are the red traces Of the tomato
rhich the knowing dig up after they have
filed their plates with tiny mountains
OF the macaroni.
The heavy pewter spoon standing IN
the mixture serves its purpose IN a way
novel to Americans. IL is not filled with
the macaroni II Is turned and twirled in
it until surrounded with a rope of the
dripping paste, then it is drawn out Of the
crock and quickly passed over to the
~aiting plate.
The guests are expert in this task.
They know how to transfer the maca
ton, quickly and safely 10 their own plates
WITHOUT the loss of a'drop Of sauce.
sometimes Mario stands for 81 minute
70 admire the operation ov er the steaming
dish. but there is more often n pendant
g. rhls piece Of resistance that sends
him hurrylug back TO the kitchen as soon
ss Inc dish rests safely on the table. The
regulars knox that all the tomato sauce
70 be had is not in the dish with the maca-
ROM go they wait for Mario to come out
ri the kitchen with the hot saucepan in
his hand.
II Is inimltable, this tomato sauce, which
seems TO hold the concentration Of all
that is cha racteristic and tasty in the
tomato with the concentrated essence Of
meat.
Then Mario knows no rest until the last
=. 70 gets its macaroni and tomato
e,!ce, There is no time for conversation
until the guests have eaten their way
through several strata from the peak
downward. Conversation knows no par
t~icularly defined boundaries. One who
has anything interesting to say on the
subject may add it to the conversation,
provides he says it in Italian.
Even il they do let Mario go his
way for a while there are other duties
Tor him, The macaroni is always fol-
lowed by the roast, which may be that
article Of food rarely found in the United
States. boiled beef. 1t is such a massive
cut as it Is carried from table to table
that i seems as il the whole Dom might
feed on it and yet make no impression.
Or there will be roast Of veal Drowned
to a velvety crispness and revealing
the white meat, with no variation in
shade from n edge Of the suoculent skin
10 the other. Or there may be pork
chops sputtering still as they are brought
to the table in their own richness.
The variety Of meats that one finds at
most Italian places Of the kind Is always
q mystery to visitors. 1t really makes
lie 1 IN