Evening star., 1939-11-21
BY JOHN ]. DAILY.

sees night light was brought forth
last night in honor of those who
assembled for the fourth annual
dinner of the Friends of Escoffer,
said to be the greatest chef that
ever lived
Escoffier, in his heyday, served
meals for the crowned heads of
Europe and later for Americans, but
in all his glorious career, which
ended some years ago, it is doubt
full if this master of the saucepans
and skillets ever saw a more glorious
repast than that prepared and
served to his worshippers last night
in the main dining room OF the
Mayflower.
"Escoffler, here we are," cried 100
selected guests-made up Of former
pupils of the master and their
friends-as an animated portrait OF
the grand marshal of all chefs was
thrown on a screen. The assem-
blage stood in tribute to the man
who devoted his life to the art of
good living.
Dine With Gold.
Then began the banquet. Before
each guest was the ensemble of gold
knives, forks, spoons, ladies, finger
bowls. Ralph Polio, manager of the
Mayf1ower, said later that only on
state occasions does he "trot out"
the magnificent dinner trappings
for guests. He exclaimed: When
Les Amis dEscoffer' gather, that is
something else again! And, if I
had the right, I'd get all the gold
from Fort Knox, KY, for such a din
ner as this"
GourmetS assembled from New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and
Washington-managers and chefs of
the great hotels-said that the din
ner last night was near approach
to perfection. 1t was prepared and
served by Nicholas Marchitell, chef
de cuisine of the hotel, with the ad-
mouition of Mr.. Polio that not a
penny in expense be spared. Con-
sequently, the diners hardly could
have duplicated their meal for a $50
gold piece. 1t cost them far less
than that, but they were the privi-
legged few who were selected to honor
EScoffier.
At $50 the guests assembled in
the Chinese room of the hotel to
face the aperitifs. These consisted
of the mildest form of appetizers
among the liquors-dubonnet amer
picon, Vermouth and byrrh. Pro-
nounced like beer, it is not beer, but
byrrh. AS the chef is Italian, though
he was taught in the French cuisine,
they also had some camponeza-and
% kinds of hors d'oeuvres. These
represented most of the continental
nations, with the emphasis on Po-
land, Italy, Russia-for its caviar
and France, even Ireland.
Seated at the dining table, the
guests had their breath taken away
by a consomme. somewhat stronger
than usual. 1t was pointed" by
little quennelles-patie de fois gras
with chicken force meat, the choice
meat of the poultry farm pressed
through sieve.
Sauce Secret Guarded.
Thus the meal began, with terra :
pin from the Chesapeake as follow
up; but this was not the usual Terra
pin la Maryland. 1t was terrapin
done in the style that President
Roosevelt likes. What the mysteries
OF that sauce are, no one could find
out. Lucius Boomer, managing di-
rector of the Waldorf Astoria, in
New York, specifically asked for the
recipe but Chef Marchiteln told him
the recipe had been destroyed. It
was prepared for one night only
With the terrapin, a special wine
was served, - Berncasteler Doctor
Yellow Seal, 1888. A moselle wine,
this vintage, appraised by T. R. Fitz-
gerald, local connoisseur, was pro-
nounced the rarest vintage from the
area where no one has ever died
from rheumatism, gout or diabetes
where the three diseases are un-
known: where the babies, even, are
sucked on this particular wine. It
has an alcoholic content lower than
beer, with bouquet like a baby's
breath.
With chateau Margaux, a rare
wine of the vintage of 1928, the sec
ond principal part of the meal got
under way. This was the entire
before the advent of the roast. In
these Escoffier dinners, they are not
content with only one piece de re-
sistence. There are always two.
The first big course was listed as
lie Occur de Filet de Bouef deglace
au Meursault- -Charmes. Reduced
to its simplest terms, this was the
heart of fillet mignon which had
been cooked in it's own juices and
afterwards basted with combina :.
ton of three wonderful wines, till
the sauces and the wines were mixed
in one great elixir. 1t was served
then with lettuce smothered in
cheese, a few artichokes, and pota-
toes as Escoffier himself once served
to the great actress, Sarah Bern
hardt, in Paris.
That course called for a halt-or,
as they have it in France, for the
Normandy Hole. This pause, or
period for breathing, is stimulated
by an iced sherbet-sometimes mis-
taken by the novice for dessert. It
is an ice covered with a rose-favored
liquer.
Comes Roast Quail.
Then to the next comestible which
is called the second entre-the roast
quail. Partridge hunters of Vir.
ginia, Maryland and Delaware have
been called out, some time ago, to
provide the meat for this course
and a selection made of the birds.
These were stuffed and favored with
a triple-threat wine accompanied by
a delicious branded peach, a season.
able salad that had a Roman tinge
to it, since it was of rare herbs
MAP