Post on 24-Apr-2023
THE
GOURMET’
S
GU I D E TO EUROPE
LI EUT COL.
NEWNHAM D AVISH
‘
J tw at/ z
TH I RD ED I T I ON
n*Y0R1éu
BRE NTANO ’
S
1 9 1 1
By transfer
U"s. SOM‘FW Home LIba
2 3 1931
P rinted b y BALLADTYNE ,HANSON 67° Co.
At t h e Ballant yne P res s , E d inburgh
Tbe p leasures of tbe table
are common to all ages andranks, to all countries anaItimes they n ot only barmon t'se w it/J all tbe ot/Jer
pleamrem,out remain to conrole as f or tbeir loss .
BR I LLAT SAVAR I N.
PREFACE TO TH I R D ED I T I ON
MY i dea i n wri t i ng th i s book i s to give informat ionto t ravel l i ng Anglo-Saxons
,of both sexes
,w ho take
an in teres t i n the cookery and food of t he countr iesthey pass t h rough
,and are not content to d i ne and
breakfast every day at t he hotel i n wh i ch they mayhappen to stay .
In t he presen t ed i t i on“ a considerable amount of newi n format ion regard i ng th e bourgeo i s rest aurants wi l lb e found int h e Par i s chapter
,and t he chapter on
t he restauran ts of French prov inc ial towns has beenampl ified . I have rewri tten t he chapter on Berl i nfrom personal exper ience
,and have dealt more fully
wi t h Th e Hague, Geneva
,and t he Northern Ital ian
towns than I d id i n prev ious ed i t i on s . 1 have careful ly gone th rough t he book
,and correc t i on s and
add i t i on s w i l l b e found i n every chapter. I haveadded to t he i n format ion concern ing t he d i n i ng poss ib ilit ies of most towns
,some sl igh t ind i cat ion of what
amusements are to be found after d i nner,
” and I hopethat th i s featu re may prove useful .Once more I thank ‘
Mr . Horace Lennard for br inging up to date t he Belg ian chapters .1 record w i th much regret t he death of Mr .
v ii
viii q3ref aee l‘
o T/z z'
ra’ Edition
Algern on Bastard,who w as my collaborateur in th e
fi rst ed i t i on of th i s book .
I once more plead extenuat i ng c 1rcumstances shouldthere be any inaccurac ies i n t he book
,for i t i s very
d ifficul t,even wi th wi l l i ng hel pers, fo r one man to
keep h i s ey e on al l the restauran ts of Europe.
With the pub l i sher ’ s cord ial assent, no advert i semen ts of any hotel s or restaurants appear i n t he
book .
As travell ing gourmets,for th e good of the great
epi curean brotherhood,have hel ped me i n t he past
by send ing me in format ionof any new d ini ng-placeswh ich can b e recommended
,and of any alterat ions
and improvements i n old-fash ioned ones,so I hope
they wi l l con t inue to do i n the future . I ampart icular ly indebted to several German and Austri an
gen tlemen w ho have wri tten to me concern i ng t he
chapters onthe i r countr ies . Any let ters addressed tome at t he Naval and Mi l i tary Club
,P i ccad i l ly
,wil l
be grateful ly rece i ved and acknowledged .
N. NEWNHAM-D AV I S .
CONT ENT S
PAGE
The Clas s ic Res taurants—Th e “ Smart ” Res taurant s—TheSummer R es taurant s—Acros s t h e R iver—R est aurant s oft he Pari s ians—Restaurant s of t h e Quartier—M ontmartreRes taurants—F oreignR es taurant s—Th e Ch eap R es tau
rant s—Th e Res taurants of t h e Suburb s—Th e B i l l andT ip s—Paris ianClubs- fl Af ter D inner ”
FRENCH PROVlNCIAL TOWNSSome D ish es of th e Provinces—Ca lais—Boulogne—W ime
reux—H ardelot—Le Touquet—M ont reu i l sur M er
D iep p e—M art in-Egl ise —P uy s -P ourvi l le—E t retatH avre— S t . Adresse—Gonnevi l le —D uc lair—R ouenCaudebec—Honfleur -Trouvi l le -Caen—D ives —Ch erbourg—Granvil le—M ont S t .M ich el— S t .M alo—Cancale-Pa‘
rame —D inard— D inan—R oscofi"
- Bres t —Quimp er—Pont Aven—Quimp erle—Th e Loi re Count ry—Bordeaux—Arcachon—B iarrit z —M arsei l les—Ar les— N imes
—Av ignon—Cannes—Nice —Beau l ieu—M onte CarloM entone—Th e Py renees P au -Aix les Bains—Vichy-Evian
BELG IAN TOWNS
Th e F ood of t he Count ry—Ghent—Antw erp -Sp a—O s tend e
-Bruges—H ey s te—B lankenbergh e—Nieup ort
X Contem‘
r
BRU SSELS
The Res taurant s of Brus sel s—Th e Clubs A ft er D inner
HOLLAND
Th e F ood of t he Count ry —Th e H ague R es t aurant s—Th eH ague Club s—Scheveningen—Ams t erd am—R ot t erd am 1 65
GERMAN TOWNSThe Cookery of t h e Count ry —Th e Rat h skel ler Beer
Cel lars— D resden— l\/I unich—Nii remb erg—S tut tgartF rankfort-on-M ain—D usseldorf—Th e R h ine Val leyH omburg—W iesbad en—Bad en-Baden— Ems—Aach enH amburg—K iel
Th e Classic Res taurant s—Th e Hot el Res taurants— Res tanrant s of t h e Peop le— M i l i t ary R es t aurant s —Cafés
,
Cabaret s , and Bars—O p en-air Res t aurant s m Club s
I tal ianCookery—Th e I talianLakes—Turin—M i lan—GenoaVenice— Bologna— Sp ez z ia—F lorence— P i sa —Legh orn—Lucca —R ome —Clubs of Rome—Nap les—Palermo
The Cuis ine of S p ain— Barcelona—Th e Clubs of BarcelonaP ort Bou—SanSebas t ian— SanS eb as t ianClubs— B i lbao—Portugalete—M adrid—M adri lene Club s—Andalusian
Content s
Cookery— Sevi l le— SevilianClubs—Bobad i l la—Grenada—Jerez —Th e Clubs of Jeres ad iz —The Cad i z ClubsSan Lucar—Algeceiras—Rond a—M alaga Th e M alaguaneanClub s
PORTUGAL
L i sbon— Lisbon Club s—Cint ra—E s torilfi Cascaes—Op ortoTh e Clubs o f Op orto— Bus saco—P amp i lh osa
SW IT Z ERLAND
The F ood of t he Count ry—Lucerne—Bas le—Bern—GenevaS t . M ori t z —D avos
AU STR IA
Aus t rian Cookery—V ienna—Salz b urg—Baden— Carl sbadM arienbad—O t h er Towns
HUNGARY
Th e Cookery of t h e Count ry—Bud a-Pes th Bud a-Pes t hClubs—Oth er Towns
ROUMANIA
Th e D ish es of t h e Count ry—The Restaurants of Bucares tBucarest Club sr—S inaia
X i
PAGE
Cont ents
SERVUX
The F ood of t h e Count ry—Belgrad e—Kij ievo
BU LGAR IA
Th e F ood of t h e Count ry—Restaurant s of Sofia—Th e UnionClub
X VI I
TURKEY
Turk ish Cookery— Cons tant inop le Res taurants—Th erap iaCons tantinop le Clubs
X VI I I
GREECE
G recianD i shes—At henianRestaurant s
D ENMARK
Th e Hours of M eal s Cop enhagenR es taurant s—Th e Badehotels ont he Sound
SWED EN
Th e F ood of t h e Count ry—Stockh olm Restaurant s —Sal t sj obaden—Storvik —Got h enburg
Contents x iii
NORWAY
Th e Ch ris t iana R es taurant s Th rondhj em
X X I I
RU S S IA
Rus s ianCookery— S t . P etersburg— Clubs of S t . P et ersburg—Moscow—Th e M oscow Clubs—Odessa—Kief—W ar
saw—Hels ingfors—Yal ta
PAR I S
The Classic Restaurants The Smart Restaurants Th e
Summer Restaurants—Across th e River— The Restaurantsof the Parisians— Rest aurants of th e Quartier—MontmartreRestaurants—ForeignRestaurants—Th e Cheap RestaurantsTh e Res taurants of the Suburbs—The Bil l and Tip s—ParisianClubs After D inner.
AN Engl i shman who loved h i s Par i s beyond any otherc i ty of t he world once sai d to me
,as w e stood chat t i ng
in t he P lace d e l’Opera,“ If you find t h e cen tral spot
of th i s square,you may rap your st i ck upon i t and say
,
Th is i s t he centre of t he world .
’ Par i s i s cer tain lyt he cul inary centre of t he world . Wherever t he greatcooks are born— and most of them as a matter of fac tsee t he l igh t in t he Mid i— they al l come to Pari s tolearn the i r ar t
,and then go ou t th rough t he whole
c iv i l i sed world as cul inary miss i onar ies p reach ing thatthere i s but one cu i s ine
,and that the Haute Cuisine
Francai se .
France i s t he count ry of good soups , of good fi sh,of good vegetab les
,of good fowl
,of good sweets .
H ors d’
ceuvre are a Russ ian invent ion , and are on ly tobe tolerated when at a restauran t they keep a d inerin good temper wh i le t he chef i s cooking t he fish .
Oysters,prawns
,and cav iare may
,I th ink
,be excused
from th i s anathema ; but t he real gourmet w ho ordersa do z en Cancales orM arennes wi th wh ich to commence
2 The Goarmez"; Guide to Europe
a d inner rarely in troduces fi sh into h i s menu . CaV1are,b e i t b lack or grey
,be i t sen t from t he land of t he
Volga or the states of t he D anube, i s too excel lent tob e a mere rel i sh . I t i s a d i sh for déjeuner ; and t he
man before whom has been placed a j ar of goodcav iare sunk inc racked ice, w ho has a fresh l ime andsome Br i ttany butter at h i s el bow
,and w ho i s brought
relays of hot toast,may wel l leave t he considerat ion
of t he pla t which i s to fol low unti l h i s appet i te forcav iare i s appeased . Curiously enough
,t he squeeze
of l ime or lemon j uice on t he cav iare was not or iginallyin tended to give a con trast of taste . W h en transportwas less rap id
,t he cav iare which reached Western
Europe -was not always as fresh as i t should be,and
t he lemon j ui ce was used to d isguise any musty taste.
Soup,i n my humble op in ion
,should be t he hors d ’
eeuv re
of a d inner ; and a th imbleful of strong hot soup tocommence a meal would
,I bel ieve
,st imulate without
c loying,and leave a d in er wi th an appet i te un impai red
for t he d i shes that are to come. This,however
,i s my
ownl i ttle pet heresy, and I do not wish to insi s t uponi t . Russia i s t he only country t he soups of whichcan compare wi th those of France. Ever si nce t he
days when Henry I V.,whose memory is honoured i n
t he name of more than one soup,vowed that every
French peasan t should have a fowl in h i s pot,soup
,
from t he simplest bouillonto t he most lord ly consomme’sand most splend id bisques, has been better made i nFrance than anywhere else i n t he world .
Every great cook of France has i nvented somepart i cularly del i cate var iety of the boi led fi l let of sole,and D ugleré ach ieved a place amongst t he immortalsby h i s mani pulat ion of t he bri l l— I always find
,may I
say in paren thesi s,that a safe card to play in any Par i s
restaurant and m any good restauran t of t he prov incesi s to ask for t he sole of the house at t he fish stageof t he d inner and t he “
fine of the house ” with the
Tan} 3
coffee . The soles of t he north of France are as goodas any that ever came ou t of Bri t i sh waters ;and Par i s-send ing tentacles west to t he waters where t he
sard ines sw im,and south to t h e home of t he lamprey
,
and tapping a thousand st reams for t rou t and t inygudgeon and crayfish
— can show as noble a l i st offi shes as any c i ty in t he world .
The chef d e cuz szne who could not enumera te anhundred and fifty entrées al l d i st in c t i vely French
,
would be no profic ien t in h is nob le profession .
Th e Bri t i sh beef stand s aga inst al l th e world as t hemeat noblest for t he Spi t
,and Scott i sh s i rloin s are
sen t as far south as Monte Carlo, but t he French ox
which has worked i ts “t ime i n t he field s gives t he bes tmater ial for t he soup-pot ; and though t he W elshlamb and t he Sou thdown sheep are t he perfec t ion of
mutton young and mutton old,t he lamb nurtured on
milk t i l l t he hour of i ts death,and t he sheep reared on
t he sal t-marshes of the north,make splend id contr i
bu t ionto t he Pari s ki tchens . Mutton i s o ften d esc r i bed ont he b i l l of fare by t he name of t he breederof t he sheep . Several of t he great sheep-breeders ofFrance
,t he Marqui s d e Behacque amongst them,
have imported Southdown sheep, and t he muttoncal led by the i r names has an Engl i sh ancest ry . Veali s prac t i cally an unknown meat i n London ; and t he
calf of Pon toi se,wh ich has been fed onmilk and
yolk of egg, and wh ich has flesh as soft as a ki ss andas wh i te as snow
,i s on ly to be found in t he Par i s ian
restauran ts . Most of t h e good restaurants i n Lond onimport all the i r w inged creatures
,except game
,from
France and t he Surrey fowl and the Aylesbury duck,
t he represen tat ives of Great Bri ta in , make no greatshow against t he champion s of Gaul
,t he fowls of
Mans and Houdan and Bresse,and t h e duck of Rouen
,
though t he Norfolk turkey holds h i s own.
A vegetab le d i sh, served by i tsel f and not flung
4 l e Gourmet’
r Guide to «Sarop e
i n to the gravy of a j o in t, forms part of every Frenchd inner
,large or small ; and in t he battle of t he
ki tchen gardens t he fore i gners beat us nearly al lalong t he l i ne
,though I th ink that Engl ish asparagus
i s bet ter than t he Wh i te monsters of Argenteui l . A
t rufiled partr idge, a partr idge ala Bourguignonne, cookedin a terr i ne with a red wine sauce
,or the homely
P erd r ix aux eboux,or t he Splend i d Fa isan21 la F inanciere
Show that there are many more ways of treat ing agame b i rd than plai n roast ing h im and a woodcock
,
i n my humble opin i on,never tastes so wel l as when i t
has b eenflamoe’
,an auto-a
’
a-fe'which takes place almost
under t he d iner ’ s nose . Th e Pari sian eats a score of
l i t tle b i rds w e are too proud to men t ion i n our cookerybooks ; he knows t he d ifference between a mauv iet teand an alouez‘ z‘e
,and I trust i nsi s ts on h is cook not
send ing him to table t he skylarks,for a true gourmet
should never encourage t he slaughter of any wingedth ing that s ings . Perhaps t he greatest abasementof t he Br i ton
,whose ances tors cal led t he French
“ Froggies ” i n scorn,comes when h is fi rst morn ing
in Par i s he orders for b reakfast wi th j oyful expectat i ona d i sh of t he th ighs of the l i ttle frogs from t h e v ineyards. An Austr ian pastry-cook has a l ighter h andthan a French one
,and t he heathen Turk makes th e
best sweetmeats i n th e world,but t he Par i s i an open
tarts and cakes and t he f r iana’ises
,t he creams
,and th e
ice,or coupe-j acgue at t he end of t he Gall i c repast are
excel lent .Let me omi t the regulat ion long moan over t he d i sappearance of t he great restaurants
,th e d in ing-places
wh ich made much cul inary h i story . The R i che,t he
Café Veron,Hard i ’ s
, Bignon’
s,t he
Trois Freres Provencaux have e i ther d isappeared or
have been converted into brasser ies or tavernes,and
menswill beer i n t he Marivaux Where poor Josephflour ished h i s kn ives over ducks of surpassi ng j u ic i ness .
6 T/ze Gourmet’
s Guide to 8arope
i tsel f Le Grand Vatel. Bu t , as I have wri tten , I donot propose to del iver a funeral orat ion over t h e deadrestaurants . Some of t he class i c restauran ts st i l lsurv ive
,and happi ly flour i sh .
TH E CLA S S I C RE STAURANTS
Two restauran ts i n part i cular, t h e Cafe Anglai sand Voisin ’ s have und isputed right to c lassi c honours,and Pai llard s I th ink may b e allowed to sc rape i n toth i s category .
Th e Café Anglai s, th e Wh i te-faced house at t hecorner of t he Rue Marivaux, has a h istory of more
Th e CaféAnglai s ,
t hana hund red years . I t w as or iginal ly1 3 Boulevard d es a llt tle w 1ne-merchant ’ s shop
,W 1t h i ts
I tah ens door lead ing in to t he Rue Marivaux,and was owned by a
'
M . Ch evereuil. Th e Peace of
Amiens fi rst brought i t i n to favour w i th t he Engl i sh,
and at that per iod t he charge for a d inner th ere was
three loui s . Th e ownersh i ps of MM . Ch ellet andd e L
’
Homme marked success ive steps in i t s upwardcareer
,and when t h e restauran t came i n to th e market
i n ’
79 or’
80 i t was bought by a synd icate of bankersand other r ic h business menw ho placed i t i n t he
hands of i ts presen t lessee . The Comte de GrammontCaderousse and h i s compan ions inwhat used to beknown as t he “ Loge Infernale ” at th e old O pera,were t he best-known patrons of t he Anglai s ; andunti l th e O pera House
,replaced by t he present
bu i ld ing, was burn t down , t he Anglai s was a greatsupping-place, t he l i tt le rabb i t-hutches of t h e entresolbe i ng t he scene of some of t he wildest and mosti n terest i ng part ies given by t he great menof t he
Second Empire . I t was to th e Anglai s that R i golboche raced in t he costume of Eve from t he MaisonD orée . Th e h istory of the Anglai s has never b een
‘P ar zr 7
wri tten because,as M . Burdel
,t he lessee
,wi ll tel l
you,i t never could b e writ ten wi thout tel l i ng tales
anent great menwhich should not b e put i n to prin t ;but i f y ou ask to see the book of menus, ch iefly of
d i nners g iven i n t he “ Grand Se i ze,”t he room ont he
fi rst floor,t he curve of t he windows of which look up
the long l i ne of the boulevards,i f you are shown that
t reasure you wil l find in i t records of d inners given byt he late King Edward whenhe was Pr i nce of Wales
,
by t he Duc deMorny and by D ’
Orsay , by all t he GrandD ukes who ever came out of Russia
,by “ Ci tron
,
and Li Hung Chang,and Le Roi Milan
,by the l igh ts
of the French Jockey Club,and many other celebr i t ies .
There i s one espec ial ly in terest ing menu of a d i nnerat wh i ch Bi smarck was a guest— befo re t he terr i b leyear of course . Whi le I am gossi p i ng as to th e
curiosi t ies of t he Anglai s I must not forget a l i t tlecol lect ion of glass
,mostly wi th gold i n i t ials
,and s i lver
i n a cab inet i n the passage of t he entresol. Everypiece has a h i story
,and most of them have had royal
owners . Th e great s igh t of t he restauran t,however
,
i s i ts cel lars . Elec t r i c lamps are used to l igh t them,
l uminous grapes h ang from t he arches,and an orange
t ree at t he end of a v i sta glows wi th t ransparen tfrui t . In these cel lars
,bes ide t he wine on t he
wine-l i st of t he restaurant,are to be found some
bot tles of all t he great v in tage years of claret,dati ng
back almost as far as Noah ’ s v ineyard,an obj ec t-lesson
i n Bordeaux ; and there are l i tt le stores of brand iesof wondrous age, most of wh ich were already in thecel lars when the battle of Waterloo was fought.A dread ful shock was g iven i n t he early days ofJune 1 9 1 0 to the hab i tués of t he Angla i s when theyfound ont h e white fron t of t he restauran t a greatplacard announc i ng that t he bui ld ing was for sale .
Th e sale was necessary owing to some d ifficulty . i nd i v i s i on of t he proper ty
,and was t he resul t of t h e com
8“
Tne Goarmet ’r Guide to Sarope
pl icated French law of succession . Francswere b id for t he bui ld ing, whi ch passed i n to t he
possessi on of a Belgian synd i cate . Ti l l th e t er
minat ion of t he presen t lease the restaurant w i l l b ecar r ied onas before . What wi l l happen when t he
lease fal ls in,on ly th e members of t h e Belgian
synd icate know .
The Café Anglai s does not adver t i se i tse l f i n anyway . Unti l late year s i ts name was i n very smallgolden let ters oni t s fron t ; but some new glass plateswi th big let ter ing have now been put over the w indows . A maj or i ty of people who d i d not know the i rPar i s used to pass its white—curtai ned windows wi thoutany i dea that i t was a restaurant
,and i t s t i l l requ i res
a l i t t le moral courage for a st ranger to walk in to anestabl i shment wh ich so obv iously keeps i tse l f to i tsel f.Once ins ide
,however
,th i s feel i ng d isappears ; t he
lad ies i n black si lk w ho s i t at a desk i n t he t i ny hal lfac ing t he door smi le reassuri ngly
,and e i ther i n t he
tr iangular room to t he r i gh t, where a gi l t tr i pod givesl ight i n the cen tre of the fl oor
,or in t he two l i t t le
rooms to th e left there i s su re to be a tab le vacan t.There i s the charm of perfect quiet about t he CaféAnglai s . No mand in ing there ever rushes away fromi t to go to a theatre or a business appoin tment . If afi rst act has to be missed
,or somebody kept wa i t i ng
,
i t i s a regret table necess i ty ; but to hurry over alunch or a dinner at the Café Anglai s would be acr ime as dastardly as-Zese-maj este
'
.
The th ree downstai rs rooms are al l wh i te ; th e
serv i ce i s ab solut ely s ilent ; the plump head-wai terhas learned t he secret
,which
,unti l I became a
frequenter of the Anglai s,I bel ieved was on ly
possessed by t he d ign i tar ies of t he Church,of be i ng
fat wi thout be i ng hot ; t he l i nen and the s i lver onthe tables are perfecti on . There are t i ny detai ls oft he serv i ce at the Café Anglai s I always enj oy : 1
q3amr 9
l ike,for i nstance
,t he heart-shaped l i tt le paper s l i p put
onthe neck of t he bottle of any decan ted wine,with
t he cm and t he year noted on i t . I fee l personalsat i sfac t ion when M . Burdel, very d i st ingu i shed inappearance
,wi th i ron-grey hai r enbrosse, and wi th t he
broad black r i bbon of h is ey e-glasses stretch i ng acrossh i s Sh ir t-fron t
,walks th rough the rooms
,bowing to a
cl ien t here,making a suggest ion there . When he hal ts
at my table and inqui res whether I have had a goodpassage across t he Channel
,I almost purr wi th sat i s
fact ion . I l ike t he presence of my ne igh bours at otherl i t t le tables they al l look as though they played someimportan t part i n t he great world
,and most of them do .
Th e plots d a j our at t he Anglai s are i nvar iablyadmi rably prepared
,and i t i s t he one restauran t at
wh ich I have eaten a' Gigot de sept heures cookedas i t should be . Th e P otoge Geremani, made fromthe l i vers of fat fowls
,i s no longer onthe da i ly b i ll of
fare at t he Angla i s,a fac t wh ich I do not regret, for
th i s par t icular del i cacy used to cost £ 1 a plate whenserved at a banquet
,and I never pay as much as that
for my ent i re d inner . D ugleré was t he chef of t heAnglai s
,M . Burdel was one of h i s pup i ls
,and aBaroue
Buglere i s one of the spec ial d i shes of t he house .
Potage Germiny used to be c laimed as a d ish of t he
house both by the Angla is and t he Maison Doréei ndeed
,one of the MM . V erd ier once told me a
deta i led story of Casimi r announc ing to the Marqui sde S t . Georges that he had inven ted the soup andded i cated i t to h im
,and of t he tears of joy t he Mar
qui s wept— but the Anglai s can now alone asser t i tsr igh t to i t as a crea t ion. Filer ele Sole M ommy , andPoula rd eAlbufera , wh ich i s real ly poor l i tt le Portugal
’ sone great add i t i on to t he book of two ofthe d ishes wh i ch t he Anglai s cooks better than anyother restaurant i n t he world
,and Pommes xfnna may
perhaps be added to t h is t i ny l i st .
‘
1 0 Tne Gourmet ’s Guide to Surope
May I pause here to tel l you the tale of how t he
recel‘
l‘
e of t he P oulard e d louf em came to Pari s . Whenin Peninsula days the French t roops sacked t he monastery of Albufera
,t he on ly th in g of any value that they
found was t he book of rec i pes i n t he ki tchen . Someof these were new to th e French cooks
,and one i n
espec ial of a ch icken stufi'
ed wi th r ice proved so delec table that t he reeet te was forwarded to headquar tersat Pari s
,and duly took i ts place i n t he golden book of
t he hauz‘e cuisine.
On t he subj ec t of t h e pr i ces at the vari ous res
taurants I wr i te at t he close of th i s chapter . Th e
payment of t he add it ion— t he word i s slangy,but i t
i s used even at t he Anglais— i s a d isagreeable necessity , and a pol i te ma it re d
’
hdtel deplores i t s necess i tyas much as does a sat i sfied cl ien t ; so I tuck t he detai lsaway out of s ight t i l l the last momen t
,and only say
now that a man wi th any knowledge of how to ordera d inner and wi th a lou i s i n h i s pocket can w alk in toany restauran t inPar is as though h e were an Empero r .I always chuckle over a tale of th ree young Engl i sh
menwho,coming to Par i s fo r t he fi rst t ime
,though t
that they had d iscovered Vois i n ’ s . They fan c ied thatal l th e other Engl ish w ho had been t o t he Frenchcap i tal had overlooked th i s qu iet restauran t wi th w indows cloaked by lace curtain s i n t he sleepy Rue St .Honoré
,and that they were l i kely to obtai n a rough
but wel l-cooked bourgeoi s meal there at qu i te anominal pr i ce . Th e various stages of the i r d i s i l lusi onment were amusing . Voisi n ’ s
,l i ke the Café Anglai s
,
i s a wh i te restauran t insi de ; but i ts wh i teness i srel ieved by the deep red of mahogany . I t has a com
Restaurant fortable brown fron t ont he ground floo r .Voi s in, 26
,
Rue Like t h e Anglais,i t had qu i te humble
S t “ Hon°re beginn ings,t he or iginal Voisin of 1 81 3
being a wine merchant ing a very smal l w ay of
bus iness . M . Bel langer,h is head wai ter
,enlarged t he
‘Par ir 1 1
l i t tle restauran t,but i t was not unt i l t he presen t p ro
p rietor, M . Braquesac, took possess ion, after the d aysof t he Commune
,that t he res tauran t rose to i ts
greates t glory . When I fi rs t saw Voi s in ’ s,i t looked
as unl ike t he house of to-day as can be imagined . Iwas i n Par i s immed iately after t he days of t he Commune
,and followed
,with an old General
,t he l i ne
t he troops had taken in t he fight for t he c i ty . Int he Rue St . Honore’ were some of the fiercest combats
,for t he regulars fough t thei r way from house
to house down th is street to turn th e posi t ions t heCommun i sts took up in t he Champs Elysees andthe garden s of t he Tuiler ies . T he Br i t i sh Embassyhad become a hospi tal
,and al l th e houses wh ich
had not been burned looked as though they hadstood a bombardmen t . There were bullet splashesonal l t he walls
,and I remember that Voi s in ’ s looked
even more battered and hopeless than d id most of
i ts ne i ghbours . T h e cel lars of Voisi n ’ s were floodeddur ing t he great r i se of the Se i ne i n t he early monthsof 1 9 1 0, and t he b ins of th e wonder ful v in tages ofBordeaux and Burgund ies were th reatened wi th a bathof i cy water but t h e prec i ous bottles were carr ied ascareful ly as i f they were ch i ld ren to a place of safetyabove flood level
,and were res tored to the i r snug saw
dust beds again when t he danger had passed .
Th e d iplomats have always had an affect ion forVo is i n ’ s
,perhaps because of i ts nearness to the street
of th e Embass ies ; and i n the“e igh t ies ” th e at taches
of t he Br i t i sh Embassy used to breakfast there everyday . Nowadays
,t h e clientele seems to me to b e a mix
ture of the best type of the Engl ish and Amer i canspass ing th rough Par i s
,and t he more e lderly amongst
th e statesmen,who were no doub t th e dash ing young
ot toc/z e’s of th i rty years ago . M .Braquesac, grey-hai red ,and wi th an aqu i l i ne nose
,i s always
,when h e i s in t h e
restauran t,t he most d i st ingui shed-looking man there .
1 2 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
M . Braquesac has a rac ing stab le, as h i s amusement ,and h i s talk to h i s c ron ies amongst t he clientele of t herestaurant i s general ly of Longchamps and Auteui l andMaisons Lafi t te Young M . Braquesac, almost asd i st ingui shed in appearance as h i s father
,i s always in
evidence as t he manager of t he restauran t . There i salways a feel i ng of calm ln Voi si n ’ s . Paul
,th e ma itre
d’
hdtel,i s qui te epi scopal i n appearance
,and t he head
sommel ier,whose face i s round and whose hai r i s
curly,i s equal ly wel l favoured . From th e street a
glass door leads stra i ght i n to t he restauran t . Two
dames de comp toir,who si t at a l i t t le desk by t h e
door,look as though the i r l i ves had been enti re ly
free from trouble . Close to them,i n one Sof t he
small windows,th e frui t for dessert i s placed . Voisin ’ s
has two rooms downstai rs,an outer one and an inner .
The whi te of i ts wal ls and t he gleam of i t s m i rrorsare subdued ‘ by t h e deep red of t he mahogany of
i t s door and window frames . A li t t le stai rcase lead sto the rooms above .
Th e great glory of Vo i s i n’ s i s i ts cel lar of red
wines,i ts Burgund ies and Bordeaux . Th e Bordeaux
are ar ranged i n the i r proper precedence,the wines
from the great v ineyards fi rst,and t he rest i n the i r
correc t order down to mere bourgeoi s t i pple . Againsteach brand i s t he pr i ce of t h e v i n tage of al l the yearswi th i n a d r inkable per iod
,and t he man w ho knew
th e wine-l i st of Vois in’ s thoroughly would b e t he
greatest author i ty in t he world onc laret .Mr . Rowland Strong
,i n h is book on Pari s
,tel ls
how,one Chri stmas Eve
,he took an Engli shman to
d i ne at Voisi n ’ s,and how that Engl i shman demanded
plum-pudd ing . Th e ma z‘
t re d’
ho‘
tel w as equal to th e
occasi on . He was pol i te but fi rm,and h i s assert ion
that “the House of Voisi n does not serve
,has nev er
served,and will neve r serve
,plum-pudd ing ” settled
the matter .
1 4 l e Gourmet ’s Guide to Europeacqu i red
,and lastly another l i t tle shop was taken in
,t he
ent rance’
changed from th e fron t to i ts present pos i t i onat t he si de
,the accoun tant ’ s desk put out of s i gh t
,
and t he l i tt le music ians ’ gal lery bui l t . M . Pai l lardhas pleased t h e lad ies amongst h i s customers by giv i ngthem music wi th the i r d i nner . He also gives themmusi c
,too much music
,with thei r supper. Pai l lard ’ s
has now a supper clientele of t he most unblemishedrespectab i l i ty . T he
e great class i c restauran ts resembleNapoleon ’ s O ld Guard in that they d ie but do notsurrender . Th e Maison Dorée went to i ts end l ikea hero
,refusi ng to bow to v i t iated modern tastes .
,
M .
Pai llard,how ever
,prefers that h i s restauran t should
not d ie,and i f th e modern lad ies w ho sup l ike to see
Span i sh dancers gyrate wh i le they eat the i r c h icken,
and are prepared to go up to Montmartre to see them,
M . Pai l lard,bei ng a gallant man
,wi ll save t he lad ies
t he j ourney to the northern he ights by allowi ngdancers in h is restauran t on t he boulevards . Allt hi s savours of t he modern smart restauran t
,and I
feel a doub t whet her Pai llard ’ s shou ld not be nowclassed amongst t he smart i nstead of the
'
“ class i crestaurants .Th e restaurant as i t i s wi th i ts wh i te walls andbas-rel iefs of cupids and flowers
,i t s green Travert ine
panel s let i n to t he white p i lasters,i ts c hande l ier s of
cut glass,i s very handsome . M . Pai l lard, hai r parted
in th e midd le and wi th a sma l l moustache,i r re
p roachably att i red, wear ing a grey frock-coat byday, and a “ smoking ” and black t ie i n t h e even ing
,
i s generally to be seen super in tend ing all arrangemen ts, and there i s a ma itre d
’
lzotel w ho speaksexce l lent Engl i sh .
Amongst t h e spec ialt ies of t he house are PommeOtero and Pomme Georget te (both created , I fancy, byJoseph when h e w as a t Pai l lard ’ s), Sole P a illa rd ,Timbale de queues d
’
Ecreuisses Mantua,F ilet Pa illard
,
(Par is 1 5
Rouenna is P a illard , Ter r ine d e Foie Gras ala gele'
e au
Por to,P erd reau et Ca ille P ailla rd .
TH E“ SMART RE STAUR A NTS
Breakfast clz ez Henry,d ine at t he R i tz
,and sup
at Durand ’ s,
”w as t he advi ce once given me by a
man w ho knows h i s fash ionable Par i s Henry ’
s’Place
thoroughly ; and i t i s d i fficul t to bet ter Gamoni t . Henry ’ s i s i n the Place Gai l lon . There i s anotherHenry ’ s
,an Engl i sh hotel and bar
,i n t he Rue Volney .
Henry ’ s i s on the s i te of a much older restaurant,
t he Maison Grosstét es,which had i ts days of celeb
r i ty under t h e Second Empi re . Hen r i D rouet,a
former ma itre d ’ lzo‘ tel at Pai l lard ’ s,restored th e for
tunes of t he restau ran t and part i a l ly rebu i l t i t ; andt he presen t propr ietor
,M . Marius D urieux
,w ho
wears Pi ccad i l ly-weeper Wh iskers,w ho i s h i s own
ma itre d’
lzo‘
tel,and w ho learned h i s busi ness at Pai l
l ard ’ s and at the Ga i l l on,has further decorated and
en larged t he restauran t . Th e plate-glass windows arecurtained wi th lace
,a l i ttle shel ter of gi l t metal and
glass i s over t he door,p i l lars of whi te and grey marble
with copper cap i tal s str i pe t he fron t wi th soft colour .Go i n th rough t he revolv ing glass d oor and y ou findyoursel f i n luxury . Two rooms thrown in to onestretch before you, another room is to t he left . Th e
restauran t i s wh i te i n colour,but i ts chandel iers of
cut-glass,1 ts e
’
tageres and flowers,i ts l i beral orna
mentat ion,keep i t from be i ng severe . T he tables
are put as close as poss i ble to eac h other al l roundt h e th ree rooms
,t h e dames de comptoir are gi ven a
t iny desk against t he wall,t he chasseur hurr ies back
wards and forward s th rough a small door wi th coatsflung over h i s arm and hats balanced on st icks andumbrellas . Henry
’ s i s always full,t h e propr ietor i s
always i n despai r because he cannot accommodate al l
1 6 l e Gourmet ’s Guide to Surope
h is would-be cl ients,and h i s patrons w ho have secured
tables beforehand feel that they have shown singularacuteness i n doing so. T he cui s ine of Hen ry ’ s i sexcel lent . A number of d ishes named after t he RuePort Mahon, which i s onone si de of t he restauran t
,
are some of t he Ga i l lon spec ialt ies, and Consomme’
For tuna to,Crepes des Gourmets, t he Poires Ga illon, and ,
of course,t he sole of t he house
,are excel len t . I
know of no restaurant where t he lzors d’
oeufvre are
more excel len t and varied , where t he sweet d i shes,
creams and open tarts, and fru i t are more tempt ing .
At Henry ’ s there i s always ont h e b i l l of fare a largernumber of pla ts du j our, ready at any momen t
,than
at any of t he other restaurants of t he fi rst c lass . Th e
fly i n t he milk to me i n t he Place Gai l lon i s that,
t he d in ing tables bei ng so c lose together,t he serv ing
tables have to be placed in th e centre of t he rooms,
and no serv ing tab le can ever -b e a beauti ful or appet ising sight . M . Mar ius has now extended h i s act iv i t iesto t he Chateau d e Madrid on t he border of t he Bo i sd e Boulogne
,where he has bui l t an hotel and rebui l t
t he old restauran t .La Rue ’ s and Durand ’ s are one i ther s ide of t he
Rue Royal,where i t j o ins t he openspace before t he
church of La Madelei ne. Both have a few l i t tletables and chai rs outs ide
,forming what i s known
D urand’s , Place as a terrasse ; both are i n h igh favourde lamadeleine with travel l ing Br i tons ; both are as
neat as new p ins ; a porter of noble proport i ons i sready to call up th e motors at each door ; a l i ttlepage
,Who l ikes to be cal led Chasseur
,is alert to do
any small serv i ce wh ich may b e rewarded by a t i p .D urand ’ s i s to t he east of t he Rue Royale
,and
carr iages cross th e pavement to reach i t . JulesS imon i n marble looks longingly over h i s shoulderat t he restaurant . On enter in g
,a great pane of
glass to one sid e iforms a transparent wal l to one of
Tar ts I 7t he res tauran t ’ s rooms . On a shel f against th i s glassare t he l i tt le baskets of apples and pears and otherfru i ts . Th e dames d e comptoir are en throned i n t he
entrance hal l . Durand ’ s has made enlargemen t afterenlargement
,and i ts i n ter ior a t fi rst s ight looks as
though one room were reflected in th ree or fourgreat mi rrors . In real i ty
,t hree or four rooms have
been opened one i n to t he other . T he wai ters are
mostly plump,and are al l pol i te ; a table i s sw i ft ly
pul led out,and space made for h im w ho would break
fast or d ine,and the garcon , w ho has a quick ey e for
t he nat ional i ty of t he cl ien ts,and knows t he shade
of pol i t ic s of h i s French customers,puts a newspaper
-Br i t i sh,Amer i can
,or French— ont he table . One
of t he propr ietors,bri sk l i t tle menboth
,wi th a napkin
over one arm,glances to see that t he table i s al l i n
order,a comfortable ma itre d ’lzdtel bows as he ofTers
t he car te d e j our, and beh i nd h im the black-apronedsommel ier wai ts for you to make a choi ce of wine .
Durand ’ s has,of course
,i ts spec ialt ies . It s Consomme’
Baigneuse, i ts Barbue D urand,i t s P oulet Saute' Grand
D uc,and i ts Souflé P ole Nerd are excel len t . Durand ’ s
c l ients are d rawn from many nations,and many of t he
Pari s ians breakfast and d ine and sup there. A Pari s iani n Pari s i s more part i cular than t he most stra i t-lacedof t he t ravel l i ng Br i t i sh and Amer i can s where he
takes h i s women-folk at supper-t ime,and Durand ’ s
at that hour combines smartness and respectab i l i ty .
The Brav ’ Général was a good patron of Durand ’ s,
and man y of h i s fr iends,grey-headed
,mi l i tary-looking
gen tlemen,s t i l l breakfast there. I t was
,I bel ieve
,i n
one of t he l i t t le pr i vate d in i ng-rooms at Durand ’ s thatGeneral Boulanger sat and doubted whether he shouldin i t iate a coup d ’e'ta t
,and final ly went home to bed .
The Café R i che also cla ims to have been t he housei n wh ich t he General fai led to make up h i s mi nd” perhaps t he would-be Dictator had two even i ngs
B
1 8 T/ie Gourmet’
s Guide to 8urope
of i r resolut ion . I give t he menu of t he taole d’
lzdte
supper D urand ’ s gave i ts customers one“ Chr istmasEve
,that bei ng t he n igh t when all Pari s, respect
able and not qu i te respectable, sups at one café or
anotherConsommé d e Volaille au fumet de Céleri s .
Boudingri llé ala Pari s ienne .
Ai lerons d e Volai lle ala T z ar .Cailles ala Lucullus;Salade D urand .
Ecrev i sses d e la Meuse a la nage .
Crepes Suzette .
D essert.Champagnes .
Cl icquot Brut, Pommery D rapeau Américain.
G d e F ine Napoleon.
Th e boud ini s th e i nd igest i ble sausage,i n wh ich p igs ’
blood i s an ingred ien t,wh ich i s a necessary portion
of every Ch ri stmas Eve feast . Th e proprietors of
D urand ’ s now ownt he l i t tle pav i l i on wh i ch Pai l la rdopened in t he Champs Elysees .The i n ter ior of La Rue ’ s i s pleasan tly brigh t . I tsseats of crushed st rawberry colour
,i ts p i l lars wi th the
La Rue’s,P1a.ce deep pink si lk running half-way up
d e la Madeleine them,i t s m i rrors wi th cut-glass elec =~
t roliers onthe i r surface,make i t a typi cal Par i sian
restauran t . In one corner a band plays qui te inoffensively . When t he or iginal propr ietor of La R 1i e
’ sret i red with a fortune in1 909,M . Vaudab le
,a former
ma it re d’
lzotel i n t h e restauran t,and M . Nignon, who
i s an ex-clz ef d e cuisine of t he H ermi tage at Moscow,
s tepped i nto h i s shoes,and t he cookery of t he restau
ran t became to a great exten t Russ ian i sed .
" If I wereto publ i sh i n full the leaflet wh ich gives t he “ MetsRusses Nationaux ” to be ob tained at La Rue ’s
,I
should prac t i cal ly give a l i st o f most of t he plots i n t heRussiancuisine. T he Russ iansoups Russo/nit and
Tar ts 1 9
Stclz i and Solinnt a,s turgeon cooked in vari ous forms
,
and Koulibianf a of fi shes,Srani Popolosl’ i, d z ou (1 la
Tar tare,Sclz aclz lie Poearsei
,and a do z en ent r emets
Wh ich are del igh tful to t he tastes,but t he names of
wh i ch read l ike d i ff e ren t varie t ies of sneezes,are al l
onth i s l i st . Where Cubat fa i led Nignonhas succeed ed
,and the Par i s ian s flock to La Rue ’ s to eat t he
pla ts of thei r al l ies t he Russ ians .A word of adv i ce should b e add ressed
,however
,to
t he ma it re d’
lzo‘
tel at La Rue ’ s,and indeed to t h e ma it res
d’
lzdtel of al l fash i onable restauran ts i n Par is,not to
t reat caval ierly people whom they do no t recogn ise asfrequent customers
,but w ho may have been in past
days very gG ood fr iends of the house . Such a man
,a
f1 iend of mine,lunch ing at La Rue
’ s,ordered an apple
for h i s guest,an abbé
,and when the b i l l w as brought
called attent ion to t he fact that 4 francs had beencharged for t he frui t
,he supposing that two apples
had been put down on the b i ll . Th e ma it re d’
lzo‘
tel
d id not behave at al l pol i tely,and t he reduct ion of
50 cen t imes wh i ch t he house off ered to make,was
proffered wi th suc h a bad grace that i t was refused .
As a mat ter of fac t at that t ime t he charge for an appleat t he Café Anglai s and most other smart restaurantswas 3 francs . Thi s in c ident shows that i t i s wi se toask t he pri ce of frui t at La Rue’ s before o rder i ng i t .T h e Café d e Pari s
,i n t he Avenue d e l
’
Opera,i s at b reakfast and d i nner t ime a restauran t muchfrequen ted by cosmopol i tan Par is
,and
Café d e Par i st he cuisi ne i s excel len t . It i s wi se i f Avenue d eyou wish to b reakfast there to tele 1 0196“
phone i n advance for a tab le . At supper-t ime t he
butterfly lad ies of Lutet i a are to b e seen there i n al lthe i r glory . The bu i ld i ng i s wedge-shaped , and tworooms fork r ight and left from t he en trance . T h e
room to t he r igh t i s t he one most i n favour w i tht h e Pari s ians . The leader of t he band of Tziganes
,
20 l e Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
a pale young man,with a mass of red hai r
,w ho i s
d ressed in ord inary even ing clothes,i s a favour i te
obj ect for t he penc i l of Sem and other Par i s iancar i catur i sts . I t i s qui te poss i ble that i f there i s arage for Apache dances, or for Spamsh dances, or forO tahei tan dances
,one of these
'
dances may be performed by profess ionals at 1 A.M .
,for t he Café d e
Pari s,content that i ts excel len t cookery Shal l keep i t
i n th e front rank at t h e breakfast and d inner hour,
desp ises none of t he methods wh i ch supp i ng placesadopt to at trac t customers .T h e Ermi tage Restauran t at t he Rond Po in t of
th e Champs Ely sees used to b e a smart restauran t,
much frequented by people of pos i t i on i n t he worldof sport . Chevi llard was t he or iginal p roprieto r . Itthen p assed i n to the hands of Emi le Aoust
,whom
Engl ishmen wi ll remember at t he Amphi tryon Club,
and from th i s to those of M . Courtade,a Belgian .
Th e restauran t at t he t ime I w rit e i s c losed ; but i ti s su re sooner or l ater to be reopened
,as i ts pos i t ion
i s an excel lent one .
Th e newest of th e smart restaurants i s t he Dannon,
which has Sprung up in the road of that name nearTh e D aunon, it s junct ionwi th t he Avenue d e l
’
Opera .
Rue D aunOn Th e restaurant i s a large hal l,l igh ted
from above, with wal ls of l i gh t colours ornamen tedwi th Wedgwood plaques . There ~ are green marblepi lasters w i t h gi l t capi tals
,and great flower baskets
onth e wall wh i ch conceal electr i c lamps . T he cartei s clz ifire, t he pr ices reasonable
,and t he attendance
good . After supper there are“ attract ions ” which
take the shape of danc ing gi rl s .O f. t he restaurants attached to h otel s I do notpropose to wr i te at length . At t he Elysee PalaceEly see p alace ,
i n th e Champs Elysees t he restauran tCh amp s ElYSéeS i s an excel len t one
,and there i s also
a gri ll-room on the London model wh i ch i s very
2 2 l e Gourmet’
s Guide to Surope
hotel secondly . I t i s t he restauran t of t he smartestfore i gn soc iety i n Par i s, and th e Engl i sh , Amer i cans,Russians
,S pan iards
,d in ing there always outnumber
greatly t h e French . It i s a place of great feasts,but
i t i s also a restauran t at w h i ch t he ma i t res d’lzotel
are i nstructed not to suggest long d inne 1 s to t he
patrons of th e estab l i shment . In M . Elles’ hand sor that of t he ma itre d
’
lzo‘
tel there i s no fear of
be i ng “ rushed i nto order i ng an over lengthy repast .This i s a typ ical l i ttle dinner for three I on ce ate atth e R i tz
,and as a feast i n t he autumn i t i s worth
record ing and repeat i ng
Caviar .Consommé Viveni.
Mousseline de Soles au vind a Rhin .
7 x
Queues d Ecrev1sses a l Amer i caine .
Escalopes d e Riz d e veau Favorite.
Perdreaux Truffés .
Salade .
A sperges vertes enbranches .
Coupes aux Marrons.
F riand iseS.
In t he afternoon t he long passage wi th i ts Chai rs,
carpets,and hangings
,al l of crushed strawberry colour
,
i s fi l led wi th t ea—dr inkers,for the five o ’ clock i s very
popular i n Par i s,and th e R i tz i s one of th e smartest
i f not t h e smartest place at wh ich to d r i nk t ea. Int h e even ing t he big restaurant
,with i ts ce i l i ng pain ted
to represent t he Sky , and i ts m i rrors latt iced to repre
sent windows,i s alway s full, t he con trast to a smart
Engl i sh restaurant be i ng that th ree-quarters of t he
lad ies d i ne i n the i r hats . Somet imes very elaborateentertai nmen ts are given i n t he R i tz
,and I can
recall one occasion on a hot summer n ight, whent he garden was tented over and turned in to a gorgeapparen tly somewhere near t h e North Pole
,there
‘Par is 23
bei ng blocks and pi llars of ice ev erywhere . T he
anteroom w as a mass of palms,and t he i dea of th e
assemblage of t he guests i n t he t ropi c s and the i rsudden transference to the land o f ice was excel lentlycarr ied out .
TH E SUMM ER RE STAUR ANTS
O f al l t h e pleasan t impress i on s that Par i s leaves ont he mind of any one not too [d are to be recepti ve the
remembrance of breakfasts and d inners eaten i n t he
open,wi th del igh tful surround ings of flowers and green
turf and great t rees,i s one of the pleasantest . Th e
l i t t le tables,th e wh i te-aproned wai ters scutt l ing over
t h e gravel,t he checker of l i gh t and shade
,t he colou r
and movement are al l redolent of t he Spi r i t of Pari s .Breakfast at Ledoy en
’
s on t he day of a ‘vernissageat one of t he Salons
,d inner at t he Armenonv i l le or
Pré Catalan or Chateau d e Madr id ona hot Junen ight
,t ea at t he Cascade after a race day at Long
champ,are part of t he l i fe of al l those who are i n
t he movement ; and to watch t he bourgeoi sie enj oyingthemselves whole-hearted ly at t he Porte Jaune 1nth eBoi s d e V incennes
,to s i t ont he terrace a t t he Pav i l lon
Henr i IV . at S t . Germain and to look over t he plainand t he twist i ng r i vers toward s Pari s, to b reakfast att he Pav i l lon Bleu at S t . Cloud, and afterward s see t hemer ry maki ng of t he bridal part ies that have come ou t
from t he c i ty,are each a separate del ight .
Th e Champs Elysees hold several clusters of thesummer restaurants
,whi c h open as soon as t h e chestnut
t rees are i n blossom . Ledoy en’
s,on t he south s ide
of t he cent ral road,has been a favour i te d i n ing-place
for more than half a cen tury . Guillemm,w ho was
cook to t he Duc d e Vincennes,b rough t t he restauran t
i n to great favour about 1 850 . Ledoy en, whose namethe restau rant bears
,w as original ly a plongeur , and
24 l e Gourmet ’s Guide to Europei t may he ' that h i s early exper iences ina cel lar gaveh im t he knowledge of wine which enab led h im laterLed oy en
'
s,
i n l i fe to lay down one of the bestCh amp s BlYSéeS cel lars of wines i n Par i s . Ledoy en
’
s i sbui l t ont he plan of most of t he open-ai r restauran ts .A gay l i ttle pav i l ion
,which con tai ns t he ki tchen and
some salon s,and round three s ides of wh ich runs a
glazed shel ter,a refuge should th e weather b e cold
or rai ny,i s t h e hub of th e restauran t .
_
F lower i ngcreepers and grape v i nes are t rained up t he supportsof th e shel ter
,and fuchsi as and other flowers give
a plen i tude of colour . In front of the l i t tle house i sa gravel space
,which i s enclosed e i ther by a pr ivet
hedge or by sh rubs i n green tubs . Trees large or
small give shade to the enclosure,and t he whi te
clothed tables are dotted here and there . Ledoy en’
s
i s not an expensive restaurant,and al l t he worlds of
Par i s go there. O n a Sunday you wi l l see a greyheaded old ret i red oflicer giv ing b reakfast to h i s son
,
who i s i n t he un i form of a military'
college, and the
l i t t le clerk enter tai n i ng h i s; fiancee and hi s futuremother-in-law
,as wel l as t he wel l-to-do Par is i an and
h i s wi fe,and t he i nev i table par t ies of Ameri cans and
Engl i sh . At Ledoy en’
s the wai ters push about greatd i shes on h igh crad les
,and the j o in ts of t he day are
carved at th e l i tt le tables . To say that one “ alwaysgets one’ s food at th e ou t-of-doors restauran ts as hotas one does where one i s nearer to th e ki tchen wouldb e to say t he th ing wh ich i s not ; nor i s th e serv i cealways as qu iet-footed and unhurr ied as i n the class i crestaurants ; but the ou t-of-door restaurants vary as
much as th e i ndoor ones do i n character— and i npr i ce.
Th e Pav i l lon d ’Ely sée and La'
urent ’ s,onthe north
s ide of t he cen tral road,near t h e Rond Po in t
,are
qu i te first-class i n every way , even as to pr i ces . TheE lysee i s a charming l i ttle bui ld ing
,and i s a magn ified
Sp ar is 2 5
j ewel-case i n stone and glass and metal . It has i tsp ink and wh i te awn ings for hot days
,and i ts in
terior i s l igh t and b ri gh t and summery .
Pavi llond ’
Ely se’
e ,
Pa i l lard opened 1 t,and then parted W i th D urand ’
s ,
h i s ri gh ts to a company,and the com Ch amp s Ely s ees
pany made i t over to the propr ietors of Durand ’ s .Th e propr ieto rsh i ps and managemen ts of t he Pari si anrestauran ts change as often as do those of t h e Par i stheatres
,and on ly the tax-collectors try to keep wel l
i n formed as to t he var ious permutat ions and comb inat ion s . The Elysee remain s what Pai l lard made ita very charming l i tt le summer restauran t
,wi th excel
len t cui si ne and serv i ce, and pr i ces to match .
Lauren t ’ s Restauran t,bui l t after t h e model of a
Roman v i l la,stand s far back from t he centre road
,
and i s so enclosed by t rees and th ickets that one hasto look for i t to find i t. About once every th ree yearsi t i s thoroughly renovated and redecorated, and i t i s, as i thas always been
,one of t he pleasantes t as wel l as one
of th e qu ietes t of outdoor restauran ts . Laurent 's ,
Th e azaleas and t he rhododendrons Ch amp s BlYSéeS
whi ch are about i t clo the i t wi th colour i n t he
spring and early summer,and t he acac ia t rees
keep i ts l i t tle space of gravel i n pleasan t shade . Formany years I used to d ine at Lauren t ’ s every GrandPrix n igh t wi th a wel l-known explorer and travel ler
,
and a Cana rd P ompeiane,a wonderful cold duck wi th
black and red figures des i gned upon i ts snowy breast,
was always one of t he d ishes onthe menu of myhost ’ s d i nn er . A l i ttle band, wh ich plays qu i te inoffens ively
,i s the latest add i t ion to t he at traction s of
Laurent ’ s . Partly for old assoc iat ion ’ s sake, partly fori ts quiet, partly for i ts good cuis i ne, I always have awarm corner i n my h eart for Laurent ’ s .Th e restau ran t of t he Ambassadeurs i s on summern igh ts one of t he d in i ng-places to wh ich th e cosmopol i tan world of Par i s flocks . T he ex-proprietors and
26 l e Gourmet ’s Guide to Europepresent managers of Maxim ’ s
,th e supping-place i n t he
Rue Royale, are t h e lessees of the Ambassadeurs,and
Th e Ambassa t he cu i s i ne i s very good . The tablesd eurs
,Ch amp s sough t after are those of th e front of t he
Ely sees balcony wh ich faces the Stage,and to si t
after d inner and smoke and dr ink coffee and l isten toand watch th e performance i s one of those combin at i ons of pleasant thi ngs obtainable i n Par i s
,at a pri ce
,
but wh i ch are unknown to us i n London . The Am
Th e Alcaz ar ,bassadeurs has a l i t tle garden beh ind
Ch amp s ElYSéeS i t,which i s a pleasant place at break
fast-t ime . Th e Alcazar has a restauran t and a gardenwhich i s under t he same managemen t as t heAmbassadeurs .Th e Pré Catalani s t h e lates t add i t i on to t he smartrestaurants i n t he BO15
,though some of the older ones
have lately beenrebui l t . Th e Pré Catalan used to
Th e Préb e a farm where ch i ldren and a few
Catalan,Boi s fash ionable lad ies used to d r ink mi lk i n
d e B°u1°gne t he early morn ings,and there always
h ad been a chalet restauran t at i ts entrance . Th e
proprietor of one of t he most popu lar Par i s newspaperssaw that th e chi ld ren were monopol i si ng one of th e
most charming enclosures i n th eBo is,and he ob tained
t he r i ght to bu i ld a restauran t and lay out a gardenthere . Th e restauran t i s a great banquet i ng hal l w i tha cupola i n t he centre . Large mirrors onone s idereflect t he long windows onthe other
,and t he b ig
room,all wh i te and ornamen ted wi th great taste
,
might we l l have been cop ied from some palace . Th e
servants wear quiet handsome l i ver ies, and t he car te
du j our has t he pr ices marked against the vari ous d ishes,i n fo rmat ion wh ich some of t he restaurants do not g iveto the i r cl ients un ti l the b i l l i s presented . T he Pré
Catalan has i ts lawn,which i s a favoured spot at t ea
t ime ou race days . Both the Pré Catalan,and th e
restauran t next onmy l i st, t he Armenonvi l le, are now
Tar ts 27
con trol led by M . Charles Mourier of t he Cafe' dePari s .The Pav i l lon d ’Armenonville
,another of t he Bo is
restau rants,has always been i n h igh favour wi t h smart
Par is.
I t has been t he custom S ince Armenonville,l t S bu 1 ld ing that menshal l wear dress Boi s d eclothes when d in i ng at th i s restaurant,
B°ulogne
an unwr i tten rule wh ich has not been enforced i nany other restaurant . When t he very broad glassshel ter wh ich runs round the house i s fi l led wi thd iners
,t he lad ies i n d inner d resses and plumed and
feathered hats,the men i n thei r even ing black and
wh i te when the tab les are heaped wi th flowers ; whent he t rees outs ide are garlanded wi th coloured lanterns ;when t he two bands
,play ing al tern ately
,make gentle
musi c wh ich does not i n terfere with conversat i on,
then Armenonv i l le forms a scene br i l l ian t enough forany theatre to stage. T h e luxur ious surround ingshave
,of course
,to be paid for
,but though t he pri ces
at these l i t t le palaces inth e great wood are h igh,they
are not exorb i tant .Th e Chateau de Madri d used to b e a col lect i on of
old bui ld ings grouped about a courtyard i n wh i chwere trees . Under these t rees were
Ch at eau d e
l i ttle i ron tab les ; Japanese lan terns Madrid , Boiswe re amidst t h e fol iage ; and there
d eB°ul°gne
was a pleasant sensat ion i n d in i ng thus i n a half l ight,wi th th e bu i ld i ngs around al l i n d eep shadow . The
old bu i ld ings have now d i sappeared, and have beenreplaced by a brand new whi te restauran t, wi th greatplate glass windows and large mirrors, and decorat ionof tre l l iswork
,and by a new hotel wh i ch stands fac ing
t he road . Th e t rees st i l l remain , and under them onhot even ings t he l i t t le tables are st i l l set . But th echarm of t he old chateau has d i sappeared . There i sa b laze of elec tr i c l igh t, and a ban d plays al l t h e ai rsof t he moment . M . Marius, of Hen ry ’ s of t he Place
2 8 T/ze Gourmet ’ s Guide to 8urope
Gai l lon, i s the propr ietor of t he new hotel and newrestaurant
,and t he p r i ces are t hose of t he Place
Gai l lon , and also, happi ly, so i s t he cookery . T h e
chateau i s j ust outs ide t he Boi s,and t h e S team trams
of t he Chemin d e F er du Boi s run past i t . One breakfasts there very pleasan tly onrace days .The Pavi l lon Royal, at t he near end of the lake i n
th e Bo is,used to be a bourgeo i s res tauran t
,where one
p avmonRoy al , might breakfast and d i ne i n compara3013 d e 3011109 1 9 t ively humble company at a comparat ively humble rate . It
,however
,has been rebui l t an d
redecorated, has become smart, has an excel len t cook,
and i ts pr i ces have r isen wi th i ts reputat i on .
The Chalet du Cycle, wh ich also used to b e a verybourgeoi s restauran t, has also now grown proud, andcalls i tsel f L ’
Ermitage d e Longchamps .Th e Restauran t de la Cascade i s a gay l i tt le cafénear t he racecourse, and many people breakfast on i tslawn onrace days .The Chalet d es Isles i s a favour i te lun ch ing-placewhen the lakes are frozen .
In th e Avenue Victor Hugo i s Carron’ s,a simple
Carron’s ,
and cheap restauran t,which i s some
Avenue Victor t imes pat romsed incold or w et weatherHug° by men go i ng to t h e races . A gar
gantuand i nner canb e ob tai ned there at five or s ixfrancs .The Se lect Bar i s a l i ttle restauran t
,and i s rather off
t he beaten track, but t he St . Cloud tramcars pass i t .” Le Select. I t i s kept by two s i sters w ho give t he i rBar , Quai d e personal at tent 1on to everyth ing W i t hBillancourt
excel lent resul ts . A very quie,t l i t t le
frequen ted eat i ng-house i t was,and the pri ces very
moderate . I t has of late,however
,sprung in to fame
,
and ondays when there I S rac ing at S t . Cloud,i t i s
wise to retain a table there i n advance by telephone .
The spec ial ty of the res tauran t i s t he garoure, t he
30 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
or over them . Every v i s i tor to the Tour i s g iven apaper whereon are pri n ted t he creat ions fai tes a laTour d ’Argent par Frédéric T h e great cook— forFreder i c goes i n to t he ki tchen to give t he fin ish i ngtouches to t h e d i shes for apprec iat ive cl ien ts— hasnamed many of h i s invent ions after wel l known peoplew ho are
,or have been
,good patrons to t h e estab l i sh
ment . Q ‘Z’
uf s General W illiams,F ilet d e Lievre d rnold
White,F ilet a’e Sole Loi
‘
e Fuller,are th ree out of two
score d ishes to’ which celebri t ies have become godparen ts . A poet has sung Frederic ’ s pra i ses
,for t he
Marquis de Lau z iéres d e Themines has put in to .
archaic rhyme a eulogy of Freder i c and h is worksand a descr i pt i on of serv i ng Canard ala P resse
La d’
uncanard , donte reste 1a carcasse
Dans une boite, onla broie, onIa moud .
Umrude engin concasse .
1 1 résulte umjus exquis au gofit .”
There are many cla iman ts to t he honour of hav ingd iscovered t he method of squeezing t he last d rop ofj u i ce ou t of a duck
,but t h e real d i scoverers were t he
poor peasants of th e Mid i,w ho smashed wi th stones
t h e carcases of the i r tough and skinny ducks to extrac tal l t he essences . One of t he great ma it r es d ’hdtelwhom Pai l lard ’ s has sent forth— whether i t wasFreder i c or Joseph or Charles or another mattersl i t t le— remembered th i s custom of h i s pay s, andt he s i lver turnscrew was t he result . Joseph
,whose
carv ing and squeezing of t he duck w as qu i te a sacr ific ial ceremony , general ly used two ducks
,one wel l
cooked for t he meat and t he other part cooked for t hej u i ces . Freder i c gives onh i s leaflet wi ld ducks
,wood
cock,Le P oulet Belgrand , La Langouste W inter thur ,
and P ied s d e M outonP oulet te as t h e d i shes which havemade t h e fame of t he house ; but t he Filet d e SoleCard inal
,l i t tle fi l lets pressed in to c rayfish tai l s and
served wi th a red c rayfi sh sauce,i s t he best known of
‘Par is 3 Ial l Freder i c ’ s crea t ions. Freder ic i s a bel iever
,as
all great ma itres d ’hdtel are,i n a very short d inner .
When t he Secretary to t he Behr i ng Sea Conferencei n terv iewed Freder i c
,at Lord Hannen’ s request
,told
h im that the members of th e two Missions wouldd ine at the Tour d ’Argent , and sketched out atwe lve-course d inner wi th two soups
,two en trées
,
and a sorbet i n t he midd le of i t,Freder i c asked h im
very pol i tely to take h i s d ip lomati sts elsewhere,for
such a barbarous meal would never be served on t heQ uai de la Tourel le .
Freder i c has a short w ay with al l Ph i l i st i nes, eveni f they be of t he gen tler sex . I once took a lady tobreakfast at t he Tour— she had selected i t as bei ngclose to the Morgue
,and thought that a good lunch
would b e a cheer fu l beginn ing to h er s ight-see i ngand Freder i c h imsel f had come to take t he order .“ Eggs
,a bi rd
,a vegetable
,an entremet
,
” I had said,
as i f I were ‘ i nvent ing a new d rawing-room game,
and Freder i c had run h i s fingers th rough h i s waveof hai r and had gone i n to a rever ie— t he rever iewhich precedes some wonderfu l comb inat ion . I insinuat ingly said ,
“ For the eggs,
” as t he cue for h i sfirst pronouncement . Freder i c b reathed hard andlooked at th e ce i l i ng. Up
li a la pla t
,sai d t he lady
,
who fanc ied w e we re both at a loss as to how eggscould be cooked . Freder i c came back from t he cloudsand gave t he lady one look . It was not a look ofanger or con tempt
,but s imply an expressi on of pi ty
for t he whole of her sex .
T he Restau ran t d e Lapérouse on t he Q uai d eSt . August ine i s old-fash ioned i n appearance
,and i ts
fi rst fl oor i s a rabb i t warren of l i ttleLap erouse .
d in i ng-rooms decorated wi th scenes Quai S t Augusof ru ral merrymaking and landscapes . tme
This restauran t i s a favouri te lunching-place of t h elawyers whose business l ies hard by i n t he Palai s d e
32 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeJust i ce. Th e students i n t he Q uart ier when theyare i n funds somet imes d i ne at th i s restauran t
,whi ch
they cal l “ Le Nav igateur ”— there i s a portra i t of
t he old sea-dog and a sketc h of h i s sh i p t h e d st rolaheont he car te du j our . Some of t he spec ialt ies of th ehouse are F ilet s de Sole Lape’rouse
,Bouillabaisse
,which
i s served always on Fr idays, and Tr ipes a la mode deCaen, prov ided on Thursdays . The connoisseurs saythat t he Maison Joanne i n t he Rue Montorgueilcooks t h e finest t r ipe i n Par i s ; but t he l i t t le upstai rsroom in that estab l i shment near th e Halles i s notto b e compared i n comfort wi th t he rooms of t h e“ Nav igateur
,
”and I have tasted t he t r i pe at both
establ i shments and could detect no d iff erence . The
burgundy at t he Laperouse i s excel len t ; Corton andChambert in of 1 878, R i chbourg 1 874, Clos Vougeot1 893, and a beauti ful Romanee 1 887. Its Bordeaux
,
i ts Chateau Yquem in parti cular,and i ts wines of the
Rhone are also to be recommended .
Foyot’
s,where one lunches wel l i f one i s go i ng
to spend an afternoon i n t he Luxembourg,
’ andp ey et , 33 Rue
where one d ines before going to t hed e T°um°n Odéon
,i s qu i te an ari stocrat ic res tau
ran t . I t i s one of t he restauran ts wh i ch M . CharlesMourier con tro ls . Th e restauran t i s at t he corne rof t he Rues de Tournon and Vaugirard , and whenthe Anarch i sts though t that to blow up a restauran twould be a warn ing to . ar i stoc rat i c d i ners, Foy ot
’
s
appeared to them to b e very hand i ly s i tuated for the i rpurpose. The bomb exploded
,but th e on ly person
hurt was an Anarch i st poet who had been so false to
h is tenets as to have taken a very pret ty lady to d i nea d eux i n th i s restauran t of t he wel l-to-do
,and to
have given her Truite M euniere to eat . Needless tosay
,Pari s laughed at the i n c iden t . Potage Fayot;R iz
de Veau Foyot, H oma rd Foyot , and Biscuit Fayot are
some of t he d i shes of t h e house,and are al l excel lent .
Tar is 33
Of t he restaurants of t he “ Q uart ier I write i nconj unc t ion wi th those of Mon tmartre.
TH E RE STAURANTS or TH E PAR I S IAN S
In label l ing some restauran ts as bein g Par is ian Ion ly wish to ind icate that they are more patron i sedby the French people and less by the cosmopol i tanworld of Par is than t he “ smart ” restaurants are. I fw e
start from the Madele i ne Square and walk up t he
boulevards toward s t he Place d e la Bast i l le, w e shal lpass most of t he best known of th e typically Frenchrestauran ts . In the Madele i n e Square Lucas , p lace d e
i s Lucas ’ s . I t used to be a very quiet 13 Madeleineand rather sombre restauran t
,and i ts c l ients were very
steady-go ing,a number of t he better-class v is i tors from
t he prov inces making i t the i r headquarters at mealt imes . Large windows
,innouveau art frames
,have
now taken t he place of t h e old-fash ioned casements,
and t he i n ter ior has been rather gar i sh ly decorated .
I suspec t t he pr i ces o f hav ing gone up a step whent he al terat ion s were made
,but t he
Tavernecu I S Ine rema ins qu I te excel lent . Th e Anglai se,
{f arengs Lucas are t he most appet i s ing
(
2
35132201 8837
zors d ceuvre I know,and In th e cel lar
there are some fine old cognacs wh ich are notat al l un reasonable i n pr i ce . In t he Rue Boissyd’
Anglas, beh ind Lucas’
s,i s t h e Taverne Anglai se
,a
qu iet establ i shment,the patron s of w h ich say that they
get Lucas’
s cookery at cons iderably less than Lucas ’ spr ices .A l i ttle way up t he Rue Royale i s Weber ’ s Res
taurant,wh ich at one t ime was known as His Lord
sh i p ’ s Larder,and where t he cookery Web er
’
s, Rue
used to b e semi-Br i t i sh . Weber ’ s Roy alei s en ti rely French now
,and has swallowed up
one o r two neighbour i ng establ i shmen ts,i nc lud i ng
>l< n
34 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeanIr i sh Amer i can bar . A detec tive of Europeanfame used to find i t useful to d ine i n th i s bar andto l i s ten to the conversat ion of other d i ners. The
name of t h e pla t da j our was always on a b i t of
cardboard which was hung over t he bar . One dayth e detect ive found that D .D .S . was t he d i sh of t h eday
,and i nqu i red its mean ing .
“ S stands for spy,
”
sa i d the man behind t he bar . S herlock Holmeslooked at t he faces -wh ich surrounded h im
,and d id
not ask for an explanat ion of t he other let ters . That,however
,i s very anc ient h i story . Weber ’ s to-day i s
a large br igh t restauran t,
much patron ised by Frenchmenbelonging to t he l i beral profess ions, by the Deput ies
,who find th i s restauran t w ith i n easy d istance or
the i r Parl iamen t house,and by Engl i sh resident i n Par i s .
The Taverne Royale i s close to Weber ’ s . I donot propose to give a l i s t of t he Tavernes
,which
hold to t he Par is restauran ts somewhat t he sameposi t i on t he gri l l-rooms hold to t he London ones . Att he Tavernes Royale
,Tourtel
,Brebant
,s imple food
,
suffic iently wel l cooked,and admi rab le l i ght beer are
obtai nable,and after some days of eat i ng r i ch food i n
t he temples of t he h igher ar t i t i s pleasan t to rest one ’ sd igest ion by a cup of S imple c lear soup
,th e th igh of a
fowl,and a sl i ce of cheese at a Taverne .
Viel ’ s, or to give i t i ts al ternat ive t i t le, t he Restauran tde la Madele i ne
,i s ont he boulevard of that name .
It i s a wh i te-faced restaurant,and i ts i n ter io r i s also
Viel ’s Restau whi te . Its pr i ces are moderate,and 1
rant , Bd ez d e have found i t a pleasant res taurant at1a Mad e1e1ne wh i ch to sup
,for i t i s pat ron ised by a
pleasantly Bohemianworld of authors and actors andactresses and art i s ts
,who go there to avo id bei ng
stared at and to eat the i r even ing meal i n peace andqu ietness .The Taverne O lympia
,which opens i ts doors at
5 PM . and closes them at the hour of early breakfast,
(Par is 35
has i ts pr i nc i pal en trance i n t he Rue Caumart i n .
T h e Taverne i s an underground place of feast ing .
I ts pr ices w e moderate,and i ts S imple
Tavernefood i s wel l cooked . There are two 0 1 Olymp iath ree of t he l i tt le t heatres In t he Rue Rue caumarfin
Caumart in,and the Taverne benefi ts by i ts prop in
qu ity to them .
On t he Boulevards d es I tal iens and Capuc ines t herestauran ts crowd together . Every b ig café has ares tau ran t as part of i ts establ i shment . Th e Cafe
d e la Pa ix boasts a gr i l l-room ; t he pr ivate rooms att he CafeRougemont are exceed ingly wel l decorated ;at t h e Amér i cai n , where t he d i n ing clientele i s qu i ted iff eren t from t he suppi ng one, great j o in ts are wheeledup to t he tables and carved there . Jul ien ’ s
,t h e La
fitte,t he restauran t of t he transformed Cafe’ R i che
,
wh ich i s making a b id,a not very successful one
,t o
become a l igh t-hearted supper restaurant— al l havethe i r c rowd of French d iners .In the Rue Port Mahon i s Cerny ’ s Bar
,wh ich has
taken t he place of t he Cabaret Lyonnais,a house
where tench used to b e cooked wi th oemy’
s Bar,
i nfin i te ski l l,and where a st i ll p ink Rue Port Mah on
champagne used to b e t he favouri te wine. Cerny ’ sBar i s very central for t he theatres . I t i s managedby two lad ies . The clientele of t he restauran t consi st s of rac ing men
,young men and the i r lady
fr iends,actors and butterfly lad ies . Every one
seems to know eve1 y one, conversat ion fl ies across
t he snug d in ing-room,and the d iners th row poker
d i ce to see w ho shal l pay for t he d inners . On th i saccount i t i s rather embarrass ing for a sol i tary strangerto v i si t
,but beyond an eX p I essionof surpr i se at seeing
a strange face,he wil l not be d i sturbed . No a la car te
d inner i s served, only a six franc table d’
ho‘
te mealwh ic h i s always excel len t and of reasonable length
,
and i s served at l igh tn ing Speed to any man w ho tel ls
36 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europet he wai ter he i s i n a hurry . T he restaurant i s closedin August
,and during parts of July and September .
A cur iosi ty i n restauran ts i s Blanc ’ s,i n t he Rue
Favart,c lose to t h e Opera Comique. I ts spec ial i t ies
Blames , are t he d i shes of t he Mid i,an d those
Rue Favart who are cur ious i n such matters cantaste t here t h e Brandade, and Aioli, and Bour r id e, andBceuf endauhe wi thout makin g t he rai lway j ourney tot he land of Tartar in .
In t he Passage d es Pr inces, but a stone’ s th row from
t he boulevards, i s Noel Peters’
,an exce l lent spec imen
Noel Pet ers ’
,
of t he bourgeo is restauran t . I am24
O
Pas sage d es sorry,however
,to find that Noel
Princes Peters ’ now desc r i bes i tsel f as anAmer i can restauran t, hopi ng to d raw in to i ts nett h e thousands of Ameri cans who dr i ft th rough Pans
,
and who would sooner eat d ry hash and c rackers thant he most elaborate d ishes of t h e French cu i s ine . Th e
rooms are decorated wi th reproduct ion s of t he t i lesand stenc i lled pat terns of th e Alhambra at Granada,t h e colour of which i s very gorgeous and very beaut i ful .A large sum of money w as expended on th is decorat ion
,and i t i s wel l worth t he whi le of any one
lunch ing or d i n ing at t h e house to walk round t he
rooms and to look at the i r adornmen t . Th e pr i cesare reasonable, and t he serv ice quiet . Th e fi sh d i shesat Noel Peters’ are always excel len t
,and the so le of
t h e house i s to b e warmly recommended . Th e soleof al l soles i s
,however
,to be found further up the
boulevards,at th e Restaurant Marguery . M .Marguery ,
w ho d ied in the win ter 1 909—1 0
, i s mourned as abenefactor to Par i s
,for h e i t was who took a lead
when t he boulevard s had to b e decorated in honour ofany great celebr i ty, and he was always to t he fore i nany b ig scheme of chari ty . I f there were starv ing poorh e fed them
,and h i s name headed a l i s t of subscr i bers
ont he occasionof any great Catast rophe, such as a b ig
38 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
Beauge’ s i s another qu iet, essent 1ally French res
taurant i n th i s central quarter . It shows a brownface
,i ts pr i nci pal entrance
,and windows wi th lace
curtains to t he Rue S t . Marc, and i t has another en
Beauge s ,
trance i n one of t h e arcades beh ind t heRue S t ' Marc Vari étés
,i ts face turned towards t he
arcade be i ng rather fo rb idd ing i n appearance . It was
founded in 1 848, and except that i t i s l igh ted bye lectr ic i ty
,must now be very much as i t was when
fi rst bu i l t . Th e st reet entrance leads i n to a l i ttleante-room where cold meats and tarts and frui t are set
out temptingly . The tables are placed very c losetogether i n t he l i tt le rooms on t he ground floor, andthe lady at th e desk i s squeezed up against t he windowi n her l i t t le pen; but t he restaurant has a d i gn i ty ofi ts own
,and t he plump propr ietor i s effic ien t though
unhurryi ng . I t has i ts d ishes of t he house .
” There‘
i s,of course
,a Sole Beauge, and there i s a F ilet d e
Barbue Beauge and Rognons Beauge, and a veryspec ial Tar te Beauge. The patrons of t he restaurantare l ike i ts cookery
,comfortable and unpre ten ti ous .
Lapré’
s,i n t he Rue D ruot , next door to t he Figaro
offi ces,was origi nal ly an oyster shop
,and st i l l retain s
a l i t tle oyster bar in i ts fron t of l igh t oak . Litt leLap re s ,
curtain s of green s i lk and lace shel terRue D ru“ d iners and those who sup at Lapré
’
s
from t he eyes of th e curious outsi de . A l i tt le grottoand c reepers on trel l i s and baskets of i l luminatedflowers form part of t he adornment of t he fi rst room .
In t he second room are more i l luminated bouquets offlowers and mirrors in O r iental frames . Lapré
’
s i sopen al l n ight long
,and i s much frequented by
j ournal ists and also by pretty lad ies . It has i tsspec ial t ies
,which are most ly of fish and oysters
,and
lobsters and langoustes . It has a dozen var i ousmethods of cooking Shel lfi sh
,and i ts oyster soup and
i ts Filet d e Barbue are both excel len t .
Tar ts 39
Boilave’ s,j ust off the Faubourg Montmart re
,at t he
corner of t he Rue Montyon, has oysters i n baskets,and bottles and shel l-fish i n i ts windows . Boilave’
s ,
It would be taken by t he unin i t i ated to Rue M°ntY°n
b e a bar,but i n th e s ide st reet i s an en trance to th e
restauran t,and t he d in ing-rooms wi ll be found ont h e
fi rst floor . Boilave ’ s hold s i n Par i s very much the
posi t i on that t he Chesh i re Cheese d id i n Londonbefore i t w as d i scovered by the Amer i can tour i sts .Th e Redac t eurs-en-Chef and Sec reta i res de la Re
dac t ioncongregate there . On ly women cooks are
employed,and t he cu i s i ne i s kept r igorously bour
geoise, none of t h e fore i gn i ntroducti on s wh ich havebeen accepted by t h e haute cuisine be i n g permi tted .
Mul ler ’ s,i n t he Rue Pasquier
,wh ich i s another
j ournal i st i c resort, i s one of t he few Muner '
s ,
remain i ng l i ttle “ d i ves ” which never Rue Pasquierclose. O f course t he Coq d ’Or
,t he en trance to t he
rest auran t of which i s in t he“
Rue S t .Coq
Marc,I S t he best known of al l the Rue Montmart re
resorts of Pari s ian j ournal i s ts . I t i s and Rue St ° Mar°
part cafe,part restaurant
,t h e restaurant be ing de
corated i n t he nouveau art sty le,wh i le th e cafe i s all
of dark woods .Maire’ s
,at t he corner of t he Boulevards S t . Den i s
and S trasbourg,i s t he connecti ng l ink between the
smart restauran t and t he bourgeoi s one. At one t ime
i t used to be very smart i ndeed, but i ts cu i s i ne thenwas no better than i t i s now. If a Frenchman i staking h i s wi fe to t he Theatre Antoi ne or the Scala
,
he d ines prev iously at Mai re’ s . There Maire,are many d ishes of th e house, all good . 14 BoulevardThe poulet M a ire i s an excel len t b i rd
,
St ' D ems
there i s no bet ter fi l let of beef than that wh ich bearsthe name of the house, and i ts Sole ala Russe i s excellent . There i s ont he wine l i st a Beaujolai s wh ich isnamed Charbonn ier
,and wh ich is
,i n a way , connec ted
40 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europewi th t he r i se of t he house from very smal l beginn ings .The first propr ietor of t he restaurant found i n t he
cel lar of what had been a small wine-shop rows ofbottles under a heap of charcoal . He cal led t he win eCharbonn ier
,and i ts fame went abroad . The presen t
Charbonn ier i s t he successor of that fi rst famed Beau
jolais . I am told that Mai re ’ s under new management hopes to recover i ts former supper trade .
There are restau ran ts st i l l further up t h e b cule
vard s which deserve noti ce. When t he Fol iesD ramat iques or t he Ambigu Theatres have
,e i ther of
Gosselin,them
,a successful play
,the Restauran t
50Rue d e Bondy Gossel i n,a qu iet l i t tle it la ca r te estab
lishment at the corner of t he Rues de Bondy andd e Lancry , reaps a harvest ; and i f any adventurousBr i t i sh theatre-goer ever j ourneys so far as th e TheatreD éjaz et , he may safely d i ne at t he Restauran t Bon
Bonvalet , valet,on t he Bouleva
rd du Temple .
29 Boulevard Th e Bonvalet , wh i ch I s pa in ted brownd “ Temp le outs ide up to t he th i rd story
,and wh ich
has some big saloons for mar riage feasts and banquets,
i s a house wi th some h i story attached to i t . Undert he name of t he Cafe Turc
,i t was a fash ionable
gather i ng-place i n t he d ays of th e Fi rst Empi re .
Ladies used to go there to sup, and as a concess ion tothese fai r v isi tors no smoking was al lowed in t he cafe.
Th e Bonvalet prov ides tab/e d ’ho‘ te meals as wel l as ala car te ones
,and I have d ined there i n t he days of my
youth very sat isfy ingly for th ree francs .Les Q uatre Sergents d e Rochel le, named after theheroes of t he “ Conspi rat ion d e la Rochelle
,
” whose
Les Quat re fame h as been perpetuated by EugeneSergent s
’Sue
,i s the last restauran t I need men
3 B°ulevard,t i on on t he boulevards . It i s ont h e
Beaumarch aI S Boulevard Beaumarchai s . It i s al lwh i te outs ide
,and cream and gold wi th i n . A picture
of t he four gal lant sergents,who were so basely
4 1
betrayed by Goup illion, cl inki ng cups, i s on t he faceof t he restaurant . Inside
,t he w ine-growers and mer
chants and buyers from th e great depet across t her iver
,
‘
fine,fat
,bul l-necked gen tlemen
,eat r i c h meats
and dr ink generous wines . A filet de haeuf at t heQ uatre Sergents always seems to me to be more j u i cythan any I get elsewhere
,and t he restauran t has a
good cel lar of Burgund ies .O f restaurants away from t he Grands Boulevards
t he Boeuf a la Mode,t he Regence
,and t he Cham
peaux deserve special ment i on . Th e fi rst i s i n t he
Rue Valoi s, which runs down one s ide Boeuf h la, Mod e,of t h e Palai s Royal . Its signboard
,“ We d e ValOi S
which i s of an ox garlanded wi th flower s,has a h i s
to ry . When t h e restauran t was fi rst establ i shed inJune 1 81 6 and hung up i ts s ign of an ox dressedin garmen ts of t he fashion of t he day
,t he Comte
D ecaz es,t he then ch ief of the Par i s pol ice
,denounced
t he i nn-keeper to t he king as a revolut i onary,
and was commanded to inqui re i n to t he matter oft he sed i t i ous s ign-board
,
“ for,
”t he order ran
,
“th e
ox,the symbol of force
,i s d ressed i n red cashmere,
with a straw hat hav ing wh i te p lumes and a bluer i bb on
,and th i s hat
,which obv iously represents t he
crown,i s fall i ng off .
”T h e propr ieto r of t he res
taurant was hel d to have been prompted by notreasonab le design i n h i s cho i ce of a sign-board, butflowers were at once painted i n place of t he fash ionableclothes . I t i s quiet and qu ite comfortable . WhenI fi rst knew i t t he walls of i ts rooms were e i theroch re-coloured or covered with green t rel l i s work,but now they have become fash ionably l ight i n t int .Th e d i sh from wh ich t h e restauran t takes i ts name
i s always on t he b i l l of fare, and i s served wi thdue d ign i ty on si lver plates . I always find t he
cui s ine at th i s restauran t excel len t,and t he pr i ces
moderate . I t i s an establ i shment at wh ich I often
42 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
see Engl i sh lad ies lunch i ng wi thout escort, and the
propr ietor,w ho i s immensely proud of bei ng al lowed
to supply our Q ueen Mother wi th woodcock pates,Ch amp eaux,
Speaks Engh sh fluently . T h e Cham1 3 Place de la peaux I s t he restauran t of t he Par i sBourse Stock Exchange
,bei ng i n t he Place d e
la Bourse . I ts d in ing-room is a win ter garden, wi tht rees
,palms
,hanging baskets
,a founta in, and an
abundance of flowers as decorat ions . It was at t heChampeaux that t he Chateaubriand was i nven ted , andt he cuisi ne has always been of t he best . I needhardly pause to tel l my readers what a real Chateaubr iand i s
,but I find that even in Par i s any th ick
steak i s called by that name . Th e real Chateaubr iandwas i nvented for t he great man of that name by t hefirst Champeaux . It i s a Steak of great th i cknesswi th two th in sl i ces of rump-steak t ied above andbelow i t . Th ese sl ices are burned in t he cookingand are thrown away
,t he Steak done-th rough be i ng
passed over a bri ght fire before be ing served,to brown
i t . When Casimi r,t he celebrated cook
,left t he
Maison Dorée,he went to t he Champeaux . At
lunch—t ime t he restaurant does a great t rade,but by
t he d inner hour the bustle of t h e day has ceased,and
one d ines both le i surely and wel l . T h e cel lars of t heestab l i shmen t con tain some very fine wines . Therei s a pret ty story connected with th i s restauran t.Champeaux
,i ts founder
,as a poor boy came to Pari s
,
starv ing and w i thout a sou . A kind ly restaurateurgave h im at daybreak a d i sh of b roken food . Whenhe h imsel f was prosperous and a restaurateur h eordered that al l the food left over Should each morn ingat daybreak be given to t he hungry poor
,and th i s i s
st i l l done .
Th e Cafe d e la Regence dates back to t he year1 71 8, and i t has some very i nterest i ng rel i cs of pastglor ies kept as cur ios i t ies . It has kept abreast of the
43
t imes,an d flames wi th much l igh t outside at n ight .
It has a l i t tle room off the cafe with mi rrors andpanel s pai nted wi th flowers
,and wi th
Café d e laleather-covered seats against th e walls
,Regence, Bue
where excel len t bourgeois d ishes areSt ° H°n°re
served to i ts excel len t bourgeo i s clientele. I t i s ana la car te restauran t . Its pr i ces are moderate . Th e
café i s i n t he Rue S t . Honoré,almost opposi te to t he
Comed ic Francai se . All t he world knows Maxim ’ sas a rather no i sy suppi ng place
,where Maxim’
s ,
th e lad ies are not al l of the “ upper Rue Roy aleten but comparat ively few people know that it i sa qu iet but not unamusing restaurant at lunch anddinn er t ime
,and that i ts cookery i s not iceab ly good .
There are a dozen other restaurants away fromt he boulevards wh ich deserve a word Sy lvain’
s ,
Sylva in ’ s,for i nstan ce
,i n the Rue 1 2 Rue Halevy
Halevy,whic h at one t ime w as t h e chosen supping
place of the butterfly lad ies,b ut which now i s ch iefly
ce lebrated for an excel len t bran d of old cognac (i t haslately c hanged hands
,and M . Jarandon, t he new pro
prie tor, has smartened up t he house and advert i ses asymphon i c orchest ra and a “ terasse the
b ig Brasser ie Universel le i n t he Avenue de l’Opéra,which gives i ts cl ients a cho ice of fifty hors d
’
oeuvre; andt he Restauran t de la Rotonde i n theBoulevard Haussmann— all t h ree have fai thful and admi r ing clienteles.I f you are going by a mid-day tra in from th e GareS t . Lazare
, you can breakfast i n reasonable comfort att he Restauran t Mollard
,fac ing t h e stat ion
,or at t h e
Restauran t d e la Pepin iere, a rot isser ie which Mr .Roland Strong was t h e fi rst Engl i shman to d i scover,and wh ich has s ince prospered exceed ingly . T he foodthere i s very cheap
,and t he game and poultry are excep
t ionally wel l cooked . T he Restauran t Lequen, fac ingthe Gare du Nord, i s also a wel l-managed establ i shmen t .
44 The Gourmet’
s Guide t o Europe
TH E RE STAUR ANTS o r TH E QUART I ER
O f the restaurants of t he Q uart ier, Lavenue’
s,
opposi te t he Montparnasse Station , i s one of t he best .
Lavenue ,
I t has a cafe,t ch I S qu i te gorgeous,
68 Boulevard and In t h e three l i t tle rooms at t heMOHtPa’masse back some of t he most celebrated menof the world of art— Rodin and Falgu iere, and JeanPaul Laurens and Bonnat and Wh istler— used to meetto breakfast and to talk art . At th e Cafe
'
Soufilot
Café Soumot , t he budd ing doctors and t h e.
Studen tsBoulevard St . of the Polytechn i c hold thei r feasts °
MI Ch el and at Thi r ion ’ s,on t he Boulevard S t .
Germain,you w i l l find half t he young Br i t i sh and
Amer ican art students in Par i s at breakfast . Thi r ion’ s
looks l ike a cheap photographer ’ s studio, for i ts wal ls
Th irion, Bou1e are ch iefly of glass . A bi ll of fare i svard St . Ger pasted on t he window-panes of th emam ground floor giv ing t he pla ts d c j ourand t h e pr i ces . Just insi de, Madame, plump andsmi l ing
,s i ts at h er desk . T he wai ters rush back
wards and forwards,doing wonderful balanc ing tr i cks
wi th pi les of plates and mugs of beer,t he Ch i ckens
S tray in from t h e back yard and pick up crumbs,
and a great no i se of jovialAnglo-Saxon speech d rownst he clatter of knives and forks and plates . Thackerayused to b reakfast at Th i r ion ’ s w hen‘ h e was an artStudent
,and D i ckens knew t he l i t tle restauran t wel l .
MO NTM ARTR E RE STAURANTS
There are many places where '
one may dine,and
d ine wel l and cheaply,i n t h e Montmartre d ist r ic t ;
Rat Mort, p lace but d ifferent establ i shments gather i nPigalle a very d i fferent clientele at d ifferen thours of t he even ing . At th e Rat Mort
,i n the P lace
46 The Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europewhich was really only a garden, but wh ich had
an h i stor i c i n terest,for i t was there that t h e Coun t
d e Ne i pperg used to meet Q ueen Marie Louise .
Le Pere,however
,has d i sappeared
,t he restauran t
and parc hav ing been obl i terated by a huge musi cb all. A pleasan t old—world restauran t i s Au Perep ere Boivin, Boiv in
,i n the Avenue d e Clichy . I ts
6Avenue Clich y serv i ce i s somewhat slow,but i ts
cookery i s good and i ts pr i ces moderate . I t has agood cel lar of red wines
,and i t has a larger selec t ion
Of th e win es of Touraine and Anj ou than i s to b efound elsewhere i n Par i s . I ts Burgundy is exce l len tand cheap
,and i ts old brandy i s excel len t and rather
expensive . Var ious plots of veal k idneys are i tsspecialt ies
,and are excel lent . The downstai rs room
is rather small,but there i s a large room above. In
th i s room onSaturday even ing are o ften to b e foundwedd ing part ies of t h e t radespeople of t h e quarter
,
and the feasts are amusing to watch . Le PereBoiv in i s a bout fi fty yards from the Cl ichy stat ionof t he Met ro .
Under t he theatre and danc ing-room of the Moul i nRouge
,a place of enter tai nmen t I need not descr i be
,
MoulinRouge, is a supper and d in ing hal l opened inPlace 3151 11 011 9 t he early days of 1 908 with a greatflouri sh of t rumpets . Its decorat ions are gorgeous
,
and i t has several orchestras . W hen last I saw th i shall i t had been converted , permanen tly or as atemporary measure I know not
,i n to a ball-room
.
F OR E IGN RE STAUR ANTS AN D OY STER BAR S
If th e foreigner i n Par i s wi shes to eat t he d i shes orhi s owncountry
,Lutet ia shrugs h er pretty Shoulders
and permi ts h im to do so . Jews,Turks
,infidels
,and
all th e out landers, can d ine onfood cooked after thei r
‘Par is 47
nat ional manners,if they wi l l . If an Amer ican longs
for dry hash arid corn cakes he wil l find them atLeon Caquet ’ s Restauran t in t he Rue D aunou .
Le’ on has Succeeded V ian,who catered Leons 22 Rue
wi th wonderful success for the Engl ish 133 11 11 011
speaking colony duri ng t he dark days of the s iege .
Th e Amer icans who always cluster int he morn ingin. and round t he Banking Agency at t he corner oft he street as often as not go over to Leon ’ s forbreakfast
,and th e propr ietor
,w ho i s a good business
man, always has two or th ree typi cal Amer i can d ishesready onh is b i l l of fare . Leon ’ s i s a small restauran t
,
one l i t t le room ont he ground floor and another int he entresol
,but I should fancy that i t must be a gold
mIne to I ts owner .A very Paris ian res tauran t
,which has been partly
captured by t he United S tates,i s Prun ier ’ s
,i n t he Rue
D uphot . I t i s‘ the ari stocrat ic oyster and snai l shop
of Pari s,and i t has attached to i t p runier , Rue
a very busy restauran t,which does a D uPh Ot
great trade dur in g t he months with an r in them .
Outs ide t he establ ishmen t i s a long counter,on wh ich
are thousand s of oysters of al l t hb
e kind s beloved byFrenchmen and fore i gners
,and hal f-a dozen menare
busy all day long open ing them and packing them inl i t t le baskets for th e env ille trade
,or giv ing them
over to t h e wai ters for t he customers i n the restauran t .Th e rooms on t he fi rst floor are qu i te gorgeous
,but
t he snugges t room i s on t he ground floor,a l i t tle
b rown red-curtai ned chamber,wi th a sawdusted floor
,
where you may see fat Burgund ian s eat i ng t h e r ichsnai l s of the i r nat i ve prov ince, drawing t he longb rown
,steam ing
,gelat inous th i ngs ou t of Silver bowls
wi th S i lver two-pronged forks . T he Amer icans don ot go to Prun ier ’ s to eat snai ls, but they find thereoysters cooked i n the vari ous Styles to wh ich they areaccustomed across the Atlan t i c . _
Prun ier imports
48 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
Blue Points, h i s b ro i led lobsters are excel lent, and h i sc hef wi l l fry
,or scal lop
,or broi l
,o r stew oysters as wel l
as any cook above whom t he S tars and S tri pes wave .
I am sufficiently patr iot i c to prefer a Colchester Bagto a Boston Steak, but t he lat ter comb inati on of goodbeef and good oysters i s to b e obtai ned in perfec t ionat Prun ier ’ s .Another restauran t wh ich has an oyster bar i n t he
fron t of i ts premises is Le Grand Vatel i n t h e Rue S t .
Le Grand Vat el , Honoré, a house whi ch has had a275 Rue St . chequered ex i stence . AS t he Res
Honoretaurant des Fleurs i t made a b id to
b e one of t he supping-places of Par i s . Then i tchanged i ts name and adopted t h e Amer i can cu is ine .
It next adopted th e Russi an cui s ine . I t seems nowto exi st qui te happ i ly w i t h oysters and t he Frenchcui si ne as i ts strong card .
D rouant ’ s Restauran t,wh ich began as an oyster-bar,D rowne pmee faces Hen r i ’ s ac ross t h e P lace Gai llon .
Gai llon Its fare i s S imple and cheap,and i ts
oysters excel lent . I t mer i ts d iscovery by Anglo-Saxons .There are scores of Br i t ish bars i n Par i s where anEngl ishman
,i f he desi res a chop
,can get one
,but
most of t he Engl ish in Par i s are qui te contented wi thplai n French cookery . The Ital ians
,on t he other
hand,patron i se t he I tal ian restaurants
,and even the
French acknowledge that an Ital ian cook fries wel l,
and that t he R isot to,wi th its vari ous season ings
,t he
many d iff erent forms wh i ch t he P aste Asciut te takes,
and t he M inestrone and t he F r it to M isto,are good
d ishes . There are half-a-dozen Ital ian restauran tsi n t he centre of Par i s
,but I have on ly eaten meals
Rest aurant at two of them— t he Restaurant Ital ien,
Itali en,Pas sage t ch i s i n t he network Of galler ies
d u Montmartre behi nd t he Variété s,and Sansiarto’ s
,i n
t he Rue St . August in . The first-named was t he res
taurant at which Ross i n i used generallv to breakfast,
T’ d i’ l’
s 49
and I bel ieve i t w as there that he i nven ted t he comb inat i on of force-meat and macaron i wh ich h e taugh tt h e chef of t he Maison Dorée to make
,and wh ich
bears h i s name . Th e Restauran t I tal ien has manymi rrors and a fr ieze of Ital ian land scapes . GreatCh iant i flasks stand i n plated tr i pods ona Shel f
,and
ont he desk,beh ind wh i ch two comfortable lad ies i n
black are enth roned,are two great bowls fi l led wi th
flowers or br i ght-t i nted fol iage . Th e wai ters al l wearmoustaches . This
,un t i l three years ago
,was a proof
ev i dent that they were not Par i s ians ; but sin ce the greatS tr ike every wai ter i n Par i s may grow a moustache i fh e wishes to
,and many of t hem have done SO. On
Monday,at t he Restauran t Ital ien
, y ou wil l findLasagne P asst iccia te as t he pla t du j our , onTuesdayOsso Buco
,onWednesday R isot to it la M ilana ise
,on
Thursday and Sunday Ravioli and TimbaleM ilanaise,
an d onFriday a select i on of Ital i an d i shes of fi sh .
T h e Z abaj one, t he I tal ian egg-nogg
,
'which can b ed runk e i ther ho t or cold
,i s admi rably made at the Res
taurant I tal ien . M inest rone i s t he soup of t he house.
Sansiarto’
s i s t h e home of Neapol i tan Sansiart o, Rue
cookery,for Sansiarto came from S t August in
Naples,and so did h i s successo r Bernascon i
,and al l
t he d i shes of t h e south,the M oz a relle inCaroz z a
,
t he P i z z a a lla P iz z aio/a,and t he o t her pla ts of that
sunny land,are ob tainable there . The Posilippo of
t he house i s excel len t .Th e Span ish restauran t wh ich bears th e name of
Senor Don JoseRoblez Ruiz, i n t he Rue d e Helder,i s an excel len t restaurant in wh i ch to Roblez ,
1 4 Rue
s tudy t he S pan i sh cu i s i ne,for t he oil d e fi elder
used there i s above reproach , and the garl i c i s not toomuch i nsi sted on . T h e restauran t has rooms bothont he ground and fi rst floors
,and t he decorat ions
are br i l l ian t ly-coloured pi ctures of t he modernSpan ish school . When a pretty lady
,her hai rD
50 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europepi led h igh after t he Andalus ian fash ion
,S i ts at the
l i t tle desk,with t he plates of oranges and apples before
her,and t he patchwork of a r i ch-coloured landscape
beh ind her,She forms qui te a perfect study of Span i sh
l i fe. An old wai ter,wi th t he head of a Roman
senator and a method of talking French wh ich recall st he hard c l i ck of t he castanet tes
,wil l always adv ise
t he nov i ce as to what h e Should order,and tel l h im
how t he d i shes of t he day,t he Guisillio
,t he Cocido
,
t he d r roz,or t he Bacalao
,are prepared . Senor Don
José had a fine cel lar of Span i sh wi nes,and Léon
,
who has succeeded h im,sees that both t he cookery
and the cel lar of t he house are kept up to the mark .
There are several Austr i an and Hungarian res
taurant s i n Pari s, the most typical one bei ng that i n t heWid erman, 5 Rue Hautev i l le
,kept by M . W id erman
,
Rue Hallt evme where floors and walls are of comfortableb rown
,and seascapes form t he decorat ions . All the
appet i s in g snacks the Austr ians love— the smokedgoose’ s breas t
,t he l i tt le sausages
,t he many cold pre
parat ions of fish— are to be found here ; and th e
Res taurant cui s i ne i s that of V ienna. T he ResTcheque, 7 Rue taurant Tcheque, kept by Madamed e P°rt mah°n Husak, i n t he Rue de Por t Mahon
,
almost Opposi te to Cerny ’ s Bar,wh ich has replaced
t he Cabaret Lyonnai s,i s celebrated for i t s Gulyas .
Greeks i n the Rue d es Ecoles,Turks in t he Rue
Cadet, and other O r ien tals, have thei r own res
taurants i n various parts of Pari s,mostly across t he
bridges ; but t he man w ho faces th e del i cac ies of thenear East, as served in t he West
,requ i res a stomach
of the poet ’ s tr i p le brass .
TH E CH EA P RE STAURANTS
A word as to t he very cheap restauran ts of Pari s.
The Bou i l lon s Duval and the Boui llons Boulant are
‘Par is 5 1
extremely c heap o la ca r te establ i shments,and two
francs goes a long way toward s obtai n ing a sat i sfyi ng meal . O f t he many very cheap tahle d
’lz dte
estab l i shmen ts,Ph i l i ppe’ s
,on t he fi rs t floor of a
house i n t h e Palai s Royal,i s a typi cal Ph i li p p e,
Palai sone . Half-pay officers
,authors
,and Roy al
j ournal i sts,and a great number of c lerks and other
men of t he pen, patron i se Ph i l i ppe’ s . Th e custom
there wag for t he c l ients of t h e estab l i shment to s i t atlong tables . D i rect ly al l t he seats at a table werefi l led t he wai ter s took round t he two soups
,of which
a cho i ce was given,and t he d inner commenced .
Nowadays small tab les have replaced t he real tabled’
ho‘
te. The charge for lunch i s 1 f. 60 c .
,for d i nner
2 f. 1 0 c .I should say a word for t he table d
’
ho‘
te breakfastsboth at t he Grand Hotel and at t he Con t i nental .Each i s an excel len t 5 francs worth .
TH E RE STAUR ANTS O F TH E SUBUR B S
The Pav i l lon Henri IV .
,on t he terrace of S t .
Germain,where every travel l i ng Br i ton
Pavi llonHenriand Amer i can b reakfasts once dur ing IV. ,
S t .
h is summer stay i n Par i s,i s run’ ’
byGermam
t he managemen t of t he Champeaux,and one gets
very excel len t cooking and serv ice i n consequence,
t he pr i ces no t be in g at al l exorb i tan t. One groans,S i t t ing at th e l i t tle tab les ont he terraces and looki ngat t he v iew
,to th i nk of t he chances some of our hotels
near London,with even finer v iews
,th row“ away
th rough lack of enterpr ise .
Th e Pav i llon Bleu at S t . Cloud, at th e footof t he terrace S lope
,and hav ing a fine v iew of t he
Se i ne,i s a c heerful l i ttle restauran t Paw-111011 3 1311 ,
with good cookery and a cap i tal cel lar St Cloudof wines . M . Moreaux, w ho i s a power inth e
5 2 The Gourmet’
s Guide to Europeworld of restaurants, has, or had, an i n terest i n t he
restaurant ; he bought many of t h e b in s of fine wineat t he sale of t he Maison Dorée and sent them out toSt . Cloud . The wedd ing part ies wh ich patron ise t hecheaper restauran ts i n the town are a never-end ingsource of amusement .Th e Pav i l lon d e Belle Vue
,whi ch has a Splend id
v iew over t he Sei ne,i s also ont he w es
tern si de j ust outside Par i s . N5 Poullardhas acqui red th i s restauran t .Th e Porte Jaune
,
’
on an i sland in one of t he lakesof t he Bo is de Vincennes, i s a merry restauran t . Th e
Porte Jaune pr i ces are cheap,the food i s p lai n but
Beis d e suffic iently wel l-cooked,and i ts great
vmcennes attract i on i s that b reakfast ing there ona Sunday or ona hol iday one i s r igh t away from t h e
tour i st ’ s beaten track,and that one can see the people
of Par i s enj oyi ng themselves at the i r ease . Anotherl i t tle cafe res taurant on t h e i sland in t he Lac de S t .Mandé i n t he Boi s d e Vincennes i s also qui te an .
amusing place to v is i t .At t he much-advert i sed Casino of Engh ien-les
Casino, Engh ienBain s there i s a restauran t overlookingleS ‘ Bains t he lake
,where t he cookery i s good
,
and the pr ices at a correspond ing he igh t . Th is i st he menu of a d in ner at wh i ch I was one of t he
guests, which was a very careful ly ordered and wel l
cp oked and wel l-served feast
Belle Vue
Hors d ’oeuvre.
Consommé Madri lene.
Creme d e poisson Soubise.
Barbue a la Russe.
S elle d e Behaque a la Montmorency.
Poularde encocotte Grande Cercle .
Aubergines Cochach inois .
Profiterolles D ésir d u Roi.F r iandi ses.
54 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
At Versai l les t h e classi c restauran t at wh ic h tolunch i s that of t he Hotel des Reservoi rs, Madame
de Main tenon ’ s old v i l la . All t heHotel d esReservoirs crowned heads w ho Vi s i t t he palace“ names
are given an off i c i al lunch at t he
Reservo i rs . Below i s t h e menu of dej euner off eredthere by t he Pres i den t of t he Republ i c to KingEdward and '
Q ueen Alexandra on 4t h FebruaryI 9O7
Hors-d ’ oeuvre vanes.(Eufs broui l lés pointes d
’asperges .
F i lets d e Sole Mornay.
Noisette d ’Agneau.
Pommes d e terre nouvel les.Chicorée a la Creme .
Poulardes froides .
Salade.
Pots d e creme, vanille et chocolat.D esserts varies .
This i s an excel lent menu to suggest anylarge party . My exper ience th i s year of t he restanran t of t he hotel
,which has a b ig glassed-over balcony
,
i s that the pri ces are qui te moderate,but that t he
serv i ce i s rough . In old days th e wai ters i n blackt ies and d ress coats had t he d ign ity wh ich comes ofserv i ng i n ahouse wh ich entertai ns kings . But theyhave been told SO often to hustle along by Amer ican patron s that they now almost fli ng t he food atthe i r cl ients .T h e Hotel d es Reservo i rs now has a r ival i n the
newly-bui l t Trianon Palace Hotel at th e corner oft he park . T he restauran t of th i s hote lhas a long open-ai r terrace
,the v iews
from wh i ch are agreeable,and onth i s ter race a 6-fran c
breakfast and a 7-franc d in ner are served . I breakfasted there during the early days of the hotel ’s exist
TrianonPalace
Tunisence, and found the serv i ce rather con fused
,but no
doubt th i s has now been altered for the bet ter .There i s a l i t t le restauran t on t h e Isle de la Jattewh ich acqui red a reputat ion for good
Restaurant d ebreakfasts when t h e i s land was a fa la Grande Jat t e,
vourite ground for duel l i sts to set t le 1819 d e la Jatteaffai rs of honour ; and any one who wishes to see t he
Pari s ian counterpart of our Hampstead can d ine ona platform amidst t he fol iage of t he big
Le Vrai Robint rees at Sceaux—Rob inson
,and can pul l son
,Sceaux
up to h is eyr ie t he basket,con tain ing R°b ins°n
cold fowl and bott le of red wine and a yard of bread,
by a rope .
I am told that the Rond Royal at Compeigne hasa pleasan t restaurant at wh i ch to breakfast
,but I
cannot wr i te from personal exper ience of i t .
TH E BILL AND TI P S
I now come to t he very importan t matter of pr i ces .A F renchman wi ll tel l one that i t i s poss i ble by carefulcho i ce of d i shes to obtaintwo good meals at a comfortable restaurant a la car te for t ento twelve francs aday . My experience i s that an Engl i shmanwho I S i nPar is to enj oy h imself
, going to t he best restauran ts,
and ne i ther St i n t ing h imsel f nor launch ing ou t i n toextravagance
,spends about fi fteen to S i xteen francs on
h i s breakfast and from e ighteen to twenty fran cs onh i s d i nner . For i n stance
,t he last t ime I d i ned at t he
CafeAngla i s by mysel f,th is was my d i nner A hal f
dozen O stend oysters,Potage Laitues et Quenelles,
M erlans F rits,Cuisse de P oularde Ratie
,Salade Romaine
,
some cheese,half a bot tle of Graves 1 e Cru, and a
bott le of St . Galm ier . It was a very S imple d inner,but I d i d not want an elaborate one
,as I was go ing
on to a theat re. Thi s d inner cost me e i ghteen francs .When two people d ine together the cost a head i s
56 The Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europealways less than for a S i ngle d inner, and in many oft he restauran ts one portion i s qu i te suffi c ient for two
people . This used to be t he case i n all,but now on
many of t he car tes du j our t he myst i c let ters P . P .
”
fol low t he pri ces,which mean that t he figures Show
what i s charged per personne. Somehow or anothera Frenchman and h i s wi fe always d ine more cheaplythan an Engl i shman and h i s wi fe . It i s
,I bel ieve
,
because t h e ma itre d’
hdtel wil l general ly save t he
pockets of h is compatr iots i f h e can,but has not
the same sympathy fer the Strangers who come to t herestauran t .I wi l l take as be i ng typical three other b i l ls I havepreserved . One i s for a lunch for two people atMai re’ s : H ers d
’
oeuure,a di sh of eggs and tomatoes
,
a Filet M aire and potatoes,cheese
,a couple of pears
,
a bottle of t he Charbonn ier of the house,and a bott le
of mineral water . The total of th is w as 1 8 f. 50 c .At t he Restauran t Laperouse I have eaten prawn s
,
always anexpensi ve d ish,Bisque, Filets de Sole Lape
rouse,Noiset tes d e Veau Saute
'
es Champignons, H a ricots
Ver t s nouveaux,and a Sl i ce of cheese
,and d rinking a
bottle of Musigny,have been charged
,for two
,Spl i t
t i ng t he port i ons,1 7 f. Breakfast ing by mysel f at
t he “ Au Pere Boiv i n,I have eaten Gouj ons F r it s,
a D emi-Noiset te d e F ilet Gr ille'
Sauce Estrogen, andCepes Bordela ise
,have d runk hal f a bott le of Vouv ray
,
and have been charged 7 f.To these totals t he t i ps must be added . In th e
expensive restaurants a franc per lou 1s or a franc perhead i s t he least t he head wai ter expec ts
,and I am
so rry to say that w e Engl i sh and t he Amer i cans haveso spoi l t th e market that a fran c i s scarce ly rece i vednow with a “ Thank you
” at t he smart restauran ts.
T he sommel ier i s always ont h e watch expect ing at i p
,t he port ier who takes the hats and coats and the
chasseur who cal ls a fiacre are permanently hopeful .
‘Par is 57
A half franc ap iece to these worth ies i s more thansuffi cient . If one i s fai rly gen erous three francsShould see one clear after d i nner or breakfast ; butsome mendeal ou t francs to every servant who looksas though he would l ike one .
TH E PAR I S CLU B S
Th e Club l i fe of t he Par i s ians d iff ers very considerably from t he Club l i fe ofBri tai n and Amer i ca . In aPar i s i an
,or i ndeed any club of t he con t inental nat i ons
,
t h e “ i n troducers of any cand idate have,when h e
becomes a member,a far larger responsi b i l i ty than
t he proposer and seconder of a cand idate for anyLondon or New York club . T he i n troducers
,
amongst other dut ies,are expected to present the
new member to such gentlemenof t he club as areof the i r acquain tance
,and t he new member has to
record i n h i s memory t he faces of those gentlemento whom he has been i ntroduced and be ready togreet them . This et iquet te makes al l c lub l i fe al i t tle d i fficul t to t he Engl i shman or Amer i can w hofor : the fi rst t ime becomes a member of a pure lyFrench club
,o r of a club organ i sed onFrench models .
T he Anglo-Saxons inPar i s,to escape th i s e t iquette
,
have always of late years possessed a c lub or c lubs ofthe i r own.
Among theAnglo-Saxon clubs wh ich are i n existencei n Par i s at t he present t ime i s t he Travel lers ’ Club int he Avenue d es Champs Elysees .
.
TheTh e Traveners ’
house,t he Hote l PaV I a
,has h i story Club , Avenue
at tached to i t . It was presented to a d es Qh amp sEly seesgreat demi-monda ine In t h e days of t he
Second Empi re,and i ts salons became a centre of the
dragon-fly l i fe of impen i tent Par i s . When Francefe l l sobb ing i nto Russi a ’ s arms, proclaiming that Shehad at last found h er amant de coeur
,Cubat
,t he wel l
5 8 The Gourmet’
s Guide to Europeknown restaurateur of St . Petersburg, w ho had beencook to a Czar
,thought that
'
as Par i s loved St . Petersburg so ardently
,loui s might be co ined in a Restauran t
Cubat i n Pari s wh i le on ly roub les were to be takenin S t . Petersburg . Th e Restaurant Cubat
,excel len t
as i t was,wi th i ts mixture of t he French and Russ ian
cui sines,d id not “ catch on in Par i s
,and after the
great Exposi t i on of 1 900 Cubat wen t back to S t .Petersburg . For a wh i le t he Hotel d e Pav ia remainedempty
,but eventually t he Travel lers ’ Club was formed
onEuropean l ines,hav ing an attached assoc iat ion InLondon
,and i t has become an admi rab ly managed
club on t he same l ines as t he best London c lubs,and
wi th a subsc r i pt i on equal ly h igh .
The Br i t i sh Club,which has been in existence a
dozen or more years,has had many homes . It began
Th e Bri t i sh l i fe i n th e Grand Hotel,emigrated to
ome g goule t he Boulevard d es Capucmes,moved
KaraMales on to th e Rue de l
’
Arcade,and now
,erbes
at last,seems to b e securely establ i shed
i n t he Boulevard Malesherbes,not a stone ’ s th row
from t he Madele i ne. T he tax t he French authori t ieslevy onclubs has been a d iffi culty wh ich t he Br i t i shClub has had to meet
,and
,l i ke t he Travel lers ’
,i t has
faced i t successful ly . Th e subscr i ption to Br i t i shmembers resid ing in Pari s i s £2 a year, and there i s asmall entrance fee . Th e c lub has fore i gn and countrymembers
,and i t extends th e priv i lege of temporary
membersh ip to certain of the London clubs. Th e
Br i t i sh Club has anEngl ish b i ll i ard-table,a read ing
room , and a certain number of bedrooms for the use
of I ts members .Th e Lawn Tenn i s Club ont he Isle des Puteauxi s a pleasan t place at wh ich to take afternoon t ea
Tenni s Club , under t he b ig sunshades,and in t he
1 5 19 C19 5 Put eaux summer-t ime i s a meet ing-place for t hesmart people of t he French and Anglo-Saxon world
.
‘P ar is 5 9
The Polo Club at Bagatel le i n t h eBoi s de Boulogne,
close to Longchamps,i s to Pari s what Ranelagh and
Hurl ingham are to London . It has i tsl i t tle pav i l ion where t he lad ies take t ea
,Bagatelle
and i t s flower-beds and decorati on are very wel larranged . Bagate l le has i ts gymkhanas, i t s races forch i ld ren
,and i ts compet i t i on s for lad ies
,after the
manner o f th e clubs upon wh ich i t i s model led .
I f La Boulie had done noth ing e lse to deserve fame,
t he fact that i t was t he t rain i ng ground onwh ichMassy
,one of t h e world ’ s champions
, Golf club ,
learned h i s golf would make i t n otable .La 3011119
Great at ten t ion has been g iven to t he greens . Theyhave been part ially underla id wi th sand
,and i n t he
summer are watered dai ly .
O f t he purely Par i s ian clubs i n Par i s t he UnionClub i s t h e most exclus ive. I t corresponds perhapsmore nearly to th e London Marl
Cercle d eborough Club than to any other c lub l
’
Union, Boule
I know . Its Club-house i s on the Vard d e:13
Boulevard d e la Madelei ne,where i t
mad eleme
occupies two floors of one of t he b ig houses . Therei s very l i ttle card-playing at t he Union
,t he t rad i t ions
of t he c lub be i ng that it Should b e a salon and not agaming-place
,and pol i t i cs are kep t r igorously i n t h e
background . It has nearly 400 permanen t member sand a l i tt le over 2 00 honorary members . King Edwardwas one of th e permanen t members .T he best known of t h e Par i s clubs i s undoubted ly
t he Jockey Club . If noth ing else about i t i s re
membered,t he S tory of
.
Isabe l le t heTh e Jockey
flower-g i rl,w ho w as prac t i cal ly adopted Club , Boulevard
by t h e club,can always b e recal led .
d es capucmes
Th e club was founded by an Engl i shman, LordSeymour
,and many of t he members of the Br i t i sh
Jockey Club also belong to t h e French one. Acommission of dukes ” secured t he presen t club
60 The Gourmet’
s Guide to Europe
house on t he Boulevard d eS Capuc ines and superi ntended the furn i sh ing and adornmen t of i ts verycomfortable rooms .T he Club of t h e Rue Royale i s very much l ike any
of our large London soc ial clubs . It i s at t he corner
Cercle d e la Rue of t h e Rue Royale i n t he great HotelRoy al e ,
P1ace d e Choislin; one face looks onto t he P lacela C°n°°rd e de la Concorde and t he other looksacross t he Rue Royale to t he Min istry of Marine .
Some of t he Engl i sh res idents in Pari s belong toth i s club .
Every one w ho has walked in t he Champs Elyseeson a fine summer day has not iced t he well-groomed
elderly gentlemen w ho Sit ont he rai sedCercle d e1’
UnionAr t i s terrace at t he corner of t he Rue Bo1ssy1510111 9 , Rue d
’
Anglas and watch t he people comingBoi ssy d ’
Angla's and going from t he P lace d e la Concorde to t he Champs Elysees . These are t he membersof t h e Epatant, as t he Cerc le de l
’
UnionArt i st iquei s fami l iarly cal led . This c lub i s t he most amusingof al l t he Paris i an clubs
,and i ts fetes
,i ts theatr i cals
,
i ts art exh i b i t i on s,have gained for i t i ts aston i sh ing
n ickname .
O ther Pari s ian club s are the Automobi le,next door
to the Cercle d e la Rue Royale,which has a garden
on i ts roof ; the Mili tary Club in t he Avenue d e
l’
Opera ; and t he Cerc le Agricole, which i s t he mostar i stocrat ic and enti rely French of al l t he clubs .
A FTE R D INN ER
To give any desc ri pt ion of t he performances l ike lyto be found at t h e opera-houses and theatres and musi challs of Par i s would be an impossi ble task
,for there i s
a constan t change not only i n t he enter ta inmen ts,but
In the style of entertai nment as wel l . The Operaand the O pera Comique
,of course
,are stand ing d i shes
FRENCH PROV I NC I AL TOWNS
Some D ish es of th e Provinces— Calais— Boulogne -VVimereux
H ard elot—Le Touquet—Montreuil-Sur-Mer -Diepp e —Puy sPourvil le—Etretat—H avre S t . Adresse Gonnevil le— D uClair Rouen Honfleur Trouvil le Caen D ives Ch erbourg—Granvi l le—Mont S t . Mich el—S t . MalO—CancaleDinard— Roscoff— Brest—Quimper Pont Aven QuimperleBordeaux—Arcach on Biarri t z —Marseil les —Cannes —NiceBeaulieu—Monte Carlow Mentone—The Py renees—Pau
Aix-leS-Bains w Vich y .
WHEN I sat down to wr i te for t he fi rst ed i t ion of th i sbook a chapter ont h e cookery and restauran ts of t heb ig towns and bath ing-places and summer towns ofFrance
,I had no idea of t h e impossi ble task I had
undertaken . I had,to use an express ive Amer i can ism
,
b i tten off more than I could Chew . No chapter couldpossi b ly cover th i s wide subj ec t ; only a large bookwould do i t j ust i ce ; and that book i s not l ike ly to b ecompi led
,for no Frenchman would have t he pat ience
to wr i te i t,no German t he taste
,and no Engl i shman
th e knowledge . Almost every town of any importance has some spec ial d i sh or some Spec ial pate of i t sown
,there are hundreds of good old i nns where t he
cui s i ne i s that of the i r prov i n ce,and there are great
t racks of coun try,which ought to b e marked by
some spec ial colour onal l guide-book maps,where
t he cookery i s un iversally good . D O you know t he
Chapeau Rouge at D unkerque,t h e good Old i nn
wi th a card inal ’ s hat as a c rest,where the cookery
62
French (Provincial Towns 63
i s that of t he northern prov inces at i ts best,and
where t he Friday d iner maigre i s a good example of
what good ecc les i ast ical cookery used to b e ? AtLi lle t here i s a res taurant
,t he D ivour
,t he en trance
to wh ich i s up a passage lead ing from t he main St reet,
which Should be i n cluded in any guide to good eat i ngi n Fran ce
,and I am sorry not to d iscourse onth is and
t he buff et at t he stat ion,wh ich is i n h igh favour wi th
t he townspeople . Do y ou know the Cloche at Dij on 9and t he Univers at Per igueux ? and t he Cambronn eat Nantes ? and t he Lion d ’Or at Reims P Thesewhich come t o my mi nd as I wri te are but a few of
t he tens of hundreds of i nn s and taverns of big townsi n France which deserve each a chapter
,but wh ich
are beyon d th e scope I am go ing to allow mysel f.One except ion I am making to my ownrule
,and that
i s,that I hope to i n c lude i n o ther ed i t i ons of th i s book
some i n format ion as to the restaurants and d in i ngplaces to be met wi th onfavouri te exped i t i ons i n th ei n ter i o r of Fran ce . I have made a beginn ing i n th i sed i t ion by giv ing attent ion to t he tours of t he Romanc i t ies i n Provence
,and have wri tten a few word s
about the towns of the Loi re .
It somet imes happens that a gourmet making aj ourney through some port i on of France i n searchof t he pi c turesque find s h imsel f i n a d i str i c t of goodcooks
,and makes note of t he fac t and enj oys thei r
hand iwork . Thi s occurs more often in t he southernprov inces than elsewhere . Leav ing the Roman c i t iesof Provence
,and t he Provencal cookery, t h e gourmet
who has t ime to j ourney lei su rely, and has an automob i le at h i s command
,may make a most pleasan t
j ourney of gastronomic explorat ion in t he d istr i ctbetween Montpel l ier and Toulouse, which I s a c rad leof great cooks
,and where t h e t rad i t ion s of the cookery
of the Romaris,brought by great sold iers and great
admin i strators into Gaul, st i l l l inger . The land of
64 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
t he Meuse,t h e Mosel le
,and t he Saone
,from Verdun
down to Dij on,i s another and a more northerly
parad ise of good cookery . In D ordogne there i s nota peasant who cannot give a travel ler enpanne atruffled omelet te which would make an alderman ’ smouth water
,and a tumbler of t h e winpierre af usil,
which i s qu i te one of t h e best o f t h e wines of t h epeople ; and all t he Mid i from the Alps to t h e Pyrenees i s a happy hunt i ng ground for t h e gast ronome .
In th i s chapter,however
,I on ly
,wi t h t h e excep
t i ons I have al ready stated,i ntend to wri te of t hose
seaside towns of amusement to wh ich an AngloSaxon i s l ikely to go to enj oy h imsel f i n summer o rautumn or win ter
,and t he towns i n thei r ne ighbour
hood to wh ich excurs ion s wi l l probably b e made ;of t he pr inc i pal “ cure ” places to wh ich aBr i ton or anAmeri can i s l ikely to be sent by h i s docto r
,and of
t he b ig ports at wh ich a travel ler go ing to or comingfrom France may b e obl iged to remain for a fewhours or a few days . I roughly follow t he coastl i ne i n wri t i ng of the var ious towns ont he sea .
CALA I S
Calai s, now that i t possesses a br igh t l i tt le casinoon th e beach
,wh ich
,of course
,possesses a restauran t
,
and has had i ts bath ing mach ines newly pain ted,
asp i res to be a “ resort,
” and considers i tsel f j ust asgood as any of i ts ne ighbours . Its buffet at th e
Gare Mari t ime st i l l remains t he bes tof i ts restaurants . Th e Calai s buffet
has always had t he reputat ion of be ing t he best,or
one of t h e best,rai lway refreshment rooms in Fran ce
and though t he typi cal Engl i shman i n a hurry general ly calls for S tewed ch icken and mashed potatoes
,and
tel ls t he wai ter to Open t h e bottle of wine wh ichi s nearest to h im on t he table
,t he man who i s not
Gare Mari t ime
French (Provincial Towns 65
suffer ing from train fever asks t h e cook what i s i n thedozen chafing d i shes and casseroles wh ich are kept hoton t h e centre table
,looks at t he vegetab les
,and gives
a glance at t he buffe t of cold meats and t he fru i t counterbefore h e S i ts down and orders h i s breakfast . The
minute occup ied by doing th i s i s no t misspent .
AFTER D I NNER
If you are detained at Calai s (and every man at leastonce i n h i s l i fet ime i s detai ned at Cala is) you will probably find a t ravel l ing company
,Should t he per i od of
t h e year be win ter,playing in t he theatre
,which
stands i n a square j ust off t he Avenue Leon Gambetta .There i s a second theatre i n t he old port ion Of t hetown
,c lose to the Hotel de Guise . In t he summer
t he even ing’ s amusements are focussed at the l i t t leCasino .
BOU L O GNE
Before turn ing my atten t ion to t he exis t in g res
tau rant s i n Boulogne let me drop a figurat ive tearfor t he smallest and most d ist i n ct ive of t he Boulognerestaurants
,t he l i t t le wh i te cafe-restauran t ont he north
pier,wh ich has been dest royed by fire . The moules
to be ob tai ned there were always of t he freshest, andi ts fish d i shes— Sole Normande or Sole au <vinblanc orSole D ieppoise
—were excel lent,for i t has one of t h e
best fi sh markets int he world to d raw upon . Ihave eaten as good a Cha teaubr iand there as any mancould requ i re. When the improvements to t he barbour are comple ted a new north pier, giv ing a widerentran ce
,i s l i kely to b e amongst them,
and t he l i t tlewhite restaurant wi l l probably b e re-erected onth i sp ier .An able gentleman , M . de St . And re, has be
E
66 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europecome t he new d i recto r of the Boulogne Casi no, andamongst the departments wh i ch h e has galvan ised i n toCasino l i fe i s the restau ran t . One of th e proBestaU-mnt
prietors of Maire’ s,i n Par i s
,i s now t h e
lessee of t he restaurant,and gives h is personal atten
t ion to i ts management . Th e banquets wh i ch are
given there are qui te good examples of b ig d inners,
and as a change from t he tahle d’
ho‘
te meals Of t h e hotelsa b reakfast ont he terrace may be safely essayed .
In the town,i n t he Rue de l a Coupe
,there i s a
Th e Roy al Oak ,l i t t le tavern
,t he Royal Oak, kept by
Rue d e 13“COU‘lf’e an Engli shman . T he Royal Oak is
renowned for i ts hams and i ts W elsh-rabbi ts .The buffet at t he Gare Mari t ime i s an uncer tai nquant i ty . I have known i t at per i ods to be anGare Mari t ime example to Engl i sh rai lway refreshmen tBuffet rooms
,but at other t imes i t d rops down
to t he unappet i s i ng level of t he usual stat ion buffet .There i s a petit salonlead ing out of t he la rge roomwh ich i s a pleasan t place i n wh ich to d ine
,and a let ter
or a te legram to secure th i s room and a Spec ial lyordered l i tt le d inner or b reakfast i s a precaut ion Ialways take if I entertai n one or two people whi lewai t ing to catch a trai n at th e othe r s tat ion .
Thi si s one of t he d inners wh ich a manager prov ided onone of these occasi on s
Salade Boulonnaise .
Consommé Royal .F i let de Sole ensurprise.
Tournedos Pr incesse.
D essert.
T he salade i s a savoury m ixture i n wh ich moulesplay a lead ing part . Th e filet d e sole was surpr i sedto find i tsel f i ns ide a potato baked wi th i ts j acket on.
T he confectioner’
s Shop of Caveng i n th e RueVi c tor Hugo must be ment ioned i f only because more
French (Provincial Towns 67
l i t t le cakes and other con fec t ionery find thei r wayfrom that Shop across t he Channe l to l i t t le Engl i shch i ld ren than from any other Shop in Caveng
’
s, Rue
France. There i s a comfortable t ea Victor Hugoroom adj o i n i ng t he Shop
,and a salon beh ind i t . T ea
i s not t h e only l iqu i d served in th i s annexe,for an
Engli shman w ho wants a wh i sky and soda or a glassof wine can get ei ther of them there .
TH E BO ULO GN E CLUB S
The Engl i sh c lub of Boulogne no longer ex ists .Its numbers dwindled to twelve
,and then two of
t hose tw elve quarrel led,and the c lub d issolved i tsel f.
A card wi th a good London club i n a corner andt he payment of five franc s secure en trance to t he
Club P r iv é of t he Cas ino .
A good deal of money has been Spent i n putt ingi n good order t he golf l i nks near Wimereux .
AFTE R D I NNE R
In t he summer t ime the theatre of the Casi no catersfor t he needs of the Boulogne publ i c, and gives themin turn comedy
,operet ta
,and “ Music Hall ” per
formances. T he stock company takes hol iday shouldany S tar wi th h i s or h er owncompany pay a v i si t toBoulogne. In t he winter the town theatre
,just off
t he main street of th e town , i s open , bu t the per formauces are not too wel l pat ron ised . A carn i val ball
,
however,at th i s theatre i s wel l worth see i ng
,b e
cause of t he extrao rd inary mixture of people w ho
form t he dancers . The best S i gh t t hat Boulogne hasto Show after d in ner i s a Bal Populai re i n t h e groundsof t he Casi no
,a ball at whi ch th e fi sher gi rls i n the i r
d istinct i ve costume form the maj or i ty of the dancers .
68 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europ
W IM ER EU X , H AR D E LOT ,L E TOUQU ET
T he l i tt le towns to t he south of Boulogne, andwi th i n easy reach
,I know better t han I do those to
t he north . Wimereux, t he nearest nort herly town,has i ts two or th ree hotel s al l w i th res tauran ts, andSp lendid Hot el , of these t h e Splend i d seems t he mostWimereux popular . There i s a cafe i n t he CaS Ino,and a theatre
,but I do not remember a restauran t
there. To t he sou th of Boulogne, Mr . Wh i t ley,Hot el d es Man who made h istory as t he organ iser ofmouset s , Har th e fi rs t Earl ’ s Court exh i b i t i ons
,
d elol " secures duri ng the summer season acook from one of t he b ig London restaurants for th eHost elerie d es Marmousets at Hardelot .The cookery at Le Touquet i s qui te good . M .
D iet te,w ho was at t he Berkeley in London and after
wards at t he Pala is at Biarr i tz,i s t he lessee of th ree of
t he hotels,t he Golf Hotel, t he Atlan ti c, an d the Her
mitage,and h e has good cooks at all of them
,and gets
all h i s meat and h i s fowls and most of h i s other proTh e Hot els of v i s i ons from Par i s . Madame MoustonLe Touquet at t he Regina
,and t he propr ietor of th e
Hotel des Angla is follow su i t . Though t he golfersw ho come over from England to play on the l inkssomet imes grumble at t he Le Touquet pr i ces
,they
rarely abuse the cookery .
Le Touquet-Pari s Plage,t he town sett lements
,
boasts two Cas inos,one i n the forest and t he other
on t he sea fron t . Li ttle horses,baccarat
,and an
enter ta inment of some ki nd in t he theat re are to befound at both duri ng t he summer season .
MONTR EU I L-S U R-M ERAny one i n terested i n old France and old French
customs and old F rench manners Should go from
70 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeRestauran t in t he Grande Rue was one of t he bestd i n i ng—places i n t he prov i nces of France. Y ou d inevery wel l nowadays i n D ieppe
,for t he restauran t of
t h e Casi no and t h e Royal,i n friend ly r i val ry
,keep
each other wel l u p to t h e mark . Th e Royal i s oneof th e Gordon Hotels, and M . Varnier
,
who in win ter i s to b e found at th eMetropole
,Monte Carlo
,i s t h e d i rector . T h e
windows of t he restauran t of t h e hotel look over t hegreat S t retch of grass wh ich separates t h e houses of t hePlage from t he sea. Th e pr i ces of t he Royal are sai dto be h igh
,but I found that I d i ned i n t he very pret ty
l i tt le restaurant of t he hotel j ust as we l l «as I shouldhave d ined i n a first-c lass Par i s ian restauran t
,and that
t he pr ices were those of Par i s . This i s one of t hel i t tle d i nners for two I ate at t h e Royal
,very wel l
cooked,very wel l served
,and not cost i ng a fortune
Hot el Roy al
Cantaloup F rappe.
Potage S t . Germain.Rouget enPapillot te .
Cotelette d e Veau enCocotte.
Aubergines F rits .
Coupe Royal .
The Cas ino Restaurant i s managed by M . Doucoudert
,w ho i s t he proprietor of t he Grand Hotel .
Th e Casino I t i s a wh i te room,with a wal l of
ReS tau mnt windows looking out on to the
terrace and the sea. O f an even ing i t i s p leasan t toS it at one of t h e open windows and to look ont he
terrace i n half l igh t w i t h i ts l i tt le tables and i tsgroups of people walking lei surely backwards and forwards, and to hear t he sound of the waves break ingont he beach, mingl i ng wi th t he strain s of th e band .
Onfire-work n ights there i s no better pos i t ion fromwhich to see the Cather ine-wheel s Splutter and t h e
rockets shoot up than t he windows of th i s l i t tle
French ‘P ro‘oincial Towns 71
restauran t . The cookery there i s qu i te good,and
th e pri ces are about the same as those at t he Royal,
wh ich seem to me not cheap,but onthe other hand
not extort ionate .
Just outs ide t he Casino gates,and under t h e same
management,
‘ is th e Casino Brasser ie,a long wooden
shan ty pa in ted in br ight colours,where Th e Casino
a~ lit tle band plays and many cool Bocks Brasserieare consumed
,and where there i s much j ol l i ty . An
excel len t lunch i s to be ob tained for francs,and the
d inner at francs i s al so excel lent at t he pr ice . Allsorts and condi t i on s of menand women lunch and d inethere
,and any one w ho doesnot requ i re quietude whi le
h e takes h i s meals wi l l find t he place d i st i nctly amusing .
The Fai san D ore,kept by M . Cabois
,i s a restauran t
above a charcut ier ’ s Shop i n t he Grand Rue. A li ttlefl i gh t of Stai rs lead s to th e
’
first floor, Th e Fai sanD oré,
where i s t he d in ing-room,and i n th e 74 Grand Rue
i n ter i or,onth e ground floor
,can be seen a wh i te
capped,whi te j acketed cook
,very busy amid t he
Vandyke shadows of h i s ki tchen . Th e pri ces are
moderate,and t he resi den t Engl i sh give t he l i tt le
restauran t a good deal of the i r custom .
Th e Restauran t A . Lefev re,i n t he Rue d e l
’
Hotel
de Vi lle,has a clientele ofmenof the brush and pen. It
i s to al l outward appearance a workmen ’ sRestaurant A.
cafe’,for I t turns to t he Stree t a room Lefevre
,Rue d e
with brown walls and black covered 1’
H0t el d e Vi lleseats agai nst t he wal ls and z in c tables . Li ttle chai rsand some whi te pain ted tables are outs i de on the
terasse,an old woman w ho i s the grand-mere S i ts
at t h e comptoir i nside . This s imple establ i shmen t i st he restauran t beloved of old by Whistler, and MadameVeuve Bel let
,t he young and spright ly widow who i s
the propr ietress,wi l l tel l y ou how h e used to come
there every day to breakfast,saying that h e could not
get a Sole D ieppoise real ly wel l cooked anywhere else.
72 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
Many art ists of note have followed Whistler ’ s examplein
O
b i eakfast ing at t he cafe,and there i s a pleasan t
art i st ic and l i terary and theatr i cal atmosphere aboutt he place . Henr i
,t h e wai te r who Spends h i s Spare
t ime i n t he ki tchen,t h e sh i n ing pots and pans i n
wh ich can be seen down a passage, i s a charac ter w hoi s qu i te wi ll i ng to go out fi sh i ng at unearth ly hours oft he morn ing to secure soles for a favoured customer .Madame Be l let
,w ho i s a cook
,and a very good cook
too,onoccas ions
,will cook t he fi sh secured by Henr i
to obl ige any old fr iend . I w as taken to lunch by onesuch old fr iend
,and t he excel len t meal I was given
left a mark onmy memory . A table was laid for usi n t h e salon
,a l i tt le I oom where a stuff ed seagul l
hangs from t he ce i l i ng,where a pi ano occup ies a
corner,and t he windows of wh ich look out onto t h e
sunny l i t tle square,i n t he middle of which stand s th e
old grey church of S t . Remy . Madame was i n t he
ki tchen,but Mademoisel le
,h er daughter
,i n rose
spr igged musl in,was there to wai t onus . A pret ty .
smi l ing gli l i s lVI ademoiselle . Th e great quest ion of
t he wi ne to be drunk wi th breakfast had to be set tled .
Madame had sent us a message that She recommendedt h e old Chambert in . Mademoisel le thought w e
should prefer t he Barsac . W e solved t he d iffi culty bydrinki ng a bottle of Chambert i n fi rst and then a bottleof Barsac
,and w e came to the conclusion that
Mademoi sel le was a good j udge . An omelet te aux
cred et tes was fol lowed by t he Sole D ieppoise, with a
del i c ious sauce inwh ich t iny mushrooms and moulesand Shr imps were bathed . A gri l led ch icken cameafter wi th lemon squeezed over i t
,and then Madame
i n black S i lk and lace walked in to t h e salon to hearwhat we thought of th e sole . For t he sole we hadnoth i ng but compl imen ts
,but Madame was a l i t tle
grieved to hear that w e thought the old Chambert inhad seen i ts best days and that we l i ked t he Old Barsac
French Trovincia/Towns 73
bet ter . Oh, you gen tlemen I I t i s always l ike that .
You l ike t h e Barsac best because i t i s a pretty gi r lthat recommends i t
,
” said Madame,Shaki ng a finger
at h er daughter,w ho laughed back at her. A cream
cheese of t h e country, so l i gh t that i t mel ted i n t he
mouth,completed t he repast .
While I am wri t ing my remin iscences of goodlun ches at D ieppe
,let me d eSCI ib e a lunch I ate in
admi rable company j ust outs ide DieppeClos Normand
at an open ai r b reakfast place one sum Mart in-Egli se ,
me1 on a hot day . At a long Porte NOrmand e
Normande t he motor cars come to a halt i n a l i t tlev i llage Street . A Norman gate has above i t a t hatchedroof
,and t he long roof to th i s gate also shel ters an
ar ray of wh ite c lothed tables . Beyond i t i s an orchardwhere wooden tables are set under the t rees . Froma barn
,wh ich has been converted in to a ki tchen and
wh i ch has oni ts outer wall a copper wash ing-basi nand a l i tt le c i stern and a towel ona rol ler
,i ssues a
plump lady i n a black dress . She i s bare-armed andbare-headed . She i s Madame
,t he propr ietress . Says
She,
“ Certa i n ly Monsieur can have Truite M euniereand a Poulet enCocot te and H ar icots Ver ts P anache’sand a Tour te e la Creme
,and wi l l t he lad ies choose
the i r table ?” for a lady and h er two l i tt le daugh terswere of our party . W e go th rough t he o rchard tot h e t rout-Stream wh ich
,wi th a pleasan t gurgle
,runs
between grass-covered banks . Th e water i s c rystalc lear
,and moves t he long green weed in i t gently to
and fro . T he Shadows above the pebbles are trout,
caut i ous,wel l-fed fish
,which are rarely to be caught
at th i s p oin t wi th a fly,but wh ic h by some means or
another are regularly transfer red from th e stream tot he tank i n the barn . Hidden by t rees
,but i ts presence
made clear by t he clack-clack-clack of i ts wheel,
t he mil l d r iven by th i s S tream . Across t he water aremeadows i n wh ich plac i d cows graze
,and i n the
74 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeShadow of a pol lard wi l low an old peasan t S leeps . Theapple t rees by th is b rook Shel ter t he most favouredtables
,and one of these w e secure and S it onrush
bottomed chai rs to look at our ne i ghbour s wh i le t he
t rout are be i ng cooked . There are two b ig part ies ofgood bourgeoi s
,each wi th a S i l ver-hai red grand-mere
i n t h e place of honour,each wi th t h e meni n Sh i r t
S leeves,for t h e mid-day heat i s t rop ical, each wi th i ts
th ree or four,ch i ld ren . There i s a pretty lady wear
i ng a purple motor-ve i l and a wh i te d ress, and h ercaval ier
,a Frenchman who plays for b ig S takes at t h e
Casino ; there i s a widow and her two daughters ;there are two Engl i shmen and a fat Frenchman i n abroad-br immed Panama hat and a nankeen coat
,who
mops h i s head cont i nuously w i th a bandanna handkerch ief. In t he d istance
,near t h e Porte Normande
,a
v iol i n i st and a ’ cel lo player i n scarlet j ackets and anItal ian gi rl wi th a gu i tar make fine patches of v iv idcolour amidst the green . There are plen ty of farman imals i n the orc hard . A whi te goat comes to t he
table and S tands onits h ind-legs to ask for bread, and asuperannuated old Sheep-dogw h ich ,one of th e l i tt le girl sasserts
,has Chippendale legs
,puts a cool nose agai nst
one’ S hands as a h in t that he i s present and ready to befed . A li ttle flock of geese take to t h e water and swimup stream
,keep ingjust level wi th our tree, the i r beady
eyes onth e aler t for any crumbs wh ich may be th rownthem . Our tree i s no ord i nary tree . With ies havebeen i nterwoven i n i ts branches and a creeper tra i nedover them . I do not suppose th i s i s good for t hetree’ s apple-bear ing
,but i t certai n ly makes an ideal
sunshade of i t . A wai ter i n shabby dress clo thes,
whose Sh i ny red nose tel ls of much runn ing to andfro i n t h e heat
,lays a wh i te tablecloth and rece i ves
our order for some of th e oldest c i der of t he housewi th a resonan t Bon. He presen tly comes shuffli ngover th e grass wi th h i s arms full of hot plates
,two
French T rovincial Towns 75
bottles of c ider,and a covered d i sh i n wh i ch sizzles
t h e t rou t . Th e c ider p roves to b e excel len t,as i t
Should b e,for w e are i n Normandy
,t h e c ider country .
T h e Ital ian gi r l begi ns to S i ng songs,
“ Santa Luciaand “ Ad io Napol i
,
” and t he others,wh ich alway s
conj ure up a v i s ion of moonl i t n igh ts i n t he Bay ofNaples and th e S i ngers rowing round t he vessel . Th e’ cel lo moan s i n accompan imen t to t h e voice and t he
t i nkl ing gu i tar,and gives that undercurren t of b roken
heartedness wh ic h i s i n most of th e south Ital ian peasan tsongs . It i s qui te i ncongruous
,these songs of t h e
south i n a Normandy orchard,but t he sunsh ine and
t he Old c ider and t he Clack of th e mill and t he soundof runn ing water b r i ngs i t al l i n to t h e picture . T h e
fowl i n i ts b ig b rown c i rcular pot i s as good as t het rou t has been
,and th e I tal ian gi rl
,smi l in g to Show
two rows of b r i ll ian t teeth,br i ngs round t he plate
wi th a napkin folded oni t in to wh ich t he sous are
S l i pped . Sh e asks us whether w e would l i ke to hearle pet i t play and S i ng . Le pet i t i s a smal l boy
ina sai lor ’ s d ress,who i s one of the l i t tle t roupe
,and
w ho presently takes a v iol i n and leads t he band of
t h ree with much aplomb. Then h e comes to an openspace amid t he t rees and S ings a comi c song wi th al i ttle dance after each verse . He too br ings round t h eplate and takes away wi th i t a great tr iangle of t he
tour te,hav ing
_looked to th e I tal ian gi rl for permi ss ionbefore he accepts i t . And then w e find that i t i snearly th ree O ’ clock
,and w e have to d r i ve th rough
t he Foret d ’ArqueS and see t h e castle and b e back inD ieppe by four . So t he l i t t le gi rls are sen t runn ingto tel l the chauff eur to b e ready
,and w e pass out of
the lotus-land calm of the orchard on to dusty road s .The Ital ian gi rl
,her mouth full of bread and sausage,
comes to t he door of t he barn ki tchen to wish us th epret ty Ital i an equ ivalen t of “ Au revoi r
,
” and “ le
pet i t,clasp ing a toy boat, comes w i th h er to wave
76 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europh i s hand . The name of t he orchard res tauran t i s t heClos Normand
,and i t i s at Mart i n-Egl i se
,a mi le or
two out of D ieppe.
TH E D I E P P E CLUB S
T he subsc ri pt ion to t h e Grande Cerc le d es Bain st he Baccarat Club of t h e Casino
,i s I O francs . Mem
b ersh ip of a good Engl i sh club does away with anydelay i n admi ssion . -T h e Dieppe Golf Club , of whicht he Br i t i sh V ice-Consul i s secretary
,has an 1 8-hole
course,and i s a mi le from t he town . Visi tors pay
francs a day,1 0 francs a week
,and 2 5 francs a
month . Th e n ine holes ont he sea-s ide of th i s courseare S i tuated in wonderfully p ic turesque pos i t i on s .
PUY S
At Puys,a mi le and a hal f from D ieppe
,Mons .
Pel let ier lai d down anexcel len t cel lar of wines i nth e Hotel Chateau de Puys . T he
restaurant of th i s hotel,ona plateau
j utt ing out seawards and commanding some marvel lousv iews
,i s a pleasan t place at wh ich to breakfast .
Ch at eau d e Puy s
POURVI L L E
At Pourvi l le,two miles from D ieppe
,uph i l l
,past
t he golf l inks, M . Gras i s respons i ble for t h e entertainment at t he Hotel Cas ino . Th e
‘ restauran t has a Spec ial reputat i onach ieved, i n t h e first place
,by “ Papa ” Paul Graaf
,
w ho was one of t he chefs at t he Tui ler ies i n t he daysof Napoleon III . A gourmet envoyage wri tes thusto me of M . Gras : “ Gras i s a very sh rewd fel lowwho adds every year to h i s hotel accommodation
,
Hot el d u Casino
78 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europwhich I
,as a bachelor
,have found very amusing
somet imes after d i nner .Frascati
’ s Restaurant,an adj unct to th e b ig hotel
onthe sea-shore,i s t he classi c restauran t of t h e place,
p rawn and many a man w ho has come overall Perrey by t h e midn ight boa t and has stayedfor a bat he and a meal at Frascat i ’ s before goi ng onto Par i s by the mid-day train has breakfasted therei n content . Th e Ecretj isses Bord ela ises
,th e Creci tes aux
Champignons, the SaladeRusse here have leftme pleasantmemories . In t he win ter t he chef ret i res to Par i s orel sewhere
,and t he restauran t i s not to b e so thoroughly
trusted ; and somet imes when a crowd of passengersare go ing across to Southampton by t he n ight boatto catch an Amer ican steamer
,I have found t h e
attendan ce very Sketchy,owing to t h e wai ters hav ing
more work than they cand o sat isfactor i ly . The res
taurant i n summer i s i n t h e verandah fac ing t he sea .
The Hotel d e Normandie i s a hostel at wh ic h t he
Hotel d e Nor _
cooking and the wines are good . Th i smandie,
Rue d e i s a menu of a tahle d ’ho‘ te d iner maigrePans served there onGood Fr i day
,and i t i s
an excel lent example of a meal wi thout meat
Bisque d’
Ecrevisses.Reine Christine.
F i lets d e Soles Normande.
Nouillet tes Napolitaine enCaisse.
Saumond e la Loire Tartare.
Sorbets Supreme Fécamp .
Coqui l le d e Homard a I’Américaine .
Sarcelles sur Canapé.Salade panachée.
Asperges d’ArgenteuilMousseline
Petits Pols au Sucre.
G lace Quo Vadis .
Petits Fours . Corbei lle d e Fruits.D essert,
French (Provincial Towns 79
The restauran t of the Cont inental Hotel,on t he
Chaussée des Etats Un is,oppos i te to t he Setée
,has
recen tly become one to b e recom Th e Cont inental,
mended . One of i t s Spec ialt ies i s a Ch aussée d esPoulet Grand D ue
,i n t he sauce of whi ch Etat s Ums '
both wh i sky and brandy are used . I have not tastedth is alcohol i c d i sh mysel f
,but I have t he word of a
gourmet of unblemished taste that i t i s excel len t .One of my corresponden ts sends me an account ofPerr ier ’ s
,a l i ttle restau ran t
,wh ich I give i n h i s own
words : The quain test and most origi p emer’s,
nal place i n Havre i s a l i t tle res tauran t Th e Quayont he quay
,oppos i te where t he Trouv i l le boats star t
from . It i s known equal ly wel l as or t he
Restaurant d eS P i lo tes . I t i s kept by one Buholz er,
who was at one t ime chef at Rub iou ’ s i n Marse i l les .He afterward s was chef onone of t he b ig Tran satlan t ique boats
,where he learn t to mix a very fai r
cockta i l . The entrance i s through a t iny cafewithsanded t i led floor. Thence a corksc rew stai rcaseleads to a fai r-S i zed room ont he fi rst floor . All th efood you get there i s excel lent
,and Bouillaha isse or
H omara’al
’
d mericaine,constructed by t h e boss
,i s a
j oy,not for ever
,but
,i n t he case of th e first-named
,
for some t ime. Th e house does not go i n for avery varied select ion of wines
,but what there i s i s
good f’
My corresponden t qual ifies th i s good repor t bytel l i ng me that t he last t ime h e breakfasted at t heRestauran t des Pi lotes i t took t he propr ietor a verylong hour to prepare the feast .T h e Fox Bar alongs ide t he Bourse has dur ing t hepast two years been much patron i sed by t he Sport i ngmembers of t he Br i t ish commun i ty .
It i s owned by Reynard,w ho i s t he
propr ietor of t he Cafe Gui l laume Tell on t he
Boulevard dc St rasbourg. Jules, the bar-tender, was
Fox Bar
80 7716 Gannmet ’r Guide to Europefor years smoke-room steward on La Champagne,and can mix any cocktai l ever i nven ted i n Amer i ca .
ST . A D R E S S E
Th e outlyi ng suburb of Havre, S t . Adresse, i s,I have l i ttle doubt, the future summer “ resort ” of
Havre . One of t he r i ches t and mosten terpr i s i ng Frenchmen of t h e day
,
M . D ufay el, whose great shops i n Par i s are worldknown
,has acqu i red a large space of land there
,
has bu i l t a splend i d c lub,wh ich h e leases at a pepper
corn ren t to t he local yach t-rac ing assoc iat ion,and
a fine restauran t to b e called t he Commerce,wh ich
,
however,i s at presen t wi thout a tenan t . An hotel
wh i ch was commenced by M . D ufay el has been d elayed in erect i on by landsl i ps .There are half-a-dozen l i t tle cafés and restau ran ts
Le Broch e a, at S t . Adresse,and the Broche a Rot ir
Kot ir has always been a favouri te resor t of
t he people of Havre.
Le Commerce
GONNE V I L L E
At Gonnev i lle,wh ich can b e easi ly reached by
trai n e i t her from Havre or Etretat,at the Hotel
Aubourg, there i s a very i n terest ingcol lect ion of old cupboards
,ch ina
,and
works of art . T h e food i s exce l lent,and very cheap
,
and t he propr ieto r i s a character who i s very proudof h is vi s i to rs ’ book .
Hot el Aub ourg
D U CL A IR
On the upward voyage, goi ng from Hav re toRouen , Duclair i s passed twelve mi les from Rouen .
Franc/z “Provincial Towns 8 1
The Hotel de la Poste there i s a house worthy of
spec ial not i ce. The propr ietor,Den i se
,h imsel f cooks
a Canard-D ucla ir with a ski l l t hat no Hot el d e lagreat chef could better . He has a POW?
good cel lar,but t he v i si ts of a l i t tle band of gourmet s
from Havre have made ser i ous gaps in i t s b i ns. Th ehotel, w ith t he except ion of t he ki tchen
,wh ich re
qu i red no improvement,has lately been en t i rely
modern i sed .
H AV R E CLUB S
The Cerc le Francoi s I . i s a soc ial club wh ichcons i sts of about 1 80 members . It opens i ts doorto all nat ional i t ies . Members can give Cercle Frant he i r fr iends card s of admiss ionfor t he 9013 1
day,week
,or month wi thout charge. T he cu i s i ne
i s excel len t and t he wines wel l c hosen .
At S t . Adresse, t h e Havre Yach t Club has as ahome a beauti ful bu i ld ing
,probably t h e fines t c lub
house of t he kind in Europe . I t stands p amS (19 3
h igh above t he bay,oppos i te t he w in Regat t es
n ing flag in the regattas . I t has a long W ide verandah,
and i ts su i te of rooms,h igh and finely p roport ioned
,
compri se a d i n ing-room,a ball-room
,and a concert :
room or t heatre.
AFTER D I N N ER
Havre boasts two theatres— t he large mun ic i paltheat re i n t he Place Gambetta, where one obtain ssol i d amusemen t
,and t h e Theatre-Ci rque on th e
Boulevard St rasbourg,where l i ghter fare i s provided .
Th e Fol ies Bergeres i n t h e Rue Lemai tre i s t he CaféConcert of th e town . There i s mus i c after d inner atFrascat i ’ s and th e Casino at S t . Adresse .
82 7726 Gaurinez "; Guide z‘
a Sara/be
ROU EN
The restau ran t a t t he Hotel d’
Anglet erre i s t hed in ing -place at wh ich t h e travel l i ng Engl ishman
Hot el d .
Angle_
general ly orders h is Sole Normande andt erre,
Cours CanetanRauenna z sa,and th e hotel and
Bo’
ieldieu restauran t,wh ich have been recently
redecorated , are very fresh and smart . The propr ietorHot el d e Pari s , of t he Hotel d e Par i s, ont he Q ua i d e5 0 Quai d e Pari s Par is
,pri des h imsel f onthe cookery in
h is restauran t,and h i s 4-franc tab/e d
’
lzo‘
z‘
e d inner i sreally an excel len t meal at t he pr i ce.
‘
I am toldby menwho know Rouen wel l t hat t he cookery
Hotel d e 1a of t he Hotel d e la Poste i s al l that aPost e
,Rue fast id ious di ner can requi re, and that
J eanne d '
Arct he pr i ces are very reasonab le .
Th e Restauran t de la Cat hed rale i n t he Rue d es
Carmes i s under t he d i rect i on of MM . Conver t and
Restaurant d e la Schwartz, t he former of whom was forCat h ed rale
,Rue a wh i le ma z
‘
z‘
re-chaf at Marlboroughd es Carmes House . I ts cookery under t he personalsuper intendence of M . Convert i s first-class
,and i t
has an excel lent cel lar of wines ..MM . Conver t and
Schwartz cater for some of t h e lead ing c lub s i n the
c i ty— the Un ion and Lloyd ’ s,for in stan ce . The v iew
of t he cathedral from th e windows of the restauran ti s a fine one.
O f course t he Rouen duck i s not any part i cularb reed of duck
,though th e good people of Rouenwi ll
probably stone y ou i f you as sert th i s . I t i s s imply a roanduck . The r i c h sauce which forms part of the d ish
Restaurant d ewas
, however, i nven ted at Rouen .
’
The
Pari s ,Rue d e del ights of t he SaleNormande I need not
EGI ‘ OS SG d i late on . A good bottle of burgundyorloge
i s t he best accompanlment to t he duck .
The Restaurant de Pari s,i n the Rue de la Grosse
F ranc/z {P rawncza/Tawny 83
H orloge,i s a very cheap restauran t
,where you get
a great deal to eat at d in ner for 2 francs,and where
you will find t he Cboux Farcz'
es and other homely d i shesof Normandy as wel l as the excel lent l i tt le creamcheeses of t he country .
A FT ER D I NNER
At the Theatre Francai s the mun ic i pal i ty suppl ies fort he winter a company to play comed ies and operettas .Th e Theat re des Arts, ont he Q uai d e la Bourse,i s popular
,an d there are two Café Chantan ts
,t he Al
hambra in the town,and t he Fol ies Bergeres ont he
i slan d i n the midst of t he r i ver . There are concertsonsummer even i ngs at t he Café V i ctor .
CAU D E B E C EN CAU X
In th e quain t l i tt le med iaeval townlet of Caudebect h e cookery at t h e Hotel d e la Marine, a good oldfash ioned hotel beloved by art i s ts
,i s Hot el d e 13,
qu i te good . T he hotel i snew i n fron t,Marine
and i s old -fash ioned and pi cturesque i n i ts backregions . I ts propr ietor i s n ow bui ld ing a qu i te newhotel
,the Villa Isabel le
,wi th a good garden before i t
and a fine v iew of t he Se ine .
I I ONFLEU R
Crossing t h e Se i ne,one i s i n t he land of c i der and
Pont I ’Evéque cheese . At Honfleur you will fi ndSplend i d M an/es M ar inieres and a verygood table d
’
ha‘
z‘
e at t h e old-fash ionedCheval Blane on th e Q uai ; and at the Ferme St .S imeon up onth e h i l l
,i n beauti fully wooded ground ,
Ch eval Blane
84 Tne Ganmnet ’r Guide to enrapethere i s to b e obtained some part i cular ly good sparkl ing c ider . Honfleur has a spec i al reputat i on for i t sshr imps and prawns .
TR OU V I L LE— D EAUV I LLE
During t he Trouv i lle fortn igh t,when all t he world
descends upon Trouv i l le,t h e var ious b ig hote l s and
the Casino have more cl ien ts than they really cancater for . At the Roches No i res
,or the Par i s, one i s
l ikely to be kept wai t i ng for a table,and at the Casino
a harassed wai ter th rusts a red mullet before one,when
one has ordered a sole. T he moules of Trouv i l le are
supposed to be part i cularly good,and also t he fi sh .
There are tab/e d ’héte meals at t he restauran ts of th eHelder an d D e la Plage
,t he second be i ng t he cheaper
of t he two,and food i s to b e obtained at Torton i ’ s
and at th e Brasser ie ont he edge of t h e Promenade d esP lanches . But Trouv i lle i n t he season may be takento be exi led Par i s i n a fever
,half as expensive agai n
,
and not hal f so wel l done .
”Th e amusemen ts after
d inner are concentrated at t he Casi no and a l i tt lemusi c hal l
,the Eden Casi no .
My exper ience has been that whether one stays ona yacht or m a hotel or v i l la at Trouv i l le one i s gladto motor over to some one of the towns in t he d i s tr i c tt o eat a meal i n qu iet
,and to escape for an hou r or
two from t he racecourse and t he baccarat-room .
Dives and Caen form t he goal of two of t he
pleasan test excursions from Trouv i l le .
Tr ipes a: la mode de Caenmay be a homely d ish,
but i t i s not to be desp i sed,and i t can be eaten
qui te at i ts best i n t he town Where i t was i nven ted .
I have eaten i t wi th great con tent at a bourgeoi s
86 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
lunch i s served at a very small pr ice. Th e food i sgood for t he money
,and there i s always a chan ce
of find ing some mer ry gather ing there . A note of
warn ing should be sounded as to th e c ider and winord inaire suppl ied as part of t he table d ’ izo‘ z‘ e d i nners i nCaen
,and indeed everywhere i n Normandy . There i s
almost i nvar iably good c ider to be had and good wineonpayment
,but t h e c ider and wine usually put on
t he table r i val each other as th roat-cutt ing beverages .V ieux Calvados is an excel lent pousse caf e
’
. It readsalmost l ike a fai ry tale ‘ to b e able to recount that t hedel i c i ous oysters from t he coast-v i llages of Ouistrehamand Courseulles can be bought at 50 cen times t hedozen
,or very l i tt le more .
D IV E S
The Hotel of Gui llaume le Conquerant at D ives i sani n terest i ng old house full of curi os i t ies . There i sGuillaume 19, some furn i ture there wh ich belongedConquerant to Madame d e Sevigne
,and t he cha i r
used by h er when wr i t ing some of her letters . T h e
courtyard wi th i ts statues,i t s flowers
,and i ts creepers
i s qui te out of t he o rd inary . Mons . Remois,i ts p ro
prietor, i s a man of great taste, and has personallysuper intended t h e restoration of t he old house . Th e
5-franc table d’
bo‘
z‘
e d inner i s qu i te good of i ts kind .
CH ERBOURG
Cherbourg, the cal l i ng-place for Atlan t i c steamers,i s a very l ikely place for t he earnest gourmet to findh imsel f stranded in for a day, and I regret t hat therei s no gast ronomic find to report t here . A most competen t author i ty wr i tes thus to me onthe capab il i t iesof t he place
Frene/z Town; 87
There are no restauran ts,i n t he true sense of th e
word,i n Cherbourg .
“ Th e lead i ng hotel,where most of t he people go
,
and whic h i s t he largest,wi th t he best cu is ine and
serv i ce,i s t he Hotel du Cas ino . This Hot el d u Casino,
hotel i s managed by Mons ieur Marius,La Plage
and though part ial ly shut dur ing th e winter season,
t ravel lers can always get a good plain d i nner there .
During the summer season,that i s from May t i l l
October,t he hotel i s fully open
,an d has a pet it;
ehevaux room,entry free of course
,and also good
mi l i tary musi c int h e gardens,tw i ce a week . T h e
gardens are also very prett i ly i l luminated very often,
wh i lst from t ime to t ime fi rework d i splays help topass away t h e even ings . T he d in ing-hal l faces theon ly n ice por t ion of beach in t he town
,and be i ng
ent i rely covered i n w i th glass, i s warm in win ter andcool i n summer
,when i t can al l be open . Th e meals
are usually table d ’hote,but i t i s possi ble also to order
a d i nner 21 la ca r te i f one prefers to do so. Herealso t he t ravel ler wi l l find a l i ttle Engl ish Spokenamong th e wai ters and maft res d ’hotel. Th e wines arepret ty good
,but there i s no very spec ial bran d for
wh ich t he place i s known ; nor does t he hotel boastof any spec ial pla t .
“ Th e Hote l de France, another fai r s ized hotel, i st he one patron i sed mostly by t he naval and mi l i taryauthor i t ies of the town , but is not so Hot el d eFranceamusing a place for t he travel ler to Rue d u Bassm
s tay at or d ine at ; t hough I understand that t he
d inner to be obta ined there i s in every w ay sat i sfactory .
“ Final ly,I migh t ment ion two other hotel s at
wh ich one can d ine comfortab ly ; these are t he
Hotel d ’Amirauté and t he Hotel d ’Angleterre, atboth of wh ich a good plain d inner i s served .
“ The ch ief j o in t obtainable here to be recommended i s of course t he mutton
,as Cherbourg i s
88 Tae Gourmet ’s Guide to gurope
noted for i ts pré-sa/e’ al l over France ; but beyond
th i s t he food i s of t he usual ord inary kind to b eob tained i n most French towns of th i s S ize .
”
GRANV I LLE
On t he west coast of Normandy, Granv i l le i s th e
fi rst town of any great importance . I ts hotel s s t i l lad here to t h e Norman custom of plac i ngal l t he guests at one table
,unless an extra
50 centimes a head i s paid . A 4-franc d inner
wi th a p in t of wme 1nclud ed i s served at the CasinoRestaurant .M . Roche, who made a fortune i n London i nO ld Compton S treet
,has taken a l i ttle hotel near
Granv i lle,and as he learned cooking under Freder i c
of t he Tour d ’Argent , he may b e depended upon foranexcel len t meal .
Cas ino
MONT ST . MI CH E LIn no hol iday resort that I know of i s t here more
energet i c tout ing carr ied onby restaurants than atMon t S t . Michel . Boys i n b lue aprons in terruptthe i r game of toss ing sous i nto t he ai r to shout to t h e
passengers arr iv i ng by tramway t he mer i ts of t he
var ious restauran ts on t he rock,and all t he way up
t he narrow street, which cl imbs, by s teep grad ientsand occasional steps, to t he abbaye
,th e best-looking
maid of t he many cafés and restaurants stands at t hedoor offer ing a card, and extoll ing t he View to beseen , t he luncheon to be eaten
,or t he coff ee to be
d runk . The h igher one goes up th e st reet the cheapert he luncheon becomes . At t he Poulard establ i shment
,
almost ona level wi t h t he sea,th e pr ice i s 3 francs .
A hundred feet h igher t he pri ce drops to 2 fran cs .From t he number of Poulard ’ s establ i shments onemight suppose that t h e mount was peopled by Poulards
,
90 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to gurope
ST . MALo
Br i ttany,t he land of eggs and butter
,i s also a
land of gigan ti c meals at very cheap pr ices, rough lyserved
,wholesome no doub t
,but better apprec iated
wi th anappet i te sharpened by Br i t tany ai r than theywould b e under less heal thy cond i t i on s . In S t . Malothere i s one restauran t, that at tached to t he Hotel
d e France et d e Chateaubriand i n t heHot el d e Franceet. d e Ch ateau Place Chateaubr iand
,W t ll has preten
briand"P14 09 s i on s to d i st inct ion and elegance . T heCh at eaubnand
ent rance to th e restauran t I S ina S idest reet . Th e rooms have cr imson port ieres to the i rwindows ; there are palms
,and t he l i t tle tables are
not set too near each other . Th e l inen and cutleryare bet ter than are usual ly to b e found i n Br i t tany .
A lunch and a d inner of t he day are t he meals usuallyserved in th i s restaurant
,t he pri ces
,i f I remember
r ightly,be i ng 3 and 5 francs respect ively. It i s as
wel l to take t he meal wh ich i s ready, for I have foundby personal exper ience that t h e ki tchen has no greatVariety to offer for a lunch or d inner 2: la car te.
In t he Place Chateaubr iand,the l i t tle square wh ich
i s t he centre of t he l i fe of t h e town,i n wh ich are
four or five cafe’ s,two of which at least have lad ies ’
Hot el d e l ’Uni bands as an attract ion,i s t he Hotel d e
vers , Place l’
Univers,t he d in ing-room of which i s
Ch ateaub riand patron i sed by t he commis voyageurswho come to St . Malo onbusi ness
,and w ho go to
no hote l that has not good sound bourgeo i s cookery .
The room,or rather rooms, are rather low,
and a longtab/e d ’hote tab le runs down t he cen tre of each ; butthere are small tables at th e s ide for t he use of peoplew ho do not wi sh to herd wi th al l-comers . The pr i ceof the meals i s a smal l one, and t he cookery i s probably t he best inthe town
Frene/z “Provincial Towns 9 1
Th e Frankl i n Hotel,almost next door to th e Casino
outs ide t he walls of t he town,caters for an Engl i sh and
Amer i can clientele w h ich ' lives enpensionthere . The meals
,ne i ther very good
and not remarkably i nd i fferent,cal l for no special
commen t .O ther restaurants i n t h e town
,for wh i ch corre
spond ents have had a good word as to cheapness, aret he Perd r ix i n t he Rue Jacques-Cart ier
,and that of
t he Lion d ’Or i n t he P lace Chateaubr iand,and t he
restauran t i n t h e fish-market,with a spec ial ty of
shel l-fish ; but I cannot speak of any of these frompersonal knowledge
,except t he lat ter
,where I ate
moules a la ma r iniere amidst no i sy though amusingsurround ings .
Th e Frank lin
A FTER D I NNERIn summer any one stay ing at S t . Malo i s qu i tel ikely to see a very good performance of opera at t heCas ino . The opera and t he bal lad are rec ru i ted fort he season from the younger members of “ Th e
”
p rofess ioni n Par i s,and a c lever band of s ingers an d
dancers i s usual ly brought together . There i s, of
course,a baccarat c lub and t he usual bal l game i n the
Casi no .
CAN CA L EA tram connects S t . Malo wi th Cancale, t he town
of oysters . T h e Hote l D uguesclin,which has a large garden , i s a pleasan t hal t i ng-place
,and i ts pr i ces are very cheap .
D uguesclin
My knowledge of t he restaurants of Parame, the
town wh i ch adj o i ns S t . Malo, i s confined to a d inne rand a lunch eaten i n t he restauran t of t he Hotel
9 2 The Gourmet’
r Guide to 8urope
Royal . They were both very wel l cooked l i ttle meals .As I was a guest on both occas ions, I do not knowwhat the i r cost w as . In t h e summer t he Casino atParame has al l th e usual attract i ons, and t he ehemz
’
na’ef er i n t he Club Pr iv é i s often for very h igh stakes .
D I NAR D
I t i s rather surpr i s i ng that,at such a fl our i sh ing
town of amusement as D inard i s,there should b e so
few first-class restaurants ; but t h e people w ho l i vei n the beaut i ful v i l las enterta in , for t h e most part
,i n
the i r homes,and t he greater number of people w ho
s tay i n the hotels are enpension,and are contented
wi th t he table d’
ho‘
te meals of thei r hotel . Th e onerestau ran t of t he fi rst class i s that attached to t he
Restaurant d e Royal Hotel . I t i s a semic i rcle ofl'
Hot el Roy al glass w indows,wi th a wooden roof
,
and though i t affords splend id v iews of th e bay andt h e i slands, i s a d ifficult restauran t to keep cool i nsummer ' and warm in autumn . I t i s c losed dur ingt he win ter months. It i s qui te firs t-class i n al l i tsappoi n tments . Its cookery j ust ifies i ts pr ices wh ichare on the Bo i s d e Boulogne scale . Leon i s bandmakes musi c outside i n the lounge
,and M . Renaud
,
w ho manages t h e restaurant of th e Cannes Cas in o sosuccessful ly dur i ng t he winter months
,br ings h i s good
taste and h i s knowledge of th e pred i lect ions of eachmember of a large clientele to D inard for th e summerseason as t he manager of t he restauran t .The other restauran t in D inard wh ich mer i ts par t i
cular descr i pt ion i s the Restaurant Beau Vallon,on
Restaurant t he Vicomte,the pen insula wh ich runs
Beau Vallon, out into th e Ran ce,the great estuary
La Vicomt e which i s between D inard and S t.Malo
.
T he restauran t i s an easy walk from th e town,and
the c l iff path by wh i ch i t can be approached i s a
94 T/z e Gourmet ’s Guide to «Europe
year,1 0 francs for a week, and other sums i n l ike pro
port ion for other per iods .Th e Golf Club of D i nard i s four mi les d i stan t at
S t . Br i ac . Th e l inks are good oneson t he downs, with fine sea v iews .
A tramway connects S t . Br i ac wi th D inard .
Th e Golf Club
A FTER D I NNER
Th e Dinard Casino,wi th i ts opera and operetta
troupes,i ts balls
,i ts Tzigane musi c ians, and i ts baccarat
c lub,focuses t he even ing amusemen t of D inard .
There i s a second Cas ino,which was at one t ime i n
compet i t i on w i th t he “ h igh l i fe one,but i s now to
b e i ncorpo rated i n to t he Royal Hotel .
D I N ANAll the hote ls at D inan cater for t he excurs ion i stswho come there for t he day by steamer or rail. Iat e at t he Hotel d e Pari s e t d ’Anglet erre port ion s of ahuge meal
,which compr i sed ham
,cold bar and sauce
Ta r tare,beef
,and a fri cassée of har icots Manes
,veal and
potatoes,cheese and fru i t
,th e cost of which
,i nclud ing
un l imi ted red or white wine or c ider,was 2 francs .
Had I gone to t h e Hotel d e France or t he Hotelde l
’
Europe I should have_been off ered a simi lar bar
barous feast at the same extraord inari ly small cost .
RO S CO FFRoscoff i s celebrated for i ts pr imeurs
,for t he Gulf
St ream gives i t an equable cl imate,and th e market gar
d eners whose ground i s near t h e sea supply vegetab lesto t he Par i s markets very early in t he year . Lobstersand langoustes are exported in great quan ti t ies fromRoscoff , and here, as along
'
all the Bri t tany coast,
Frene/z Towns 9 5
prawns,art i chokes
,eggs
,lobsters
,crabs
,langoustes are
plenti ful Hot el d es BainsHere i s a typi cal Breton menu
,one d e Mer
of t he meals at t he Hotel d es Bain s de Mer,Ros
coffArtichauts al’H uile.
'
Pommes d e terre al’H uile.
Porc frais froid aux Cornichons .
L angouste Mayonnaise .
Canards aux Navets .
Omelette fines Herbes .
F i let aux Pommes .
F romage a la Creme .
F rui ts, biscuits, 8cc .
Cid i e a d iscretion.
Thi s i s rather a terr i b le mass of food ranged in thestranges t order
,but I i nser t i t to show t he t ravel ler i n
Bri t tany that he need never th ink h is meal ended whenh e reaches the omelette
,and that he had bet ter take a
gargantuan appet i te wi th h im .
BR E ST
Th is great naval town has bet ter cafe’ s than i t hasd in ing or lunch ing places ; t he Café Brestois i n t he
Rue d e S iam,and t he Grand Café in the same street,
be i ng both good . Besi des t h e restaurants attached tot he h otels
,there are the Restauran t Aury and the
Brasserie d e la Marine,both onth e Champ deBatai lle
,
but I have no deta i ls concern ing them .
QU I M P ER
At the Hotel d e l’Epée the table d’
lzo‘
z‘
e meal i s goodt 3 francs a head . The hotel i s a realold -fash ioned French prov i nc ial one
,
and stand s on t h e quay . Fresh sard i nes and excel lentvegetables are spec ial t ies of th i s hotel .
Hotel d e l 'Ep eé
96 T/ze Gourmet ’ s Guide to gurope
PONT AVEN
Apart from bei ng a good homely place to stay at,
La Vi lla Jul ia,or to give i t i ts grander name
,the
Th e Hot el d eg Hotel des Voyageurs, at Pont Aven i sVoy ageurs worth a v i si t
,for i t has been the t em
porary home of many of t he greatest French pai n ters,notably poor Bast ien Lepage. They are welcome
,
and are prov ided wi th stud ios, be i ng on ly charged
5 francs a day pension.
“ Th e coun try i s charmi ng,
wri tes an enthusiast i c correspondent,
“ and one l i ngersthere
,and t he food i s -excel lent . Even were i t not
,
dear old M l le . Juli a Gui l lon i s worth a j ourney . She
i s one of th e most del igh tful of French landlad ies .In t he old i nn t he walls of one large room are coveredwi th pictures and sketches g i ven her by h er eher s
ar t istes.”
Q U IM P E R LE
At th e Lion d ’Or,t h e old-fash ioned
,comfortab le“
hotel o f t h e town , t he food i s excel lent, and i t tastesnone t he worse because i t i s brough tto table by t he laugh ing wai t resses al l
d ressed in t he pic turesque dress of the provmce .
Another ho tel i n Br i ttany,at wh ich four s i sters
,w ho
always wear, or wore, Breton costumes, are t he landlad ies, i s t he Hotel Lecad re at Rochefort-en-ter re.
Liond ’
Or
TH E LO IR E CO UNTR Y
Touraine, with i ts chateau and i ts pleasan t inn s, Ihave not y et explored mysel f, but I hope t hat beforeth i s book cal ls for a fourth ed i t ion I shal l be able to
wri te with personal knowledge onth e subj ec t . Th efollowing i tems of in format ion have been given to me
by motori sts w ho have passed th rough t he d ist r ic t and
98 Tue Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
country except t he Ri/et tes a’e Tours, l i t t le pates of
ch icken l iver,wh ich i n the i r way are real del i cac ies .
BOR D EAUX
I make no mention of the P lages d ’Oceanwh ichlie between the Breton resor ts and Bordeaux, for theyare v i s i ted by very few Engl ish or Amer i cans, and Ipass onto th e town of clarets and Cepes .The restauran t of t he Chapon Fin i s one of t he
best known in France, and i t th oroughly deserves i ts
Ch ap on Fin,
h igh reputat i on . Its d in i ng—room is a7 Rue Mont es great W in ter garden W i t h ferns andqme“ rocker ies and a great tree
,th e t runk of
which 18 int he restaurant,t he boughs outs ide t he
roof. MM . Dubois and Mend ionde are t h e pro
prietors. Th e cel lar contains a splend id select ion of
good clarets of all t he great years and of al l t he greatnames . T he Chapon Fin has of course i ts ownespec ial sole, and there i s a Potage ChaponFin, avegetable soup wh ich i s excel lent . Lampreys a la
Borde/aise and crayfi sh a la Bordelaise,and in t he
autumn capes a la Bora’eZa z
'
se,three of t he Bordeaux
d i shes,are obtai nab le at the i r best at th e Chapon Fin .
I need not warn gourmets how r i ch these d i shes are .
Th e Chapon Fin i s not cheap but i ts pr i ces are notextort ionate .
I should put t he restaurant a la car te of t he HotelD e BayOnne, de Bayonne
,a great conservatory
,very
RueMart lnac much on a level wi th t he ChaponF in in the matter of cookery . They are both ex
cellent d ining-places, though i t should b e rememberedthat t he cu i s i ne of the south i s r i cher and more full
Cafed e BOP flavoured than that of Par is .deaux ,
Place d e The Cafede Bo rdeaux has oni t s fi rst1a. COmed ie floor a very pleasant room
,t he wal ls of
wh ich are Wh ite and are decorated wi th many mi rrors,
Frene/z Towns 99
A FTER D INNER
Bordeaux pr ides i tsel f ont he ope rat i c performancesa t i ts Grand Theatre
,and i ts aud iences are very
c ri t i cal . I t has two other theat res for l i ghter fare,
and t he Casino d es Li las,on t he Boulevard d e
Cauderan,i s t he music hal l of t he c i ty .
AR CACH O N
Arcachon,though i t i s one of th e great centres
of oyster cul ture,i s not a happy hun t ing ground for
ep icures . Th e H igh L i fe Restau ran t, High Li fe,
a ttached to t h e V i c tor ia Hotel,i s in Boulevard d e
summer much patron i sed,and i ts 1a Plage
cookery i s good . At t he Golden Anchor,i n t he
P lace de la Mar ie, you can breakfast for 2 . 50 francs,and d ine for 3 francs, and t he same pr ices obtai n att h e Golden S tar opposi te t he Casino .
Th e two Cas inos,one ont he P lage
,t he other i n
t he Forest,are under t he same management . T he
Cercle Naut ique et d es Sports i s i n th e Casino,the
Cercle d es Etranger s i s i n t h e Avenue Gambet ta,and
t he Cerc le d ’Arcachonat t he Grand Café .
BIAR R IT Z
The average of cookery i n t he hotel s at Biarr i tzi s very good
,for t he compet i t i on i s very keen and as
money is spent by t he handful in th i s town ont h e
bay wh ere t he Atlant i c roll s i n i ts breakers, any hote lwh ic h d id not prov ide two excel lent tab/e d
’
hote
meals would very soon b e ou t of t he runn ing . Int he basement of t he bui ld ing i n wh ich i s t he BigCasino
,
“ M . Boulant ’ s Casi no,” as t h e nat i ves st i l l
cal l i t, i s a restauran t Where a table d’
ho‘
te lunch and
1 00 s e Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europed inner i s served ; but the restaurant of Bi arr i tz i s theone which R i tz estab l i shed ont he fi rst floor of the
Lit tle Casino,t h eCasino Munic i pal, and
wh ich con tinued,after t h e R i tz com
pany had ceased to be connec ted wi th i t,as th e ex-R i tz,
t he “ex be i ng pr i nted very small i ndeed . One break
fasts there i n a glazed-lnverandah over looki ng t he
P lage and t h e favouri te bath i ng-spot,and at d i nner
one looks across to t he i l luminated terrace of t he otherCasino . Biar r i tz depends but l i t tle on t he surround ingcountry for i ts food
,as t he Pay s Basque gives few
good th ings to t he ki tchen . Fish i s t he one excel lentth ing that Biarr i tz i tsel f con tr i butes to all t he menus,and t h e Fr iture o
’
u P ay s i s always excel lent . Herei s a menu of a l i tt le d inner
,
for th ree at the restau ran tof t he Li t tle Casino . T h e M inest rone i s an exce l len tItal ian soup (which, by t he way
,Oddenino of t he
Imper ial i n London makes better than I have tastedi t anywhere else out of Italy) th e veal
,I fancy
,came
from Pari s,t h e or tolans from t he far south
Melon.
MinestronMi lanaise .
F riture du Pay s .
Carré d e Veau b raisé aux Cep es .
Ortolans a la broche .
Salade d e Romaine .
Coupes d’
Entigny .
Li t t le Casino
I have not kept any bi l l for th i s,but I know that I
regarded t he total as moderate i n a town where al lt h ings i n September are at gambler ’ s pr ices. TheRoyal ty, int he main street atBi arr i tz, i s t he afternoongather i ng-place for t he young bloods
,who si t outs ide
ont he terrasse and there d ri nk cool ing l iqu id s th roughst raws out of long tumblers
,whi le t he lad ies h old
the i r parl iamen t at tea-t ime i n M iremont ’ s the confect ioner’ s shop almost next door ,
1 02 T/ze Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europe
The Reserve i s a house of th ree storeys of balcon iesshel tered from t he wind by glass screens . In winter
Th e Reserve one lunches i n one of these balcon ies,t h e Corniche i n summer onth e ter race . In t h e sea
,
Road at t he foot of t h e bluff onwh ich t h erestauran t i s bui lt
,are t h e tanks, through wh ich t h e
salt water flows,i n wh i c h t he fi sh and oysters are
kept . You here get t he world-renown ed Bouillaba issei n perfec t ion .
I suppose i t i s not necessary for me to give any d escr i p t ion of whatBouillabaisse i s
,or how t he Southerner s
fi rmly bel ieve that th i s d i sh cannot be proper ly madeexcept of t he fish that swim in t he Med i ter ranean ;t he rascaz
,a l it tle fel low al l head and eyes
,be i ng
an essent ial i n t he savoury stew,along wi th t he eel
,
t he lob ster,t he dory
,t he mackere l
,and
‘
the gi rel le .
Thackeray has sung t he ballad of t he d i sh as h e usedto eat i t
,and h is re'cet te
,because i t i s poetry
,i s accepted
,
though i t i s but the fresh-water ed i t i on of t he stew .
If you do not l ike oil,garl i c
,and saff ron
,wh i ch al l
come i n to i ts compos i t i on,give i t a wide ber th ; but
I should ment i on that t he Bouillabaisse at th e Reserveis qu i te a mi ld and lady—l i ke stew compared to thatone gets at Bregailla
’
s or t he restauran ts of t he Rue
Noai l les .The best shel l-fish are the pra ires and t he clovisses
,
about t he same s ize as walnuts or l i t t le neck clamst he clov isses are t h e largest
,and rather take t he place
of oysters when t he lat ter are not i n season,i n t he
same way that the clam does i n Amer i ca ; other s aremussel s, oysters, and langoustes. Langoustes d iff er asmuch as a skinny fowl does from a P oula rd e de M ans.
M . Echénard gets h i s from Corsi ca,and y ou then
learn how they can vary . P ra ires are rather ex
pensive luxur ies . They look l ike marine walnuts .When they are spl i t open the gelat i nous morsel i n s idei s wel l worth t he trouble of t he preparatory proceed
Frenc/z Trovincia/Towns 1 03
i ngs . M . Echenard serves a Poularde Re’
serve’
enCocot te Raviolis
,whi ch i s a d i sh to be remembered ;
h is Filets d e Sole Sauce Card inale are excel len t,for t he
smal l fat sole caught between Hyeres and Toulon i snot to b e despi sed .
If you wish to taste t he Bouillaba isse as t h e
Marse i l la i se themselves eat i t,with t he saff ron and
garl i c i n ful l fo rce,take t ram to
L’
Estagne. You will have to passthe Abatto i rs
,which do not form an appet i s i ng
sigh t ; but when y ou reach L’
Estagne, y ou wil l findt he bon bourgeoi s and h i s wife enj oy ing the i r fi shstew immensely
,and you can be sure that t he fi sh
you eat has j ust been caught from t h e sea.
For t he cur ious i n such matters,Pascal ’ s
,i n a smel ly
l i t tle square to t he east of t he Vieux Port,wil l be in
t erest ing. Pascal out of pure Hague, p asears,
adds Gargot t ier to h i s name. Here,Place Th iars
i n what Pascal asser ts i s i ts anc ient home,you get t he
Bouillabaisse i n i ts ful lest strength . Pascal boasts muchof h is gr il/aa
’es,wh ich w e cal l gr i lls . To give h i s
customers p r i vacy Pascal at b reakfast t ime lets downa great sun-bl i nd before h is restauran t .Those adventurous souls wi th st rong stomachs
,
who wish to eat the fry of sea-urch ins and otherh ighly savoury d i shes, wi th strange Bregaillon’s ,
shel l-fish,and other extraord i nary den i Quay
zens of t he deep as the i r foundat ion,Frat emlt e
should go to Bregaillon’
s at t he Vieux Port . Bregai l lon ’ s has lately absorbed another restauran t,Bosso
’
s
—or rather Bosso’ s has ab sorbed Bregaillon’
s . Bothrestaurants are much al ike .
_Each has i n fron t of
i t a long stal l wi th shel l-fish oni t . If you pause amoment to look at these a wai ter dashes at you andshows you t he 'menu of t he meal wh i ch i s bei ng servedinthe restauran t . I t i s necessary to have a l iking forgarl i c and a nose that fears no smel l s for th i s ad
L’
Estagne
1 04 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to Surope
venture ; but i f you br i ng your courage to t he st ick ingpo in t
,order a dozen oursins
,a pet it poe‘lon
,which i s a
tournedos i n a casserole,and a gr itj e. Gigot a l
’
d il i s oneof t he d i shes of th e house
,and a Coquille d es Fruits d e
M er,a rec/zauf e
’
of al l t he shel l-fish of t h e southernsea
,i s another . A John D ory wi th a Sauce P oivrad e
i s one of Bregaillon’
s t r iumphs . Cassi s i s a wh i tewine of t h e house ; and i t has some good ChateauNeuf de Pape. The best wine
,however
,of t he
house i s the Poui l ly Suisse,the Su i sse be i ng t he name
of the propr ieto r of t he v ineyard .
Mistral ’ s,a l i t t le more gi lded and a l i tt le gaye r than
t he two restauran ts noted above,i s next door to them .
Mi stral’
s , 7 Que I ts proprietor i s Alphone Cassino, andd e la Frat ernit é i ts table d
’
lzo‘
te meals cost franc sand 3 francs, i nclud i ng h alf a bot tle of whi te or red
wine . One canalmost smel l t he garl i c as one read sth is menu of one of the break fasts
Coqui l lages ou Hors ~ d’
oeuvre .
Boui l labai sse ou Loup remoulade.
Petits d es Ital ienne.
Entrecote grillée au Cresson.
Pommes Macaire.
D essert.
Vin blanc ou rouge.
Isnard ’ s,the offic ial name of wh ich i s the Hotel
des Phoceans, at t he cross i ng of two back streets
Isnard ’s , Rue Rues Thubaneau and Recollet t es— j ustTh ub aneau
off t he Cours Belsunce,i s i n h igh
favour wi th the upper c lasses of the Marse i l lai se.
Th e cookery here i s always good,and i f you order
Bouil/aaaisse y ou have'
to wai t twen ty minutes wh i lei t i s cooked for you
,and you on ly .
Th e Brasser ie d e Strasbourg,i n the b ig square
1 06 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to gurope
hate the i dea of going to b ed before the smal l hours,
Th erese ’ s Bar,wh i ch opens at midn ight and closes
at early breakfast t ime, i s a refuge .
AR L E S
The fi rst town that most people go to i n making t heround of t he old Roman town s of t he Mid i i s Arles .
Hot el du Fomm,
An except i onal ly shaky omn i bus takesSquare d u one th rough narrow streets inwh ich“ mm
t he shops are very much of t he s izeand type that they must have been i n old Romandays
,and lands one i n t he l i tt le Square du Forum
,
where are t he two hotels . T he officers mess at t h eHotel du Nord
,but th e Hote l du Forum has a h ighly
decorated d in i ng-room wh i ch i s kept fai rly Wel l a i red .
There i s l i tt le to choose between the feed i ng at t h etwo houses
,t he cookery of both be i ng Provencal .
At the Forum t he soup wi l l probab ly b e found to b ea vegetab le one with plenty of on i ons i n i t
,and the
fi sh Cocquilages ; but the surpr i se of t he d inner comeswi th t he tender sl i ce of leg of lamb . To j udge fromt he mutton one gets throughout Provence t he sheepthat pasture on i ts great plain s must be very wel lfavoured . On the wine l i st are t he wines of th e
prov i nce— red S t. Georges and whi te S t . G i lles, andthere are‘falso t he wines of t he Rhone
,Chateau Neuf
du Pape,and t he rest . Arles i s celeb rated for i ts
sausages,but I was not bold enough to t ry them .
The decorat ions of t he d in ing-room of t he ForumHote l appear a t fi rst glan ce to be Japanese
,but they
are real ly large water-colour works of scenes nearArles
,and i t i s t he appearance of t he groups of
Arlesiennes i n thei r b righ t shawls and chappelles, the
head-dress of black velvet and musl i n bows,which give
t he Japanese tone,t he pret ty gi rls of th i s old Roman
town somewhat resembl ing in the i r costume t he l i t t le
Frenell {Provincial Towns 1 07
Japanese mousme'es. Any one who wishes to studyProvencal local colou r w il l find i t i n abundance inth i s hotel . T h e manageress s i t s i n a glass case i n t hehall
,which runs up to t he roof and a skyl ight
,and
chats wi th or scold s al l comers ; a poin ter choosest he centre of t he hal l floor as a sleeping place a pret tygi r l w i th a shock head of hai r arranges flowers andeats h er breakfast at one and t he same t ime a cookwi th a huge black moustache rushes i n and ou t of h i ski tchen
,and meals are con ti nuous from sunri se to
sunset .
NIM E S
Nimes,from t he gast ronomic po in t of v iew
,i s a
more c iv i l i sed town than Arles . Th e d in ing-room att he Luxembourg Hotel
,which i s an Luxembourg
old-fash ioned hostel ry w i th a certa in 11 0179 1
d i gn i ty of i ts own,resembles t he banquet i ng hal l of
some old castle. I t has a gro ined stone ce i l i ng,and al l
i ts decorat ions are i n keep ing wi th th i s . T h e table
d’
ho‘
te d i nner i s an ord i nary hotel d inner,but I was
assured that i f I chose to order a d inner of local d i shest here would be 110 d i fficult ies made. Th e S t . G i l lesat th is hotel i s anexcepti onal ly good wine— so good
,
i ndeed,that I had ser ious thoughts of br ing ing some
to England to use as a table wine. At t he Luxembourg t he commerc ial travel lers s i t at a long table int he centre of t he room
,while t he tou i ist s—French
,
German,Engl ish
,and Amer ican— si t at t he l i tt le
tab les by t he wall s . Perr ier i s t he local m ineralwater
,that spr ing be i ng i n t he immed i ate ne ighbour
hood of Nimes .T he Restauran t Peloux i s j ust ac ross t he streetfrom t he Luxembourg . Th e restaurant
,th ree rooms
th r own in to one,i s on t he fi rst floo r
, Res taurantwh i ch i s reached by a dark stai rcase .
Peloux
T he restaurant,however
,i s br igh t enough
,i ts wal ls
1 08 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to Surope
being of buff colou r . There i s a 3-franc lunchand a 4
-franc d inner at th i s restauran t,wh ich i s
pat ron ised by th e wel l-to-do c i t izens of Nimes . Iboth lunched and d ined at t he Peloux
,but wh i le th e
cookery was qu i te sati sfactory,there was noth ing
especially of note . Th e Ce rons of t he house i s a verygood wh i te wine .
AV IGNON
Th e Hotel d e L ’
EUrope i s a very pleasan t old-worldhotel kept by three elderly lad ies w ho wear blackHot el d e s i lk d resses
,who s i t i n a l i t t le office
L’
Europ e j ust off t he hal l,and spend the i r spare
t ime inkn i tt i ng. Th e old head wai ter bows one i n tot he salonas i f one were an ambassador
,and when you
arr ive t h e manwho shoulders your luggage and takesi t up to your room i s d ressed i n even ing clothes andwears a whi te t ie
,j ust as though he were a wai ter .
T h e atmosphere of t he place i s steeped i n goodmanners
,and the re i s some old furn i ture i n some of t he
bedrooms wel l worth looki ng at . Th e cookery of t hehouse i s t he old—fash ioned prov in c ial cookery o f hote l sin t he days when there was d i st i ngui shed prov in c i alcookery . I t i s not Provencal, for i t i s no t redolent ofgarl i c
,and there i s not too much oil used in i t . It i s
too l ight-handed to be bourgeoi s,but not up-to-date
enough to b e Par i s ian . There i s a good deal ofpleasure to be ob tained by a stay in th i s old hote l i nan old town
,and though t he table d
’
hote d in ner i s setdown to b e at a r id i culously early hour
,the old head
wai ter wi l l see that i t i s served at any t ime .
The Restauran t de Bagatel le I S a l i ttle whi te v i l lawi th a b ig wooden shel ter alongside of i t ont he i slandRes taurant d e which d iv ides t h e Rhone i n to two parts .Bagat elle T he v iews from t h e i sland of Av ignonand Vil leneuve are beaut i ful . I breakfasted at th i s
1 1 0 T/z e Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europestand are tanks, and in these swim fi sh
,large and
small,the fine lazy doraa’es and t he l i vely l i tt le sea
gudgeon . One of t he amusemen ts of t he place i st hat t he breakfaste rs fi sh out wi th a net t he l i tt lefi shes wh i ch are to form a f r iture, or poin t ou t t he
b igger v ic t im wh ich t hey ‘wi l l presently eat for the i rmeal . T h e cooking i s s imple and good
,and wi th fi sh
that th i rty minutes before were swimming i n t he
green water,an omelette
,a s imple d i sh of meat
,and
a pin t of Cerons,or other wh i te wine
,a man may
breakfast i n t he h ighest con tent,l ooking at some of
t he sunn iest scenes i n the world . There i s alwayssome l i t t le band of Ital i an musi c i an s playi ng ands inging at t he Reserve, and though i n London onewould vote them a nui sance
,at Cannes th e music
seems to fi t i n w i th t he lazy pleasure of breakfast i ngalmost upon t he waves
,and th e, th roaty tenor w ho
has been si ngi ng of San ta Luc ia gets a l i n ing of
francs to h is hat . Most of t he crowned heads w homake hol iday at Cannes have taken the i r b reakfasto ftenenough i n t he l i t t le glass summer—house
,but
t h e pr i ces are i n no w ay alarming . A new d in ingand supping place has been given toCannes b y t he bui ld ing of th e Muni
c ipal Casino . Th e Casino stands on t he Cro iset te,
and t h e windows of it s great wh ite restaurant look onto t h e wide sea-wall and promenade on one s ide
,
to t he harbour on another s ide,and out to sea on
a th i rd si de . Th e manager,M . Renaud
,i s one of
M . R i tz ’ s l ieutenants of old . days,and everyth ing i s
done with t h e fin ish of a first-class estab l i shmen t . Iti s the place at wh i ch most of t he fash ionab le d in nerpart ies of Cannes are now given . I t i s not cheap
,but
all th e pri ces are marked against t he d i shes ont he b i l lof fare
,and no manneed o rder an expensive meal
un less he i s in cl i ned to do so. I found that my averageb i ll for '
breakfast came to between8 and I Q francs,
Th e Casino
Frenc/z Trooincia 'l Towns 1 1 1
and that I d ined very wel l,without wine
,for about
1 2 francs . T h e Casino restauran t i s a d ist i nc t gain toCannes
,and i t i s t he correc t th ing to d rink five o ’ clock
t ea i n,the b ig hal l of th e Casino
,where the band
plays . A small orchest ra of Tziganes plays at lunchand d inner i n t he restauran t . The lad ies also gather attea-t ime at t he whi te bui ld ing
,where Mme . Rumple
mayer sells‘
cakes and tea and coff ee,or at Roh r’ s ;
and the Gal l i a al so has a clientele of tea-d rinkers,for
whose benefi t t he band plays of an afte rnoon .
CANNE S CLU B S
Clubs play a very important part in t he l i fe of
Cannes . A li tt le house bui l t i n t he expectat ion thatKing Edward would come to t he town and occupyi t was converted in to t he Cerc le de l’Union
,wh ich
w as real ly a Br i t i sh c lub though a Russian GrandDuke founded i t . I t was a part i cularly snug andhome-l ike club . Alas that I should have to chron i clei ts demise
,and t he absorpt ion by t he Cercle Nautique
of i ts permanen t members .The b ig French club
,to which many of t he
Br i t i sh res i dents belong, i s t h e Cercle Nautique, th egreat bui ld ing ont he Cro iset te . A band somet imesplays oni ts terrace c lub d inner s are frequen tly held
,
as wel l as t he dai ly house d i nner, and there i s abaccarat-room . A Lad ies ’ Club
,wh ich has i ts own
rooms,and which gives suppers and dances
,i s part
of the Cerc le Naut ique,and so i s a theatre to wh ich
t h e publ i c i s admi tted when char i ty performancesare given there. T he fash ionable place fromwh ich to v iew t he Bat tles of Flowers i s t he ra isedterrace of the Cercle Naut ique. This c lub admitsproperly i n troduced v i s i tors on very easy terms . Ahouse boat
, a very b ig house boat, known as Noah’ s
Ark,and moored inthe harbour, i s another nauti cal
1 1 2 Tbe Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
club,and i s a very merry one dur ing Carn ival t ime .
Th e Cercle Pr iv é of the Casi no i s t he usual baccaratclub at tached to every Casino . A card wi th a goodLondon c lub add ress and a lou is entrance fee are t he
requ is i tes for admiss ion .
T h e fame of t h e gol f l i nks at La Napoule has goneou t to al l lands
,and in t he club-house many people
w ho never h i t a bal l s i t down to lunch for t he clubi s a very fash ionable soc ial centre .
T he Cannes Polo Club i s t h e lates t add i t ion to t hec lubs . Its ground l ies to t he left as you en ter Mand elieu from Cannes . A large number of polo pon iesare at t he d isposal of t he members . Captain Lamberti s i ts honorary sec retary .
A FTER D INNER
Baccarat at t he Casino Club i s t he usual fash ionableafter-d inner past ime
,but t he performances of comedy
and opera i n the theat re of t he Casi no are wel l worthgoing to
,as a rule . Th e theatre of t he Cercle
Naut ique i s used ch iefly for performances for var iouschar i t ies . A li t t le musi c h all
,wh ich styles i tsel f a
Casino,changes i ts programme every week . I t i s
ch iefly patron i sed by th e townspeople .
NI C E
At Nice t he London House was one of t he class icalrestauran ts of France
,and one talked of i t i n com
pari son wi th t he great houses of t h e boulevard s of th ecap i tal . I t was a l i ttle too solemn and dull for thepresen t day , and i t has now,
i n t he hands of some
en terpr i s ing lad ies, become a tea-house,as wh i ch
,no
doubt,i t wi l l flouri sh .
T he l i t t le Restauran t Francais, on t he Promenadedes Anglai s, i s one of the cheer iest places poss i b le to
1 1 4 Tne Gourmet ’s Guide to «Europe'
Th e restaurant attached to t he Cercle Pr ivé of
t he Cas i no ‘ Mun i c i pal i s a good one,though apt to
CasinoMuni b e c rowded at d i nner-t ime when al lci p al, Place t he baccarat tables are inplay . I t ranMassena
t he Helder hard i n the race for fash ionable patronage . I t i s qu i te one of the places at wh icha v i s i tor should d ine .
Vogad e int he Place Massena, and Rumplemay er’
s
ont he Boulevard V ictor Hugo,are t he two fash ion
able t ea-shops .
NI CE CLUB S
A d elay of a few hours and a loui s as subscr i pt i onpasses any man who belongs to a good Br i t i sh c lubi n to t he Cerc le Massena of t he Mun ic i pal Casino .
There i s another baccarat c lub i n t h e Palai s de la
Jetee. The Cercle Med i terranee,on th e Promenade
des Anglai s,has a fine club-house . It has ma tine'es
a’ansantes to wh ich all the cosmopol i tan soc iety of
Nice goes . I t has also i ts card-rooms . Th e restauran ti n the bui ld ing i s managed by M . S imon in i
,one of
Ci ro ’ s nz aitres d ’lzotel i n old days . The subscr i pt ionto t he club for temporary members
,who must be duly
proposed and seconded,i s 240 francs for t he season ;
60 francs a month . Th e Med i ter rane’ e ranks wi t ht he Cerc le Naut ique of Cannes as a club of t he
h ighest stand ing .
The golf l inks and club-house are at Cagnes, wh ichi s easi ly reached e i ther by tra in or t ram .
A FTER D I NNER
The Munic i pal Casino has a win ter garden whi chis a pleasan t lounge i n th e afternoon and i n t he even ing
,
and its theatre is kept busy wi th performances of
F renc/z (Provincial Townscomedy or operetta, most of t h e good t ravel l i ng companies which tour i n t he w in ter playing short seasonshere . The C asi no d e la Jetée also. has a theatre
,
where operet tas or a musi c hal l en terta inment are
general ly th e at tract ion,and in th e town there are
t he O lympia and Eldorado,each cal l i ng i tsel f a Casino
,
where operetta i s usually t h e at t ract i on . There i salso a new theatre behind La Be l le Meun iere .
Atth e Opera House
,grand opera
,often some qu i te
new product ion , i s sung onmost days i n t he win ter .The Capuc ines i s a theat re wh ich some wintersopens
,some win ters i s c losed .
BEAUL I EU
At Beaul ieu the Restaurant d e la Re'serve i s famous .
I t i s j us t a conven ient d i s tan ce for a d r ive fromMonte Carlo
,an d t he w orld and the half-world dr i ve
or motor out there from t he town ont he rock ands i t at adj acen t tables i n t he verandah wi thout showing any obj ect i on one to t he other . Th e restauran ti s a l i tt le wh i te bu i ld ing in a garden
,with a long
plat form bu i l t out over t he sea,so that breakfast i ng
one looks r ight down upon a blue depth of water .There are tables i n side t he bui ld ing
,but th e early
comers,and those wise people who have telephoned
for tables,take those i n t he verandah i f the day b e
sunny . There are tanks in to wh ich the water runsi n and ou t wi th each l i t tle wave
,and i n these are
t h e Marennes oysters and other shel l-fish . Oysters,
a M ostelle a l’
d ngla ise—Most elle be i ng th e espec ialfi sh of t h i s part of t he world— and some t i ny bi t ofmeat i s t he breakfast I general ly order at t he Beaul ieuRéserve but t h e cook i s capable of h igh fl igh ts
,and
I have seenmost elaborate meals wel l served .
1 1 6 The Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
MONTE CAR L O
The fi rst t ime that I stayed for a week or so i n t hepri nc ipal i ty
,I lodged at t he Hotel du Monte Carlo,
on the‘
h ill below t he Post O ffice . I t w as a d ingyhotel then
,and t he i dea of convert i ng i t i n to th e
Splend id spor t ing c lub had not y et en tered M .
Blanc’s mind ; but i t had th e supreme attract i on toa l ieutenant i n a march ing regiment of be i ng cheap .
When t he fi rst day at d in ner I cast my ey e down t hewine-list
,I found amongst t he clarets wines of t he
great v i n tage years at extraord i nari ly low pr i ces,and
i n surpr i se I asked th e reason . The manager ex
plained to me that the hotel was i n the early daysused as a cas ino
,and that t he wines formed par t of
th e cel lar of t he propr ietor—whether M . Bl anc,or
another,I do not remember . . Most of them were
too old to bear removal to Par i s,and they were put
downonth e wine—l i st at r i d i culously low pri ces i norder to get r id of them
,for
,as t he manager sa id
,
“ In Monte Carlo t he winners d r ink noth ing butc hampagne
,t he losers water or
“wh isky and soda .”
SO i t i s . InMonte Carlo,when a man has w on
,h e
wants t he very best of everyth ing, and does not mindwhat he pays for i t ; when h e has lost, h e has noappeti te
,and grudges t h e money h e pays for a chop
i n ' the gr i l l—room of t he Cafe d e Pari s . Th e pr i cesat t he restauran ts are n icely adapted to t h e purses oft h e w i nners ; and there i s no place i n the world wherei t i s more necessary to order wi t h d i sc r iminat ion andto ask quest i ons as to pr ices . At Monte Carlo i t i st he custom to ent i rely d i ssoc iate your lodging fromyour feed ing
,and y ou may stay at one hote l and
hab i tually feed at th e restaurant of another w it houtthe propr ietor of t he first be i ng at all unhappy , Ci ro
’ s
1 1 8 Tbe Gourmet ’s Guide to Europea t M onte Carlo. He and three fr iends ate and drankth i s at de'j euner
Hors d ’oeuvre varies .
CEufs pochés Grand D uc .
Mostelle a l’Anglaise.
Volail le enCasserole a la F ermi ere.
Patisserie .
F romage.
Café .1 Magnum Carbonnieux 1 89 1 .
F ine Champagne 1 846.
This feast cost 61 francs . Th e Mostelle,as I have
prev iously ment ioned,i s t he special fi sh of th i s part
of t he coast . I t i s as del i cate as a wh i t ing, and i sspl i t open
,fr ied
,and served wi th bread c rumbs and
an over-suffic iency of mel ted butter .O f course Ci ro always prov ides someth ingnew eachyear for h is customers to talk abou t . One year al lMonte Carlo was surpr i sed to find that a dried haddock
,
as cooked in th e Galerie, was very del i c i ous . Anotheryear everybody at C i ro ’ s ate the i r cav iare between twosmal l very hot pancakes . In t he winter 1 907—8 a newsi lver gr i l l dazzled t he eyes Of al l h i s cl ients . Th e
winter of 1 9 1 0—1 1 has seen the promot i on of M .
R i zzi from th e post of ma it re d ’ho‘ tel at t he Hote lFrance to be Ciro ’ s partner . Ci ro proposes to ret i refrom business i n th ree years t ime.
At Monte Carlo one i s given everyth ing that canbe imported and wh ich i s expensive . T h e salmoncomes from Scot land or Sweden
,and most of the
other mater i al for t he feasts i s sent down dai ly fromPari s . The
”
thrushes from Corsica,and some very
good asparagus from Genoa or Roquebrune, are aboutt he only prov is i ons wh ich come from the nei ghbourhood
,except of course the fi sh
,which i s plen t i ful and
excel lent . I was one spr ing entrusted wi th t he
Frenc/z fProfvincial Towns 1 1 9
ordering of a d inner for s ix at t he restauran t of
the Hotel d e Par i s,th e most frequented of all the
d in ing-places at Mon te Carlo,and I
told M . Fleury, t he manager,that
I wanted as much local colour i nt roduced into i t asposs i ble. He refer red me to t he chef
,and between us
w e drew up th is menu,wh ich certai n ly has someth ing
of the sunny south about i t
Hotel d e Pari s
Hors d ’ oeuvre et Cav iar frai s .
Creme d e Langoustines .
Friture d e Nonnat s.Selle d ’Agneau aux P rimieurs.
Bécass ines toties .
Salade Nicoise .
Asperges d e Genes.Sauce Moussel ine
D essert.
ViNs .
1 bottle Barsac.
3 bottles Pommery VinNature 1 89 2 .
To crown th i s feast we had some of the very oldbrandy
,a treasure of t he house
,wh ich added 60 francs
to t he b i l l ° The total was 363 francs 1 0 centimes .In th i s d i nner t he Creme de Langoust ines was excellen t
,a most del i ght ful bisque. The nonnats are the
smal l fry of the bay,smaller far than wh i tebai t, and
are del i c i ous to eat . They are perhaps more su i tab lefor b reakfast than for a d inner of ceremony, and hadI not yearned for local colour I should have orderedt he Filets a
’o Sole Egypt iennes i n l i t tle paper coffins,
which look l ike mummy cases, a d i sh wh i ch i s one of
t he spec ial t ies of th e house .
Din ing at the Hotel d e Par i s one p ays i n comfortfor i ts popular i ty
,for ona crowded n ight t he tables i n
t he b ig d i n i ng-room are put so close together thatthere i s hardly room for t he wai ters to move be tween
1 20 T/ze Gourniet ’s Guide to Europe
them,and the no ise Of t he conversat ion r i ses to a roar
th rough wh ich t he v iol in s of t he band Outsi de the
door canbarely b e heard .
The restaurant of t h e Grand Hotel, where MM .
Noel and Pat tard themselves , see to t h e comfor t ofthe i r guests,i s al so a fash ionable d in i ng—place . I fi rsttasted t he Sole Walest a
,with i ts del i cate flavour i ng of
Parmesan,at the Grand Hotel many
years ago,and i t has always been one Of
t he spec ial d ish es of t he house. This i s a menu of ad inner for six given at the Grand, as a return fort he one quoted above of t he Hotel d e Par i s
Grand Hot el
Creme L ivonienne.
F i lets d e Sole Waleska.Barond e
'
Pauillac a la Broche.
P ur‘ ée d e Champ ignons .
Petits Pois Nouveaux .
Merles d e Corse .
Salade.
Asperges. Sauce Moussel ine .
Souffle d a Parmesan.
Friandises.Unfortunate‘ly I have lost th e b i l l of t h i s feast .A P oulard e Santos D umont— a bo i led ch i cken stuffedwi th a var iety of r ich good th ings and served wi th a
brown sauce— i s one of the crea t ions of t he chef oft he Grand fThe Hermi tage
,i n , which MM . Beno i t and
Fourault are i n terested,has qu i te t he most beaut i fu l
d i n ing-roomi n '
Monte Carlo . I t has aclientele wh ich is j ust as lav i sh as t he
d i ners at C i ro ’ s and t he Par1s . Indeed one mayfrequently see th e most weal thy people of t hree cont inents d ining at ne ighbour i ng
‘
tables i n t he beaut i fulHermi tage d in i ng-room.
-O ther people col lec t,
stampsand butterflies, t he proprietors of th e Hermitage
'
have
a fad of Collect i ng mul t i-mi l l i onai res. The '
follow ing
Th e Hermi tage
1 2 2 l e Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europemenof moderate means . Madame Ré learned t he
art of t he ki tchen at th e Réserve at Marse i l les,and
sh e knows as much about t he cooking of fi sh as anywoman in the world . When i t came to my turn int he i n terchange of d inners for s ix to p i ovide a feast, Iwen t to Madame Ré and asked her to give me a fi shd inner
,an d to keep i t as d i st i nct ive as possi ble of t h e
pr inc i pal i ty,and she at once saw what I wanted and
entered in to t he spi r i t of i t . Sh e met me on th e
even ing of t he feast wi th a sorrowful express ion onher handsome face
,for she had sen t a fi sherman out
very early int h e morn ing in to t he bay to catch someof th e l i tt le sea hedgehogs wh ic h were to form onecourse
,but he had come back empty—handed . Th e
menu stood as under,and w e none of us missed t he
hedgehogs :
Canapé d e Nonnats .
Soupe d e poissonMonegasque.
Supions enBuisson.
D orade Bonne Femme.
Volaille Rd t ie .
Lang‘ouste Pari s ienne.
Asperges Vinaigrette.
D essert.
The SoupeM onegasque had a remin iscence i n i t ofBouillabaisse
,but i t was not too i ns i stent th e sup ions
were oc topi,but del i cate l i t t le gelat i nous fel lows
,not
leathery,as t he Ital i an ones somet imes are t he dorade
was a splend id fi sh and though I fancy t he l angoustehad come from Corsi can waters and n ot from t he bay
,
i t was beaut i ful ly fresh and a monster of i t s ki nd .
The R iviera Palace h as a restaurant to wh ich manypeople come to b reakfast
,h igh above
Monte Carlo and i ts heat,and t he cook
i s a very good one .
Any mad Engl i shman who l ike mysel f takes long
Riviera Palace
Frenc/z T rovincial Towns 1 23
walks in the morn i ng,wil l find t h e restaurant at t he
La Turb ie terminus of t he mountainrai lway a pleasan t place at wh ich to eatearly breakfast ; and t he v iew from t he terrace
,where
one munches one’ s pet it pa inand d rinks one’ s coff eeand mi lk
,with an orange tree one i ther s ide of t he
table,i s a super b one .
After t he tab les are closed th e b ig room at t h eCafé d e Par is i n Monte Carlo fi l ls up wi th those w horequi re supper or a “ n igh tcap before going home ;and though a spri nkl ing of lad ies may be seen there
,
t he half-world much preponderates . T he n igh t b i rd scont inue the even ing at t he Carlton
,where t he l igh ts
are not put out unt i l t he smal l hours, and see dayl igh tat t he Austr i a .
La Turbie
MO NTE CAR LO CLUB S
Th e Sport i ng Club,whi ch was establ i shed to save
t he gamblers who went over to N ice to play baccaratt h e fat igue of a trai n j ou rney
,i s the club of t he
p ri n c ipal i ty .
Some golf l i nks,2000 feet above the sea
,have been
made at Mont Agel .
AFTER D I N N ER
Th e d i rec tors of th e great hlont e Carlo i ndustrythat of wi nn i ng t he money of gamblers— do not encourage thei r gues ts to stray too far away from t he
gaming tab les . T he concer ts i n the Casino theatreand t he perfo rmances of Opera are world-renowned ,but i t i s often not easy for ord inary v i si tors to Obtaint i ckets for seats dur ing the opera season . There are
comed iettas and operet tas at t he l i tt le glass palace i nth e Casino gardens
,but they are usual ly performed of
an afternoon . A new theatre onthe Condam ine, fo r
1 24 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europet he benefi t of t he people of Monaco
,i s amongst the
proposed improvements wh i ch are to come from t he
profi ts of t he tables .
t NTONE
Mentone has splend id t ea-shops at Rumpelmay er’
s
and Eckenb erg’
s . A pleasant restauran t at wh i ch toTh eWint er lunch i s that of theWinter Palace andPalace t he
‘Bel le Vue has been improved by anew d in i ng-room . Many people dri ve from MonteCarlo to lunch or take tea at t he Cap Mart in Hotel,and i t i s a pleasan t place wi th a splend id v iew fromt h e great terrace. Another favour i te res tauran t at t h eend of a dr i ve i s t he Restaurant des Rochers Rouges,j ust across the Ital ian fron t ier .Mentone has at last Obtai ned i ts much -neededCasi no
,contai n ing all that i s necessary to make i t a
success,on the ground of the Chateau du Louvre .
Mentone has i ts c lub,to whi c h t he subscr i pt ion i s
1 00 francs for t he season,or 2 5 francs a mon th . I t
has also i ts gol f c lub .
TH E PYR E N E E S
As a gastronomic guide to t he Pyrenees I cannotdo better than in t roduce to y ou my very good fr iendC . P .,
w ho knows that part Of t he world as wel l asany nat ive
,and whose taste i s un impeachab le. I
therefore stand down and let h im speak for h imsel f :Throughout t he Pyrenees
,i n n i ne hotels out of t en
,
you can obtain a decently cooked lunc heon or d inner-neither
‘
above nor below the average.
But i n order to depart from the beaten track of t heOrd inary menu, abandon al l h ypoc r i sy, oh , i n tel l igen ttraveller"and do not pretend that y ou can turn a
1 26 The Gour inet ’ s Guide to Europe
t he Mel l i n ’ s Food of t he t ime . Perhaps bab ies wered ifferently const i tuted in those days .In any case y ou will always b e able to get a goodbott le of c laret
,beari ng the name of some first-class
Bordeaux fi rm,such as Johnson
,Barton Guest ier, or
Luze,&c . If you are lucky enough to Obtai n a glass
of genui ne old Armagnac, you wi l l probably rank i t,
as a l iqueur,very nearly as h igh as any cognac you
have ever tasted .
A word of warn ing Don ’ t b e too eager to orderw h isky and soda . T h e Scotch i s not of un iformqual i ty .
SO much for eatab les and d r inkables . A few h i n tsnow as to where you might care to lunch or d i ne .
PAU
To begi n with Pau . There i s really a great art i stthere— a manwhose sole hobby i s h i s k i tchen ; andw ho, i f h e chooses, can send you up a d inner secondto none. His name i s Gu ichard . GO and have
‘
atalk wi th h im . Hear what he has to say ont he fondde-cuisine theory . Let h im arrange your menu andawai t t he result wi th confidence . That confidencewill not be misplaced .
For general comfort t he Engl i sh Club stands easi lyfi rst
,and t he Engli shmanwho has been pr i v i leged to
become a temporary member wi l l find that the coffeeroom i s admi rably run
,
”and as for wine and c igars
Palai s d 'mver ,they are the bes t that money can buy .
Pare Beaumont For a supper after the play y ou shouldgive a t r i al to t he restauran t of t he Palai s d ’H iver.
The Gassion and the France,t h e two leading
hotels,have both been renovated . T he France has
Hot el d e France, a part i cularly good restau rant, and M .
Place Roy ale Campagna,who came from t he Casi no
Be l le Vue at Bi arr i tz, i s i n supreme command there .
F renc/z (Provincial Towns 1 27
This i s a menu of a d i nner wh ich Comte RomanPotoki gave i n t he restaurant
H ors d ’oeuvre a la Russe.
Green Turtle . Purée d e Grives eu Pain Noir .P inces d e H omar ad la Hongroise .
Sel le d e Veau a la D oria .Spooms au Cl iquot .
Tinamons d e Mériel Truffe'
s .
Salade Potoki .Peches D ame Blanche.
Excellences .
For confect ionery, cakes, cand ied fru i ts, &c.,Luc
or Segh i n w i l l be found qu i te A I ; whi lst for fiveo ’ clock t ea
,Madame Bou z oum has deservedly gain ed
a reputat ion as great as that of Rumpelmay er on the
R i v iera.Th e golf-l inks and club-house at Bi l l iere are th e
oldest,wi th two except ions
,i n t he world— outs ide
Scotland,of course .
Throughout t he mountain resorts of t he Pyrenees,
such as Luchon,Bagneres d e Bigorre, Gavarn ie, S t .
Sauveur,Cauterets
,Eaux Chaudes
,O loron
,&c ., y ou
can always,as was stated prev iously
,rely upon gett ing
an averagely wel l-served luncheon or d inner,and
noth ing more— t rout and ch i cken,although excel lent
,
bei ng inev i table . For t he Hotel d e Hotel d e France,
France at Eaux Bonnes I can say Eaux 301111 9 8
someth ing wh ich i s warmer prai se than th i s,for i ts
cookery i s qui te beyond reproach . At ArgelesGaz oust there i s a cho ice of tw o good d in i ng an dlunch ing places— t he Hotel du Parc
, Hotel d a p arekept by M . Lassus
,and t he Hotel de Argeles
France,where young Pey rafit te con trols t he ki tchen
wh i ch h is father,
“ Papa ” Pey rafit te, made famous .“ Papa has ret i red
,but now and Hotel d e France,
again comes to t he Hotel d e France Argelés
to see that h i s sondoes not fall away from t he fami ly
1 2 8 T/26 Gourmet ’s Guide‘
to Europet rad i t i on s. Papa loved h i s cooking pots as a fondfather loves h i s c h i ld ren ; to see -h im in h i s k i tchenwas to see a master of h i s ar t i n h i s stud io ; h eunderstood exactly how local colou r should b e i n t roduced ; and he loved, over a glass of qu inqu ina andvermouth
,to chat with any enthus iast of a l i ke kidney .
In conc lus ion,should you find yoursel f anywhere
near Lourdes at t he t ime of t he Peler inage Nat ional,
go and d ine at one of t h e pr inc ipal hotels there— sayt he Hotel de la Grotte . You wil l not d i ne e i t herwell or comfortably, t h e pandemon ium bei ng indescr i bable. But y ou wi ll have gained an exper iencewhich you wi l l not read i ly forget. Ad islza t
AI X -LES-BA INS’
Most of t he Frenc h cure places are for i nval i ds an di nval ids only
,and t he gourmet who goes to them has
to lay as ide h is c r i t i cal facult ies an d . to'
be con ten twi th t he S imples t f are
,
“ wel l or i nd iff eren tly cooked,
accord i ng to h i s cho i ce of an hotel .Aix—les-Bain s
,th e b i g Savoy town of _ baths
,i s t h e
pr i nc i pal except ion to t he rule,for the baccarat i n the
two Casinos d raws al l t h e b ig gamblers i n Europe to
t he place,and one hal f of Aix—les—Bain s goes to
b ed about t he t ime that t he other half i s be i ngcarr ied in rough sedan chai rs to b e parbo i led andmassaged .
In t he late spring there i s an exodus from th e
R i v iera to Aix -les -Bains ; doc tors, ma itres d’
lzdtel,
musi c i ans,lawyers
,fly—men
,wai ters
,move i n to summer
quarters ; and any one w ho has t ime to spare,and
enj oys a th ree-day drive through beaut i ful scenery,migh t wel l do worse than make a bargai n wi th afly-man for t he t r i p from t he coast to the townont he banks of t he lake. Whena fly-man does notsecure a “ monsieur ” as a passenger, he as often as
130 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
a garden from wh i ch an excel lent v iew of th e lakeand t he l i t t le bath ing-place can b e Obtai ned . Theymake a Bouillabaisse of fresh-water fi sh at th i s restaurant wh ich i s wel l worth eat ing
,and wh i ch i s gener
al ly t he Friday fare there . At Chambotte,where
there i s a fine v iew of t he lake,Lansard has a hotel
and restaurant . At Marl i oz,near t h e race-course
and an i nhalat ion and bath ing establ i shmen t,t he
pret ty lad ies of Aix often cal l a halt to breakfast,
Ecrevisses Bordelaises be i ng a spec ial ty . At t he l i t t lemounta i n i nn at La Chambotte
,t he propr ietor has
marr ied a Scotch Wi fe,and h er excel lent cakes
,made
after th e manner of her fatherland , come as a surpri seto t he French tour i s ts . Th e chalets a t t he summi t oft he Grand Revard belong
,I bel ieve
,to Mme . R i tz,
wife of . t he Emperor of Hotels,and t he feed ing there
natural ly i s excel len t .Most people w ho go a tr i p to t he Lac d ’Annecybreakfast on the boat, though I bel ieve th ere i s afai r breakfast to be ob tained at t he Anglet erre . Ont he boat a very ample meal i s prov ided— the troutgeneral ly be i ng excel len t— whic h occupies t he attent ion of t he i n tel l igent voyager dur ing t he whole of
t he t ime that he i s supposed to be looking at waterfalls
,cast les
,peaks
,and picturesque v i llages .
A run over to Allevard les Bains ona motor wi l l int roduce you to Les Q uatresBouledogues -R i c hard
Les Quatres t he propr ietor and h i s th ree an imalBouledogues , bulla dogs being t he four . R i chard is
Allevarda humorist . He i s a capi tal cook ; he
writ es poetry—Of a ki nd ; an d ed i ts a newspaper .These are t he sp
'
e'
cialite’
s Of t he Q uatre, wh ich t he
restauran t i s cal led for short : P et ites Croustades it la
Lucullus,a uf s it la d
’
Orle'
ans,Tr ipa illes Richard
,Tete
de cochona‘
la D eibler,Pa indo Vola ille cl la Chevaliere,
Alhamora’
de Canetons,Turbande Oueues d e Langoustes
a'
la Mosco‘vite
,Tescfea ou Kirsch d
’
d llefvard (Sauce
Frenoit {P rovincial Towns 1 3 1
Saoayon), Cafe’ pure chicoree
,S irop de P arapluies touj ours
A FTER D I NNER
T h e two Casinos, each hav in g i ts theat re and eachbei ng qui te cathol i c i n t he mat ter of enterta i nments
,
g iv i ng opera,operet ta
,var iety shows,and fi reworks
,
supply all t he after-d innerneeds of Aix,and t h e Club
P r i ve’ s put no unnecessary d i fficult ies i n t h e way Ofrespec table strangers becom ing members .
Outside t h e hote ls,t he restaurants at tached to
which give i n most cases a good table d’
lzote d innerfor 6 francs and a de’j euner for 4, there are but fewrestauran ts
,for most people w ho come to V i chy l ive
enpension,making a bargain wi th the irhotel for the i r
food for so.
much a day— a bargain whi ch does notencourage them to go Ou t s ide and take the i r meals .Th e Casi no of course has i ts restauran t . The
Alhambra Taverne i s a restau ran t and Brasser ie i nt he Rue Sorn i n, and t he Francai s i s in the Rue
du Marché . There are several small restauran ts i nt he env i rons Of V ichy . In t he val leys Of t he S i chonand t he Jolan , two st reams wh ich j o in near the
v i l lage of Cusset an d then flow i n to t he Allier,are
two l i t tle restauran ts, each to b e reached by a carr iageroad . Both t he Restaurant les Malavaux near t herui n s
,and t he Restauran t d e l’Ardoisiére near t he
Cascade of Gourre-Sai l lan t,have the i r d i shes
,each
Of them making a spec ialty of t rout and c rayfi sh fromt he l i t tle r iver that flows hard by . At t he MontagneVerte
,whence a fine v iew of t he val ley of t he All ier
i s obtainable,and at one or two other of t he places to
wh ich walks and d rives are taken , there are cafes andi nns where decen t food i s obtai nable.
1 32 l e Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeThe golf c lub
,under t he management of M . Alett i,
i s a flour ish i ng inst i tut i on,and the l i nks are spor ting
ones
EV IAN
Evian,t he most French of al l t he French water i ng
places,depends on i ts ho tel restau ran ts for i ts good
meal s . Th e terrace of Hotel Royal,
h igh above t he town and t he lake,i s
a del ightful open ai r d in ing-place i n warm weather .M . Met i v ier
,who Came from t he Esplanade Hotel
,
t he hotel owned by t h e R i tz synd icate i n Berl i n , i st he ma i tre clz ef , and M . Ali
,t he c lever Egypt ian
,
wel l known as t he mai tre d ’
lzotel of t he Armenonv i l lei n Par i s
,occup ies a l ike pos i t ion at t he Royal i n t he
late summer . Th e cooking i s good,and nowhere can
one eat to bet ter advan tage t he Ombre,the k ing of
all fi shes that swim in the Lake of Geneva.
The Splend ide and t he Hermi tage,t he two othe i
large hotels of Ev ian,are above t he average i n the i r
cu i s ine.
Hot el Roy al
1 34 l e Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
Chevreui l D iane Chasseresse.
Bécasses bardées sur Canapé .Tete d e veau enTortue.
Surpr ises Graz illa(a sorbet ) .P luviers dorés poi re au vin.
Jambonneau au Mad ére .
Petites feves d e Marais a la Creme .
Salmis d e CanetonSauvage .
Faisan d e Bohéme,
S alade de Sai son.
D inde trufféexMayonnaise.
G lace Vani llée.
Frui ts . Gateaux . D essert .
All th is for five francs .
l W i th a . bottle of burgundyto wash i t do
,wn at any pr i ce fi om a crown to a
pound . One th ing may safely b e sai d abou t t he
Belg ian restaurants ; a bottle Of good, sound burgundycan almost always b e bought in both town andcoun try . I t i s often told that t he best burgundyin the world i s to b e found i n Belg ian cel lars .Whether th i s 1s a reputat ion maintai ned i n honourof t he Dukes of Burgundy w ho once ruled t he land
,
or whether the good qual i ty of th e wine i s due toth e pecul iar san dy so i l
,wh ich permits of an unvary lng
temperature inthe cel lars,I w i ll leave others to deter
m ine,but the fact remains that from a Beaujolai s at
2 francs 50 cen t imes to a R ichebourg at 20 francs,t he burgundy offered to the t raveller
b
i n Belg ium i sgenerally un impeachable . Ghent i s another townfamous for i t s b ig feasts . T he market d i nner onFr iday at t he Hotel de la Poste
,which has j ust been
rebu i l t,i s often quoted as a marvel lous “ spread
,bu t
the best restauran t i n Ghen t i s undoub tedly x
Mot tez’
s,on the Avenue
Place d ’Armes . This i s an Old—fash ioned place, wi thno appearance of a restaurant outs ide
,and a stranger
would easi ly pass i t by . Here one d ines bot h ala car te
Mot tez’
s , Gh ent
‘BelgianTowns .1 35
and at table d ’hbte ; the table d’
lz bte i s wel l worth t ry ing,
though some of the d i shes can be safely passed over;T he wines at Mot tez
’
s are very good,and some spec ial
Old Flemish beer i n bottles should be asked for . Agreat local d i sh i s H oe/z epot Gantois, a mixture ofpork
,sausages
,and vegetables wh ich only the very
hungry or t he very dari ng should exper imen t uponat a st range place. Flemish cooking as a rule i s fatand porky
,and there i s a d ish often seen on ' the carte
called Clioesels a la Bruxelloio
se,which i s cons idered a
del i cacy by t he nat ives,and i t i s supposed to be a hash
cooked insherry or marsala ; i t i s, however, a d ish ofmystery . A pla t always to be found iri Belg ium(espec ial ly i n t he Flanders d ist r i c t) i s Wa ter z oei d e
P oulet,a ch i cken broth served wi th t he fowl . This
i s usual ly very safe,and any one going to Mot tez
’
s
at Ghen t should try i t there . Th e Rocher deCancale i s also a restauran t at Ghent that can berecommended . I t i s at t he corner of t he streetlead ing to th e Place d ’Armes
,on t he way from t he
stat ion . Ca rbonades Flamandes i s another Flemish d i sh,
whi ch,i f wel l prepared at a reputable estab l i shmen t,
canbe eaten without fear . This i s beef-steak stewed°
n“ faro,
”anac id Flemish beer, and served wi th a
r i c h brown sauce. Salad e de P r incesses Lie'geoises i s asalad made wi th scarlet runners mixed with l i t t lepieces of fr ied bacon . T he bacon takes t he placeof oil
,whi le t he v inegar should be used wi th rather
a heavy hand . When other salads are scarce, th i smakes an excel len t d i sh . O f al l t he Belgian pla ts,however
,the Belg ians place foremost Gr ives a la
Namuroise,wh ich Of course are on ly to b e ob ta ined
in the autumn . I have said t hat t he Belgian i s ab i rd-eater
,and th rough out t he country al l k inds of
b i rds— even,I regret to say, song-b i rd s— are pressed
into serv i ce for t he tab le. A stranger v is i t i ng t he
Ardennes wi l l be st ruck by t he sad silence'
of the
1 36 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europewoods
,wh ich i s caused by t he wholesale dest ruc t i on
of t he b i rds . How ~
t he supply i s kept up i t i sd ifficul t to say
,but no Belg ian d inner i s cons i dered
complete w i thout a b i rd of some sor t,and when gr ip es
are i n season, t housands must b e served dai ly . A
gr ive proper i s a th rush, but b lackb i rds and starl i ngsOften find the i r way to t he casserole under t he name ofa gr ive. They are cooked wi th t he t ra i l
,i n wh ich
mounta in-ash ber r ies are often found . These g ivet he bi rd a pecul iar and rather b i tter flavour
,but t h e
berry mostly used int he cooking i s that of t he j un iper plant, which grows very plent i ful ly i n Belgium .
When gr i ‘ves go out of season , we have woodcock andsn i pe ; and there are several houses wh ic h make aspec ial ty of Be’casses o
‘
z la fine Champagne. At Monsand at Liege
,and I t hi nk at Charlero i also
,there i s
every year a w oodcock feast,j ust as there i s an oyster
feast at Colchester . At these fest iv i t ies a l i tt le waxcandle i s placed ont he tab le bes i de each guest
,so
that he cantake t he head Of h i s be’casse and fr izzle i tinthe flame before he at tacks i ts brains . Thenw e
have plovers and larks in any quan t i ty,but I would
not l i ke to vouch for what are often served as alouet tesand mauo iet tes. Th e one b i rd that w e never get
’
i nBelg ium is grouse
,unless i t i s b rought over spec ially
from England or Scotland . It has always beenfoundimpossi ble to rear grouse i n the coun try . In the
ne i ghbourhood of Spa there are great st retches Of
moorlands reach ing almost to t he German fron t ier,
covered wi th heather,wh ich look as i f they would b e
t he i deal home of the grouse. Here M . Barry Her rfeld t
,formerly of the Chateau du Marteau at Spa
,a
real good sportsman , tr ied h i s utmost to rear grouse ;fi rs t he laid down thousands
‘
of eggs and set themunder partr idges
,b ut th is proved a fai lure ; then h e
i n troduced young b i rds,bil t they all d ied Off
,and I
th ink he has now gi ven up the attempt indespai r .
1 38 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
(after t he late propr ietor), t he cooking and t he winesare everyth ing that can be des i red
,and t he pr i ces are
by no means h igh . This restauran t i sRoch er d e
Cancale ,
S i tuated at t he corner of the Place d e1 9 3 119 019 5 Mei r and t h e Rue des Douze Mois
,a
X I I Mo1 s l i t t le street lead ing down to the Bourse .
Antwerp has a gr i l l-room that can be h ighly recommended in t he Cri terium
,s i tuated on t he Avenue
de Keyser,near t he Cen tral Ra i lway S tat ion . Th e
Cri t erium,
Cri terium is also known as Kel ler ’ s,
Avenue d e' and has a large Engl i sh clientele. BeKey ser s ides c hops and steaks from t he gr i l l
,
there are other v iands, and a table d’
ho‘
te d inner i ssuppl ied in the A mid d le of t he day at 2 francs 50cent imes . T he food i s of t he best
,wh i le a special
feature i s made of Engl i sh beers and other d r inksusual ly sough t after by th e Br i ton travel l i ng ab road .
Th e restauran t at t he Z oologi cal Garden s i s wel lmanaged and much frequen ted
,and the Café Weber
,
a big establ i shmen t ont he Avenue de Keyser,i s also
h ighly spokenof. At t he Hotel S t . Anto ine on ‘ t heP lace Verte there i s -a gr i l l room for outs ide v is i tors
,”but I have found i t rather dear .
SPA
Once upon a t ime t he pret ty l i t t le town of Spa,
s i tuated among the green h i l ls of t heBelg ianArdennes,
was one of the most fash ionable and most frequentedwater i ng-places i n Europe
,but a success ion Of an t i
gambl ing regulat ions reduced i ts att rac t ions . Althought he glor ies Of t he place have departed, i ts naturalbeaut ies remain . T h e Casino has been rebui l t
,and
both bac carat and petits chevaux were,or are
,played
there ; but t he regulat ions as to gaming somet imesseem in abeyance i n Belgium,
i
,
somet imes they are
severely enforced, and i t i s impossi ble to pred ic t
(BelgianTowns 1 39
whether s ix months hence baccarat wi l l b e i n ful lswing at t he Club Pr i v é
,or whether chemind e f er
wi l l be played under t he rose,w i th t he constan t
fear in the minds of th e pun ters that a pol i ce rai dmay take place at any momen t . Th e authori t ies atS pa qu i te real ise that more people used to come toS pa to try thei r luck at t he tables than to dr ink t hei ron-waters at t he Pouhon and other spr i ngs
,or to
take t he eff ervesc ing baths and douc hes . O f t h e Sparestaurants as they exist to-day
,there i s l i t tle to be
sai d and less to be prai sed . To tel l t he t ruth,t here i s
not a real ly first-c lass restauran t i n the place . Tonearly al l t he spr ings
,wh ich are located i n easy
proximi ty to t he town,
so-cal led res tauran ts are
at tached,but th e pat ronage be i ng in termi tten t and
uncertain , t he cho ice of pla ts i s l imi ted,and t he
serv i ce i s slow and bad . Th e Sauven iere Spring isnearest to t he town
,but t h e dr ive there i s al l uph i ll
,
monotonous,and dusty . The Geronstere i s more
pret t i ly s i tuated,and i s a favour i te reso rt for luncheon
dur i ng t he summer season; but un less the meal i sspec ial ly o rdered beforehand
,t he v i s i tor wi ll, as a
ru le,have to b e con tent wi th eggs
,beef-steaks
,or
cutlets . Th e Tonnelet i s s i tuated onthe roadside,
and t he restauran t t here i s Often uncomfor tab le anddusty . Those w ho make t he Tours des Fontai neswi l l b e best adv i sed to stop for lunch at the Source deBarisart
,which i s s i tuated in a most Source d e
pi c turesque part of the woods,1 60 feet Bari sart
above t he town,from wh ic h i t i s d i stan t about a mi le .
Th e much-w rit teneof Promenade d e Meyerbeer i sclose at hand
,and a st rol l beneath th e t rees before or
after lunch wi ll b e enj oyed, for t he sur round i ngs arecharming and roman ti c . If prev ious noti ce for ameal can b e given
,so much th e better there i s pro
bably a teleph one from t he town . In trout t ime th i sfi sh should be i n cluded, as i t i s caugh t plent i ful ly i n
1 40 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europet he d istr i c t
,and i s
,as a rule
,fresh and good . As
before said,there i s no good restau ran t i n t he town
,
except ing of course those in connect i on wi th t he
pri nc i pal hote ls,where a table d
’
hbte i s usual ly servedat m id-day and i n t h e even ing .Perhaps the best of t he restauran ts i s the gri l l-roomand Brasser ie combined
,i n t he ground-floor Of t he
Bras serie rebu i l t Casino,now called t he Kurhaus .
Res t aurant , Ner i of Nice i s the restau rateur,and
Kurh ausone can lunch qui te wel l there fo r
about 9 francs, and’
d ine for about 1 2 .
The gourme t can safely b e adv ised to eat a meal att he Grand Hote l d e l’EurOpe, where M . HenrardHot el d e R i chard always pai d great at ten tion tol'
Europ e h i s cui s i ne . Although h e no longerper sonal ly con t rols t he managemen t of L ’
Europe, t he
hotel is st i l l under t he d i rect i onof h i s fami ly,and
reta i ns i ts h igh reputat ion . T he fol lowing I S a menuof a 7
-franc table d ’
hote d inner served inSeptember .I t has not been spec ially selected
,and i s therefore a
fa i r spec imen
Bisque d’Ecrevisses .
Brunoise a la Royale.
Truites Meuniere.
F ilet d e Boeuf garni Beaul ieu.
Ris d e veau P rincesse.
Petits pois ala F rancai se.
Perd reaux 16tis sur Canapés .
l G lace Vani lle .
Gaufrettes .
Corbei lle d e F rui ts .
The wines here are good,t he Mosel le and Rh ine
wines be ing espec ial ly cheap . O ther hotel s wi threstauran ts attached t hat may be ment ioned are t he
Br i tannique (wi th a fine garden i n wh ich meals areserved ), the Bel levue, t he Fland re
,and the Roset te.
1 42 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europcooks and ma itres d ’
hdtel from the Café de Par i s atMonte Carlo
,and
,I’ should also add
,h is pr i ces . A stock
of that old brandy wh ich all connoisseurs know has alsobeen laid down . The restauran t
,with a stai ned-glass
roof,has wi ndows wh i ch look across the walk ont he
sea wall to t h e s ea, and i t i s a remarkably pleasan t placei n wh ich to lunch or d ine or take t ea ; but t he pri cesare Monte Carlo pr i ces . Let me give a personal ex
perience. I wen t there by mysel f to lunch . T h e
ca r te da j our presen ted to t he cl ients has no pr ices onit,wh ich much
'
exerc ised th e mind of a ver i table JohnBul l who was sit t inga t t he next . table to me and w hoasked
,HOW much i s that i concern i ng th e d i shes
,
to which quest i on h e rece i ved sooth ing but qu i tenoncommittal repl ies . I ordered af r iture of langues d
’
avoca t,
the l i t t le flat-fish that somewhat resemble poin tedtongues ; and as t he shoot ing season had j ust commenced , t hema itre d ’
hbtel recommended two qua'i l s andap ilaf of r i ce, which seemed to me to be an admi rablesuggest ion . I ordered half a bottle Of Chateau Carbonieux and hal f a bottle of one of t h e mineral waters .After my quails
i
— l i t t le b i rd s w i th b rown fi rm flesh,
d iffer i ng much i n th i s from t he fat tened -up, imported quai l Of -t he South wh i ch w e eat i n London— Ithought I would l ike a pear and t he wai ter b rough tme
,packed i n cotton wool
,a monster pear and two
apples w i th l i t tle landscapes t raced wi th a graver Uponthe i r rosy cheeks . I know those pears and apples ofold . If one happens to b e giv ing d in ner to a lady inwhose company one d oes not wish to appear mean
,
and the waiter br ings a box of those marvel lous pearsand apples to h er, one makes a swift mental calculat ionof all t he money one has i n one ’s pocket s at t he same
t ime that one wishes that the waiter m ight suddenlyb e struck with apoplexy . In t he presen t case
,be i ng '
alone,I gr i nned at t he wai ter and told h im to br ing "
me someth ingcheap . He returned wi th some peaches :
BelgianTown; I 43They also were packed in cot ton wool, and t he b iggerones had a l i ttle col lar and bow of black and goldr i bbon j ust l ike pet ki ttens . I imi tated my John Bul lneighbour and asked t he pri ce . The wai ter t houghtthat t he b ig peaches were e i gh t francs apiece and t hesmaller ones five francs . “ I wi l l br ing you somegreengages, they are very cheap,
” said t he wai ter,w ho
d id not requi re to b e told that I would b e no peacheater . Now I happened to know that greengages w ere
very cheap that day . I had been round t he market,
and knew that they were be i ng sold at 30 cent imes aki lo at the stal ls, and were 35 and 40 cent imes a k i lo i nt he shops, j ust as I also knew that at Jean Bogaert
’ sshOp i n t he Grand P lace th e quai l were pri ced atI franc each . Th e wai ter b rought me a b ig box of
greengages, and I took a hand ful, five i n al l . My b il lcame to 20 fran cs 75 cen times, and I found that Ihad been charged half a franc each for t he greengages .Th e cooking at the Palace and t he serv i ce are admirable
,for the maj or-domo always gi ves h i s guests of t he
best but t he manw ho d ines or breakfasts there mustexpect to pay gamb ler
’ s p ri ces . My heart went outto one of my fr iends w ho,when I laugh ingly told h imof t he cheap greengages, i n formed me that one day atth e races h i s wi fe though t she would l ike to take t eaat t he Palace, and inv i ted hal f-a-dozen other lad ies .He was deta ined int he paddock, and when he j o inedt he tea party found that not con ten t wi th t ea andcakes t he lad ies had eaten t he con tents of th ree of t he
boxes of spec imen frui ts . A d inner party would havecost h im less than that afternoon tea.
T he Plage Hotel has always had a reputat ion forgood cooki ng
,and i ts restaurant used to be a place
where a good but expensive £1 la car teTh e Plage
meal was to b e obtai ned . In t he Hot el , Th eautumn of 1 907 the hotel c hanged D ig“
hands, being sold by the Wagons Li t s Company to
1 44 The Gourmet ’s Guieie ia Europet he propr ietor of t he S plend id and Con t i nental Hotels .Th e restaurant has now been d iv ided in to two partsby an imaginary l i ne . Those careful guests w ho are
eu pensionand eat t he lunch and d inner of t he day,
qui te good meals, are bowed to t he left, t he people whod i ne and breakfast la car te are told to walk s tra igh tonto the tables i n the cen tre and ont he r igh t .T he Restauran t of t he Kurhaus, as t he Casin oi s cal led
,possesses an excel len t cook
,and i ts p r i ces
Th e Restaurant are h igh . Th e restaurant i s i n t he
of t h e Kurh aus , bu ild ing, and arches i n t he wall of t heThe D igue great concert hal l connec t i t wi th t hed in i ng-room . Outsi de these arches
,and ac tually i n
t he concert room,t h e res tauran t has a l i tt le roped-in
enclosure, and i t i s qu i te chic to secure a tab le i n th i sspace and d ine t here ont he n ights when any celeb ri tyi s s ingi ng . Y ou star t your d i nner at t he hou rof t he commencemen t of t he concert y ou talk loudly ,
and clatter kn ives and forks dur ing al l t he orchest rali tems ; and you become s i len t and al low t he entrée to
get cold wh i le Caruso, or Bonc i, or Noté s ings .T he Restaurant du Helder, at tached to t he b igBrasser ie of that name ont he Bou levard vanIseghem
,
i s a moderate-s ized wh i te restauran t .Res taurantd u Helder ,
I t has wh i te etageres, w h lte chalrs,
£21
153” van and i s much after th e Par i si an model .
One h as to note that t he l inen i s notof t he finest make
,that t he glass i s not of t he th innest
,
that t h e imi tat ion fl owers onthe tab le with elec tr i cl ights con cealed in them are j ust a l i tt le gaudy
,to
apprec iate i t s p rov i nc ial i sm . Its pr i ces are aboutPar i s ianpri ces
,those that one expects to pay ‘ at
Durand ’ s or La Rue’ s or Henr i ’ s,and both t he
cooki ng and serv i ce are good . Th e habiz‘ue'
s of t he
restauran t tel l me that no one i s ever rushed therei n to order ing a longer and more expensive d innerthanhe requi res, and that where two port i ons wi ll
1 46 T/ze Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europeth i ngs show that the serv i ce i s good . I orderedsome shr imps as hors d ’oeuvre
,and a finger glass was
brought me after I had eaten them,and a large goblet
was g iven me to wash t he grapes of my dessert i f Iwi shed to . These are qu i te small mat ters
,but they
showed that t he wai ter,w ho l ooked l ike an Ital ian
Count w ho had seen bet ter days,knew h is business .
Th e pr i ces charged for t he game d i shes showed me
that one could get any of t he b i rd s shown in the sh0pdownstai rs at t he i r sale pr i ce plus 50 cent imes forcooking. Shr imps, a baby sole a la meuniere
,a roast
s’n i pe on toast wi th water-c ress
,cream cheese
,a
bunch of black grapes,a pin t of Cerons
,and a small
bottle of Loui se Marie,t he best known of Belgi an
mineral waters,and my b i l l came to 6 francs 65
cent imes . Part r idges I not iced were pr i ced on the
b i l l of fa‘ re at”
4 francs 50 cen t imes, qua i l a t I franc50 cent imes . The wine l i s t
,wh ich 18 shor t
,con tain s
some good names . Volney Sant enoy at 1 0 fran cs a
bottle and Cheval ier Montrachet at 6 francs a bottle,
should tempt connmsseurs. My sn i pe w as overd one,
but then I omi tted to send word to t he cook that Ian'
Englishman and l iked my sn i pe but halfroasted , a wise precaut i on anywhere on t he Cont inent for t he manw ho l ikes h i s sni pe to have “ j us tflown through the ki tchen
,
”as they say in Ireland .
There are Tavernes and Brasser ies i n number ont he .
Boulevard van Iseghem,and i n t he Rue d e la Chapel le
,
whi ch runs across t he townfrom t he Digue to t he
harbour . On the Rampe d e Fland re,w h i ch i s t he “
commencement onth e seas i de of the b ig street,i s t he
Taverne St . Jean, a cheap and not part i cularly inv i t i ng
Th e Taverne St .
establ i shmen t,which i s kept by an ex
Jean, Ramp e d e head wai ter from Madame Ré’
s fi shH ana” restauran t at Monte Carlo
,and h e has
b rought some o f t he good trad i t i ons of that establ i shment wi th him to the borders of the North Sea.
1 BelgianTown:‘
1 47
The Taverne’ S t . D enis ‘ is a l i tt leeat i ng-house i nt he
.
main st reet wh i ch i s qu i te c leanTh e Taverne St .
inl ts appomtment s,and where I have D eni s , Rue d e
obtained a qui te sat i sfac tory fi l let,and 1a Ch ap eue
washed i t down wi th some excel lent beer from Bruges .Th e t ea-rooms of O stende are Marchal ’ s
,ont he
Boulevard van Iseghem . Th ey and t he pat i ss ier ’ sshop form t h e corner of the block Manna“
,
w h 1ch t h e new theatre occup 1es . Th e Boulevard vanrooms
,ai ry and marb le-walled
, areI segh em
qui te first-class ; t he wai ters are i n l i ver i es wh ichfi t them ; and a Rouman ian gi psy band plays. The
foyer of t he theatre i s immed iately above these rooms,
and steps from t he theatre hal l lead i n to them. Theyserve as th e
,theat re café, and t he Engl ishman who
wants someth i ng stronger t han'
tea betweenthe actscan -be sure that h is “ peg wi ll be compounded of
good mater i als .Maxim ’ s
,l ike i t s Pari s namesake
, Maxim’
s ,
becomes mer ry abou t m idn igh t,and Boulevard van
remain s open ti l l t he smal l hours . Isegh em
TH E CLU B S O F O STEND E
Th e Club Pr iv é of t he Kurhaus i s,at i n tervals b e
tween raids and other d i sagreeable events,a baccarat
c lub,and there i s a roulette table which
i s i n use during certai n hours of t heday . It was duri ng t he season of 1 9 1 0 a branch oft h e Cerc le Lit teraire i n t he town
,but that d i d not
preven t t he pol i ce and magistrate from Ghen t makinga descent upon i t . Forty-eigh t hours general ly elapsebetween appl i cat ion be i ng made and t h e acceptanceof a , cand idate w ho belongs to a recogn ised Londonclub . I t i s wise to send i n an appl i cat ion to th e
sec retary before arr iv ing at O stende . Entrance fee
i s I loui s .
Club Pri vé
1 48 T/ze Gourmet ’r Guide to 8urope
The Sports C lub at t he Palace Hotel i s also a clubwhere ckeminde f er i s general ly played . T he com
mit tee not i n frequently exerc i se thei rr igh t to keep out would-b e members
w ho are not i n the i r op i n ion suflicient ly vouched for .Th e entrance fee i s 2% lou i s.There are i n t h e square of the town t he Li teraryClub and t he Club S t . Cec i le, but these are for t hei n hab i tants of O stende more than for t he strangerswi th i n i ts gates .
Th e Sp ort s Club
A FT ER D INNER
T he theat re i n the Rue d e Fland re and t h e Boulevard van Iseghem is excel lently managed
,compan ies
p laying comedy,opera, and operet ta there, Brussel s
and Spa send ing operat ic stars, and t ravel l ing com
panies play ing short season s . At t he Scala, t he var ietytheatre ont he Rampe du Cerf
,a revue i s produced
early i n‘ t h e season,and run s t i l l O stende empties .
T h e dai ly even ing concer ts at t he Kursaal have aworld-wide fame. The o rchest ra i s formed of 1 20
performers,and all th e greatest operat i c stars of th e
world s i ng there as solo i sts . After t he theatre andt he concer t the clubs fi l l u p
,and th e l i ghts are not
out at daybreak .
BRUG E S
I had always looked upon Bruges as t he sleep iestc i ty i n the world ; and t he most peaceful spot i nBruges I always cons idered to b e under t he apple-t ree
i n t he garden of the Hotel d e Fland re,
where t he perfect occupat ion i s to d r inka bot tle with a fr iend of th e
’
67 Chamber t in and to
l i sten to t he ch imes r i nging in t he old brown bel fry .
Th e last occasi on onwh ich I was at Bruges was
dur ing the Golden F leece Exh i b i t i on . I lunched at
Hot el d e Flandre
1 50 l e Gourmet ’s Guide to Europwith kn i fe
,fork
,spoon
,a yard of b read
,
'
and a
glass before h im or h er. Th e serv i ng maid s thenplaced a
'
great p i le of plates,t enor twelve or even
s i xteen,i n fron t of every diner . Ont he fi rst occa
sion that . I lunched at Heyst and th i s occurred,a
horr i ble fear came upon me that I w as going to b easked to carve some d ish
,but a glance round t he
table reassured me . Th e number of plates i nd i catedt he number of courses of t he feast . All these ‘
old
i nns seem now to have van i shed,and the i r places
have been taken by tal l modern h otels . I havelunched qui te sat i sfactor i ly both at the restaurants ofth e 'Hotel des Ba ins and t he Hotel du Kursaal atBlankenberghe, but they were modern moderate mealseaten amidst twen t ieth-century surround i ngs
NI EUP O RT
My exper iences of t he lunch eons at t h e Esperanceand Pél ican at N ieuport
,th e old town wh ich l ies away
south of O stende,eleven mi les d ownt he coast, are thatthey are satisfyi ng though not de l i cate meals
.The
gourmet w i ll find, however, that the qua i n tness of t heold town makes amends for i ts pr imi t ive cu i si ne .
BRUS SEL S
The Restaurants of B russels—‘ The Clubs After Dinner .
BRUSSELS must have been a gayer c i ty than the
Brussels of to day when i t earned the t i tle of “ al i tt le Par i s . There i s at t he present t ime very l i ttlei ndeed of Pari s about t he Belg ian capi tal
,and
,i n t he
matter of restauran ts,there i s a marked con trast
between t he two c i t ies . Here t he lat ter-day Luculluswi l l have to seek in queer n ooks and out-of-t he-waycorners to d iscover t he best ki tchens and the cel larswhere t he wines are of the fi nest crux. Th e ari stocracy of Belgium mostly d ines enf amille, and the
restaurants that cater for t he middle classes are t he
most patron i sed . There are,however
,several estab
lishment s which prov ide for more refined tastes,but
they wil l not be found upon t he b ig boulevards or
t he main thoroughf ares . Four of t he best restaurantsin_Brussels are i n two narrow l i t tle st reets, and t hei r
exter i ors resemble old-fash ioned London coffee-houses,
rather thanresorts of fash ion . Brussel s i s part i cularlyd est i tute of smar t rooms where one can sup in gaycompany “ after t he opera i s over.
” Unti l the Savoyw as opened , w e had
,i n fact
,noth lng beyond t he
ord inary restauran t wi th i ts l i t t le cabinets par t iculiers.
When Mr . Arthur Coll in s of Drury Lane was ' i ’r'
i
Brussel s a few years ago, he asked me to take him1 5 1
l e Gourmet ’s Guide t o 8urope
one even ing,after leav ing t he Scala
,to t he local
Romano ’ s . “ W e haven ’ t such a place,I expla i ned
,
but we can go to t he He lder .” “ I d i ned thereth is even i ng
,
” sai d A . C. ;“ i t was a very good d inner
,
but deadly dul l ; show me someth i ng l i vel ier . W e
resolved to try t he Fi let d e Sole,th inking
,as i t w as
close to the Palai s d ’Eté, w e were certai n to mee tsome people there
,but the place was empty . T he
fact i s,Brussels at that t ime had l i t t le n igh t-l i fe
beyond the taverns and bars of low charac ter, but w e
now have three h igh-class supper-rooms i n th e Caféde Par i s
,t he Savoy
,and th e Grand Hote l Gr i l l—room ,
which has a separate en trance i n the Rue Gretry . I fa stranger came to Brussels
,and wanted to be shown
t he best restauran ts,I should start h im wi th lunch at
t h e Savoy,dine h im at t h e Helder or Fi let d e Boeuf,
and fi n i sh h im off with supper at t he Café d e Par i s .The gr i l l at t he Savoy i s excel len t
,and by no means
dear . I franc 75 cen t imes i s charged for a chop or
steak,i nclud i ng pommes de terre we l l served . The hors
d’
aeu‘vre are a Spec ialty at luncheon . There i s greatvariety
,and the pi ckled shr imps would t i ckle the most
j aded appet i te .
The Savoy i s s i tuated in t he Rue de l’Evéque, byth e s i de of the General Post O ffice. I t was or iginallySavoy , Rue d e a kind of offshoot from t he Amer i can1’
EVéque b ar and gr i l l-room of t he Grand Hotel .Be ing done i n good spi r i t and wi th good' taste
,i t soon
acqu i red favour, and at certa i n t imes 1nth e day t hepremises are almost too small . There are pri vated in ing-rooms upsta i rs
,an d a restaurant ont he fi rst
floor has lately been added . Everyth ing. i s 21 la ca r te.
The pla ts f roid s are a spec ial ty at th e Savoy,and
are remarkably wel l served there . Lansonpére oi fils isthe champagne that seems to be t he dr ink of the
house.
The Brussels restauran t envogue at t he moment of
1 54 The Gour inet ’s Guide to 8urope
La Fai l le Déch i rée i s at a corner of another l i t t lest reet
,the Rue Chai r et Pai n
,c lose by the Rue d es
Fame D éch irée,
Harengs . The construct ion andO
deco
Rue Ch air et rat ion are qua int one Slt S m a k 1nd ofPam tunnel and eats H omard c
‘
l l’
d me’
r ica ine,whi ch i s a spec ialty of th e house . Woodcock
,when
inseason,i s also a d i sh to be ordered here .
Le Lion d ’Or i s a smal l establ i shment int he Rue
Gretry,and may safely be called t he chic l i tt le
Liond '
Or ,restaurant of Brussels . T he salon
Rue GTét rY downstai rs i s a perfec t l i tt le bonbonniere,and t he rooms above are extremely cosy an d comfy;-T he -propr ietor i s Adolph Letel l ier (of course cal leds imply “ Adolph by habitue
’
s of th e h ouse) , and he i simmensely popular among t he young sports of t he
town. Theorai gourmet wi l l apprec iate les pla ts lesplus rafine
’
s,onwhich Adolph pr ides h imsel f. Every~
th i ng i s h la ca r te,pr i ces being plai nly m
’arked . Theyare not cheap .
,
‘
The . restaurant and rooms upsta i rs areopen ti ll two i n t he morn ing .
At t he new Palace Hotel ont he b ig square i n fron tof the Garde du Nord i s a restauran t
,managed by
Th e Palace-Hot el M . NCI‘ I,from NIC€ . The lab/8 d ’hoz‘e
Rest aurant d inner at 5 francs i s wel l and copi ouslyserved . The wine that i s made a Spec ial ty of here i st he Champagne Rose Napoleon, which one alwayslooks for a t Pai l lard ’ s inPar is. At the Palace HotelRestauran t a feature i s made o f afternoon teas
,and at
five o ’clock i t is t he rendezvous of Tout—Bruxelles .The Regina i s a restauran t at the top of t he town
,
near t he Porte d e Namur,that was opened i n 1 90 1 ,
zRégina‘
;p one and i t . was soon‘ found necessary to
Namur -u enlarge t h e premises . I t was the h ighc lass k itchen thaf made the early reputat ion of t he
p lace, b u t after th e a l terat i ons the c haracter ofrt he
cliéntéle changed and e very th ing becamemoreb ourgeois.Flemish d i shes are safe t o try here . T he pr ices are .
Brussels I 5 5
very moderate, and t he plots da j our range from I
franc to 1 franc 75 cen t imes, each plot bei ng enoughfor two persons . Breakfast d i shes
,such as E uf s
Gra tine's aux Crevei z‘ es and Gfuf s Brouille’
s ou foie deVolaille
,are also wel l done here . Ecrefuisses Re
’
ginaused to be a spec ial d i sh of t he house . There are
always two spec ial pla ts du soz r . D uring t he BrusselsExh i b i t i on of 1 9 1 0 a number ofnew restauran ts wereopened i n t he nei gh bourhood of t he Porte d e Namur
,
but several of them do not look l ike surv iv ing . Already the names of some have been changed wi th t hei dea of att rac t i ng new cl ien ts . At t he corner of
t he s treet lead i ng to t he Mol iere Theatre from t he
Chaussée d’
I xelles there i s a large café-restau rant,
which,after bei ng closed for a short t ime
,has re
opened under new managemen t and 18 w el l Spoken of .Th e O ld Tour Tavern and t he Café de l ’Horloge are
much frequented lnth i s local i ty .
Th e Helder i s i n t h e Rue de l’
Ecuy er, near th eO pera House It i s a smart restauran t
,and t he
rendezvous of t he mond e éle’
gant i n Held er ,;gue
Brussel s . No one th inks of d in i ng d e 1’
Ecuy e1’
there before half-past e igh t or n ine o ’ c lock . Th e
propr ietor i s M . Artus fils,whom many wi l l remember
at the Carl ton i n London . He i s a son of M . Artusof th e Lai ter ie
,and has gained a wide exper1ence i n
h igh-class h otels _ and restau ran ts . He should b e
personal ly consul ted i f a spec ial d inner 18 Wan ted .
Th e Fi let de Sole is i n th e ne ighbourhood of themarkets and close by t he Palais d ’Eté. In t he dayswhen Emi le Beaud w as proprieto r an Filet d e Sole ,
excel len t lunch could b e ob tai ned here Rue Grétry
at a fixed pr i ce,but now everyth ing i s 21 la car te.
P r i ces are lower t han at most of t he first-class restau-zran ts, but t he cui si ne and wines are both safe an dsound . There are pri vate rooms upstai rs .W iltcher
’ s,onthe Boulevard de Waterloo
,provides
1 56 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europet he cheapest table d ’hdte of a bourgeoi s and somewhatEngl i sh charac ter i n Brussel s . Th e pri ce i s on ly
3 francs, and wonderful value i s g iven for the money .
Wilt ch er’
s ,
One must not , however, expect anyBoulevard d e th ing smart m t he w ay of serv i ce or
water1°° at tendance,as t he wai ters have
,as a
rule,too many tables to look after
,and t he res idents i n
the hotel rece ive t he fi rst conside rat ion . Th e fol lowingi s t he menu of a d inner i n January
Consommé a la Reine.
F i let d e Sole ala Normande .
Quartier d’Agneau.
Mint Sauce 5 I ’Anglaise.
Epinard s ala Creme .
Poulard e d e B1 uxelles enCocotte.
C1oquettes d e Pommes d e Terre.
Gangas du Japona la Broche.
Compote d e Mirabelles .
Salade d e Laitue.
G lace Arlequin.
Biscuits d e Reims .
Café .
In old Mr . W iltcher’
s t ime a good many peoplecame ‘ from outside for th e excel len t food here pro
vided but now so many fami l ies res ide al l the yearround in t he hotel
,that i t i s d i fficult to get a table for
d inner when i t i s not ordered beforehand . One somet imes meets a strange b i rd here. Gangas i s a Japanesepart r idge. T he bi rds migrate to Northern Afr i ca i nwinter
,and often cross to Spai n
,where they are caught
i n large numbers . The plumage of th e gangas i s verybeaut i ful
,and t he flesh i s excel len t eat i ng. The
outarde,or l i ttle bustard
,i s often to be had at Wi lt
cher ’s,and it i s the only place at which I have eaten
t he great b ustard, whose flesh i s very much li ke a
turkey ’ s . White pheasan t i s anothe r b i rd I remember
1 5 8 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europes i nce t he death of old Franco is, w ho kept i t, t he placedoes not appear to be so much in favour
,and t he t ide
of custom now flows towards Justi ne’ s . It must beremembered that th i s h ouse i s ment ioned simply as afeature of Brussel s l i fe and not as a represen tati verestau ran t .L
’
Etoile,i n t he Rue d es Harengs
,i s t he most
famous restauran t in Brussel s . In t he t ime of Lou i sL
’
Et oile ,Rue d es D oi,i t certai n ly hel d rank as t he fi rst
Harengs of all,both for cooking and for wine ;
and Emi le Ollivier,~ D ot
’
s successor,i s do ing h i s best
to susta in t he reputat i on ; Neatly framed and hungonone of t he walls i s st i l l to b e seen t he card s ignedby th e late Hen ry Pet t i t t, t he d ramat i st, attest i ng tot he fact that h e had j ust eaten t he best lunch of h i sl i fe. Thi s card some years later was coun tersi gned bya Lord Mayor of London and a Lord Mayor surelyshould b e a good j udge of a lunch . Whatever placei s v i s i ted i n Brussel s
,L
’
Etoile should not b e missed .
T h e stranger should b e very carefu l to go i n at t h er igh t door . Th e wines at L ’
Etoile have always beengood
,and Dot used to have some burgundy that was
world-renowned . Hisfine champagne was also famous,
and he had some extra spec ial for wh ic h h e used tocharge 4 francs 50 cen t imes a glass . I have heard D ot
h imsel f tel l t he story how a wel l-known restaurateurfrom London came one even ing wi th two fr iendsto see how th ings were done at L ’
Etoile . Afterd i nner th ey sent for D ot
,to compl imen t h im and ask
h im to j o in them with a l iqueur,and h e was to give
them some of h i s best b randy . They smacked the i rl i ps ontast i ng i t
,and t h e glasses were fi l led a second
time ; but t he gentleman w ho paid t he b i ll ratherra i sed h i s eyeb rows when h e saw the i tem
,Liqueurs
,
36 francs .”
He got even wi th me,h owever
,
” sai dDo't
,
“ for when I went to LondonI returned h i sv i s i t . . I had a good d inner (not so good, I th ink, as I
~Brussels 1 5 9
should have served), and I sen t for h im to j o i n me
wi th t he coffee . While w e chat ted,I ordered c igars
,
repeat ing h i s words, Give us some of your very best .
He d id,and h e charged me 7s . 6d . ap iece for them .
The rooms at L ’
Etoile are very small,and i f any '
onewants to prove the establ i shmen t at i ts best
,he should
take t he precaut i on of retai n ing a table and order ingd inner beforehand .
Th e Palais Royal i s a quiet l i t tle restauran t i n theRue Gretry, where the cui s i ne i s ex Palai s Roy al,cellent . The propr ieto r i s M . Got
,Rue Grét ry
formerly chef at the Lion d ’Or. This i s a place thatcan be confidently recommended .
The Café R i c he used to be a h igh-class restauran topposi te t he Helder
,but i t was closed a few years ago
and t he bu i ld ing has been conver ted into a big shop .
The Café R i che was founded in 1 865 by Gautier,“
the
nephew of Bi gnon of Pari s,w ho retained t he pro
p rietorsh ip and management unti l h i s death . I t hadalways had an ar i stocrat i c clientele
,and was spec ial ly
favoured by Par i s ians v i s i t i ng Brussel s . Duri ng t he
pol i t ical troubles i n France t he D ue d’
Orléans,Pr in ce
Vi ctorNapoleon, and Hen r i Rochefor t were al l pat ron so f t he Café R i c he
,and i t requi red all t he tac t and
sauoir f a ire of the propr ietor to keep apart, and at thesame t ime give sat isfac t ion and pleasure to
,t he con
flic t ing part ies . In t he place of t he Café R i che w e
have now t he Café de Pari s onth e other s ide of the
O pera House,at t he corner of the Rue des Prin ces .
This i s t h e place to sup after th e Café d e p ar is,
theatre. Th e d i rec tor i s M . Lastreto,Rue C19 8 Pr mces
unmer id ional sympa thique. French cooking i s aspec ialty
,and everyth ing i s very wel l done.
Duran ton ’ s,ont he Avenue Louise, i s now run
by Monsieur P ierre Strobb e, who took D uranton'
s ,
a fi rst pr ize at t he Brussel s cookery “ f enne l-011 1 88exh i b i t i on. Th e restaurant i s pleasan tly si tuated, and
1 60 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeonSunday
,i f you wish to go to t he races i n t he after
noon,it i s very conven ient
,being ont he d i rec t route
to Bo i tsfor t . There are th ree rooms ont h e groundfloor
,i n wh i ch y ou can lunch . That onth e r i gh t
,a
small narrow room,i s considered to be t he smartest
,
but t he one ont he left i s t he brigh test . The chargesare the same . T he cooking for al l t he rooms i s alsot he same
,and i t i s good . O rder your cab to be at
t he door hal f-an-hour before t he fi rst race.
When t he races are held at Groenendael, you shouldlunch or d ine at t he restauran t of the Chateau in t he
Ch at eau d e woods there. You can order yourGroenendael table by telephone. Th i s i s a verypleasant excurs ion in summer . Th e cooking i s good
,
and t he Moul in aVent (1 887) at 5 francs a bottle i st he Wi ne t o ask for .The Lai ter ie i s i n th e Bo i s d e la Cambre. Insummer-t ime i t i s i ndeed t he most pleasan t place toLait erie,Boi s d e d i ne i n Brussel s . In t he Boi s there1a Cambre are several places that supply lunches
,
d inners, and l igh t refreshments, but t he Lai ter ie i s t heonly one that i s real ly first-class . For seven teen yearsi t has been under t he management of M . Artus andh is son . Th e establ i shment i s the proper ty of the
town ofBrussel s,and i s wel l kept up in every respect .Here ona Sunday as many as 1 500 chai rs and 400tables are often occup ied . In t he evenings t he gardens are b r illi an tly i l luminated , there be i ng 1 1 00 gaslamps . Musi c i s d i scoursed by a Tzigane orchestra
,
and t he late Q ueen of t he Belg ians,who often
used to stop h er pony cha i se at the Lai ter ie to hearthemplay, subscr i bed from h er pr i vate purse -200
francs every year to these musi c ian s. Dinners areserved at separate tables, under Japanese umbrel las,and t he cooking i s exce llen t ; but i t i s as wel l tosecure a seat as near to th e main bu i ld i ng as possi b le,to overcome that obj ect ionto al—f resco meal s-T cold
1 62 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
TH E CLUBS
The ar i stoc rat i c club i n Brussels i s t he Cercle duParc, general ly cal led t he Cercle d es Nobles . It i s
Cercle d es s i tuated i n t he Avenue des Arts,and
Nobles ,t he Belgian Jockey Club has lately
Avenue d es Art‘s taken up i ts headquarters inan annexe.
All members of t he d i plomat i c serv i ces are admi ttedto t he Cerc le du Parc wi t hout ballot . The subscript i0n i s 2 00 francs a year . Members have the entryto a pr ivate stand ont he Boi tsfort and GroenendaelRacecourses .
‘
Th e Cercle d e l’
Union i s a very old-establ i shed
Cercle d e l ’Union,and ar istocrat i c club at 56 Rue Royale .
56 Rue Roy ale It i s generally cal led “ Le Bac,
” butthere i s not much play there nowadays .The
' Cercle des Sports i s a new club on t he
Cér cI e d es Sport s ,Avenue d e la To ison d
’
Or,and
Ave_nue d e 1a takes the place of t he old Cercle d es
T0130“ d'
or Eleveurs . It i s a c lub of sportsmen, and the annual subsc r i pti on is 1 00 francs .T he Cercle Arti st ique
"
et Li ttérai re i n the Rue dela Loi
,adj o i n ing t he Parc Theatre and
t ique,Rue d e W auxhall Gardens
,i s a “very useful
1a. LO1 club for st rangers . Entertainmen ts are
given here, and there i s a good read in g room .
Th e Union Club,that formerly had i ts quarters at
W iltcher’
srHot el
,has removed to premises on t he
UnionClub .
Avenue de la Toi son d ’Or, It i s anAvenue d e la Engllsh and Amer1can c lub . YearsTO15 0“ a
’Qr ' ago there was an Engl i sh club i n th e
Rue de Trone to wh ich an Engl i sh b i ll iard-tab le wasleft as. a legacy by anold member . Round th i s tablet he presen t club was formed
,but now t he Ameri can
element p redominates . T he subscr i pt i on i s small,and
temporary members are admitted .
Brussels 1 63
' A FTER D INNE R
Th e Theatre Royal de la Monnaie,th e Opera
House of Brussel s,18 j ust off t he Boulevard Anspach
,
and faces t he General Post O ffice . I t I S subsid i sed byt he S tate and t h e Munic i pal i ty . An excel len t company i s always to be found there dur ing the operaseason
,an d pr i ces are much lower than inLondon .
Seats can b e booked even in t he cheapest parts of th ehouse . On
'
Sunday afternoons popular concerts areoften given ; and dur i ng Carn ival t ime there are
several Fancy D ress Balls . In summer t he orchest raof t he O pera House per forms every even ing i n t he
W auxhall Gardens, adj o i n i ng t he Park Theatre ;vocal numbers by wel l-known art i stes are i nc luded int he
“ programme,and “ W auxhall
” i s one of thepleasan test places to go to after d i nner . The seat s
are arranged round l i tt le tables i n t h e open ai r,and
refreshments are served .
At t h e Theatre Royal du Par c h igh-class comed iesare played, i n wh i ch a
“ star ” from Pari s usually.
appear s .T he popular theatre at Brussels i s t he Galer ies
,
s i tuated at t he end of the Galer ies St . Huber t,th e
covered arcade that runs from t he Rue d e la Made le i neto t he Rue d e l’Ecuy er . Here popular successes fromPar i s are usual ly played
,preference be i ng given to
musi cal p ieces . In t he midd le of t he same arcade i st he Vaudev i l le Theatre . It i s devoted to farces
,
usual ly of an extravagan t or risque’ character . Smoking
i s al lowed in th i s theatre . It i s hard ly th e place totake one’ s daugh ter or maiden aun t . At th e O lympiaTheatre
,near t h e Bourse, there i s generally a good
en tertainmen t . Th e Alhambra, an enormous bu i lding near t he Hotel Metropole
,used to b e one of
Barrasford ’s Musi c Hal l s, but i t i s now a theatre
1 64 The Gournier’s Guide to Europedevoted to st rong melodrama and spectacular pieces .The “ Moliere ” i s a cheap theatre at t h e top of th etown
,near t h e Porte de Namur . The Scala
,oppos i te
t he Hotel Metropole,i s a musi c hal l often devoted to
Revues ; th e best Revue of t h e year,howeve r
,i s
always g iven at th e Galer ies . O ther music halls aret he Fol ies Bergere
,near t he Gare du Nord, and t he
Variet ies . Th e Fol ies Bergere i s a comfortable housewi th seats well arranged; A favour i te port ion of th ehal l i s the terrasse wi th l i tt le tables
,th e charge for
seats there be i n g I fr. 50 c . There i s also a one francpromenade . In t he midd le of t h e Markets
,at th e
back of t he Grand Hotel, i s a b i g bui ld i ng cal led i nsummer t he Palais d ’Eté
,
” and i n win ter th e PoleNord .
” Here th e summer entertai nmen t i s of amus i c hal l charac ter
,and i s th e best p rov ided in t he
c i ty . Seats can be booked,and there 15 also a pro
menade . Th e Palai s d ’Eté i s the place every onegoes to after d i nner 1n t he summer mon ths . Whenconver ted i n to the Pole Nord for t he win ter i t i sdevoted to skat ing onreal ice . Some of th e fét es
given here are wel l wor th going to see.
1 66 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeThe coff ee i s qui te good
,whi le t ea
,con trary to t he
bel ief prevalen t i n England,i s by no means an un
know n beverage,but i s favoured by a great many
Dutch people .
”T h e cooke ry of the better-class
restaurants i s purely French,a Frenchman being
general ly t h e chef. A feature of t he cookery i n t he
houses of r i ch merchan ts are t he d i shes of t he FarEast . Malay curr ies and the fru i ts of Java andSumat ra are often off ered to t he guest
,and i t i s not
at al l uncommon for a merchan t return ing from t he
D ut ch . colonies to b r i ng h i s Malay or Mad ras orCh inese cook home with h im . The favouri te d i sh oft he l ower c lasses i s a sort of kedj eree, i n wh i ch dr iedstockfish
,r i ce
,potatoes
,butter
,and anchov ies al l play
the i r part . Sauerkraut and sausages,soused herr ings
and mi lk pudd ings also have c laims to b e cons i derednat ional d i shes . T he hour of t he mid-day mealt hroughout Holland i s general ly between noon and2 P .M .
,and t he d inner hour between 5 P .M . and 8 P .M .
TH E H AGU E
T here are several restauran ts i n t h e Hague whichdeserve ment ion . One i s Twee S teeden i n t he
Twee S t eeden,Bui tenhof. Th is i s a new bu i ld i ng
3 111139 11 1101"
next door to t he Hotel D eux Vi lles,or
Twee Steeden,a comfortable hote l w i th a garden .
The bui ld ing of t he restauran t is of buff stone with agood deal of carvi ng and gi ld i ng on t h e fron t andbalconies of wrough t i ron. Th e walls of t h e
restaurant ’ s b i g room onthe ground floor are crushedStrawber ry in colour, and t he up holstery i s of green ishgrey . There are other rooms onth e fi rs t floor. The
servi ce I S good and qu iet,and t he menu of a b reakfast
of t he day at se lec ted at random,was Coquille of
«Salmon,pigeon and peas
,escaloppe de Veau, and cheese .
Holland 1 67
Another i s t he Café Royal in t he Vij verberg,an
establ i shment-which h i s i ts large room ont he groundfloor . The restaurant i s comparatively Café Roy al ,ai ry
,and the cookery French
,and my Vij verberg
Dutch fr iends tel l me fai r ly good .
” I d id not makeexper imen t there mvself.T h e most d i st inct ive of the Hague restauran ts callsi tsel f s imply Th e Restauran t
,though i t made i t s name
and i ts fame as Van der Pij l’
s . It i s i n Th e Restaurant,
t h e centre of t he town,and its th ree 1 8 Th e P1aat S
windows look out on to t he dusty l i ttle t r iangle of t he
Plaats and t he tower where t he brothers D e Wittwere torn to pieces by t he populace . The walls oft he d in ing-room are panel led wi th blue s i lk, andduring t he week of my v i s i t to t he Hague
,when I
both d i ned and lunched sev eral t imes at th e restaurant,
I was always rece i ved by a very fat ma itre d ’hotel,who
bowed in a d ign ified manner by let t i ng h i s fi rst ch i nd rop in to h is second and th i rd ones . The cu i s i ne i sFrench
,and i t has a cel lar of excel len t wines . A
good set luncheon i s served at th i s restauran t for th every moderate pr i ce of a flor in and a half —it used tob e a flor in
,but pr ices have r i sen i n t he Hague
,as i n
other capi tals . Thi s i s a lunch of t he day,but I fear
I have not kept a very favourab le example of t he
menus . Gi uf s a la Gambet ta , I ri sh stew— made without on ions and therefore rather tasteless— cold meats,and cheese . I t i s w ise to order d inner 21 la car te
, andto give some hours ’ not i ce . I t i s adv i sable to securea tab le near t he windows, espec ial ly i n summer .Some of t he best wines are not put on t he wine-l i st .In former years t he proprieto r of Van der Fij l
’
s was
possessed of a pur i tani cal consc ien ce, and would notal low any two people to d ine alone i n h i s pr ivate salons .So str i ct ly d id h e adhere to h i s rule onth i s subj ect,that when a wel l-known man about town insi stedonh is righ t to d ine i n t he pet it salonalone with h i s
1 68 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europewife
,t he i nexorable p ropr ieto r tu rned h im out of t he
res taurant . There was,however
,another wel l-known
member of Hague society w ho succeeded where th e
gentleman who thought that matr imony over rode al lrules had fai led . The hero of th e l i t t le story hadmade a bet that
,i n sp i te of the pur i tan i cal propr ietor
,
h e would d ine c‘
l d eux wi th a lady i n the pet it salon.
He wonh i s b et by sub tlety . He ordered a d innerfor th ree
,and when he and the lady arr ived they
wai ted a quarter of an hour for t he other imaginaryguest . Then
,remarking that he was sure Mr . X .
woul d not mind the d inner be i ng begun wi thout h im,
t he host ordered t he soup to b e brough t up ; and so,wi t h constant al lusion s to t he man that never came
,
t he d inner was served,course by course
,and t he bet
wonbefore t he propr ieto r had t he least i dea that at ri ck had been played upon h im .
A somewhat simi lar story,i t w i l l be remembered,
i s told of Delmon i co ’ s and i ts propr ietor i n th e earlyh i story of that great New York restau ran t . In t he
Amer i can story,th e youth who had d i ned in a cabinet
par t iculier with a lady, 1ncon travent ion of the rulesof th e house
,had not t h e sense to hold h is tongue
unt il after h e had paid h i s b i l l . When that documen td id make 1 t s appea1ance, some of t he i tems wereaston i sh i ng .
“ You don ’ t expec t me to pay th i sb i l l ?” said t he staggered d iner to the propr ietor,who had made h i s appearance .
“ No,I do not
,
”
sai d Mr . Delmon i co ;“ but un til you do y ou wil l not
come i n to my restauran t again .
T h e following are someb
of t he d ishes of which Vander P lj l
’
s makes a spec ial ty— Poule au pot H enr i I V.,
Sole Normande,Gote de
_
Boeuf it la Russe,H omaru
'
s c‘
l
l’d me
’
ricaine,Poulard e it la P ar isienne
,P erd reaux au
choux,Omelet te Sihe
'
rienne,Soufle
'
P almy re, Poires d iasha,most of them standard d i shes of the usual cuisineFrangaise, though the Omelet te Sihe
'
r ienne was i nvented
170 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeParfait de foie f'gras d e Strasbourg.
Fonds d ’Art ichaut s ala Barigoule .
Grouse roti s sur Croutons .
Comp0te d e Montreui l .Coeurs d e Laitues .
Creme a'
u Chocolgt et Vani lle .
Paillettes anF romage.
T he Vieux Doelen,a house w 1 th a pleasan t old
fash ioned fron t looking onto a shady square,has a
Vieux D oelen,beaut i ful old d in ing—room
,and i t i s here
Tom Oiveld that every year the smartest balls 1nt hecap i tal take place, given by th e Soc i été du Cas ino
,
and general ly attended by thei r Maj est ies and t he
Court .Th e Hotel s Paulez and Bel levue are other hotel s
to which restau rants,for wh ich some of my corre
spondent s have a good word, are attached .
Hock’ s fis‘ h shop int he market has a room whereexcel len t oyster suppers are served but th i s i s not aHook
’
s , Mark et place to wh i c h lad ies should b e takenPlace; at n ight
,for i t i s then pat ron i sed by
damsels who take t he courtesy‘
t itle of ac tresses,and
th e students from Le iden .
T he clubs of the Hague are t he Plaats Royal,t he
Hague Club,and t h e Witte Soc iete i t .
T h e latter of t hese i s a l arge club wi th a fineWit t e Societ ei t , read ing roo
‘
m,
and i s hosp i tably inPlein clined towards such st rangers as havet he necessary i n troduct ions . I ts town house I S i n t hebus iest par t of t h e c i ty . I t has a ter race
,and onhot
days t he cha i rs of t he club overflow onto t he squarebefore i t . It has a pav i l i on
,i n anenclosure wh ich
,
be i ng of wi re nett i ng,resembles a gigan t i c ch icken
run,i n Het Bosch
,th e park outs ide t he c i ty . In th i s
enclosure i n summer a band p lays onWed nesdayeven ing and Sunday afternoon . The fr iends of t hemembers Sit i n t he enclosure and dr ink t ea or coffee
1 71
and eat i ces . T he gene ral publ ic walk about outs ide .
Th e Hague Club i s t he ar i stocrat i c c lub of t he
c i ty,t he members of th e nob i l i ty and Th e Hague Club,
t he d i plomat ists be i ng amongst i ts V°°rh °utmembers .Th e Plaats Royal i s smal l and exclus ive. I t has a
sem1 -c 1rcular whi te fron t,t h e long Plaat s Roy al ,
windows in wh ic h look out onto th e Plaat sl i t t le lake an d t h e P laats .
A FTER D INNER
Dur ing t he week of sleepy summer weather I was
at t he H ague every place of amusemen t was closed .
If one wished for en ter ta inmen t of an even ing one tookt ra i n or t ramcar ou t to Scheven ingen but i n wi ntert h e Opera House
,where opera and comedy alternate
,
and t he Scala,a musi c hall
,are open .
SCH E V EN ING EN
All t he hotel s and t he Kurhaus at t he DutchBr ighton are con tro l led by one synd i cate. Th e
restauran ts of t he hotels d i ff er somewhat i n’
t he
qual i ty of thei r cookery ; and a Dutch fr iend tel lsme that when h e i s at Scheven ingen h e d i nes
.
att he restauran t of t he Palace Hotel or that of t heKurhaus for choi ce
,and h e has a good word to say
for t he cookery at t he Hotel d ’Orange .-I have eaten
a s imple but wel l-cooked meal at t h e Café d e la Plage,wh ich is below t h e Kurhaus Ter race
,and which at
all hours of th e day and even ing i s full,dur i ng t he
season,of mer ry company of al l c lasses .
T h e pr i nc i pal club at Scheven ingen has , rooms att he Hotel d ’Orange ; and there i s a , small but merry
1 72 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europec lub
,t he Del i
,at wh ich baccarat i s played for low
po in ts. T he golf course of ni ne holes i s ont h e dunes .There i s a club-house and l inks for lad ies .
A FTER D I N N ER
When th e season i s at i ts hei gh t there are concer tsat t he Kurhaus
,and a French company general ly
plays i n t he theatre . A ci rcus and a var iety theatreare also to be found i n full swing . Th e KurhausBar and cafés are t he refuges for those who look ont he small hours as reasonab le b ed-t ime .
AM STER D AM
Th e Restauran t R i che i s managed by a F renchman ,and the cu i s ine 15 French . I t i s necessary to ordercafé Ri ch e, d inner i n advance
,and i t i s wel l to b e
31 3 0m“ par t i cular . Under these c i rcumstancesanexcel len t d i nner i s obtainable . There i s a cel la rof good wi ne, t he burgund ies be i ng espec ial ly to b erecommended .
Th e Restauran t van Laar,i n t he Kalverstraat
,
Vanu at g has a celebri ty for i ts fi sh d inners,
Kalverst raat and excel lent oyster suppers are to b e
had there.
Th e Amstel Room in t he Hotel de l’
Europe i sAmst e1 Room,
wel l Spoken of,and there are scores
2 D °elen5 tmat of cheap restaurants where t he food i sabove t he average of such places .
A FTER D INNE R
In summer the large theat res c lose and the smallerhouses are t he on ly i ndoor places of amusement
,for
t he larger var iety theat res also close the i r doors .
G E RMAN TOW NS
The Cookery of th e Country—Th e Rath skel ler—Beer Ce l larsD resden- Munich—Nuremberg—F rankfort-ou-Main— D '
usse1
dorf Th e Rh ine Val ley H omburg—W iesbaden BadenBaden— Ems—Aach en—Hamburg—Kiel .
TH E CO O K ERY or TH E COU NTR Y
A GERMAN housewi fe who i s a good cook can domarvels wi th a goose, hav ing half-a—dozenstuffings fori t,and she knows many other ways of t reat ing a hare
than roast ing i t or “ j uggi ng i t . She also i s cunn ingi n t h e making of t he bi t ter-sweet salads and pure'eswhich are eaten wi th t he more tasteless ki nds of meatbut
,unfortunately
,t h e good German housew i fe does
not as a rule contro l t he hotel or restauran t that thetravel l i ng gourmet i s l ikely to v i s i t, but rules i n h erowncomfortab le home. T he German Del ikatessenwh i ch form the snacks a Teutoneats at any t imeto encourage h is th i rst, are excel len t and t h e smokedsprats
,and smoked and soused her r ings
,t he var ious
sausages and t he pi ckled gurkins, are t he best ed i bleproduc ts of the Fatherland . The German meat
,wi th
th e except i on of the veal,i s as a rule poor . Th e best
beef and mutton i n the north has general ly been imported from Holland . A German housewi fe has soupsin her rec i pe—book wh i ch we Anglo-Saxon s h avenever tasted . Bier-suppe, i n wh ich l ight beer is one
1 74I
GermanTowns 1 75
of the consti tuents,i s i n great favour
,and
,revers ing
i ts usual place i n th e menu,chocolate made very
th i n i s somet imes served in soup plates . A soupmade of t he l i vers of calves I S a popular soup
,and t h e
sent imen tal s ide of t he German feaster i s somet imesst i rred by a rose-leaf ” soup
,in
'
w h ich‘ripe rose-pips
wel l boi led float onthe surface of a weak consomme',
flavoured wi th pounded pi ps . Th e German i s a greateater of fresh-water fish— p ike
,carp
,perch
,salmon
,
and trout al l be ing found onh i s menus,t he trou t be i ng
general ly cooked au hleu. Z and er,t he “ Gi an t Perch
,
i s esteemed a great del i cacy . The crab i s bet tercooked and served in Germany than anywhere e lse i nt he world . Th e cooks of Berl i n are celebrated for t hec rab fr i cassee wh ich i s always a d ish at c iv i c banquetsand when crabs wi th parsley sauce
‘
and new potatoesmake the i r appearance ont h e b i l l of fare of Germanrestaurants
,summer may be said to have really arr i ved .
Unfortunately c rabs are becoming scarce,
'
and the i rpr i ce i s mount ing . Most of the crab s now eaten i nGermany come from Russia . Another d i sh wh i chi s a sure s ign of t he coming of sunsh in e i s eels andcucumber salad . As a vegetab le cook t he ruler oft h e German ki tchen does not sh i ne . Potatoes cookedi n thei r j ackets and potatoes cooked wi th brown sauceform anoccas i onal change from the eternal purée.
Asparagus heads served wi th a sweet sauce i s a Ger
man d ish wh i ch may b e commended, but a very usualmanner of serv i ng asparagus in cheap restau ran ts i s tocut i t i nto i nch cubes and send i t to table swimmingi n butter . Pickled asparagus forms a very populard ish . Both the potatoes and t he asparagus in Ger
many are excel lent,un ti l they are cooked
,for they
grow wel l i n t he sandy so i l . Kompots, sweet an dsour
,are served at, to an Engl i shman , unexpected
per i od s dur in g t he repast ; but t he Br i ton who i saston ished to see a German eat preserved frui ts o r j ams
1 76 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europewith h i s meats should not forget t hat h e h imse lf cal l sfor apple sauce with a goose and curran t j el ly w ith h i smutton . The Sauerkraut, red or whi te
,wh ich has
been boi led in soup and v inegar makes i t s appearanceat t he c lose of t he feast to complete the cook ’ s v i c to ry .
Th e black and brown breads of Germany deserve aword . Th e Hamburger S chwarzbrot i s the best breadin t he world to eat with cheese, and t he Pumpern i ckelfrom Westphal i a fo rms w i th raw ham a sandwichmuch rel i shed i n Germany .
Th e cookery in t he b ig hotel s onmuch-frequentedroutes i n Germany i s now almost un iversal ly a ratherheavy vers i on of t he French art
,with perhaps a hompot
wi th t he veal to give local colour . Int he small hotel sinl i t tle prov i nc ial towns t he meals are served at t het imes that the middle-class German of the nor th usual lyeats them,
and are ani n fer io r copy of what h e gets i nh i s ownhome. I g ive what any enterpr i s i n g t ravellerlooking for t he food of t he country from the k i tchenof a coun try i nn of t he better c lass may expect :Coff ee at 7 or 8 A .M . wi th rol ls
,Kafi} Br
‘
o‘
dchen,and
butter,and th i s meal he will be expec ted to descend
‘Etot he d ini n g-room to eat .
Th e Z we i tes F ruh stuck comes at 1 0 A.M .,at wh ich
t h e German equ ivalen t for a sandwi ch, aBrodchencutand buttered
,wi th a sl i ce of uncooked ham or cheese
between t he h alves, makes i ts appearance, and a glassof beer or wine i s d runk . People with work to do
general ly take a sandwich wi th them to the i r shopsor offices .Dinner (Mittagessen ) i s announced between noonand 2 o ’ clock, and i s a long meal c on si st i ng of soup,which ina poor in n often i s t he water i n whi ch t hebeef has been bo i led, or perhaps Eintropfen, a soupth ickened wi th b i scu i t flour and wi th egg i n i t, or alenti l soup, wi th Z w iebach as anaccompan iment ; fi sh ;a messy entrée, probably of Frankfurt sausage ; th e
1 78 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europeto twi st i n one’ s seat and go through a gymnast icper formance to take a hel p i ng .
Except i n large ci t ies t he German gen try are notgiven to feed ing at restauran ts .A golden rule
,wh ich may be held to apply all over
Germany,i s that i t i s safe to take lad ies wherever
officers go inuniform.
TH E RATH S K ELL ER
In most German towns where t here i s a Rathhaus
(a town hal l) one finds t he Rathskel ler,where beers
or wine,accord ing to t he part of th e coun try
,are t he
pr inc i pal at tract i on, s imple d ishes, cut lets, steaks, coldmeats
,oysters
,cav i are be i ng served more as an adj unct
to the dr ink than as an orthodox meal . The mostnoted of these Rathskeller are at Bremen
,O ld Lubeck
,
and New Hamburg, and that at Bremen i s fi rst i n importance . It i s a med imval Goth ic hal l, bu i l t 1 4051 4 1 0, andj t holds th e finest stock
'
of Rh in e and Mosel lewin e i n t he world . The wine i s kept i n very old
casks . One of t he cel lars i s of part i cular i n terest asbe i ng t h e Rose one
,where t he magistrates used to
si t i n sec ret conclave,suh rosa
,beneath t he great rose
carved upon t he ce i l i ng._
The German Emperorgeneral ly pays a v i si t to t he Rathskel ler when he v i s i tsBremen .
In t he Lubeck Rathskel ler,wh ich contain s many
exce llent b in s of t he finest Bordeaux, i s the adm i ral ’ stable
,
” sai d to be made from a plank of the Sh i p of thelast Admi ral of Lubeck
,w ho flour i shed in 1 570
and even more i n terest i ng thant he Rathskel ler i s t heSch i ff ergesel lschaft
,wi th i ts st range mot to and i ts
evenstranger S ign ,
GermanTowns 1 79
BE E R-C E L L AR S
Throughout Germany one meets i n every townt he large establ i shmen ts
,Bierkel ler in the south
,Bier
restauran t or Biergarten in t h e north,beaut i fully
decorated i n t he O ld German Style,of t he various
beer companies,most of wh ich are Mun ich ones
,th e
Lowen brau,t he Pschorrb rau
,t he Munch ener Hof
brau,
‘
and others . In South Germany t h e beer i stapped ice-cold wi thout a carbon ic apparatus. Becareful to c lose t he me tal top of your Schopps i f youare d r i nking w i th German compan ions
,for i f you
do not they have t he r igh t,by t he custom of th e
country,to place the i r mugs on t h e top of t h e open
one and demand another “ round .
” If when youhave emptied your mug
,you leave i t wi th t he l i d
open,t he wai ter
,without asking any quest i ons
,takes
i t away and refi l ls i t .
D R E S D EN
Dresden i s not exactly an epi cure ’ s parad ise,but
there i s one restauran t wh ich may be safely recommended as anestab l i shment of t he fi rst order . I referto t h e Engl i scher Garten
,which i s Engli sch er Gart en, ‘
managed by i ts propr ietor,Herr Curt Wai senh aus st rasse ,
Roeth ing. The pr i nc i pal en trance i s th rough a ratherd ingy looki ng archway in theW aisenhausstrasse
,nearly
opposi te the Victor ia Salon Musi c Hall . Th e pr inc ipal publ i c rooms are on t he ground floor
,and are
pleasant and bri gh t i n the i r way .
There are also some rooms ont h e fi rst floor wh i chare general ly used for private parties . Th e atmospherei n th e winter i s apt to be rather too sultry for Engl ishtastes
,but i t i s perhaps less close than in most other .
1 80 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeDresden restauran ts . At th e back
,there i s anopen
space d ign ified by t h e name of a garden,runn ing down
to a wide st reet,and here i n t he summer a number of
tab les are laid .
Th e attendance i s wel l above t he Dresden average,
and th e wai ters t here i nvar iab ly clean and c iv i l . T h e
German wai ter at h i s best i s not often one of the
h ighest pol i shed spec imens of human i ty , although some
compensat ion may be found i n t he almost paternali n terest h e takes i n hahitue’s or customers w ho havesucceeded i n winn i ng h i s good graces .In t h e midd le of t he day a huge d inner i s serv ed formarks onweek-days
,and 4 marks onSundays .
A deducti on is made i f on ly certa i n d i shes on t h e
b i l l of fare are taken . In t he even ing everyth i ng i sit la car te
,and i s almost as dear as t he set meal i n th e
middle of t he day is cheap . There i s a large b i l l offare
,an d i t compr i ses al l t he ord inary d i shes
,and also
Del ikatessen such as oysters,cav iare
,fresh t ruffles
,
peaches,&c .
,al l of th e best . Game
,espec ial ly par
t ridge and woodcock,i s wel l cooked at th e Engl i scher
Garten . Live t rout and other fresh-water fi sh are kepti n a tank
,and y ou may general ly rely onfind i ng t he
soles and turbot fresh as wel l . As regards pri ce, un less
y ou are an hahitue’ or make spec ial terms,a l i t tle
s imple d inner wi ll average out at 1 08. a head,exclus ive
of wine . I t is wel l to order d inner beforehand,as t he
cul i nary arrangements are not very exped i t ious . Int he even ing t he cu i s i ne i s by way of be i ng first-classFrench art
,but i t j ust lacks t he l i ghtness of touch
wh i ch is charac ter i st i c of t he bes t French cookery .
Wine i s rather dear,but t he h igher-pri ced brands
of hock,Mosel le
,or c laret are excel len t . There
i s some part i cularly good Pi lsen beer i n t he cel lars,
wh ich i s served very h ighly iced . Being a wine res
taurant, you are not expec ted to drink beer except
as a supplement to your wine . An add i t i onal charge
1 82 The Gourmet’
s Guide to Europeupper and midd le c lasses and extr emely respectable . I tscu i s i ne i s very fai r
,set meals
,which , espec ial ly supper
a fter t he play,are very inexpens i ve. T h e mark
midday table d’
ho‘
te meal i n t h e beer restau ran t i s a
wonderfully good meal for t he pr i ce,and t h e 5-mark
set supper i n t h e wine restauran t on ly errs ont h e s ideof heav iness . I f y ou order a la car te
,l ike most other
places,i t i s rather dear.
Tied emann and Grahl’
s,i n t he Seestrasse
,i s a
typi cal GermanWeinstube with a large clientele of
Tiedemann habitue’
s,mostly men
,but lad ies can go
and Gram,
there . T he owners be i ng large wineg seeS t ras se merchan ts
,have some firs t-rate wine
at pr i ces averaging rathe i lower than the Englischer Garten . Bu t there i s a very exten s ivel i st
,and t he qual i ty i s not al together un i form,
so if
y ou can sub01n a fr iendly wai ter h e wi l l hel p youconsiderably . Exce l len t oysters and smoked salmonare to be had here
,but t he place i s ap t to b e rather
c rowded and no i sy . Th e appo intmen ts are of t he
simples t and most unpreten t ious kind . Pr i ces,moder
a tely h igh— about two-th i rds those of t he Engl i scherGarten . Set _
.meals are served,but 21 la car te i s more
usual . The ,wai ters
,be i ng i n st i tut ions l i ke most of
t he guests,are i ncl i ned t o be a l i t tle off-hand and
fami l iar,and t here i s al together a free and easy and
home ly tone about the place, but i t i s perfectlyrespectable .
Neues Pala i s d e Saxe,ont he Neumarkt
,i s owned
and managed by H err Mul ler . V ery fai r cu i s i ne
Neues Palai s good set meals ; 2: la ca r te rather mored e Saxe,
Neu expensive ; specialty l
mad e of oystersmark t and e
'
crevisses, whi ch lat ter are servedi n al l sor ts of fasc i nat i ng ways . Not at al l a badplace for supper after t he theatre
,but perhaps a
t r ifle dull .Kneist
,a beer restauran t ina l i ttle street off t he
GermanTowns 1 83
Altmarkt,called t he Grosse Brud ergasse, i s managed
by t he propr iet or whose name i t bears . I t i s muchfrequented by officers and oflicials . Here you findgood plain fare served i n t he s implest
Knei st '
s
of fash ion s . Meals are a‘
la car te 2 Grosse'
Bru
and q ui te i nexpensive ; cu is ine purelyd ergasse
German,,homely and wholesome
,wi th excel len t
beer,espec ial ly Erlanger . The atmosphere i s usually
hot,th i ck
,and stuffy
,but t he clientele does not seem
to mind i t .Ina l i t tle back room the pr in c i pal d ign i tar ies of t heSaxon Court
,S tate
,and Army are wont to forgather
every morn ing for the i r F ruhschoppen, —a kind of
early,largely l iqu id
,lunch
,at wh ich
,i f rumour can
b e t rusted,a good deal of importan t business i s
i n formally d iscussed and sett led .
Th e Kaiserpalast and t he Victoriahaus are otherlarge establ i shments . The Bierstall i n a l i tt le S treetof the Altmarkt i s ce lebrated for i t s P i l sen beer ;but t he atmosphere of the rooms i s stifl i ng . GoodMun ich beer i s ob ta inab le at t he Z acherlb rau i n t he
Kon ig Johannstrasse.
The table d’
ho‘
te meals at t he pr inc i pal hotels are
ne i ther remarkably good nor remarkably i nd ifferen t .Th e Bel levue has a large verandah, overlooking the
Elbe,wh ich forms a pleasan t d in ing-place i n t he hot
weather .Dresden has a golf course of n ine holes .
AFTER D I N N ER
The performances of opera at t he Opera House,open eleven months i n t he year
,are world-famed .
Th e Schausprehaus, for comedy, i s also a S tate undertaking. T he Resi denz Theater i s for l ight fare
,and
there are two musi c hall s i n W aisenhausst rasse .
1 84 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
LE i P S i c
Th e c i ty of books and furs i s wel l prov i ded wi threstaurants . Histor ical ly t he most i nterest ing of
Auerbach ’
sthese i s t h e Auerbach ’ s Kel ler
,which
Keller , 2 Gr im was one of Goethe ’ s haunts .whenh emai soh eS tms se was a studen t at Le i ps i c
,and wh ich h e
uses as a background i n h i s Faust,for t he scene i n
wh i ch the dev i l d raws vari ous wi nes from a woodentable . The cel lar
,Wh ich i s a w ine restau ran t
,i s
decorated wi th mu ral pain t i ngs of t he legend onwh ich Faust was based . As these were pain ted int he s ix teenth century
,and Goethe was a studen t i n
Lei ps ic i n the e i gh teen th century,i t i s more than
probable that these paint i ngs fi rst suggested to h imh is great work .
A restauran t wh ich i s also in Grimmaischest rasse,
and has a reputat ion for good cookery,i s Steinmann’ s
,
whi le at t he corner of th i s street,wh ich
32 Grimmai shh e r ivals t he Market Place i n “
t he number“ms“
of houses of refreshment i t contai n s,
i s the Café Francai s, t he best of the cafés of th e
«town .
O ther restaurants of note are those of t he New
Theat re,whi ch has a terrace
,a plea
sant place i n hot ’
weather ; and Paege’
s
i n the Market P lace,with a reputat ion for good
cookery .
The Panorama,i n Rossplat z , has a garden attached
to i t . Th e Burgkel ler, inReich sst rasse,r i vals t he
Auerbach ’ s Kel ler i n t he matter of antiqui ty .
Int he Rosenthal,t he park outs ide the c i ty
,there
are“ restaurations ” at t he Schweit z erhaus and at
Bonorand,and also at t he Z oological Garten , w h i ch
i s c lose to t he park,and in t he Palmen-Garten . There
is a café at Connew i tz i n t he woods to t he south-wes t
New Th eatre
1 86 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europei sland ~
of the Isar, but i t h as now become the museumof the Alpine Club .Munich i s of course the headquarters o f good
German beer,and at t he Hofb rauhaus inathe Platzl
,
Hofbrauh aus , one of t he s i ghts of th e town,as good a
Th e Platfl glass of beer can b e Ob tained as any mancould wish for . Various ki nd s of beer are drunk i nMuni ch at var ious season s of t he year . The Z acherlKel ler has i ts ownspec i al brew for spr ing, and so hasthe Hofbrauhaus . Th e Hofbrauhaus i s a fine typ icalspec imenof a German b ierhalle, very respectable andmuch frequented . After hav ing had your fi rst Schop
pen(for hav i ng once tasted you invar iably Wan t more)you r i nse out your glass at a handy fountai n beforepresenting i t to be refi l led . Th e person who takesyour Schoppen along wi th several others i n each hand
,
i nvar iably,wi th unerr ing inst inct
,hands you back t he
same glass. As an appet i ser for t he beer,to wh ich i t i s
supposed to give anadd i t ional zes t,t h e attendan ts place
a large rad i sh about t he size of anapple i n a sortof turn i p-cutti ng mach ine
,which ej ec ts i t i n th in
r i ngs ; i t i s then washed and put in to a saucer wi tha l i t tle sal t and water
,and eaten wi thout any other
accompan iment than t he beer . It may b e anacqu i redtaste
,but i t appears to be very popular .
The large brewer ies outs ide t he gates,each wi th i t s
restauran t,are worth a vi si t from any one whom beer
i nterests . At th e Oktober Fest all t he brewer ies havegreat tents ont he Fest ground .
AFTER D INNER
At the Pr inz Regenten Theater performances of
Wagner ’ s operas are given in August and September,
after t he manner of Bayreuth . At t he Hof. Theateroperas and ser ious plays are performed , and l igh ter fareis to be found in t he Gartnerplat z Theater. There
GermanTowns 1 87
i s a s ummer theatre i n t he Park,and the grav i ty of
t he Pr i nz Regent en i s balan ced by four var iety theatres .
NUR EMB ER G
T he most i n terest i ng of the hostel r ies in Nuremberg,
t he town of good beer and ' l i t t le sausages,are the houses
where t he fare consists almost en ti rely of sausages,
sauerkraut,and beer . Th e most celebrated of these
i s t he BratwurstglOcklein, a cur i ous Bratwurstl i tt le tavern stuck like a wafer onto glock lein,
t h e back of t he Morit z capelle. I t Glock engasselooks more l ike a doll ’ s house than a real bu i ld ing .
I t has a brown t i led roof,i n wh ich are many l i ttle
windows wi th green and whi te shutters . Some of
t he tables and cha i rs seem to have overflow ed fromi nside
,and are set out on t he cobb le stones before i ts
doors . ‘Li ttle Oleander t rees inpots g ive a pleasan ttouch of cool colour to‘
t he space before t he bu i ld ing .
The glass of the windows i s that glass wh ich resemblest he bot tom of bott les . The i n ter i or i s panel led wi thdark wood
,which i s almost covered by old pri n ts and
old pi c tures,all hav i ng some reference to t he place or
to the celeb r i t ies w ho used to be customers . Th e
dri nking-mugs of these celebr i t ies,and fine old pewter
tanka rd s hung ups ide down,also form par t of t h e
d ecorations of t h i s min iature eat ing h ouse . T h e
en trance to the eat ing room of t he i n n i s_ through the
ki tchen,and the company si t at narrow tables eat ing
l i ttle sausages,t he pleasant smel l of which comes
pour ing out through t he open windows . In t he t i nyki tchen a buxom cook and h er ass i stan ts cook panafter pan of t he thorough ly German del i cacy . Th e
sausages are cooked all day long, and are made twicea day so as to ensure freshness . Th e sausage whichi s eaten in t h e even i ng had not come i n to ex i stencebefore mid-day . T h e bel l from wh ic h th i s “ l i t t le
1 88 The Gourmet’
s Guide to Europe
bel l of t he Roast Sausage takes i ts name i s hung ona wrought i ron bracket ont he stone butt ress j utt i ngfrom t he chapel wh ic h forms one end of t he d iminut ivetavern . T he late Mr . Bastard, who was my collaborator i n t he fi rst ed i t i on of th i s book, t ran slated forme t he doggere l rhyme wh ich some unknown poetwrote i n honour of t he estab l i shment . It runs thus
Not many noble strangersCanpossi bly refrain,W henonce they’ ve ate our sausages,F rom eating them again.And it usually S t rikes them,
I f they have not y et found it out ,That these sausages are sp lendidWhenthey
’ re mixed with sauerkraut .The only thing they rail at,W hen they fainwould criticise,I s to wish the little sausageW ere a l ittle larger s i z e.
”
Bui lt about t he year 1 400, th i s t i ny hostel ry i s oneof th e most an c ient, i f not t he o ldest
,refreshmen t
house i n the world . Hans Sach s,Peter V i scher
,
Albrech t D tlrer, W ellebald Pirkheimer,Ve i t
_S toss,and other celebrated meni n Niiremb erg
’
s h istory int he fi fteenth and s ix teen th centur ies
,all d rank the
beer and ate the sausages of t he l i tt le i nn . HansSachs seems to have been t he best customer of th i sgalaxy of great men
,for h i s name i s he ld in t h e
greatest honour i n t he l i tt le house of t he l i t t le sausage,
where h e i s regarded as a tutelary sai n t .Two o ther houses there are enti rely devoted to t he
cult of t he sausage. One i s the Brat hwurst Rosleini n t he goose market, and t he other theBrat hwurst.
Roslein, Brathwurst Herz le in t he Herz gasse .
Ob Stgasse T he Brathwurst Roslein has panel ledrooms
,and i ts adornmen t i s s imi lar to the Older es tab
lishment i n that there are rows of beaut i fully kept
1 90 The Gourmet’
r Guide to 8urope
O f the modern restaurants, t he Café Kusch, i n t heKarolinenst rasse
,i s t he most ai ry and th e brigh test .
Cafe’
Kusch ,
I t has wh i te enamel led walls,wi t h
Karolinen pane l l i ng of l i gh t oak to a man ’ s hei gh t . ‘
Strasse I t has,i n t he restauran t
,a large balcony
where mens i t and d rink the i r wi ne . It has a goodwide staircase
,th e rai l s to whi ch are i n wh ite metal
shaped l ike branches of t rees, and such o rnamen tat i onas there i s onth e wh i te walls i s i n qu i te good taste .
It seems to b e always ful l of customers, and i t s b reakfas’ts of the day at I mark 75 or 2 .50 are wel l-cooked
,
very sat isfy i ng meals . This i s a 2 . 50 breakfast takeriat random from a number of menus
Gemusewurfel Suppe .
Salm kalt.S ce. May onaise .
Nurnberger Bratwurstchen.
R ind erbraten.
Compot .Z wetschgenkuchen
T he supper or d inner is usual ly ordered 21 la car te.
Th e d ishes of_
t he day mostly vary in pri ce fromI mark to but there i s a set even ing meal at
3 marks . Th e wai ters are in' d ress c lothes,and the
l itt le boys_
who serve t he wine look clean and fresh i nwh i te j ackets and whi te apron s. Th e Café Kusch '
has a branch estab l i shmen t i n t he Forest outs ide t he
“c i ty, where a band plays, and wh ich is much resortedto i n t h e summer .In t he upper par t of the town t he great Rathhaushas 1n l ts cellars t h e usual wine restauran t . Th e
Rat h h aus rooms are part ial ly l ighted by stainedKeller glass windows ona level wi th t he s treet
,
t he ce i l i ng i s painted,and t he walls panel led . He rr
Karl Giessing, t h e lessee, has brought these cel lars i n to .
celebr i ty owing to t he excel lence of thei r wines.
Ger innnTowns 9 I
The café restauran t Kunst ler i s i n a new bui ld ingont he ramparts
,opposi te to th e Grand Hotel . You
go along a terrace ornamented w it’
h Kunsuer 'onl i t tle trees and flowers i n pots to reach t h e ramp art s
th i s restaurant . Th e walls of t he rooms are adornedwi th antlers ’ and stags ’ head s
,and the food served
there are t he usual s imple German d i shes . O f t herestaurants of th e hotels
,t h e Fot t inger Pot t inger ,
has the i n teres t of be i ng very old . I t Konigstras se
has a l i t t le ter race i n fron t of i t,shel tered from t he
s treet by creepers i n boxes . I ts rooms are panel ledwi th wood
’
painted green . The restauran t of the
Rotter Hahn,which i s i n h igh favour with t he towns
people,has a good deal of ornamen tat ion oni t s walls
,
and i ts windows look out on to t he Konigstrasse.
Th e W urtemburger Hof,i n t he Bahnhofplatz
,has
a l i tt le grove of trees i n i ts i ns ide court, Wurt emb urger
which i s a pleasant place i n wh ich to Hof,Bahnh of
s i t at t ea or coff ee t ime . Th e Grand p lat zhas a garden terrace
,and t he cu is i ne of all t he hotel s
i s much of a muchness . There are restaurants i nt he suburbs
,both at t he Rosenau and in t he Stad t
Park . At the latter t he Café Maxfeld t, Maxfeld t ,
a large bui ld ing wi th t he usual wi lder S tadt Parkness of chai rs and tables and a bandstand before i t
,
always has ready th e sandwiches and cold meatswh ich serve as supper for people with s imple tastes
,
but i f a hot meal i s requi red i t i s wel l to order i tbeforehand by telephone.
A FT ER D INNER
At t he S tad t Theater y ou may expec t to find grandopera
,or opera comique
,or class i cal comedy . At t he
Int imes Theater at t he corner of Johannesgasse, t hecomed ies are of a l ighter order, and at t he ApolloTheater, which i s inthe same bu ilding as the Hotel
1 9 2 l e Gourmet ’ s Guide to gurapeWittel sbach
,var iety and operetta seasons succeed each
ot her th roughout t he year . A large V iennese caféi s i n the same bui ld ing as theApollo .
STUTTGART
There i s no town in Germany,Frankfurt excepted
,
th rough wh ich more Br i t i sh t ravel lers pass onthe i rway to other places than Stuttgart . T h e acquain tance of most travel lers w i th t h e res tauran ts of t he
town begi n s and . ends as a rule with t he supper roomHot el and t he breakfast room in the HotelMarquardt Marquardt . They might go furtherand fare worse. At mid-day
,at whi ch t ime al l t he
people from t he suburbs are i n S tuttgar t,t he pleasan t
room at Marquard t ’ s,looking out on to t he Palace
Square,i s gi ven over to those who lunch at separate
tab les,and w ho eat the very sat i sfy ing lunch of t he
day . At t he room in t he centre of t he hotel,people
w ho wish to lun ch more cheaply si t cheek by j owl atsix long tables
,wh i le i n t he cen t re of th i s room are
smal l tables at wh ich t he overflow from t he b righterroom i s accommodated . The room wi th a v iew i s somuch pleasanter than the i n ter i or b all that i t i s worth.
wh i le securing a table beforehand . Meals 21 la ca r te
canbe had at mid-day,but they interfere wi th t he
bus iness of t he set lunch . For supper no choi ce of
rooms i s g iven,for that meal i s served i n the large
i n ter io r hal l at small tables,wh i le t he other room is
bei ng got ready for early breakfaster s . It i s pleasan t,i f one has to catch anearly t rai n
,to go i n to a room
where everyth i ng i s c lean,and fresh
,and ready
,and
not to b e i n the midst of sweeping out and t he lay in gof tab les by sleepy wai ters who look as i f they hadbeenup allni gh t 5 but there are more cheer ful supperrooms inS tuttgar t than that i n t he hotel . Stut tgar ti s a townof very large and very cheap restauran ts .
1 94 The Gourmez"; Guide to 8urope
found i t a pleasan t place at wh i ch to dr i nk coffee ofanafternoon . It has at i ts back a second room
,all
wh i te,whi ch seems to be a favouri te meet in g-place
for lad ies . Any man in terested in eccen tr i c places ofentertainment might look in at t he Gasthaus Oet inger
i n t he Beb enhauserst rasse . Th e house,
a funny l i t tle old bui ld ing,i s adorned
wi th many pai nt ings inside and outside,
and has as i t s s 1gn a stag’ s an tlers . O n t he one
occas i on onwhich I Was taken to th i s l i t t le house Ifound a concert i n progress
,i n an atmosphere of much
smoke,and beer
,and j ov ial i ty . A hal f-hour spen t
there I found amply sufficient .In t he midst of Old S tut tgart
,i n t he market-place
,
stands the fine new Rathhaus,and th e restauran t i n i ts
Th e Rat h h aus wine-cel lars i s fresh and new,l ike t he
Kellaren rest of t he bui ld ing . There i s one roomof green and gold and another of wh i te walls above aski rt i ng of green panel s . These cel lars are betterventilated than most of the i r k i nd
,and t he s imple
food and t he wine are both to be recommended .
On one occasion,when I found Marquard t ’ s too
ful l to find me a room,I stayed at t he Royal Hotel
and lunched i n i ts garden beh ind t he house,find ing
noth i ng to complain of in my mealA band plays in t he even ings 1nth e S tad t Gardens,
and there 'i s t he usual “ restaurat i on ”
there,with i ts cold meat and i ts sand
wi ches,l ts coffee and i ts beer .
In th e suburbs of S tuttgart there are many l i t tleplaces of refreshment . There i s one of these at t hemineral baths at t he en trance to Kannstad t
,and
another ont he Neckarinsel,t he i sland in t he mids t
of th e r iver, wh i ch i s often an amus ing place to v i s i tona fine afternoon . Onthe Hasenberg, whence thev iews are very fine
,there i s a restauran t at the Jager
haus and at D egerloch, wh ich also boasts of its v iews,
St adt Gardens
GernuznTown; 1 9 5
Th e Schwe izer Haus and t he Wilhelmshohe are two
restaurants from t he gard en s of which one sees a finepanorama .
AFTER D INN ER
At t he Residenz Theater,the last t ime I was i n
S tut tgart,a German vers ion of “ Loute ” was be ing
played,which i s a proof that that theatre does not
depend en t i rely upon classi ca l comedy . At t he
Wilhelm Theater an Austr ian operetta was the pieceof t he even ing, and the only German play at any of
t he theatres was a comedy at th e Schauspiel Theater,
a new bu i ld i ng beh ind t he Wilhelm ’ s Bau . On t he
fi rst floor of the Fried ri ch ’ sBau i s a b ig var iety theatrewhich
,j udging from t h e programme I have sat
through on two occasions,has a marked part i al i ty
for Br i t i sh turns .
FRANK F ORT—ON-MA IN
Frankfor t i s t he “ j ump ing-off place for so manyof the fash ionable “ cure ” towns and i s such a greatcen tre of t he rai lway systems that trave l lers innume
rable wi th plenty of money to spend pass th roughi t al l t he year round . Th e hotel s accommodate themselves to the i r cosmopol i tan clientele
,and a very good
d inner,French to al l i n tents and purposes
,i s to b e
obtai ned i n t he restaurants of t he hal f-dozen lead inghotels . T he Englischerhof, at the corner of Kaiserstrasse
,i s t h e old-establ i shed house of good feed ing i n
Frankfort . Thence went Mons . Jules and foundedt he Furstenhof
,opposi te t h e theatre. R i tz
,th e
Napoleon of th e hotel and restauran t world,i s,or
was,a partner i n t he ownership of th e Frankfurter
hof,i n t he Kaiserplatz
,and he gave personal atten
t ion to the organ i sat ion of the restauran t, where I
1 96 The Gourmet ’s Guide l‘
o Europehave always found t h e cookery excel lent
,though i t i s
as wel l to secure a table at a d istance from the band .
Mons . Autor,w ho was manager of t h e Carl ton i n
London for some years,followed h i s ch ief ’ s example
,
and going in to partnersh i p with Herr Boen ing of
Baden-Baden , opened t he Carlton Hotel,wh ich
,
with i ts restaurant, gr i ll-room,and palm-cour t
,i s a
very close copy of i ts namesake i n London . T h e
Hote l Imper i al, i n the O pern platz,an hotel w i th an
ar i stoc rat i c clientele, profi ts by i ts closeness to t he
Opera House, and i ts restauran t has i ts ful l shareof t he suppers after t h e opera— though
,be i t said
,
Frankfort i s a town of early hours .Th e Falstaff Restauran t i n t he Theaterplatz hasalways had a reputat ion for good sound GermanTh e Falstafl" cookery . It i s now an annexe to
Th eat erp lat z t he new Westm inster Hotel i n the
Goetheplatz, of which Her r Emi l Kathe i s prop rietor .Buerose
,on t h e fi rst floor of No . 2 9 Goeth est rasse
,
should b e ment ioned as a qu iet res
taurant,where there are of
hors d’
ceufvre and excel lent oysters .T he Palmen Garten i s a pleasant summer restauran t
a l i t t le way ou t of the town,ont he Bockenhe imer
PalmenGart en, strasse . I t has a fine d in ing-hal l,and
Bock enh eimer you may si t at l i t tle tables wh i le t h eS t ras se regimental band d iscourses excel len tmusi c . T h e cooking i s of th e sound German cu isi ne .
It i s a very pleasant spot to v is i t ona hot day . F i reworks form part of t he programme of amusements onféte days .T he Rathskel ler i s a restauran t wh ich i s i n t h e
Romer, t he group of houses wh ich form t he TownHall bu i ld ings .Lovers of good beer wi l l find at t h e Haus Alleman ia
,Sch i l lerplatz
,i f they ask for a Schoppen of
t he Miinchener Hof brau, exac tly what they have
1 98 s e Gourmet’
r Guide to guro'
pe
A FTER D INN ER
Two theatres and a variety hall, the Apollo, are th echoi ce Dusseldorf offers after d i nner . The Apollosomet imes p rov ides operettas .
TH E RH INE VALL EY
The Rh i ne valley is not a happy hunti ng groundfor t he gourmet . Th e excel len t old-fash ioned Hoteldu Nord at Cologne has in summer i ts shelteredrestauran t i n th e fresh ai r overlooking a charminggarden. A l i t t le band plays
,and th e t inkle of a
foun tai n j o ins wi th the musi c . Th e c i ty also has i tsp i c turesque Gurzen ich i n wh ich i s a rest aurant ; i t si nhab i tants eat t he i r oysters i n t he saloon i n t he Kle i neBugenst rasse, part of a restauran t there, and l i sten tot he band at t he Neuesstad t Theater or t he Stapel hausas they dr i nk the i r w ine. A Kempinski restauran thas lately been opened int he Hohestrasse. Thereare restauran ts i n the S tad tgarten , and th e Flora andZ oological Gardens . Coblen tz i n summer has twoor th ree ter race restaurants
,t he Monopol b emg th e
_best, t he great at tract ions of which are the v iews ofEhrenbre i t ste i n and of th e bri dge of boats . A spec ialword of commendati on may b e given to the balconyrestauran t of t he Hotel Mattern at Kon igswinter .At every l i t tle town one i ther bank there are one ormore tavern s w i th a v iew where the usual rather messyfood of prov i nc ial Germany i s to b e obtai ned
,good
beer always,and general ly excel lent wine made from
t he v ineyards onthe mountai n s ide. Now and agai nsome restaurant-keeper has a l i t tle pool of fresh wateri n front of h i s house
,and one canselect one ’ s fi sh to
b e cooked_
for breakfast . The wines of t he d i strlc t arefar better than i ts food .
Ger/nunTowns 1 99
Rudeshe im,Sch loss Johann i sberg
,the Stei n berg
Abbey above Hattenhe im,are of course household
words,and t he man who said that travell in g along
t he Rh ine was l ike read ing a restauran t wine-l i st hadsome j ustificat ion for h i s Ph i l i st i ne speech . Onedoes not expect to d iscover the real Ste i nberg Cab ineti n a v i llage i nn
,and the Johann i sberg general ly found
i n every hotel i n Rh ineland i s a very infer io r W i ne tothat of t he Schloss
,and is grown in t he v ineyards round
Dorf Johann i sberg . I have memories of excel len tbott les of wine at Ress
’
s at Hattenheim,and at t he
Engel at Erbach ; but t he fact that I was making awalking tour may have added to t he de l igh t of the
d raughts . Th e‘Marcobrunnv i neyards lie between
Hattenhe im and Erbach . T he Hotel V ic tori a atBi ngen has i t s own v ineyards
,and makes a capi tal
wine ; and in the val ley of t he r i ver below Bingenalmost every l i t tle town and h i ll— Lorch
,Boppard
,
Horche im,and t he Kreuzberg— has i ts own par
t icular brand,generally excel len t . Assmanhausen
,
which gives such anexcellent red w 1ne,i s onth e
oppos i te bank to Bingen and a l i ttle below i t . Th e
Rh ine boats have a very good assortment of wineson board
,but i t i s wi se to run t he finger a l i t tle
way down the l i s t before order ing your bott le,for
,
though t he steamboats keep capi tal cel lars,t he very
c heap wines on the Rh ine are,as i s usual i n al l
countries,of t he th i nnest descr i pt ion . Most of t he
Br i t i sh doctors on t he Cont inen t make t he greaterpart of the i r l i v ing by attend ing the i r fel low-coun trymenwho d r ink everywhere anyth i ng that i s giventhem free
,and w ho hold that t he foinda pay s must be
dr i nkab le because i t is the wine of th e coun try . Ourcompatri ots often swallow t he th roat-cutting stuffwhich the farm labourers and stable hands dr ink,sooner than pay a l i t t le extra money for t he soundwine of the d i str i ct . The fore igner who came to
200 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to Surope
G reat Br i tain and drank our newest c ider, our cheapestale
,and rawest wh i sky would go away wi th a poor
impressi on of t h e“l i quors of our count ry . Dr ink th e
wine of t h e d i st ri c t where they make good wine,but
do not grudge t h e extra sh i l l ing wh ich makes all thed i ff erence i n qual i ty . I have been gen tly reprovedfor sayi ng
,i n t h e fi rst ed i t i on of t h i s book
,that th e
lunches on t h e b ig express boats of t he Rh ine are
a scramble for food,an d am told that t he 3-mark
meal i n t h e midd le of t he day i s a t r iumph of
organlsat lon. I bow to correct ion,and must have
been unfortunate i n my exper iences . Perhaps I wasunki nd to t he fast boats because I was on ce mostkind ly treated onan old-fash ioned slow boat . I havea pleasan t memory of an old head steward
,a fatherly
old gentleman in a si lk cap shaped somewhat l ike anaccord ion
,w ho prov ided t h e meals on a le i surely
steamer wh ich pottered up t he Rh ine,stopp ing at
every v i llage. He gave us local del i cac ies,took an
in terest i n our appet i tes,
and h i s cookery,though
d ist i nct i vely German,was also very good . In a land
where all t he b ig hotel s fi l l once a d ay and emptyonce a day
,and where t he meals are a heavy-handed
imi tat ion of French cookery,that old man wi th h i s
stews and roasts,and p ickles
,veal
,and pork
,sausages
b i g and sausages smal l,strange cheeses
,and Del ikatessen
of al l k i nds,was a good man to meet .
H OMBUR G
The Homburg D inner has become a householdword
,mean i ng that a cer ta i n, number of menand
women agree to d i ne together at one of t he hotels,
each one payi ng h i s or her ownshare i n t he expenses .During t he past few years
,owing to t he d esire to
spend money shown by some mil l iona i res,Br i t i sh and
Amer i can,w ho are not happy unless they are giv ing
202 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to Europerit ies who used to d ine and sup at the Kurhaus i nth e old gaming days . All t he world always goes tot he terrace later i n the evening to walk up and downwhi le t he band plays .Th e Golf Club has a course amongst t he t reeswh i ch has now been extended to e i gh teen holes .Golfers says that i f you acqui re a taste for t he gameon the Homburg l i nks you apprec iate l ts novel t iesimmensely .
W I E S BAD E N
At Wiesbaden y ou general ly d i ne where you sleep,i n your hotel . I mysel f have general ly stayed at theKaiserhof
,because I l ike to eat my supper on i ts
c reeper-hung ter race and look across t he b road val leyto t he Taunus
'
h ills but there are half-a-dozen hotel si n the town(t he Nassauerhof i n parti cular
,which
many people consider t he best hotel i n Germany)hav ing capi tal restaurants
,serv i ng table a
”bore meals
,
attached to them . Th e Rose has a l i tt le terrace,
looki ng onto t he gardens,which i s a pleasan t supp ing
place.
Her r Ruthe’s Restaurant at t he Kurhaus i s theone qui te first-class .d in1ng place not attached to anRut h e
’
s, Kur hotel . In t he winter
,
” i n t he d in ingh aus room and t he glassed-inverandah
,and
i n summer under t he l i t tle t rees,with the lake i n
ful l v iew,al l t h e people w ho have grownweary of
looking at t he same faces i n the i r hotel restauran tsmay b e found eat ing the i r d inners . Herr Ruthe i sa lways to be found somewhere i n t he estab l i shmen t
,
and any d iner who does mot know t h e resources oft he establ i shmen t cannot do bet ter than consult h imbefore order ing d inner .The Foyer Restauran t i n the Royal Theat re 1s aquie t and pleasant place at wh ich to take meals in t hedaytime.
GermanTownr 203
The wine-house,t he Rathskel ler
,i s one of t he
si ghts of the place . There i n are quai n t frescoes andfurn i ture
,there the usual German food i s obtai nab le
,
and you have a choi ce of German wines such asi s obtainable i n few other wine-dri nking places i nGermany .
Any one who l ikes the open tarts of apple andother fru i ts— a rather st i cky del i cacy i t always seemsto me—can eat them at ease of an afternoon lookingat th e beauti ful V iew from the Neroberg or watch i ngt h e Rhi ne from under t he t rees of t he hotel gardensat Biebri ch .
A FTER D I NN ER
The Royal Opera House i s a very Splend id one,
and the Kaiser takes spec ial i n terest in t he performances given there . Th e R esidenz Theater has beenrebu i lt ona _ bet ter s i te than the old one occup ied .
Walhalla i s the var iety theatre.
BAD EN—BAD E N
Baden-Baden i s always a brigh t and cheerfulwater ing-place
,and i t retain s more of t he d ign i ty
and t he luxury of the old gambl i ng days than anyof th e other German towns of baths
,except perhaps
Homburg . Baden has always attrac ted a great numberof wel l-to-do French
,and though the French elemen t
d imin ished for a t ime after t he years of the war,t he
wounds of that d readful t ime seem to have healed,and
French i s almost as much talked as Engl ish amongstt h e v i s i tors in the Lich tentaler Allee
,and on t he broad
gravel space before t he Konversat ion Haus . As elsewhere i n South Germany
,i t i s t he custom at Baden to
eat a table d ’ho‘
temeal i n the middle of the day,and those
of th e v i si tors w ho are not away onsome excursion
204 The Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europegeneral ly eat th i s meal at thei r hotel s or at t he res
taurant of t he Konversat ion Haus.T he restauran ts of t h e hotel s are mostly good ones,those of t he S tephan ie
,and of t h e Engl i scher Hof
,i n
Hot el Mesmer ,
parti cular be i ng excellent . T h e Mes
Konver sat ion mer,wh 1ch ls qu 1 te c lose to t h e Kon
Ha'u s Square versat ion Haus,i s the hotel wh ere t he
Emperor Will iam I . and t he Empress Augusta used tospend a mon th in t h e spr i ng and one i n
D
th e autumnevery year, and i ts restaurant, though not as livelVas those I have previ ously ment ioned
,i s qui te first
class .Supper at Baden-Baden i s a l ight meal
,but qu i te a
gay one,for th e lad ies are al l i n even ing toi lettes and
St ep h anie wear t h.
e1r.
most beaut 1ful hats . The
Hot el , Li ch t en Stephanle I S a hotel t o w h 1ch mosttaler M 19 3 people grav i tate for t h i s even ing meal
,
and dur ing t he race fortn igh t and t he lawn-tenn i sfo rtn ight i t i s necessary to secure a table there i nadvance . Th e restaurant of t h e Stephan ie i s a greatverandah enclosed in glass
,and th e hote l band p lays
i n t he lounge which i s j ust outs ide t he restaurant .Supper inth i s restaurant dur ing the great weeks of t heyear br ings together a most in terest i ng cosmopol i tangather ing
,and t he managemen t i s so good that t he
hundreds of supper—givers,
each hav ing ordered ad iff erent supper
,are all served in reasonable t ime
,and
one hears no grumbl i ng or complai n ts . After supperat t he S tephan ie people e i ther go to t h e Konversat ionHaus to walk up and down on t he wide promenadeand to l i sten to t he great orchestra
,or s i t 1n t he
Stephanie l ounge for a wh i le,t h e l i tt le ban d of t he
hotel making musi c for them . At t en o ’ clock onthese occasi ons the great wh i te ball-r oom of t he
Stephan ie i s th rown open,and t he young people
dance for an hour before bed—t ime .
M . Autor,who was so we l l known to Engl i sh and
206 T/ze Gourmet ’r Guide to Europeru in
,and i ts propr ieto r must b e a lover of b i rds
,for
by t he gateway i s an av 1ary,and in the courtyard
every avai lable space on t he walls i s taken up by cagesful l of s i nging b i rds . Th e courtyard resounds wi t ht he twi tterings and t h e tr i l ls of the b i rd s, musi c wh ichi s a change from that of t he bands down in th e valley .
Th e wines of t h e duchy,both red and wh i te
,are
excel lent,t he Eb erblut
,grown onth e s lopes of the
mountai n onwh ich i s bu i l t S chloss Eberste i n,having
a spec ial celebr i ty .
BAD EN-BAD EN CLU B S
Th e In ternat i onal Club I S very hosp i table to properlyi n troduced St rangers . I ts headquarters are at No. 4L ich tentaler Allee. Temporary membersh i p duri ngrace weeks carr ies admiss ion to the course and to a
spec ial stand . Th e golf course i s at Oos,and I S qu i te
close to th e rai lway stat ion there . The lawn tenn ispav i l i on and courts are i n th e Lich tentaler Allee.
A FTER D INNER
I have,I th i nk
,ind icated the usual even ing amuse
ments of v i si tors to Baden-Baden i n th e above notes,
but there i s al so a theat re close to the Konversat ionHaus
,where there is a performance of comedy or
opera every n igh t,and there are occas ional concerts
,
very good ones,i n the great rooms of the Konver
sat ion Haus . On Saturday even ings there i s usuallya ball at the Konversat lonHaus .
Ems has a restaurant i n t he Kursaal,near wh ich
t he band plays in the even ing,sai d to be good ; and
also one inthe Kurhaus , The Schaweit z erhauschen,
GermanTown: 207
onthe slope of t he Malberg,and t he Rottmannshohe
,
also on th i s h i ll,are two of the breakfast-places .
There i s a restaurant at the end of the Kon igWilhelm ’ s Allee .
AACH E N (Arx-L A-CH A P E L L E )Henr ion ’ s Grand Hotel i s t h e favour i te d in ingplace of t he Anglo—Saxon colony i n Aachen . M .
Intra,t he proprietor
,lays h imsel f ou t Henrion'
s ,
to attract t he Engl i sh . Th e German comefi q at h
c iv i l servants and th e doctors have a club-table atwh ich they d ine
,and they exact fines from t he
members of thei r c lub for dr inking wine which costsmore than a certai n pri ce
,&c . &c .
,these fines be ing
col lected i n a box and saved unt i l they make a sumlarge enough to pay for a spec ial d inner . Everymember of th i s c lub i s requi red to leave lnh i s w i l la money legacy to t he c lub to be expended in winedrunk to h i s memory . There are two table d
’
hote
meals,at and at 7 P .M . At t he fi rst t he d i shes
are cooked accord ing to t he German cui si ne,at the
second accord i ng to the French . Suppers are servedi n t h e restaurant at any hour .Lennert z ’
s restauran t and oyster-saloon i n t h e
Klostergasse i s a curi ous,l ow-ce i l i n ged
,old-fash ioned
house which,before Henrion ’ s came Lennert z ’
s,
i n to favour,had most of t he Br i t i sh Klost ergasse
patronage. Its cooking i s excel len t, and the GermanHausfraus used to be sent to Lennert z ’
s to study forthe i r noble cal l in g . The car te d e j our has not manyd i shes oni t . Everyth i ng has to b e ordered a la ca r te
,
but t h e prices are al l reasonable,and I t 13 possi ble
to make a bargai n that a d i nner shal l be given fora fixed pri ce . Th e Omelet z‘es Souflées are a spec ial tyof t he house . The fi sh used in Lennert z ’
s comesfrom Ostende, and the D utch oy sters are excel len t .
208 Tue Gourmet’
r Guide to EuropeSome of t he magn ificent Mosel le wine la id down byth e late propr ietor i s st i l l ob tainable .
A new restaurant,t he Carl ton
,i s a feature of t he
good old-fashi oned Grand Monarque Hotel .Sch eu fenKremer ’ s Restauran t
,Opposi te t he theatre,
has good cookery,but i s expensive . Eulenspiegel i s
an establ i shment wh ich i s worth a v i si t . It i s i nKramerst rass .
Th e Alt-Bayern in W irisch sbongard st rasse i s t h ebeer-house wh ich i s most to be recommended ; andt he German ia
,i n Fr iedr i ch—W illiamplat z , i s celebrated
for i ts coff ee.
A FTER D INN ER
The large theatre i s on ly open i n t he win ter . The
Eden,i n F ranz st rass
,i s t he musi c hall of t he town .
H AMBUR G
Hamburg i s a town of good eat ing and gooddr inki ng . Th e restauran t above al l o thers wh ich
Pford t e’
shas given i t i ts celebr i ty i n th i s respec t
Restaurant , 1s P ford t e’
s Restaurant,w h 1ch
'
usedAnd er Alg er
t o b e i n t he Rath haus Garden s,but
Wh ich has now been moved to t he Atlant ic Hotel,
An der Alster . Pford t e’
s Restauran t,i n i ts d ifferen t
hab i tat ions,d ates back to t he year 1 828
,when i t w as
establ i shed in one of t he numerous cel lars wh ich are
i n t he basemen ts of many of t he houses near t he
Alster and the Bourse . These cel la rs have as the i rspec ial t ies oysters
,lobsters and other shel l-fish
,game
and truffles,and they are much frequen ted by bus iness
menfor luncheon and by playgoers for supper aftert he theatre . Herr Pford te
,w ho had become d i rec to r
of th i s cel lar i n 1 860,moved i t to t he st reet wh i ch
runs from t he Alster Dam to t he Rathhaus Gardens,and
'
there,at the corner of t he gardens, establ ished the
2 1 0 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to Europewood
,i ts wi ndows have a v iew over t he Alster, and
there i s always a profusi on of flowers i n i ts wi ndowboxes . The other rooms are all wel l decorated, onewi th green wal l s and a greencarpet hav ing a suggest ion of the snugness of the old Pford te
’
s . A str ingband plays duri ng meals
,t he Chasseurs ” wear
scarlet j ackets,and all the surround ings are those of a
modern up-to-date cosmopol i tan restauran t . The
pri ce of t he d inner of t he day at the old Pford te’
s usedto b e 6 marks
,but at th e new Pford te
’
s i t has r i sen to
7 marks . Th e b i l l -of fare i n old d ays used to givea choi ce of four or five d i shes i n each course . Nowa choi ce of two di shes i n each course i s con si deredsuflicient . As a cur ios i ty
,more t hanas a guide to
wh at may be expected at the presen t Pford te’s,I give
the average menu of th e d i n ner of the day at the oldPford te
’
s . Th e Engli sh celery d i st ingui shes what w e
kn ow as ce lery from celleriac or Dutch celery,which
i s largely used in salads inNorth Germany . The
Junge Puter i s a very young turkey poult . It i s tot he young turkey what t he poussi n i s to t he ch icken .
Potage a la S tuart .Potage creme d ’ orge a la Vieun01 se .
Potage purée d e concombres au cerfeui l .Consommé X av ier .
F i lets vonSeez ungen(soles ) a la Joinv ille.
Ste inbutt (turbot ) sauce moscov ite.
Rheinlach s kalt, sauce mayonnaise.
Boeuf braisé a l’ alsacienne .
Rehbrucken(venison) a la Conti .L ammviertel a la P rovencale.
Roast beef ala Clamart .Art ischokensauce hollandaise.
Salat b raisirt mit jungenErbsen.
Engla Sel lerie mit Mark .
Junge F lageolets ala Maitre.
Spanishe Pfefferschotenfarcirt .
GermanTowns 2 1 1
Junge Ente (duckl ing) .Rebhuhn(partridge ) .Junge Puter .
Escarolle-Salat mit Tomaten.
Erd-beer-Eiscreme panaché F ruch t torte.
Though I regret the passi ng of t he old Pford te ’s,
wi th i ts cosi ness and i ts plen i tude of d ishes,and i ts
feel ing that t h e master ’ s ey e was on everyth i ng, Imust bear wi tness to t he br igh tness and smartness andgood cookery and good serv i ce of the new Pford te’si n t he Atlant i c .Another hotel restauran t qui te of t he fi rst c lass i sthat attached to t he Esplanade Hotel, the great hote lowned by th e same company as t heCarlton of London
,and t h e restauran t
of wh ich i s mode l led ont h e same l i nes as t he famousrestaurant in Pal l Mall . The Esplanade Hote l i s c loseto t he Botani cal Gardens .Kemp inski
’
s on t h e Jungfernst ieg i s a typ i calGerman restauran t of a good class . On the groundfloor i s an Amer ican bar
,screened off Kemp insk i ’S ,
from t he hall,i n wh ich are many cane 24 Jungfemst ieg
easy chai rs wi t h br igh t p ink cush i ons . On t he fi rstfloor i s a great room with a glassed-inbalcony
,over
looking t he Kle i ne Alster,one of t he waterways of
th is c i ty of canals . Th e woodwork of th i s great roomi s mahogany
,and t he pi l lars are of green marble.
There i s a long l i st of d ishes on t he card of t he dayat Kemp inski
’
s,t he h ighest pr i ced of these be in g
1 mark 50 hel ler, whi le t he soups and the vege tab led i shes are pr i ced in our money at fourpence. Spec iald i shes
,espec ial ly d i shes of crab when in season
,are
i n the biggest pr i n t . From ti l l 3 a luncheonof four courses i s ready
,and costs 2 marks
,and a
d inner of six courses i s to be obtai ned from 3 P .M .
to 8 P .M .
,and costs 3 marks . As I d ined late at
Esp lanade
2 1 2 The Gourmet’
r Guide fo EuropeKemp inski
’
s,I d id not r i sk a d i nner wh ich must have
been par t ial ly prepared for some hou rs,and d ined qu i te
wel l 21 la car te.
The Alster Pav i l ion, l ooking on to t h e smaller oft he two lakes, t he Bi nnen Alster, i s a café more thanAlst er p avi lion,
a restau ran t . It has two great semiJungfernst ieg c i rcles of win dows overlooki ng t h e lake
,
and i ts red window-boxes,i t s red and green chai rs
,i t s
l i t tle trees on t he flat roof,i t s b lue and whi te t i les and
i ts gi ld i ng,make i t as br igh t as anew penny piece . A
legion of pigeons l i ve ont he roof,and come down to
p i ck up th e c rumbs wh ich are th rown to them fromt h e people w ho S it at t h e tables . There i s food of asimple ki nd to b e obtained at th i s b r igh t cafe andwine and beer house, and t he pot of cav iare whichfo rmed t h e basi s of a supper I ate there was qui tegood . I ts balcon ies and t he space before i t s doorsseem always to b e fi l led by a good-natured -crowdof mer ry-makers ; there i s musi c there at al l hours,and i t plays qui te an importan t part i n th e l i fe ofHamburg .
Th e Fer ry House at Eulenhorst , which j uts outi n to th e AussenAlster
,t he b igger of t he two lakes
,
Th e p erry House,i s some l i t t le d istance from th e central
Eulenh orS t part of th e town,and a pleasan t way of
reach ing i t i s by steamer . On a sunny afternoon alarge con ti ngent of al l Hamburg goes ou t there to
dr i nk coffee . A long wh i te restauran t wi th a glassed-inbalcony prov ides shel ter should a shower of ra i n comeon
,and there are i n numerable tables and chai rs under
t he t rees on t he l i tt le promontory,al l o f wh ich are
occupied in fine weather . Th e Pav i l i on i s made gaywith boxes of br igh t flowers
,and, l i ke the Alster
Pav i l i on,it i s patron i sed by br igh t and merry people .
At t h e Z oologi cal Gardens there are two restauran ts,
wi th balcon ies overlooking the beer garden,i n wh ich
a mi l i tary band plays .
2 1 4 Tae Gourmet’
r Guide to Europe
T he hotel s and restauran ts of Kiel are ne i thernumerous nor recherche’
,and
,with th e except i onof t h e
sai lors ’ rendezvous,are mostly c losed dur ing t he winter .
The Seebade-Anstal t i s about t he bestrestauran t i t was bui l t by Her r Krupp
and i s managed by an Engl i shman . Above i t are t h e
fine rooms of t he Imper ial Yach t Club . These,dur ing th e regatta week, wh i ch general ly takes placeat the end of j une, are crowded wi th yach tsmenof
al l nat ional i t ies,to whom t h e Kaiser d i spenses most
grac i ous hosp i tal i ty . When t h e extens ive anchorage,
surrounded by green and wooded h i l ls,i s ful l of every
descr1p t 1onof yacht,foremost among which i s t he
H ohenz ollernand many German bat tlesh i ps,i t fo rms
a scene at once impress ive and gay .
Th e Hotel German ia has a very fai r restauran tat tached to i t .Th e Rathskel ler i s wel l conducted
,and was bui l t
by t he mun i c i pal author i t ies .T he We in stuben
,Paul Fri tz
,i s a good refreshment
p lace,but i s mostly frequented by t he students and
officers .The Seegarten i s a pretty l i t tle place overlooking
t he harbour,where German beer 15 t he pri nc i pal
art i c le of commerce.
At t he Munchener Burgerb rau the beer i s goodbut t he surround ings d ismal .There i s a 'nine-hole golf course at Kitzeberg .
Seeb ad e-Anst alt
BERL IN
Th e Classic Restaurants—The Hotel Restaurants—Restaurants of
th e Peop le—Mil itary Restaurants— Cafes, Cabarets , and Bars—Op en-air Restaurants —Clubs .
BERLIN i s p lenti ful ly supp l ied wi th restaurants,for
both t he Kai ser and t he Berl i n Mun ic i pal i ty giveevery encouragement to en terpr i s i ng hotel-keeper sand restaurateurs who bu i ld up
-to-date restauran ts .Every good German i s anxious that Berl i n Shouldr i val Par i s as a c i ty of pleasure and amusemen t
,and
t he old s tai d Pruss i an capi tal has now become oneof the most go—ahead c i t ies i n the world . Its smalltheat res and music-ha l ls and cabarets are very l ively
,
all i ts new restaurants are tremendously gorgeous,and
Berl i n now keeps hours wh ich even Par i s would cons ider late . T he feed ing i n Berl i n i s i n rather a mixedstate
,and all t he restaurants wh ich cater both for the
Berl i ners and for t h e strangers w ho are wi th in the
c i ty gates are compe lled to serve meals al l day andnearly al l n igh t long . The i r German cl ients
,after
t he coffee and rolls they have eaten very early i n t h emorn ing, are ready for a
“ snack ” of some kind or
another and a glass of wine or a tumbler of beer atabout 1 1 A.M . This enables them to postpone the i rm id-day meal t i l l 2 o ’ clock, and lunch often fades l ikea d issolv ing V iew into afternoon tea
,for Ber l in has
adopted wi th enthusiasm t he Engl ish 5 o’ clock meal .
2 1 5
2 1 6 T/ze Gourmet’
r Guide to EuropeSupper i s t he next and last meal a German requ ires
,
and th i s has to b e ready for h im when h e comes backfrom h i s busi ness
,or from a theatre
,or a concer t
,and
i s general ly an a la car te meal . T h e Amer i can orBr i ton so far concedes to t he ways of t he Conti nen tas to eat rol ls and dr i nk coff ee as h is fi rst meal
,but he
wan ts h i s lunch at 1 P .M .
,and l ikes to d i ne before h e
goes to a theatre. At al l t h e new restauran ts at tachedto hotel s
,both sets of cl ien ts are consc ient i ously
catered for.
TH E CLAS S I C RE STAURANTS
Though Ber l i n has no restaurants wh ic h exactlycorrespond to t he Café Anglai s and Vo is i n ’ s i n Par i s
,
there have always been some good,quiet restaurants
where t he cookery has been German,but not too
feroc iously Teuton ic,where t he serv i ce has been
quiet,and which have had t h e d ign i ty wh i ch i s par t
of t he atmosphere of a class i c restaurant i n anyBorch ard t
’
s ,
cap i tal . Borchard t ’ s,i n t he Franz osis
Franz osi sch er cherst rasse,I should take to be t he
s t ras se typ i cal good old-fash ioned Berl i n res
staurant . I t was at Borchard t ’ s that the celebrated“ round tab le d inners
,
” took place,i n t imate feasts
at wh i ch t he Kaiser w as presen t,and at wh i ch Herr
von Kiderlen—Waech ter,t he “ Man in t he Ye llow
Waistcoat,
”t he presen t Fore i gn Secretary
,and
Pr i nce Ph i l i p z u Eulenberg,and Herr vonHost eln
,
t he d iplomat i st who shaped Germany ’ s pol i cy at t heAlgec i ras Conference
,were others of t he guests .
T he publ i c d in ing-room at Borchard t ’ s i s a room of
c r imson si lk panel s framed i n dark wood . It hascr imsonport ieres
,and th e general effect is of stately
comfort . Li tt le tables are set a good d i stan ce apartdown e i t her s ide of t he room . The wai ters al l speakFrench i f addressed i n that language
,and I fan cy that
2 1 8 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to Europeone . Th e walls are of l i ght green above a ski rt i ng ofwood
,the floors are of pol i shed wood . Dark green
velvet set tees and chai rs of black leather al l tend togive t he l i t t le room a quiet note . A port rai t of oneof t he old Prussian ki ngs and a portra i t of the Kai seri n wh i te tun i c and a black cui rass adorn t he walls .Ont he menu for lun ch I found coqui l les of salmon
,
lobster omelet te,lobsters
,herr ings and beans
,pork
cutlets,a gulyas of veal
,stuffed ch i cken
,gosl ing
,
wi ld cherry open tart,and cream . I at e t h e omelet te
,
a cutlet,and tart
,drank a p in t of Z el t i nger and some
Matton i water,and pa id a b i ll wh i ch came exactly to
5 marks . The cookery of the house i s excel lent and,
as Jul ius Ewes t i s a wine merchan t of t he h ighes treputat i on
,t h e wines i n the cel lar of h is l i t t le res
taurant are admi rable .
The Restaurant H i l ler at 62 Unter d enLinden,
and the Restauran t Dressel a t 50 Unter d enLinden ,D ressel ’s 50
used to b e two typi cal Berl i n res
Unt er d en taurants,but fash ion has rathe r passed
$323262 them by of late years . Th e Hil ler st i l lUnt er den reta ins some of i ts old patrons
,and
Linden Loui s Adlon,w ho 1s l ts propr ietor
,i s
hoflieferant to the Kaiser,and one of t he fi rm wh ich
owns t h e great hotel near t he Brandenburg Gate.
T he pr i ces of meals at Dressel ’ s are : def/euners, 2 . 50
marks ; d i nners, and marks ; and suppers,3 marks . A band p lays t 1ll 1 P .M . At Hi ller ’ s t hede
’
j euner i s marks ' d in ner, 5 marks ; and therei s a
“ Theat re-Souper at 5 marks, which i s th e
most popular of al l t he meals at th i s restauran t .
TH E H OTEL RE STAURANTS
The Kai serhof was t he fi rst hotel to gi ve Ber l i n arestaurant and a palm lounge
,such as the gourmet
envoyage i s accustomed to i n Pari s and‘
i n London,and
Eer/in 2 1 9
therefore let me accord i t precedence i n gossi p ing aboutt h e up
-to-date restauran ts attached to hotels i n Berl i n .
The restauran t i s l igh ted by windows Kai serh of,
wh ich look ou t on to a back street,Wilh elms p lat z
and i s rather dark in t he daytime,but at n igh t
,
when l ighted up,i ts p ink carpet and cr imson por t ieres
gi ve i t a very comfortable appearance. Th e table
d’
ho‘
te pr i ces for d inner are 6,8,or 1 0 marks . T he
6-mark d inner,w h i ch i s also served i n t he gr i l l-room
,
i s an excel len t,but not imaginat ive meal— soup
,t rout
,
beef,ch i cken , vegetables, sweets, i t ran ont he n ight I
d ined there. T he palm lounge i s a Teuton i c reminiscence of that of t h e London Carlton . It has t hesame bull ’ s-ey e windows, and has a rai sed platformwi th gi lded rai ls ontwo sides of t he room . T h e
furn i ture i n th is lounge i s heavy and gorgeous,but
two la rge palms j ust i fy i t s t i t le . A band plays i nth i s lounge t i l l 1 A.M . The gri ll-room of t he
Kaiserhof,wh i te-papered and wi th grey and wh i te
marble columns,I found a cheerful place at which to
lunch . It has a verandah lookin g down from abouta man ’s he i gh t on to the square. This verandah i sgay wi th flowers and creepers and hanging baskets
,
and Berl in l i fe unfold s i tsel f very pleasan tly as onesi ts there and watches th e comings and goings acrossth e busy Open space . A 5-mark theatre supper i s servedat t he Kaiserhof
,and i t possesses an Amer i can bar .
T he Esplanade i n Bellevuest rasse i s one of t he
hotel s con t rolled by t he people w ho ownt he LondonR i tz and Carl ton . I t s d in ing-I ’ OOI I ’
I I S Th e Esp lanade ,
almost a reproduct ion ot hat of the BellevueSt ras se
Carl ton— pink carpet,chai rs uphols tered i n p ink
,and
p i nk portieres . Its w indows look out onto a garden .
Th e Esplanade i s r i ch i n gardens . It has a large oneand a smal l one where afternoon t ea i s served andwhere a band plays . T h e board-room of th i s hotel i sa handsome panel led room,
but has j ust a l i tt le too
2 20 l e Gourmez": Guide to Europe
much ‘ gi l t about i t . Th e lounge i s also too gorgeousfor Anglo-Saxon taste.
-T he marble there i s ve inedpurple
,and green t rel l is
,an d wh i te marb le statues
,
and gi l t vases are i n too v iolent contrast wi th eacho ther . T h e banquet i ng hall
,from one wall of which
a port ra i t of t h e Kaiser looks down on t h e guests,i s
a fine room wi th a l i t tle stage at one end . As
wedd ing feasts often last as long as five hours,l i t t le
comedies played on th i s stage form a wel come rel iefonthose occasion s to too much eat ing and too manyspeeches . Any lz aoii‘ue
’
of t he R i tz or Carl ton findsh imsel f at home at on ce at th e Esplanade
,for some of
t he ma it res d’
lzo‘
tel at thi s restauran t have been at t h eo ther hotel s of t he same company
,and recogn i se
famil iar faces very qui ckly . It pleased me to findthat my l iki ng for a tab le at the s ide i n a qu iet part oft he room
,and part ial i ty for a short
,l igh t d inner
,as
we l l as my name,seemed to b e fami l iar to everybody
i n t h e Esplanade restauran t as soon as I set foot i n sidei t . Most of t he meals at t he Esplanade are c
‘
l la car te,
and t he car te da j our i s in German onone s ide andFrench ont he other . The German clientele of t he
restaurant in s i st on a table d’
lzo‘
te d inner,which i s
'
pr iced at 6 marks,and of wh ich th i s i s a fai r Spec imen .
I g ive i t i n German,but i t i s ont he menu i n both
that language and Fren chPortugische Kraft bruhe mit Re is .
Esperancesuppe.
Forelle Meuniere.
Rehmignonet te Forestiere.
Selleriepuree.
Neue Kartoffelnrisoles .
Poularde gebraten.
Salat .S ta—ngenspargel, Hollandische Sauce
Erdbeeren-Halbgefrorenes .Feines Backwerk .
2 2 2 l e Gourmet ’s Guide to Europetable d
’
lzo‘
z‘
e d i nner i s served for 6 marks,and supper
,
after 9 P .M .,costs 5 marks . The younger members
of t he Br i t i sh Embassy general ly breakfast a t t he
Br istol,and I i nvar iably find that the restaurant i n
every capi tal to wh ich t he younger members of t heBr i t ish Embassy go for the i r mid-day meal
,i s sure to
b e one to be recommended to the t ravel l i ng AngloSaxon .
I have noth ing but good to say of the restauran t ofthe Palast Hotel . Th is i s t he hotel at whi ch I made
Th e Palast my stay when I wen t to Berl1n, andHot el , Pot s ln l ts restauran t
,W 1th walls of grey
,d amerp lat z and marble p i l lars and large windows
,
and ce i l ing wi th arabesques of gold on i t,I at e
many a good d inner . Th e,d inner of t he day at 5
marks I i nvar iably found qu i te sat i sfactory,and Herr
Eduard Gutsch er, t he propr ietor, gives t he ki tchen h ispersonal super i n tendence . The fol lowing may b etaken as a Spec imen of the usual d i nner . There i salso a very ful l 81 la car te card .
Consommé Judith .
Potage claire-Fontaine.
Supreme d e fogas a la Cec i l .d e veau garnie a la Champigny . Sauce Tomate.
Cassolettes ala financiére.
Caneton d e Nantes .
Salade. CompOte.
Choux fleurs, Sauce vierge .
R iz a la Biz ier.Patisser ie.
Paillettes .
F ruits.
Th e young princes, t he sons of t he Kaiser, Oftengive the i r pr ivate d inner part ies at t he
(Palast .The restaurant of t he Continental, managed b y
flerlin o2 23
M . Kli cks, a wel l-known restaurateur, i s much fre
quent ed at supper-t ime . The chargeCont inental
for supper i s 4 marks, the lunch costs Neustad t i sch e
3 marks, and the d inner 6 marks .k irCh eS trasse
T he restauran t of the Central Hotel 18 rather morel i vely than most of the others
,and has a pleasan t
savour of Bohemian ism . A good Hun Th e Central ,gar ian band always plays there dur i ng Fried riCh S trasse
t he even ing from to Th is restauran t i spleasanter to d ine or sup at than to lunch at . The
d i nner costs 5 marks, and t he supper 4 marks .The restauran t of the Savoy canb e recommended
,and
t he pri ces there are lunch 2 .50 marks, Th e Savoy ,
d inner 5 marks, supper marks. Ffi ed fi cnsuasseT he Monopol room of t he Hote l Rest auran t
L’
Schaurte i s a pleasant d in i ng place . Its pr i ces arelunch 2 . 50 marks, d i nner 5 marks, Th e Monop ol,supper 3. 50 marks . I append an every Fri ed riCh S tras se
day d inner menu which ought to sati sfy t he mostexact i ng customer . The second soup i s a Consommé
,
wi th quenel les . T he fi sh d i shes are Sole Normandeand Turbot au Grati n .
Haringsfilet nach D aube.
Mulligatawny-Suppe.
Kraftb ruhe mit Einlage.
Seez ungenfilet auf norm'
annische Art .
Steinbutt inMuschelngratiniert.Eng. Roast-beef.
Yorker SchinkeninBurgunder .Sp inat.
Homard d e Norvége. Sauce Ravigotte.
F ranz os . Poularde.
Fasan.
Salat . Kompot .Sellerie .
Furst Pfickler Bombe.
Kase. Fruch te .
Nach tisch .
2 24 The Gourmet’
r Guide l‘
o EuropThe above may b e taken as a spec imen of t he
5-mark d inner at any good Berl in restauran t . I t usedto be the custom at t h e Monopol to charge guests whodrank no wine 1 mark extra for the i r d in ner . I donot know whether th i s 1s st i l l done .
Hot el d e Rome, Th e Hote l de Rome has an excel lentUnt er d en restauran t
,and many d inners of cere
Lind en mony are gi ven there.
Th e Astor i a Restauran t attached to t he Carl tonHotel i n Un ter denLinden has become a popularAs toria, Unt er resort . Lunch ~ cost s 2 .50 marks, d innerd enLinden 5 marks, supper 4 marks . Th e cookingat th i s restauran t i s excel lent
,but the cel lar does not
mer i t unst i n ted praise.
TH E RE STAURANTS OF TH E P EOP L E
Kemp inski’
s i n t he Leip z igerstrasse i s a hugeestabl i shmen t, wi th dozens of rooms in i t . T he
Kemp insk i’
s ,
management wi l l k indly give you a planLeip z iger of t h e establ1shment as you enter
,so
S t rasse t hat you can find your way about t hed iff erent floors . I ts w i ndow
,look ing out on to t he
Leip z igerst rasse, draws a crowd, for there always i ssometh ing sensat i onal, or someth i ng amusing on Showthere . Th e last t ime I saw i t
,a l i ttle lawn of grow
ing grass was there with everyth ing lai d for a pi cn i c,
and rabb i ts,stuffed ones
,popping ou t of burrows and
looking at t h e preparati on s . There was also a bottleout of t he bottle water poured —suspended by a chain .
There were no v is i b le means by wh i ch the water foundi ts way i n to t h e bottle . There i s much brass about theentrance to Kemp inski
’
s,and i t has a red marble face
for two storeys . I t has lamps of ground glass,and
i t i s very gorgeous both i nside and outs ide . O n t he
ground floor t he pr i nc ipal.
room is of l igh t wood,
elaborately carved , with ve i ned marble above i t, and
2 26 The Gourmet’
s Guide to EuropeChoux d e Bruxelles.FaisanROt i.Salade .
F romage, Celer i .Café, Cigare.
1 Bottle GermanChampagne.
For two people,i n c lud ing t he champagne, t he to tal
came to 1 2 marks 75 1 2 s . 9d . Th e German champagne i s not as bad as i t i s generally repor ted to b e ;i ndeed , i t i s qu i te harmless, and rather pleasant . I ti s,however
,rarely kept long enough i n t he cel lars to
give i t a chance of matur ing for t he Br i t i sh taste. I thas th i s advan tage that i t iS '
w hat i t pretends to b e,
whereas some of t h e bott les wit h French labels onthem never saw Rhe ims . Herb does not guaran teewhat w e i n England understand by “ Dry .
”
The Rhe i ngold in t he Potsdamers trasse looks fromthe outside l ike some great monastery, for i t has very
Th e Rh eingold , h lgh W indows,w h1ch one m1gh t sup
Pot sdamer pose were bu 1 l t to g1ve l 1gbt to a chapel .S t rasse They give l ight i nstead to a great ban
quet ing hall . There are scores of d ifferen t rooms int he Rhe i ngold, decorated each in a d i fferent manner .There are cel lars wi th walls of Venet ian inlay . Thereare rooms panel led wi th vei ned marble
,and a great
room on the ground floor wh ich i s of rare woods,
l ighted by what appear to be large candles,but wh i ch
are real ly e lectr i c lamps,and there i s a room '
of basrel iefs
,and another room wi th a cei l i ng of pol i shed
copper,and two vast hal ls
,which would not b e ou t
of place i n a palace . On t he S i de wh ich faces t heBellevuest rasse there i s a garden , Shel tered by trel l i swork
,where hund reds of l i ttle tables are set out
,and
there i s another l i tt le garden int he cent re of t he bu i lding . Two bands make mus 1c ln th i s vast cluster ofdin i ng-rooms
,which canseat 4000 people. People
Come and go quietly ; the place i s never empty and
flerlin 2 27
never full .°
There i s no noise and no hurry,for there
i s no early clos ing in Berl in,but from 6 P .M . t i l l t h e
early hours of th e morn ing th e wai ter s are kept busy .
It i s a wonderful place,and
,apart from i ts bei ng a
d i n ing and supping cen tre,i s qui te one of t he s igh ts of
Berl in .
Another wonder of rooms decorated i n varioussty les i s the Kaiser Kel ler i n Fr ied r i chstrasse
,where
one wanders from room to room,each Kaiser Keller
, 1 78
decorated after some wel l-known hal l Fried riCh S t ras se
i n some German town . There i s t he Apostle Kel ler,
wi th i ts carved figures of sain ts and elaborate darkwoodwork
,and there i s a room where th e ce i l ing
i s supported by a si ngle column,and where t he d e
corat ions are of med iaeval sain ts pai n ted on a goldbackground
,and there i s also a l i tt le garden where a
fountain plays,and where palms give Shel ter to t he
tables . Another of t he rooms i s after t he model ofthe Lubeck Sch iff ergesel lschaft .Lovers of good wines should not m iss t he Restau
ran t Lutter,at t he corn er of Charlot ten and Franzo
s ischest rasse . This i s an h i stor i c old Lut tertavern
,which has been frequented by Franz ds isch e
l i terary men and ac tors,as wel l as S trasse
government offic ials, for t he las t hundred years . Th e
walls are adorned.
w it h many in terest i ng souven i rsof famous guests . Undern eath t he restauran t ont he ground floor i s a quain t old wine cellar .An inexpenswe restaurant where t he
Z umRudesS imple German cookery 1S qu1 te good , h etmer , 1 78
and where there i s a fixed-pr i ce d inner FmednCh S tmsse
for 3—5 marks, i s t he Rudeshe imer . Its owes i ts celeb rit y to i ts excel lent cel lar of Rh ine wines .T he Trocadero, a magn ificent new restauran t i nUnter d enLinden
,i s a t presen t closed owing to t he
fa i lu re of i ts propr ieto r .
2 2 8 The Gourmet’
r Guide to Europe
MIL ITARY RE STAURANTS
There are also two restaurants i n wh ich the mil itary element predominates . These are
Toep fer s andp rim, Wilh elm Toepfer S and th e Pr1nz W llh elm
,both
gtzr
gt h een i n t he D orotheenst rasse . Here t he
officers usually lun ch and use t he res
taurant s as c lubs,often br ingi ng the i r wives .
CAFES , CABAR ETS , AND BAR S
Bauer ’ s ln Unter den Linden i s a wel l-knowncafé
,and i s much frequented by th e Berl iners . I t i s
Bauer ’
s , Unt er patroni sed by a large n ewspaper read ingd enLind en publ i c
,ow ing to t h e fact that there are
few of th e lead i ng publ i cat ions i n all languages thatyou wil l fa i l to find there . Thi s café i s c rowded i nt h e afternoon and even ing . Everyth ing suppl ied therei s o f t he best qual i ty . Th e walls are decorated wi thpain t ings by Werner . Upstai rs, between 5 and 6 P .M .
,
one sees many of t h e people of t he world of t he
theatres an d music-halls .If you wish to see t h e rowdy studen t l i fe of Berl in
,
t h e Bohemian fest iv i ty wh i ch correspond s to t h e l i feof Pari s i n t h e cabaret s of Montmartre
,and i f y ou
Speak German, go to t he Bauernschanke
,w h 1ch has
obtai ned a celeb r i ty for t h e v io lence and rudeness ofi t s propr ieto r
,w h o
,as L i sbonne and Bruant used to
do,and Alexander does
,i n t he cabarets of t h e Ci ty
of Ligh t, i nsu l ts h i s customers to t he uttermost andturns out any one w ho obj ec ts . D ie Rauberhole i san i n fer i o r imi tat ion of D ie Bauernschanke .
A noted n igh t restaurant i s D er Z um W elssenRossl
,i n wh ich each room is decorated to represen t
some typ i cal street i n Berl in . This i s a hostel muchfrequented by art ists .
230 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeOne of th e most exclusive clubs i n Berl in i s th eCasino . Th e club-house i s on th e Pariserplat z .
Casino,Pari ser The Kaiser i s pat ron p f th i s c lub . Most
Flaw of t he members are ar i stocrats or
fore ign d i plomat i sts . No gambl i ng games are al
lowed i n th i s club .
T he Un ion Club in t he Schadow st rasse i s t he
Jockey Club of Germany . It i s very exclus ive,most
Union,Sch adow of t he members be i ng ar i stocrats, but
S trasse some -few prominen t financ iers n owbelong to i t . No gambl i ng games are al lowed i n th i sc lub . Th e cookery at the Un ion i s excel lent .The Club vonBer l in ,
” although not so exclusive,i s one of the best c lubs . The members belong to th e
better professional and commerc ial c lasses . I t i si n terest i ng to lunch at th i s c lub between 1 2 an d 2
o ’ clock.
Another good club i s t he“ Resource von 1 794.
The members are mostly weal thy bankers andmerchan ts .The “ Club von 1 880 i s a good club . The
members are most ly d rawn from t h e wealthy commerc ial class . Th e club i s qu iet dur i ng t he dayt imebut l ively i n t he even ing
,and there i s a good deal of
card-playing .
The Schr i ftste l ler Club i s i n terest i ng onTuesdayeven i ngs when guests are
’
admi tted . Represen tat ivesof t he lead ing German newspapers
,mostly of con ser
vat ive and imper i al tendencies,with a good spr i nkl i ng
of pan-Germans,can be met here. Th e atmosphere
i s d i st i nctly Bohemian .
There i s no Engl i sh c lub .
AFTER D I N N E R
The best adv i ce I can give to any AngloSaxon i s n ot to trouble to buy h i s theatre t i cket s
Ti er/in 231
h imself,but to depute that duty to the hal l porter of
t he hotel . There i s,however
,an agency in Unter
den Linden . Pri ces vary at some of t he housesaccord i ng to whether t h e product ion i s an expens iveone or a cheap one . A seat i n a box by no meansassures comfor t . AS often as not i t i s on ly by cran ingforward that one can see a corner of t he stage . Agala n ight at t he Opera i s a fine s igh t
,and worth
paying a large sum to see . All t he smaller theatresplay comedy
,or farce
,or operetta . The Less ing i s
supposed to be a comedy theatre,but I heard The
D ollar P r incess sung there . The Met ropo l Theatrei s supposed to b e a variety theatre
,but a musi cal
comedy was,ont he last occasion I was i n Berl i n ,
enjoy ing a runthere of many hund red n ights . Th e
Winter Garden is a vast hal l w i th a S tage i n one of i tslong side walls. Two b ig “ wings ” fold back whent he curta in goes up so that people at the end s of thehal l may see someth ing of t he per formance. As is t heusual German custom
,many of the people in t he
aud i tor ium sup dur i ng t he performance .
I TALY
Ital ian Cookery— Th e Italian Lakes—Turin— Milan— GenoaVenice Bologna S pez z ia F lorence Pisa LeghornLucca—Rome—Clubs of Rome—Nap les—Palermo.
I TA L IAN CO OK ERY
THERE i s no cookery i n Europe so often mal ignedwi thout cause as that of Italy . People who are notsure of the i r facts often d i smiss i t contemptuously asbe i ng “ al l garl i c and oil
,
” wh ereas very l i tt le oil i sused except a t Genoa
,where oil
,and very good oil
as a rule,takes the place of butter
,and no more garl i c
t han i s necessary to give a Sl igh t flavour to th e d i shesm whic h i t plays a part . I f y ou have any fear of t hecook be i ng too l i beral wi th the best of al l d igest ives
y ou have on ly to say“ Senz ’
aglio”
(w i thout garl ic ), andyour wish wi l l v ery surely be taken not i ce of. AnItal ian cook fries better than one of any other nat i onal i ty . In the north very good meat i s obtainab le, theboi led beef of Turin be i ng almost equal to our ownS i lversi de . Farther and far ther south
,as t h e cl imate
becomes ho tter,th e meat becomes less and less th e
food of the people,var ious d i shes of paste and fi sh
taking i ts place,and as a compensation the frui t and
t he wine become more del i c i ous .Really good pure ol ive oil i s almost unknown outs ide t he boundar ies of Italy . An Ital ian gen tlemannever eats salad when travel l ing i n fore i gn countr ies
,
232
234 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeUofve incanape
,eggs i n a deep encasement of fr ied
bread,are sat i sfying enough to form a piece d e re
'
sist
ance , whi le eggs powdered wi th wh i te t ruffles are aver i table del i cacy .
Th e fish of th e Med i terranean are coarse and poor,
compared wi th t he glor i ous fi sh of t he Channel . Butt hanks to t he cul i nary art t he t ravel ler who l ikes achange of cookery can do h imsel f pret ty wel l
,though
t he residen t gourmet may grumble . For that greatdel i cacy
,t he fresh herr in g
, y ou must put up wi thth e cured ar t i c le from Yarmouth
,wh ich comes to
Italy i n extraord i nar i ly large quant i t ies,for t he Ital ian s
are great lovers of cured fi sh . So for t he lovely cod of
t he North Sea, y ou must b e conten t w i th cured New
found land and Shore fi sh or w i th stockfish from Norway . But the haccalc‘z th e Ital ians reallycook in many appet i s i ng ways . The monarch of
Med i terranean fi sh i s the D ent ice (Fr . D entale), anda fi l let of fresh tunny wi th S tewed peas may wel ltake t he place of a beefsteak onFr idays wi thout gravehardsh i p . Oysters are cheap i n Italy
,a penny a
p iece . Very tempti ng shel l-fish are th e Ta r tuf e d imare (t rufl
‘les of the deep), as costly as oysters i nEngland
,good eat ing
,but i t must be added
,very
i nd igest i ble .
There are many minor d ifferences i n t he com
ponent s of S imi larly named d i shes at d ifferen t towns ;t he M inestrone of Milan and Genoa d iff er
,and SO does
t he Fr it toM isto of Rome and Tur in . I fan cy that,
as a compensat i on,only an exper t could tel l t h e d i f
ference between t he soups d i Vongole at Naples, d iD a t tero at S pezzia
,and d i P eoci at Ven i ce.
The Z abaj one, the Sweet,froth ing dr i nk beaten up
wi th eggs and sugar,i s made d i fferently i n d i fferen t
towns . At Milan and Tur 1n Marsala and brandyare used in i t ; at Ven i ce Cyprus wine i s t he foundat i on ; and el sewhere th ree wines are used . It i s a
Italy 235
Splend idly sustain i ng dr ink,whether d runk hot or
i ced ; I tal ian doc tors o rder i t in cases of depression ,and i t might wel l find a place i n t he householdrec i pes of Engl i sh and Amer i can households . Th e
wines of the various towns I have noted i n wri tingof them . Vino nostrano or del paese b r ings from t he
wai ter h i s l i st of t he local ju ice of th e grape,and
t he wine of t he d i st r i ct i s t he wine to d r i nk . Roughlyspeaking
,t h e red wine i s t he best th roughout Italy t h e
wh ite of Bologna ; of Umbria,espec ial ly of O rv ieto
and th e Veneto be i ng the exception s . F i nal ly,do
not be alarmed i f at a t ra t tor ia a wai ter puts beforeyou a huge flask of wine . It has been we i ghed beforei t i s brought to you . I t w i l l be we i ghed when t hewai ter takes i t away after you have fin ished
,and what
you have d runk,plus t he great gulp t he wai ter i s sure
to take i f he gets a chance,i s what you will b e charged
for .
TH E I TA L IAN LA K E S
Th e huge modern hotels whi ch have r i sen at al lt h e beauty spots of t he Ital ian lakes have by no meansmade th i s beauti ful t ract of country a gourmet ’ s parad ise
,and t he Shabby old Ital ian i nns and taverns al l
seem to have grown shabb ier in con trast to the i r muchdecorated monster ne igh bours
,where t h e cookery i s
French and the food has no nat ional characteri s t i cs .There i s plenty of excel len t fish in t he lakes and excellent game i n t he forests and on the h il ls . Chamois,gemsbok
,black game
,h i ll partr idge
,and hares are shot
i n considerable quant i t ies on t he mountai ns of Lombardy
,and woodcock and sn ipe i n the plain s . The
chestnuts and walnuts Of Civenna are sa i d to be th e
best i n Italy . Onthe Slopes of Tremezzo and Cadd enab ia sub -trop ical fru i ts r i pen, and st rawberr ies,peaches
,and nectar ines grow in abundance ; and on
t he h i lls about t h e Lake of O rta most of th e fru i ts w e
236 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europ egrow in hot—houses r i pen luxur iantly i n t he open ai r .T he eel s of Pesc iera have been celebrated ever s i n cethe days of th e Caesars ; and i n the Lake of Comoare trout some of wh ich we i gh as much as 20 l bs .The d gonz , a ve ry del i cate l i t tle fi sh pecul iar to t heLombard lakes
,are more del i cate of flavour when they
come from t he Lake of Como than when they are
caught elsewhere . I have been wel l fed at t he oldconven t turned i n to an hotel, th e Hotel du Parc atLugano
,and for th e Grande Bretagne at Bel lagi o and
t h e Hotel Excels ior at Varese I have noth ing bu tpra1se ; but I have never found in t he towns of th elake d i str i cts those comfortab le
,we l l-kept restauran ts
,
wi th a purely Ital ian cu i sine,whic h abound in t he b ig
C1t 1es of t he country .
TUR 1N
You will b e fed wel l enough at your hotel whether
you are at th e Grand, or Kraft’ s,or t he Trombet ta
but i f you wan t to test t he cookery of t he town IShould suggest a v i s i t to the R i storan te d el Cambio
,
wh ich i s i n the P i azza Car ignano,where stands
.a
marble statue of a ph i losopher,and wh ich has a couple
of palaces as close ‘neighbours ; or to t he Lagrange andNaz ionale
,both of which are i n t he Via Lagrange .
D ella Meridiana,
O r best Of all,perhaps
, go to t h e R I S
Via Santa t orant e del la Merid iana,wh ich 1s m t he
Th eresa V ia San ta Theresa . Th e proprieto r,
who 15 a mine of knowledge onal l subj ects regard ingTur in
,will serve at request not only t he d i shes of
Lombardy,which he cooks admi rably
,but al l t he
southern d i shes as we l l . Th e Barolo Vecch io of t heh ouse
,general ly on ly brought to your not i ce when
you have establ ished yoursel f as a regular patron,. i s
we l l worth ask ing for on t he earl iest opportun i ty .
The pr i ces of t he Mer id iana are qu i te moderate .
238 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europegreat arcade, that wonderful covered promenade i nwh ich ani n terest ing crowd— the Bersagl ier i oflicers
,
with flow ing plumes of cocks ’ feathers i n the i r hats,
t he cavalry men,with thei r helmets of t he old Roman
Shape,th e pret ty lad ies
,and peasants from t he moun
tai ns,wonder ing at al l they see— goes backwards and
forwards . The Sav ign i and t he Bifli face each otherone i ther S i de of one of t he passages wh i ch run ou t
Savigni , Galleria from the central c i rc le . Th e Sav ign i,
Vi t torioEmanuele i f one j udges from t he constan t flow of
pat rons wh i ch go i n and out of i t s doors, i s t he mostpopular of al l t h e restauran ts i n Mi lan . At 8 o ’ clocki n the eveni ng there i s rarely a seat vacan t there .
Th e bustle of t he place i s a l i t t le surpr is i ng to anystranger w ho has come from a northern coun try
,for
a fire or a revoluti oncould not exc i te t he wai ters morethan the i r Ord inary duties do. A baked fowl andpotatoes
,a d i sh of th e day
,i s suddenly thrust under
one ’ s nose,or a r i ch cake i s placed ont he table
,or the
comprehens i ve b i l l of fare i s th rown down as i f i t wasa chal lenge to a duel . There i s a table always keptfor t he oflicers of t he garr i son
,of whom t he Art i l lery
seem to be t he pr inc i pal patrons of t he Sav ign i . Apret ty gi r l br ings a basket of flowers
,offer ing the
blossoms for sale . A man wi th a stubbly head of hai rcomes round wi th a great sheaf of the Sera newspaper
,
and cigarettes and post—cards are all offered as one eatsone’ s meal . There are two or th ree d i shes of th e day ,and l . i s t he usual pr i ce for each di sh . GratedParmesan
,t h e cheese be i ng one of t he produc ts of t he
l ocal i ty,i s off ered wi th al l soups
,and wi th many of
t he more soli d d i shes as wel l . T he last t ime I d i nedat Savigni
’
s I at e one of the local soups,of sage and
r i ce and t h e I tal ian paste with a spri nkl i ng,of course
,
of Parmesan,a fr i t tura of brain s
,some Gorgonzola,
some frui t,and d rank half a bottle of Capr i Bian co,
and my b i l l was 1.
Italy 239
The Bifli i s a larger estab l i shmen t than the Sav ign ii ts fron t part i s a café i n wh ich a band plays i n theeven ing
,and t he back part i s the res Birn, 3 1m
taurant,where t he food i s much the Galleria
same as at t he Sav ign i . There are tables outside th eBi ff i
,and as i n t he even ing t he curtain s are t ight ly
drawn at al l restaurants,i t i s not a bad plan to eat
one’ S d inner in the Sav ign i,and to take one’ s coffee
afterwards inpurer a i r outs ide t h e Bifli .The Cova
,next door to t he Scala
,never seems to
have had i ts front repain ted,and i t i s grey in appear
an ce,wi th pi llars on i ts fron t . The Cova
,Via
port ion Of t he establ i shmen t fac ing t he Giusep p e Verdiroad consi sts of a past ry-cook ’ s Shop and t ea-rooms
,
t he h inder part i s the restauran t . I t has a courtyardwh ich forms a garden
,where i n t he summer a band
plays,and where one can s i t after d i nner or can d ine
i n hot weather .Th e Orlogio, j ust behind t he cathedral, i s apt to bes tuffy onhot even ings
,but I have found i t in cool
weather always a pleasan t res tauran t at Orlogio, p iaz z a,which to d ine
,though I am bound to d el Camp osanto
say that my op in i on in th i s does not co i n c ide wi ththat of al l other men.
Th e Gambrinus has absorbed almost al l one s ideof t he cross a t t he centre of t he b ig arcade
,and many
people eat the i r S imple even ing meal there,t hough i t
only claImS to be a b rasser ie,
” not a restauran t .There i s a comparat ively new restauran t andb i rrer ia i n t he b ig square on t he Oppos i te s ide of i tto t he Cathedral . Thi s i s t h e Casanova
, Casanova,
which looks c lean and br igh t W 1t h i ts P iaz z a d el
nouveau art decorat ions,i ts galler ies “ mp 0 sanm
and i ts chai rs and tables of l ight coloured wood . Aband apparen tly plays all day long in t h e musi c ians ’
gallery,for I have never passed there without heari ng
music i nsi de, and I have found t he simple food there
240 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europeto be cheap and wel l cooked . It is
,I Should th ink
,
a dangerous r ival to t he Gambr inus .I am told that I should in clude the D e Albert is and
the Isola Botta i n my l i st of th e restauran ts of Milan,
bu t I have never seen or been into e i ther of these twod i n i ng places
,and therefore can say noth ing e i the r
good or bad about them . Wherever one d i nes andwherever one breakfasts there are certai n Mi lanesed ishes wh i ch one should order . The M inestronesoup i s a d i sh wh i ch i s n ot on ly found all over I talybut wh ich i s popular i n Austr ia and on t he FrenchR iv iera as wel l ; but t h e M inestrone a lla M ilanese
,
with i ts weal th of vege tables and suspi c ion of Par
mesan,i s especial ly excel lent . Th e R isot toM ilanese
,
r i ce sl ightly saute'
“ i n butter,then boi led i n capon
broth,and final ly seasoned wi th Parmesan and saff ron
,
i s one of the celebrated Milanese d i shes,but t he
s impler me thods of serv ing R isot to,a l sugo, a/hurro, or
conf ega tini su i t better those who do not l ike saff ron .
Better s t i l l i s a very we l l known d ish of anothertown
,R isot to Cer tosino
,inwhich t he r i ce i s seasoned
wi th a sauce of crayfi sh and garn ished wi th the i r tai l s .Then come t he vari ous manners of cooking veal
,t he
Cételet te it la M ilanese,cut lets plunged in beaten eggs
and fr ied in butter after be ing crumbed,and others
s tewed with a l i ttle red wine and flavoured wi throsemary and t he Cdtelet te a lla M a rsigliese, of ba tter,thenham
,then meat wh ic h
,when fr ied
,i s one of t he
d i shes of t he populace ona feast day . Ossobuco,a sh in
of veal cut i n to sl i ces and stewed with a flavouring of
lemon r i nd,i s another veal d i sh and so i s t he del i cate
F rit to P ica t to of calf ’ s brai ns,l iver
,and t i ny sl i ces of
flesh . Polpet te 21 la M ilanese are forcemeat balls stewed .
P anet tone are the . cakes of the c i ty and are much eatenat Carn ival t ime. S tracch ino or Crescenza i s a cheesemuch l ike the F rench Br ie. Gorgonzola al l the worldk nows wel l and though Parmesan takes its name from
242 The Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europei s i n t he Via Roma
,and t he other i n t he Great
Gal lery . Th e Roma i s both a café and a restau ran t .café Rome ,
It i s qu i te smart in i ts decorat ions,clean
Great Gallery and wel l furn i shed,and i ts d i nner of
th e day i s rather more preten t i ous as wel l as moreexpens ive than those of t h e ord inary restauran ts of t hetown . I ts cost i s l . 5 . This i s a menu of an ord i naryd inner of th e day onone of t he n ights I d i ned there.
Consomme Re Ed ouard .
Orate Montmorency.
D indoneau enCapitolod ad .
Cavolfiori Polonese.
G igot de Montone.
Insalata.
D olce .
D essert .
O ther restaurants in the Gal ler ia Mazzin i are t heCerv i s ia
,which has a fron t of grey marb le
,has b r i l l i an t
wh i te walls in side,and blazes wi th electr i c l igh t both
outs ide and i n . I t has a l i tt le roof garden,up to wh ich
I d i d not ascend . I found a rather n oi sy company int he b ig room of t he restauran t
,and t he atmosp here
was not of t he best,but both t he l i ra lunch and
the l . d inner are abundan t, and qu i te good for t hepr ice .
The Café Milano i s another hir rer ia r istorante i nthe Great Gallery very much on t he same l ines as t heCerv i s ia
,but not so br igh t . A th i rd restauran t and
brasser ie i n th i s Great Gallery i s t he R i storan te del laPosta
,which i s j ust opposi te t he Post O ffi ce . I passed
i t one warm morn ing at 1 0 A .M .
,and saw that every
window of i t s d InIng—rooms was t ightly closed . ThatI considered qui te suffic ien t ev idence as to t he atmos
ph ere I was l ikely to find i nside,and I d i d not fur ther
i nvest igate .
O f the restaurants i n the Via Vent i Set tembre, the
Italy 243
Cai ro i s t he c leanest and b r igh test . Two large roomsand a small room run back from th e St reet . Therei s an abundance of electr i c l igh t
,and Cairo
,Via Vent i
t he marble floor of black and whi te Set t embreChequers gives a sense of coolness . Th e outs ide decorat ion of t he house also i s qu i te bright
,and in good
keeping . It has t he meals of the day,and a lunch I
ate there,it la car te
,i n wh i ch a fry Of red mullet and
a saute’
of fowl were the pr in c ipal d i shes,was both
wel l cooked and cheap .
Th e Bavar ia,at t he corner of t he Via Ven t i Set
temb re and t he P iazza, i s a b i rrer ia fi rst Bavaria ,
and a restauran t i n t he second place . Via Vent iIts great recommendat ion i s t h e lo ft i ness Set t embreof i t s b ig room
,th e cei l i ng of which i s supported by
b ig pi l lars of brown marble .
T he restauran t in t he Teat ro Carlo Fel i ce d id notlook tempting enough to i nduce me to exper iment oni ts food .
Th e two restauran ts i n the Via Carlo Fel i ce are
t he oldest establ i shed in t he town . Th e Labo, 7 ViaLabo cons i sts of low-cei l i nged l i tt le Carlo Felicerooms on t he ground floor
,t he fron t room hav ing
in i ts ce i l ing a small round saucer-l ike i ndent to givet he i dea of a cupola . It
/
s floor i s of black and wh i temarble . Its chai rs are of Austr ian bent wood . I tserves set meals— lunches
,l . 2 and l . and d inners
,
l . 3 and l .T h e Gottardo, ont he oppos i te s ide of the road to
t he Labo,has the usual ser ies of l i t t le rooms onth e
fi rs t floor . At e i t her of these two res Got t ardo, 6Via
taurant s one can exper imen t on th e real Carlo Feliceo i ly cookery of Genoa i n a real Genoese atmosph ere.
At t he Gambri nus,Via San S ebast iano
,cold meats
of all k inds are kept ready for those who Gambrinus , Via
c hoose to sup there,as wel l as d r i nk SanSebastiano
the i r Munich beer .
244 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeIn hot weather t he G i ard ino I tal ia
,i n t he Piazza
Corvet to,i s th e pleasan test place at wh i ch to d i ne
,for
Giardino Italia ,i t has a large outdoor garden
,where the
P iaz z a corl’et to simple food of t he restauran t can beserved . There are b ig trees i n th i s garden
,and orange
trees wi th t h e fru i t onthem,and tw o foun tain s supply
t h e t i nkle of fal l i n g water,a band plays i n th e band
stand,and from table to tab le go the flower-sel lers and
th e newspaper-sel lers,and a man who cuts out S il
houet t es in black paper,and the post-card sel lers .
Onan autumn or spr ing even ing t h e G i ard ino i s apleasan t place i n wh ich to d ine
,for t he company i s
a mer ry. one. For colder weather i t has a great hal ldecorat ed lnthe Pompe i ian manner
,and two great
wings,mostly of glass
,wh ich almost embrace t he
whole of t h e garden .
Genoa has i ts ownespec ialM inest rone soup flavouredwi th P esto
,a paste i n wh ich pounded basi l
,garl ic
,
Sard i n i a cheese,and ol ive oil are used ; and t he fi sh
d i shes are Stocafissso alla Genofvese,s tock-fish S tewed
wi th tomatoes,and somet imes wi th potatoes as wel l
,
and a fry of red mullet,an d M oscara
’ini,wh ich are
cuttle-fish,ob long in shape and redolen t of musk .
T h e t r i pe of Genoa i s as celebrated as that of Caen,
and t he Vitello Uccellet to, l i t t le squares of veal saute’
with fresh tomatoes i n oil and red wine,i s a very
favouri te d i sh . Th e Ravioli I have already wri tten of.T he Fa ina somewhat resembles Y orksh i re puddi ngmade with pease powder and oil. Funghi a Funget toare t h e wild red mushrooms stewed in oil with thymeand tomatoes
,and M eiz anne i s a small
,b i tter egg
plan t,on ly found ont h e R iv iera
,stuff ed wi th a cheese
paste and then fr ied . P asaualina i s an Easter p ie .
T h e figs of Genoa are excel lent . Th e wines are
t hose delle cingue ter re, and i n some of t he cel lars y ouwi ll find them dat i ng back s ixty years or more
246 The Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europethere i s someth i ng of a Par i s ian touch about th i s partof the restauran t. Beh ind are other rooms al l wh i te .
Nowhere i n Ven i ce can y ou taste t he scampi,prawns
th ree t imes t he size of Br i t i sh ones, fr ied to greaterperfect i on
,each one '
of them forming a del i c i ousmouth ful . And nowhere i n Ven i ce are the octopi
,
one of t h e stand ing d i shes of t he town,better cooked .
The i r tentacles are so tender that they seem to mel ti n t he mouth
,and
,i f t he i r bod ies are a l i ttle tough
,
there i s no more need to eat an oc topus ’ body inVen i ce than there i s to eat t he heard of an oyster inEngland . Some of t he wai ters at th e Cappelo canspeak French . T he lunch of t he day i s at two pr i ces
,
1. and and there are d inners at l . 4 and 5 .
Th e card of t he day i s mostly pr i n ted,and therefore
i t i s not so d ifli cult to order a s imple meal as i t i sw hen the paper thrust before one i s a con fused massof scr i bbles i n v iolet i nk . I have lunched there onmaccaron i
,with tomato sauce and Parmesan
,and
scampi,wh ich i s always t h e most expensi ve d i sh on
t he bi l l of fare,on Lodigiano cheese
,honeycombed
and tast ing l ike Old Chesh i re,onhalf a flask of Ch ian t i
,
and some frui t,and my b i l l came to about four sh i l
l i ngs . Th e very Old Ch iant i at l . a bottle i s aSplend id wine
,and t he Conegl iano at th i s restauran t
i s to b e h igh ly recommended . S ignor Cesare Novat ii s t he propr ietor and manager of t he Cappelo Nero .
Th e Cavalet to,a white bu i ld ing ona canal c lose to
th e Ponte Cavalet to, can b e reached by water, and i tCavalet to,
i s pleasan t to swing from under t hePont e 033 73 19 15“ br idge
,and to be steered by a sweep of
t he gondol ier’ s oar up to th e marble steps wi th the i r
b rass rai l,wh ich lead to one of t he entrances i n to the
restaurant . The other entrance i s from a narrowalley . There are tw o large rooms in t he Cavalet to
,
wi th th e en trance to the hotel between them . The
biggest of these rooms, low-ce i l i nged and supported by
Italy 247
l i ttle pi llars,i s decorated i n c ream and l igh t green .
T he place i s qui te Venet ian wi thout be i ng Venet ianto excess . There i s always a bust le i n the b ig room
,
and th e l i t t le boys who serve t he wine scutt le aboutl ike lampl igh ters . Th e lunch of th e day
,of fish
,
meat,a paste d i sh
,cheese
,and fru i t
,costs 1. and
an ample d inner i s prov ided at l . A lunch offr ied cu ttle-fish
,a Venet ian d ish of a b ig veal cutlet
and r i ce,some cheese
,half a bottle of red Val Policella
,
with a l i ttle effervescence i n i t,and a half bottle of
Nocera table water,and my bi l l for th i s was I .
t he expensive i tem be ing th e wine .
Going down th e Mercer ia,an arrow pain ted on a
wall d i rects you t he way to go to the Vapore,a v ery
d i st inc t ively Venet ian restauran t,by the Vap ore ,
Pont ePonte Pignole. It can also be reached Pigm le
by water,but I have always found my way to i t by
t he narrow al leys wi th the hel p of arrows on th e
walls. AS one s i ts i n the farthest room close to t he
th ree windows,which are general ly kept hermet i cally
shut,t he reflect ion of l ight from the water of the
canal dances on the ce i l i ng, and th e pass ing gondol ierslook in over the l i t tle bl inds and envy th e people w hosi t at lunch or d inner . There are th ree rooms i n t heVapore
,all yel low and brown in thei r decorat ions
,and
one of t hese has a skyl igh t as a means of giv ing l igh tand a certain amount of vent i lat ion to i t . There are
vent i lators int he other rooms, which , when the smokegets dense
,are opened
,and a curren t of fresh ai r comes
i nto th e rooms . The cooking at th e Vapore i s d ec idedly good, and d i st inctly Venet ian and cheap .
P ast icci d i M aclz eroni,Capret t i
,scrambled eggs and
tomatoes are some of i ts Spec ial t ies . A lunch Iordered there consisted of a f r it tura of all kinds ofl i t t le fish
,gropet t i romana (veal wi th a r i ch sauce), Gor
gonz ola cheese, and a half bottle of t he whi te wineof t he house— for th e ord ina r io
,both red and wh i te
,
248 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europeof th e Vapore are sound wines— and my b i ll came tol .The Panada
,i n t he Calle d el Specciehri, a cut-th roat
looking alley wh i ch leads off from th e Calle Larga SanPanada, Calle Marco
,i s a stuffy place i n ho t weather
,
d el s 1oeccmh rl but th e cookery i s qui te good . I t i svery busy at lunch t ime
,for many of t he business
menof th e busiest quarter of Ven ice go there forthe i r mid-day meal .Th e Bel la V enezia is a large
,very plain ly decorated
restauran t c lose to theGoldon i Theatre,but i ts cookery
cal ls for no spec ial comment .Th e Bauer Grunwald, Via Ven tidue Marzo, can
scarcely‘
b e cal led a Venet ian restauran t,for all i t s
at trac tions are German ones . It has two gardens .One with plenty of t rees
,and with a min iature statue
of Li ber ty— a reduced copy of th e New York onefaces t h e Grand Canal, the o ther, a smaller garden , i sont he street side . I t has h igh rooms
,German decora
t ions,a supply of papers of all nat ions
,and a spec ial ty
of Munich beer .Th e P i lsen
,at the north-west co rner of t he Piazza
San Marco,has a garden protec ted by a canvas roof,
p h een, p iaz z a and wal ls of green trell i s wi th creepersSanM31 00
growing over them,and a hedge of
pr ivet wh ich preven ts passers-by from looking 1n. Iti s pleasant enough in summer t ime, but inwintert ime
,when the meals are served i n a low ce i l i nged
room,t he atmosphere leaves much to be des i red .
Th e Q uadr i, ont he north S i de of t he great square,
and th e Flor ianonthe south si de,are th e two best
known cafés of Ven i ce. Th e Q uadr i usedto be a restauran t
,but th e last two t imes I
have been in Ven i ce I have found that i t was on lydo ing a very flourish ing busi nes s as a café .Th e Florian keeps openall n igh t th rough in the
summer, and var ious reasons are given for th i s bes ide
Quadri
2 50 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
A FT ER D INNER
Duri ng th e hot weather t he after-d inner hour i s th et ime a t wh ich people go to see the i r fr iends . Th e
Fen ice,th e b ig opera house, has neve r been open on
any of th e occasions I have been i n Ven ice,but I
bel ieve that per formances are given there dur ing theweek of the Carni val . At t he Ross in i opera i s generally bei ng sung
,and t he Venet ians have a part ial i ty
for th e old works of I tal ian composers wh ich one canonly hear nowadays i n th e prov inc ial Ital ian c i t ies .At t he Goldon i
,comed ies are generally played
,and
the Mali bran,wh ich i s t he theatre beloved by th e
gondol iers,general ly has a tremendous melodrama as
i ts at tract ion . When t he performances of the marionette theatres are i n progress i t i s wel l worth go ingin to the l i t t le theatre i n t he Vent idue Marzo
,i f only
to watch the aud ience . There are small boys i n greatnumbers who seem to Spend all the i r t ime i n attending these performances
,and keep up a runn ing fire of
commen t dur ing th e dramas and bal lets and var ietyperformances of the j erky l i tt le dolls .
BO LOGNA
Bologna la graz z a does not bel ie i ts n ickname,
and i t i s said that t he matron ly lad ies,al l over forty
,
Hot el Bum who cook for t he rotund priests of th ePalaz z oMal town
,are the cordons hleus of I taly .
vasi a Th e restaurant of t he Hotel Brun i st he one where the pass ing Anglo—Saxon general ly takesh is meals
,an d a chat w ith the proprietor
,Mr . J . F .
Frank,i s entertain ing
,for he owns v ineyards beh ind
t he town,whi ch he i s happy to Show to any one
interested inv i ne culture,and h e makes h i s wine
after t h e French manner . T he wines made by
I babi 2 5 1
Frank are Bologna,Saugiov ,
ese Pinot,Cabernet
,
Trebbiano,White Pinot
,Parad i so
,Sauv ignon
,and
Sweet Malvas ia . Th e Hotel d ’ I talic 1s more an Ital ianhouse
,and the Stel la d ’ I talia
,i n t he S t ella d '
I talia ,
Via R izzol i,i s t h e typ i cal popular res “ 713 3 122011
taurant of t h e town . At t he Albergo Roma,0 11 t he
Via d ’Az eglio, I have lunched ongood food for acouple of francs . At t he Bel let t i
,a b i r rer i a outs ide
t he Porta Azegl i o,one can obta i n a meal i n the
open ai r .The Coppalet t i I
‘ have al ready referred to . Th e
P erpadelle col Ragout are made of t he same doughas t he French nouilles
,i n narrow S tr i ps
,boi led and
seasoned wi th minced meat and Parmesan cheese .
Another var iety of th is,P erpadelle alla Bolognese, has
mi nced ham as a season ing . Then come the farfamed sausages
,t he great Codeghino, boi led and served
wi th spinach or mashed potatoes ; t he large,bal l
shaped M or taclella,wh ich i s somet imes eaten raw ;
and t he stuffed foreleg of a pig,wh ich i s bo i led and
served wi th spi nach and mashed potatoes,and wh ich
i s a d ish t h e Bolognese conveyed from Verona .
I f you th i rst for cool c lear beer, dr ink t he localRonzano, and see i f i t does not remind you of thePilsener U rquel l .
SP E z e
Not at S pezzia i tself,but at Porto Venere ont he
promon tory at t he en trance to t he bay,wil l t he gour
met find t h e Z uppa d i D a t teri,wh ich i s t he great
de l i cacy of t he gul f. The da t tero i s a shell-fish whichin shape resembles a date stone. I t has a very del i catetaste
,and i s eaten stewed wi th tomatoes and served
wi th a layer of toast . T he l i t t le i nn,D el Gen io
,i s
not too clean,but t he land lord wi l l tel l you wonderful
tales of Byron and Shel ley,t he former of whom never
really v i si ted Porto Venere,though local t rad i t i on has
2 5 2 The Gourmet’
s Guide to Europei t that he wrote h i s Corsair i n a grotto near t heShore. T he Croce d i Malta i s a harbour of refugei f one i s not too part i cular .
F L OR ENCE
The ar istocrat ic restauran ts of Florence are bot h i nthe V ia Tornabuoni. They are those of Doney et
Nipote and of Giacosa. They are onopposi te s idesof t he road, both have wh i te marble fron ts up to the
fi rst floor,both have h ighly gi l t lamps
,both are pastry
cooks and tea-Shops,both have rooms wh ere t he
young bloods of the town dr ink a glass of Marsala orof Z eres
,or of Vermouth
,and t he restaurant of both
i s onth e fi rst floor . When I was last i n Florence th eGiacosa , Via front rooms of t h e Giacosa were be i ngTornab uoni redecorated
,and looked as though they
would b e very br igh t and pleasant, and t he business oft he restaurant was for t h e t ime be i ng carr ied oni n theback premises . Bono i s the successo r to t he founderof Giacosa
’
s,but th e old name st i l l remain s i n large
le tters over th e shop .
D oney’
s was, however, i n full sw ing . The pol i teman who stands at t h e door lead ing in from t he st reetD oney ’
s , Viatakes off h i s hat to any customer
,as
Tornab uoni though that customer were a pri nce of
t he royal b lood . A l i t tle flat tered by th e obe i sance,
one goes upsta i rs, where one has a c hoice of twod in i ng-rooms in wh ich to take a meal . One has i tswal ls adorned wi th pain t ings, and th e other h as apaper of dead gold w i t h a pat tern oni t i n br i gh t gold .
Everyth ing at D oney’
s i s j ust a tr ifle too gorgeous,
and t he decorat i ons are a l i t tle overdone . An old
wai ter,bald-headed, wi th two great wisps of grey hai r
brushed up one i ther s ide of h i s head, and wi th a goodnatured, fat face, ac ts as usher, and presents one wi thsome ceremony to t he ma it re d
’
ho‘
tel. When last I
2 54 The Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europ ewai ter and two underl ings manage to serve all fourteentables
,which i s a wonderful feat of wai t ing
,but wh ich
has it s d i sadvantages i n that everyth ing has to bedone by t he th ree menat express Speed . There i sno qu iet talking d y er t he car te de j our, with suggest i ons made and h i nts given as to t he best d i shes
,
and i f one once misses one of t he serv i tors on h i sround one has to wai t t i l l h e rushes past again
,mov ing i n
h is eccentr ic orb i t . If one wishes to obtai n some h in tsas to Tuscan d i shes
,i t i s wel l to go early i n to Mel i n i ’ s
,
before people arr i ve for a meal,and secure a table
beforehand . Th e head wai ter,then i n a state of com
parat ive qu iescence, i s qu i te ready to be obl ig ing andg i ve one any in format ion . There i s a long l i s t of
d ishes of th e day at Mel i n i ’s,and those wh ich are
pr in ted all have French t ranslat ion s opposi te to them .
It i s on ly those I tal i an d i shes scr i bbled hast i ly inv i olet i nk
,wh i ch lead one i n to the deep waters of
i gnorance . There are two set d inners at Mel i n i ’s atl . and l . respec t ively
,and a quarter of a l i tre
of wine,red or wh ite
,i s i ncluded for these sums . Th e
pla ts de j our ont he b i l l of fare are general ly pr i cedat l .Another restauran t i n the Via Calzaiol i wel l wor th
a Vi s I t I S t he Toscano . You wi l l find comparat iveToscana
,Via qu iet i n i ts ser ies of d in ing-rooms on
Cal z aion the fi rst floor,and t he fi sh there i s
always fresh,for t he propr ietor has a branch establ i sh
ment at Leghorn, and a dai ly supply of fish i s sen th im from that por t . If you d i ne i n t he fi rs t of th eser ies of rooms take note of th e border of the paper,a border whi ch consi sts of pai n t i ngs of bun ches of
vegetables treated in decorat ive style. Th e Toscanohas a cer tain d ign i ty of i t s own
,and i ts port ieres of
s i lk and old gold are migh ty grand . Its napery andi ts cutlery are, however, not up to th e grandeur of i tsport ieres . A plated cradle for a b ig flask of Ch ian t i
Italy 2 5 5
stands on each table. The wai ters are t he usualfr iendly Ital ians
,pleased to chat on any subj ec t . Th e
head-wai ter th i nks that he talks French . Th e clienteleat t he Toscano i s of th e middle classes
,and you may
see there dai ly fami l ies of father,mother
,and daughters
b r inging i n t he son,serv ing as a N .C .O . or as a pr ivate
i n one of the regiments,to give h im a real good mid
day meal and to hear al l h i s news . There i s a lengthyl i s t of d i shes 21 la ca r te
,but most of t he customers
seem to take t he lun ch of t he day of th ree d i shes atl . 2 . 50, and t he d inner of the day atBonc iani’ s
,i n th e Via Panz ani
,onth e way to the
stat ion,i s a restauran t wh ich 1s much patron ised by th e
middle-c lass Florent ines .An art i st in England once told me that i f I d id not
see Lapi ’ s I should miss th e most p ic tu resque res
taurant i n Florence . I asked t he hallporter at my hotel where I Should findth i s p i cturesque house of refreshmen t . He held uph i s hands i n horror
,and told me that i t was an eat i ng
place to wh i ch I could not possi b ly go . This natural lywhetted my cur i os i ty
,and after looking about for some
t ime I found Lapi ’ s . I t is just off t he PiazzaAnt inori, ina house Shared between a banking estab l i shmen t and t hemuseum of a dealer i n an t iqu i t ies . You go roundone corner and you see a door wi th Lap i i nsc r i bedone i ther s ide of i t . At fi rst al l you can perce ive i n t hedark en try i s a man stand ing i n sh i r t Sleeves beh ind acounter w i th a background of wine flasks ornamentedwi th v ine leaves . Then you notice a stai rcase goingdown in to th e depths of th e earth and end ing in semidarkness of a fine Rembrand t b rown There are
tables i n th i s place of Shadows,and two swinging
l ights supply the only i l lum inat ion there i s . I could
see that t he colour and th e d im l igh t must appeal toany art i st
,but I mental ly agreed wi th t he hall porter
that th i s was no place forme,and in Sp i te of a pressing
Lap rs
2 56 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europei nv i tat ion from the gentleman i n sh i r t sleeves todescend
,I turned and wen t onmy way .
The Gambrinus,i n one corner of the Piazza
V i t tor io Emanuele,and i ts more gorgeous r ival j ust
oppos i te to i t,
are places of revel ry after d inner .They are both brasser ies . Paol i ’ s i s a place at wh ichthe young Florentmes amuse themselves w i th goodoysters and bad company
,as they also do at Picciolo’s .
A travel l ing gourmet w ho has wri tten me anin terest in g let ter onthe restaurants of Northern I talyasks me to ment i on in th i s book the cook at t he
Villa Trol lope,th e pens ion at wh ich h e stayed . .Thi s
chef i s an enthusiast i n h i s art and was always readyto gi ve not on ly information concern i ng, bu t alsopracti cal exposi t ion of t he cookery of Ital ian d i shes.I t 18 not my custom to men t ion pension s i n th i s book
,
but I make th is exception .
There are not many d ishes d i st i nct ively Floren t i ne.
Stracot to,brai sed beef w i th tomatoes
,i s one of them
and Fega tini d i pollo, gi blets stewed i n wine sauce, i sanother . The Tuscanfowls are espec ial ly esteemed
,
and are roasted before a wood fire ; and there i s aSpec ial Floren tine salad of har i cot bean s generallyserved wi th cav i are . Th e figs
,of many kinds
,are
del i c i ous ; and P resciut to confich i, fresh eggs and ham,
are eaten all over Tuscany . Th e chestnuts from the
Apenn ines are some of t he best flavoured i n Italy .
Chian ti and Mon tepulc iano are t he best of t he halfdozen local wines .T he Floren tine Club
,V ia Borgnosant i, i s hospi table
to t ravel l ing Engl i shmen properly i n troduced . Atone per iod there was an Engli sh Club i n Florence
,
and i t was model led i n min iature onthe Naval andMi l i tary Club of Piccadi lly
,so far as i ts i n ter io r
arrangements were concerned . Th e honorary secretary of those days was a ret i red ofli cer
,a membe r of
the Naval and Mili tary, and the form of the bi l l of‘
2 5 8 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europeth ree “ turn s were cont r i buted by damsel s w ho hadno voice to Speak of
,and w ho as a compensat ion wore
no garmen ts worth ment i on ing . They came onsmi l i ng
,and t he aud ien ce In t h e gallery rece iv ed them
as old fr iends . The i r first songs were allowed to pass,
except that now and again some one i n t he gallerywould hel p them with a h igh note
,but th e aud ience
thought the i r second songs were superfluous . A verysmal l puppy
,a human one of course
,up in t he gal lery
,
always gave t he s ignal fo r t he commencemen t of t henoi se by a very shri l l howl
,and then a cock crew
and a b ig dog barked , and a donkey began to b ray,and t he damsel s
,sm i l i ng and not i n t he least d i s
turbed,fini shed the i r songs i n dumb Show . But when
t he managemen t brought ou t i t s good “ turn s,
”t he
gallery recovered i ts manners and became enthusiast i c .
A w oman w i th a very good voice sang some operat icai rs ; there was a comi c man and an impudent l i t tleFrenchwoman dressed as a baby
,and an imi tator of
t he ch ief Ital ian ac tors of t h e day,w ho was t he most
popular of al l t he p eople appear ing .
F I ESOL I
There are var ious l i t t le restaurants i n F iesoli,each
of. which depends more on t h e v iews from i ts w indowsand terrace than on i t s cookery . Th e fi rst place of
refreshment to catch one ’ s ey e on arrIVIng i s t he Res
taurant Br i osch i,and t h is
,
'
if one can obtain one of t h e
two tables wh ich are set on th e l i tt le terrace,i s
perhaps the best place at wh i ch to lunch . Th e
d in in g-room is comparat i ve ly ai ry,for i t has w 1ndow s
i n fron t and beh ind,and from t he terrace th e v iew
over t he country to Florence is a beaut i ful one ,
Italy 2 5 9
Th e Nettuno at P i sa i s t he old-fash ioned Ital iani nn
,and i t used to be t he restaurant patron ised by
t h e off i cers of t h e garr i son,but for some Net tuno,
reason they quarrel led wi th t he proLungw o Regio
prietor and transferred the i r custom to t he other I tal ianrestaurant and inn
,th e Cerv ia .
Pisa prides i tsel f on i ts pudd ings and confec t ion ery.
Th e P a t tona and Castagnacci, both a lla P isana,are
pudd ings made of chestnut flour and ol i ve oil,and
flavoured wi th fru i t . Schiaccia ta are Easter cakes . Int he afternoon , after a walk ont he Lungarno
,all t he
world of P i sa goes to Baz z eli,the pastry-cook ’ s shop
,
and there y ou may find t he elders of t he town andt he h igh off i cers of th e garr i son
,talki ng over affai rs
of State whi le they demolish many l i t t le cakes .
L E GH OR NComparat ively few Anglo-Saxon travel lers go toLeghorn
,for i t i s not one of th e Show places of Italy
,
and th e bath ing season there i s j ust th e t ime whentour ists keep away from Italy . But I rece i ved sucha glowing account from an Engl ishman (to whom Iow e grateful thanks for th e i n format ion embod ied inth i s chapter) concern ing th e Albergo G iappone, that,be i ng at P i sa
,I ran over to th e seaport to thank my
informant,and to eat a d i nner at th is typical Tuscan
restaurant .Th e main street of Leghorn
,th e Via V i ttor i o
Emanuele,i s very l ike a st reet at ’Chatham or Wool
w ich . It i s not too clean , and a great Alb ergodeal too n01sy . A bow w 1ndow
,W 1th Giap p one,
Via
ground glass of a sufli c ient he igh t to Vitt oriokeep people from looking i n to the room,
Emanuele
gi ves l igh t to the d in ing-room of th e G iappone. The
260 The Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europ eentrance to th i s leads out of th e hall of th e hote lnamed G i appone . There i s a feel i ng of good mannersand restfu lness d i rectly one enters the restauran t .Couch es are again st th e walls, and two rows of l i t tletables are about al l that t he restaurant can comfortably hold . Th e chai rs are wooden ones of an art i s t i c
p attern, and not the eternal bent-wood ones one find si n most Ital ian restaurants . Many famous I tal ian shave d ined at one t ime or another at th e G i appone‘Crisp i Z anardelli
,Caval lott i
,Benedetto Br in
,Fuoch i n i
,
Mascagn i,to ment ion on ly a few out of the many .
T h e propr ietor of old days was t he Caval iere Pasquale Cianfanelli
,whose name w as known even on
th e Londonmarket for the excel lence of h i s Tuscanwi nes. Th e Caval iere
,whose courteous manners gave
an added pleasure to a d inner at the restaurant,for h e
always went t he round of the tables to ask i f eachd i ner was sat i sfied
,has been succeeded in t he p ro
prietorsh ip by h i s son, who apparently does not takequ i te th e same i n terest i n th e restaurant that h i s fatherd id . But t he G i appone i s st i ll th e fi rst amongst Tuscanrestauran ts . Th e general and h i s staff officers general ly come ou t to d i ne
,and al l i ts patrons seem to b e
gen tlemen of posi t ion,whi le t h e lad ies
,the i r w ives
and daughters,whom they b r ing to d ine, are d i st in
guished and well d ressed . There i s qui te a maj est i cl i st of d i shes onth e menu it la ca r te
,but I found that
the d inner of t he day at l . con tained one of thespec ialt ies of t he house
,th e caponLuculliana
,and as
there was a fri t tu ra as wel l,I at e t he house d i nner
,
which everybody around me seemed also to b e do ing .
There w as a purée i n wh ich th e local paste was thepr inc i pal i ngred ient th e fr i ttura was of sweetb reads
,
adm irably cooked,with fr ied potat oes ; the stuffed capon
had wh ite t ruflles and a ri ch sauce . Th e w ai ter,
when h e set th i s last d i sh before me,paused to see
whether I gave i t due apprec iat i on. People who had
262 T/I e Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
Campari i s also an excel lent one . Why t he hote l i scalled Anglet erre, not Inglaterra,no one knows . T he
Anglet erre ,
hote l and restauran t are.
owned byVia. Vit torio S ignor i d e St efanl and Cleri c 1
,t h e lat ter
Emanueleof whom w as i n London for a t ime at
t he Restauran t d ’ I talie. T h e w ay i n to t h e restauran t'
i s th rough t h e dark and narrow hote l corr idor,but a
large skyligh t gives br igh tness to t he restauran t,and
th e walls are l igh t in colour . T he Ital ian naval officerspatron ise th i s restauran t
,as do t h e bus i ness menof
t he c i ty,for the i r m id-day meal . There are tab les al l
round t he room . Th e fixed-pr i ce lunch seems to b eun iversal ly eaten . On one of t he days I lunchedthere t he menu contai ned gnocch i, wh ich are a spec ialtyof t he house
,a savoury stew of t he whi te flesh of
ch ickens and the i r l ivers,and some excel len t mutton .
T he sheep w h i ch feed ont he meadows between Leghorn and P i sa gi ve excel len t mutton
,a meat wh i ch
,
as a rule,i s none too good i n Italy . Th e propr ietors
bustle about wi th as much energy as any of the i rwai ters
,show the i r customers a great d i sh of fresh fish
j ust brought up from t h e harbour,call thei r attent ion
to any spec ially del i c ious cake that may be ont h e bi l lof fare
,and would be broken-hearted i f any luncher
or d iner was i n t he least d i ssat i sfied .
Th e former Grand, a house of marble halls,i s n ow
known as t h e Palace,and i s under th e managemen t
of Spaini Co. Th e cookery i s d i st i nct ly good,and
t he officers of th e Br i t i sh navy usual ly make th i s the i rd in i ng place whenever any of h is Maj esty ’ s sh i ps arei n t he harbour .Th e Casa Rosa onthe pier i s a pleasant place for
a meal i n summer .d cgui d ella Solute, the cu re place j ust outside the
walls of Leghorn,i s one of t h e pleasan t places to
wh ich t he w ell—ofi'
people of Tuscany go yearly tod r ink waters for t he sake of the i r l ivers . There are
263
two large hotels t here,one of wh ich i s managed by
Ber toli n i,th e most famous of I tal ian restaurateurs
,and
there i s a l i tt le restauran t not attached to any hotel .T he Coral/o
,t he water whi ch comes from t he pr i n
c ipal Spr i ng, i s not one to b e drunk un less one i s go ingthrough t he cure
,fo r i ts eff ects are immed iate and
severe.
A FTER D INN ERLeghorn has i ts b ig opera house i n t he pr i nc i palsquare
,i ts comedy house
,and i ts summer var iety
house,but my exper iences began and ended wi th an
even ing at the opera . T h e company singing was nota firs t—c lass one .
LU CCA
Lucca is too ser ious a place to care much about t hei nner man . Bu t t he fasc i nat ing old town i s a placeto v i s i t
,and t he v i s i tor cannot do better Universo
,Piaz z a
than go to t he Un iv erso . Open eggs d el Giglioand a fi/et to a lla Pur iginu are safe and sound d ishes
,
whi le i f h e should b e there during t he season of t he
famous Brobd ingnagian asparagus from Pesc i a,he
wi ll have a real treat i f h e eat i t a ourro e formaggio,i n other words ol/o Pormigiona . For morn ing andafternoon refreshers go to Carlo Caselli’s Carlo Caselli ,i n t he Via F ilungo. Mine host i s a Via Filungo
gen tleman of culture,with a profound knowledge of
Lucca,and wi l l d iscuss t he ant iqui t ies of t he place
with y ou Wh i le y ou d i scuss h is excellent vermouthand bi t ter .
ROM E
A man who loved st range exper iments i n eat ing,
once asked me i n Rome to d ine with h im at a verycheap inn outs ide one of t he gates
,and h e explained
how t he d inner was arranged . He had found a hostelwh i ch d id not prov ide food
,but i f you bough t a lamb
264 T/ze Gourmet’
r Guide to gurope
from a shepherd outside th e gate,so as to save the
octroi, y ou could have i t cooked i n a great po t, a certai n
amount being charged for t he cooking ; and you boughtyour W i n e
,as a matter of course
,at t he i nn . T he
carters and herds were,h e told me
,t he people w ho
partook of th i s repast, an d every man at e h i s ownlamb
,leav ing l i tt le but t h e bones . I d id not , go to
that inn. That place of refreshment w as at one endof th e soc ial ladder ; t he Grand , Excels ior, Regina
,and
Q ui r inale are at t he other . Set a man down i n t herestauran t of t h e G rand, or of t he Excels i o r, or i n t heWinter Garden of t he Q uir i nale, and there wil l b enoth ing to give h im a h i n t as to whether h e i s i nLondon
,or Par i s
,orvRome . He wi ll eat an excel len t
d inner— French i n al l respec ts— and wi ll b e wai ted onby c iv i l wai ters
,whom he knows to b e fore i gners, but
w ho will answer h im in Engl i sh whatever language headd resses them in . At any of these res taurants anexcel len t d inner of ceremony can b e given . The
last t ime that I stayed at t he Grand,I ate th e table
d’
hote d inner onseveral occas ions and found i t good .
Th e Umberto,th e San Carlo i n th e P iazza San Carlo,
and t he Colonna i n t h e Piazza Colonna,are t he
typi cal c i ty restaurants ; but they have a lean ingtowards th e French cu is ine . To eat Itali an food
,
D elle Venet e,Via t ry Del le Venete i n th e Via Campo
Camp oMaw“) Marzio,which has a garden . The full
name of th i s restauran t was Del le Bel le Venete,and
i t was kept by three s i ster s,Venet i ans
,the last of
whom died last year . In t he summer lunch i n th e
garden of t he T re Re,hard by t he Pantheon
,where
y ou must talk Ital ian , or el se make s igns .Bucc i
,i n t he Piazza del la Coppel le
,i s t he Scott ’ s
Bucci,Piaz z a or Driver ’ s of Rome
,and you can d ine
della C501010€11e or lunch there ofl~
shel l-fish soup,and
t he fish which comes from Anzio and t he other fi sh ingv i l lages of th e coast .
266 The Gourmet ’s Guide to gurope
l i queurs and van i l la cream,covered wi th mer ingue
and then baked . Uorj a d i Bufola i s a l i tt le bal l ofcheese made from buffalo ’ s mi lk. Th e best ki nd,d hota
,i s kept in wrappings of fresh myrtle leaves .
Mari no (red ) and Frascat i (Wh i te) are two of t he bestlocal wines . O rv ieto has a fain t remembrance of
th e champagne taste . Monte Fiascone i s a desser tw ine .
TH E CLUB S o r ROM ETh e two clubs of Rome to wh i ch a certai n numberof th e Anglo-Saxon res i dents belong and wh i ch extendcourtesy to properly vouched for st ranger s are t he
Cacci a and t h e Nuovo,both i n the Corso . These
are both small clubs,and are more l ike an Engl i sh
county club than one of t h e great c lub s of Pal l Mallor S t . James ’ s St reet . An Engl i shman w ho knows h i sRome wel l wr i tes thus to me concern ing t h e Ci rcolodel la Cacc ia (Angl i ce, Hunt Club) :
“ It i s a sort ofmixture of the old Fox Hunters ’
,Boodles
,and t he
modern Turf,al l i n one . An Engl ishman wi th good
i n troduct ions and spo rt ing i ncl i nat ion s can,if properly
proposed and seconded,become fi rst of al l an hono
rary member for a month . I f h e wishes to use t he
club for a longer per iod,h i s name i s pu t up and h e
i s bal loted for. In th e meanwh i le t he would—b emember should take care to be i n troduced to as manymembers of t he club as poss i ble . The house d i nneri s excel lent . There are two rooms for cards . Int he outer one écar té i s played for low stakes . In t hei n ner san ctum
,ongreat occasi ons such as Carn i val
,
there i s somet imes h igh play. Ch i ts ’ are given forall expenses i ncurred i n t he c lub—wine
,c igars
,d i nners
,
&c . and b i l ls are settled weekly or mon th ly . Nearlyevery one m t h e h igh offic ial and d i plomat ic worldbelongs to the Cacc ia ; even t he Ner i
,or Papal ad
herent s . In fact, a more cheery, wel l-conduc ted , and
Thu? 267
hosp i table club does not exist inEurope. Th e Nuovoi s rather more qu iet than th e Caccia
,and there i s less
play than at t h e larger club . A Ladies ’ Club hasrecently been inst i tuted inRome .
AFTER D INNER
During t he win ter there i s always someth i ng ofinterest to be seen both at t he opera and at t he comedytheatres
,for though Rome does not hold th e same
posi t i on to Italy i n t he art world that London doesto England
,many authors and composers give the
capi tal t he fi rst taste of the i r novel t ies . There are
half-a-dozen large theatres,and four or five smal l ones .
Th e mus i c hal ls are t h e Margher i ta and O lymp ia .
PJAP LES
There i s a certai n man i n a cer ta i n London c lubw ho has a grievance aga in st I taly i n general
,again st
Naples i n part i cular,and
,to descend to minute deta i l
,
agai nst one Neapol i tan restauran t above al l o thers .He tel ls h i s tale to al l comers as a warn ing to thosew ho w ill t rave l i n “ fore ign parts .” He returnedfrom a long turn of serv i ce i n Ind ia
,and
,l andi ng at
Naples,concluded that as h e was i n Europe h e could
ge t Br i t i sh food . He wen t to a restaurant whi chshal l be nameless, and ordered a
“Chump chop .
He had t he greatest d i fficulty, th rough an in terp reter,to explain exactly what i t was that h e wanted
,and
then was forced to wai t for an hour before i t appeared .
When th e b i l l was presented i t fr ightened h im,but
t he propr ietor, onbe i ng summoned , sai d that as suchan extraord i nary j o i nt had been asked for, h e had
been compel led to buy a whole sheep to supply i t .This i s a warn ing not to ask for Br i t i sh d ishes i na Neapol i tan restauran t .
268 The Gourmet ’s Guide to gurope
Th e Neapol i tans w ho have money to spend gonow by the b ig l i ft i n side th e rock to Bertolini’ sBertolini ’s , to d i n e or lunch when they are onP3 1 00 Gri feo hol iday bent . Th e ascen t i n th e l i fti s a minor exc i tement
,and the View from t he windows
of t h e b ig d i n i ng-room,wh ich is almost level w i th t h e
top of th e c l i ff s,i s a splend id one
,for t h e bay and t he
i slands are spread out l ike a map and the town l iesfar below . Th e cooke ry at Bertolini’s i s good
,and
t he surround ings are of t he pleasantest .Time was when t he Gambrinus, which i s t he
excel lently decorated café and restauran t at t he end
Gambr inus , of t he Ch iaja, and t he b ig café andPia z z a San restaurant
,th e Umberto Pr imo
,int he
Ferd inand o great arcade,were at daggers d rawn
,
and a w ar of cutt i ng down of pr i ces raged . In thosehappy days one could d ine or lunch at e i ther placesumptuously for a sh i ll i ng . Some meddl ing busybodyi n terfered i n th e quarrel and b rought the proprieto rs in toa fr iend ly spi r i t . Th e Gambrinus
,wi th i ts b r igh t
rooms,good decorat ions
,and fai r attendance
,i s per
haps‘
t he best restauran t i n t he lower town at wh icha stranger can
'
take a meal,unless h e i s looki ng for
t he d i st i nc t ive Neapol i tancookery . If h e i s i n searchof t h e d i shes of t he town
,let h im try t he Europa or
,
bet ter st i l l for h i s purpose, t h e Vermouth d i Tor i noin t he P i azza d elMunic i p i o . T he G iard i n i d i Tori no
Giard ini d i i n t h e Vico T re Re i s n at ional i n i tsTorino, Vico cookery
,but i s a good deal cleaner than
Tre Re most of t he restauran ts of t he Neapol itans . Th e d in i ng-rooms
,lead ing . one i n to t he other
,
are ont h e fi rst floor . A sol i tary Engl i shman,though
h e may fee l l ost amid st t he rush of wai ters and babelof vo i ces
,i s su re to be eventually rescued by an
Engl i sh—speaking head wai te r and guided to a tablewhere h i s compatri ots fo rgather . To eat t he fi shd i shes wh i ch show t he real cookery of Naples bet ter
270 The Gour inec’ i~ Guide to 8urope
Neapol i tanaudience becomes exc i ted i ts en thusiasm isboundless . I have generally found some sta r actor oractress play ing at th e Sannaz aro
,and th e stalls at that
theatre are less uncomfortable than they generally arei n Ital ian theatres . Th e Puncinello theatres
,i f open
,
are amusing . Th e Salone Margher i ta i s a fine largevar iety hall .
PAL ERM O
T h e restauran t of t he V i lla I geia gave me exce l lentFrench cookery dur ing a stay I made i n Palermo .
Many of t he art i st s who have stayedat t h e Hote l d e France i n t he cent re
of t he town have a very good word to say as to i tski tchen ; and the Hote l des Palmes
,wh ich was i n
t h e bui lders ’ hands for extension and redecorat ionwhen I saw i t
,h as a reputat ionfor feed ing i ts guests
wel l . I wanted, however , to try t h e S ic i l i an cui s ine, ,
and I persi sted in my wish i n sp i te of warn ings fromeverybody, from th e manager of t he I geia down to at ramcar conduc tor . Th e only concess ion I made
,
ou t of compl imen t to my mentors,was to lunch
and not to d i ne at a real S ic i l ian restauran t . The
oil wh ich i s used i n S i c i l ian cookery i s,I w as told
,
very d ifficult to d igest, and I was warned that Oi land tomatoes are t he two great stand-bys of a S ic i l iancook . I chose t he Restauran t Umberto
,which i s i n
Vi lla I geia
Umberto t he Via Maqueda,close to th e P i azza
292 Via Marina,for my exper imen t
,for i t
Maqueda looked,and was
,very c lean . T h e
head wai ter talks a l i tt le French,and wi th h i s hel p
I read over t he b i l l of fare wri t ten in exec rablehandwri t i ng and v iolet i nk . Boi led beef and vealcooked in many forms seemed to be t he pr i nc i paldi shes
,so I appealed to t he wai ter to br ing me a
thoroughly S ic i l ian d ish , and then wa1 t ed to see whatwould happen. W henthe d i sh came i t proved to
I z‘uly 271
be l i t tle str i ps Of t ri pe cooked in oil wi th beans andtomatoes . I t was by no means un palatab le. I thenordered a d i sh of fr ied calf ’ s brains
,which w as exce l
lent,for every I tal ian cook fries admi rably . Th e
wines of t he coun try on t he Umberto ’ s l i st are
camastro,Carituba
,Corvo
,and S ignora ; and of
these I chose Camastro at a ven ture,and found i t
to b e a harmless wh i te wine with a cur ious l i ttleafter taste of prunes . T he Sphuget ti of Palermo i sgeneral ly seasoned wi th minced meat and egg
-plan t .Marsala
,Moscato d i S i racusa
,and Amarena d i S i ra
cusa are some of t he wines of t he i sland wh ich are
ob tainable i n Palermo and al l t he other towns of
t he i sland .S ic i ly i s not an i sland of good mater ial for cookery
,
and most of t he r i c h i nhab i tan ts of Palermo and t helead ing hotel s import thei r mutton
,veal
,and ch i ckens
from Naples,a supply be i ng b rought every morn ing
by t h e l i ne of steamers whi ch run down the coastevery n ight .
CLUB S
T he Casino Nuovo, 4 1 1 Corso V i t tor io Emanuele,
i s hosp i tably i ncl ined towards v i s i to rs . An honorar ymember i s made free of t h e club
,which has very fine
rooms,for a fortn igh t
,and can con ti nue h i s member
sh i p at 1. 1 0 a month . T h e Art i sts ’ Club i s i n t h e
Via Isnel lo,No . 7.
A FT ER D I NNER
Th e Teatro Massi no i s a huge barn of a house,and
grand opera and long ballets are on i ts b i l l of fare .
Th e Bel l in i,a tawd ry red
,blue
,and gold house
,i s t he
popular house of opera . Everyth i ng except t he t reatment of debutants i s of the fr iendl iest desc ri pt i on i nth is house . The musi c i ans of the o rchest ra s i t dur ing
272 The Gourmel’
r Guide to 8urop e
the ent r ’ocz‘ s i n any unoccupied stall and chat tothe i r friends
,t h e s i nger s are greeted b y thei r admi rers
with an ovat i on after each ai r,and t he hour Of com
mencement and of end i ng are not to b e j udged by t het ime put down ont h e programme. Novell i was playing at one theatre
,and one of t he young Salv i n i s
,i n
h i s father ’ s parts,w as at another
,t he las t t ime I stayed
at Palermo,and there i s general ly a good programme
at th e Polit ieama musi c hal l . At t he Gar i bald i t heS i c i l i an traged ians somet imes play for a season .
274 The Gournz ec’
s Guide to Europelower classes use i t i n t he cooking to an i n tolerab leexten t . Capsi cum is much eaten in Spain
,be i ng
somet imes stuff ed,but i n any quant i ty i t i s very
i nd i gest i b le . T he peppers,red or green
,but gene
rally g‘reen
,are first heated on a grid i ron and then
s teamed in order that t he ski n may be easi ly removed .
In a salad wi th tomatoes they form an excel len tmixture .
Int he south of Spai n t he heat i s trop i cal i n the
summer,and the only meat then avai lab le i n any
small town i s general ly goat . As in Ind ia,th e
ch i cken wh ich you order for your lunch i s runn ingabout the yard of th e i n n when t he order i s given .
T he pri nc i pal d i sh of Spain i s P uchero, whi ch i s analogous to t he Pot onFeu of t he French . Everyth inggoes i n to t h e pot
,but t he pr in c i pal i ngred ien ts are
ga rbanz os (the Span i sh name for whi te har i cot beans),meat
,fresh bacon
,ranc i d bacon
,on ion s and garl i c .
When t h e water boi ls,th e soaked garbanz os are
th rown in . In most ki t chens i n S pai n t he mixturei s allow ed to boi l as rap id ly as possi b le
,but t he class i c
t rad i t i on i s that i t should boi l slowly,and that the
scum should be taken off. Unless t he mistress of
t h e house happens to be i n the ki tchen,the scum
n ever i s taken Off,for Span ish pla i n Cooks much
resemble pla in cooks i n other coun tr ies— only moreso. The l iqu id of th i s stew forms t he Coldo, or b roth ,and by add ing ri ce
,vermicel l i
,or I tal ian paste
,t he
broth becomes Sopo de Puchero. When the brothhas been d rained off
,chor iz o
,a sausage of pork"and
red pepper,a sort of blood pudd ing
,and whatever
vegetab les are i n season,are put i n and al lowed to
s tew . The s tewed meats be i ng extracted'
are servedas Cocido
,and i n wel l-to—do
,fami l ies are put onthe
table wi th the vegetables ; but i n poor fami l ies t hemeat
,bacon
,&c .
,form a separate d i sh
,and are c alled
Z o P r ingcz do . Gaspacho i s a cold mixture,t he staple
Spain 2 75
lunch of th e peasan t,who for a change eats i n t he
v i n tage season a bunch of grapes and some bread .
T he better c lasses d r i nk i t i ced,and i t makes i ts
appearance at d i nner wi t h t he salad . It i s a compoundof many th i ngs— bread crumbs
,bon i to fish, pepper,
salt,tomatoes
,Oi l
,v inegar
,garl i c
,cucumbers
,al l
soaked we l l w i th water . Paul Bosanquet wr i tes ofi t P repare z le b ien , servez le b ien fro id, et j etez lepar la fenetre .
” O ther wri ters,however
,speak more
kind ly of i t,and t he Engl i sh i n S pain say that i n t he
very hot weather i t i s a very refresh ing mixturei nstead of afternoon t ea. Gaspud ro de d lemeud ra s
i s t he ari stocrat ic form Of t he above . Bacalao,or
dr ied cod,i s one of t he staple d i shes of th e poor i n
t he north,and t he Engl i sh i n S pai n also often eat i t .
There are two methods of eat ing it— one wi th r i ce,
21 la Volenciana, and the other known as Soldodos ole
P av ia,because t he sold iers of Pavia were supposed
to be able to eat any th ing. The cod-fish i n t h is caseare fr ied in oil
,after be in g wel l soaked in water and
then d ipped i n flour . d r roz 21 lo Volenciona i s anexcel lent mixture of r i ce and tomatoes
,peppers
,
green peas,ham
,smal l b i rds
,and ch icken . It i s my
humble op in ion i t i s t he best of t he Span i sh d i shes.Ropcz Viej a i s a s tew of al l ki nds of mater ial . I tsname means Old rags .” A tale i s told of a favouri teac tor w ho ordered th i s d i sh at a restauran t . When i twas brought to h im h e not i ced that there was nomeat i n i t
,and h e cal led for the manager . This
cannot b e what I ordered,he said
,for one can always
see t he flesh th rough old rags .Some Span i sh d i shes to b e welcomed when seen on
a menu are Bocorones,a fry of t i ny fi sh
,T renet tes
ham,chestnut fed and snow cured
,Montanchez ham
,
acorn fed and sugar cured,Langosz
‘ ino,prawns of great
s ize and fine flavour,Salmonero f r ito, a dry fry of red
mul le t, Guiso de P erd i z , a ragout of par tr idge and bay
2 76 The Gourmet? Guide to 8uropleaves
,d sad ias f r icus, t i ny fr ied soles, and Sissond sado
,
t he lesser bustard roast .T he d i shes of Andalus i a
,which has a cuis i ne of i ts
own,I wri te of under the head ing of Sev i lle
,and some
d i shes of other prov i nces w i l l b e found men t i onedlater i n t hi s art i c le .
Th e red wines of t he Marquis d e Riscal are muchesteemed al l over Spain . Valdepenas
,a burgundy
,
one of t h e wines most drunk i n t he coun try,i s very
strong,and really requi res e i gh t or tenyears i n bott le
to mature . A R ioj a claret,wh ich i s a good wine
when four years i n bottle,and of course sher ry lnt he
south,of wh i ch al l t h e lead ing brands are obtai nable
,
are other wines always to b e found i n t h e restaurants .In t he north I have found D iaman te a pleasant wi neto dr ink
,and th e Sautern es of t he Marqui s d e Teran
are real ly excel lent . Th e Span i sh brandy is,i f a good
brand i s chosen,a fine chasse. Th e sweet w ines of
Spai n are the Ped ro J imenez of j erez, Malaga, Mos
cate l and Tarragona Port . A very cheap w ine, butan excel lent ton i c
,on ly ob tai nab le intavern s
,i s Vino
Duro .
A FTER D INNER
My exper iences Of after-di nner amusement i n t he
towns of Spain have been l im ited . Whenever I havebeen to th e opera at Madr id or Sev i l le I have foundt h e performances very l ike those of t he prov in c ialItal ian c i t ies
,though t he chorus i s even more casual
than th e I tal i an one. Th e enthusiasm foi nati veS i ngers
,espec ial ly tenors
,i s very warm . T h e old
I tal ian operas are most i n favour,and
,cur i ously
enough,Carmeni s by no means a favour i te opera in
S pai n . In any Span i sh town I go after d inner toth e Z arz uella theatre . The Z arz uella i s the typi calSpan i sh shor t play wi th musi c
,and some of them are
excel lent . I alway s wonder that none of them have
2 78 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Surope
Just i n ’ s,t h e longer t i tle of which i s t h e Restauran t
de Francia,i s i n t he Plaza Real
,an old-establ i shed
Jus t in’s,
house with a good cook,and excel lent
Plaz a Real wines i n i t s cel lars . This i s a restauran tat wh ich t he pr i ces are not marked ont h e card of t h eday
,but they are not higher than those at most of
t he other restauran ts ofBarcelona . There are somevery pleasant pr i vate rooms at t he restauran t
,and a
large room for banquets . Th e cu i s i ne i s almosten t i rely French . You can get a very fai r d inner,wine and al l
,at Just in’ s for about 65 . bu t i f you
are giv ing a d inner par ty,and are prepared to pay
30 pesetas or 1 83 . a head,Justi n ’ s wi l l give you such
a d inner as t he menu I give below,wine and al l
Huitres d e Marennes .
Consommé Colbert .Hors d ’oeuvre varié s .
Loup . Sauce Hollandaise.
Cdtelettes d e Sangl ier Venai son.
Salmis d e Bécasses.
ChaponTruff é .
Petits pois a la creme.
G lace Napol itaine .
D esserts assortis .
R ioja blanco .V inicola.
Cl iquot sec frappé .
Th e R i oj a blanco, Diamante, and V in icola seemto be t h e wines most generally drunk at Just in ’ s .MM . Marius and Ger ina were t he propr ietors
,but
I am told that Mons . Mar ius i s no longer incommand .In t he central square
,t he Plaza Cataluna
,i s t he
279
new and gorgeous Restaurant Colon,attached to
t h e hotel of that name . Th e decorat ion s of t h e
i n ter i o r are art i st i c,and the bu i ld i ng Colon
,P la z a
bears oni t s facade i n gold and colou rs catalunat he arms of t he pr i nc i pal European nat ions . Here
,
as at Just i n ’ s,t he cookery i s almost enti rely of t h e
French school . T h e chef i s M . Azcoaga,t he manager
M . Scatt i . There i s a good fixed-pri ce lunch andd inner
,spec imen menus of wh ich I give
5 PTs . D EJEUN ER .
Hors d ’oeuvre .
(Eufs poché s Princesse.
F 1le ts d e Sole Waleska.Poulet Cocotte Bayald y .
Buffet froid .
F i let gri llé . Pommes fondantes .
Biscui t glacé .D essert.
6 PTs . D INNER .
Hors d ’oeuvre .
Consommé D uchesse.
Creme W ind sor .Turbot. Sauce Hollandaise.
Carré d ’Agneau Maintenon.
Haricot s verts Anglaise .
Cai lle sur Canapé .Salad e .
Peches R ichel ieu.
D essert .
The Cont i nen tal and Mart i n ’ s are restauran ts forwh i ch every one has a good word . Th e former ,
i s i n t he Plaza Cataluna,and i ts cu isi ne Cont inental ,
i s both fore ign and of th e country . On Plaz a Cat alunai ts b i l l of fare are always three pla ts cle j our , andthat onone day , Ravioli: Napoli z
‘
a ine,Escargots Bour
280 The,
Gourmet ’ s Guide to Surope
guinonne, and Filet gr ille Bord ela ise were t he th reed ishes
,and onanother ai
‘
uf s M ey erbeer, Filet de veau
f roid aux Legumes, and Rap M ar inera shows t he
var iety of th e fare . T h e pr i ces of these d ishes are
al l -between I and 2 pesetas . Under t h e head ingof f r itures, al l k i nds of conchas and Escalopi z
‘as and
Croquet tas are to b e found , as wel l as t h e Fr itoM ixcoand the fi sh column gives an interest in g selec t i on of
t he sea den i z ens of t h e coast— Rap, Ca lamares, M er
luz a,P oufvine
,and others .
Mart in ’ s i n t h e R ambla d el Cent ro i s almost i n
Mart in’
s ,
fron t of t h e Opera House,and has a
Rambla d el number of snug l i tt le rooms for supperCent ro part ies
,of two or more
,after t he
theatre .
T he Grand Hote l d es Q uatre Nation s on t h e
Rambla i s anup-to-date house
,and has a restau rant
Francai s ,
at tached to i t wh ich i s cal led t h e Res
Ramhla d el taurant Francais, and wh i ch is in tendedcent” to attrac t guests from t he tow n as wel las v i s i tors stayin g i n t he hotel . I ts appoin tments areexcel len t
,and so i s i ts orchestra .
P ony/hers, l i t t le round b iscu i ts always eaten onNov . I
,can b e obtained i n Barcelona al l t he year
round . Foez ola (pronounced Fay z ola ) i s a local di sh .
It cons i sts of whi te beans and sausages,t he beans
bei ng boi led before be ing placed in t h e oven to bakewith t he sausages . d r roz cond nguillas (r ice and eels),i n to whi ch octopi and mussels are often i n troduced ,i s anothe r d ish of t he town
,and so i s M enudos d c
Gallina (ch i cken tr i pe) .The Marqui s d e Riscal
,a red R i oj a wh i ch I have
prev iously alluded to,and wh ich i s a comparat ive ly
expensi ve wine,costs 4 pesetas a bott le . There
are many l igh t i nexpensive wines of local growth ,suc h as Soller
,Castel l del Remey. and O l z i ne l las ,
both red and wh ite .
2 82 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
(fi l lets of sole fr ied in bat ter) are excel len t,and some
of h i s egg d i shes, notably h i s E uf s Poche’
s au Gra t in,
are revelat i ons to t he Engl ishman,w ho bel ieves that
eggs can only be bo i led,or poached in water
,or fr ied .
T he restauran t of t h e Casino,I am told
,i s some
t imes a pleasan t place wi th good cookery . Th isdepends upon what play i s i n progress i nt he gaming -rooms . When th e Court
i s at San Sebasti an t he gaming i s of a mi ld d escript i on . When there i s no chance of off end ing t he
pur i tan i sm of Court c i rc les,t he “ maximums are
ra ised to Monte Carlo l im its,and t he gamb lers
,w ho
give no though t to t h e total of the i r b i l ls,come to
play at th e most amus ing town Of t h e north of Spain .
I,most un fortunately
,at e a d inner at the Casino
dur ing one of t h e “off
” per iods,and I have never
had suffic ien t pluck to exper iment there again . Ont h e occas ion of my exper imen t I had been warned thatI should not be wel l served
,but I thought that t he
v iew of t he town and t he garden,wit h i ts p i cturesque
,
c rowd,would make amends for any d i latori ness . Th is
was th e menu of t h e d inne r that I partook of,and
,
though wine was inc luded i n the repast,to conc i l iate
th e haughty Span iard i n d ress-clothes w ho came andlooked at me as though I were an “
earth-man,
” Io rdered a p i nt of Diamante
Casino
Hors-d ’oeuvre .
POTAGES .
Creme d e volail le . Consommé R iche .
PO1 SSON .
Langouste . Sauce Tartare .
ENTREE .
Salmis d e Perdreaux au Jere z .
L E'GUMEs .Tomates farcies Provencale.
Spa i 2 83
R61 1 .
F i let d e Boeuf P iqué Broche. Salade .
ENTREMETS .
Arlequin. D essert
I do not th ink that I ever had a worse—served 7 francsworth of food . Once i n my l i fe
,at a Ch icago hotel
,
I saw a negro wai ter shaki ng up t he bottle Of burgundy I had ord ered
,j ust to amuse h is b rother coons
,
”
and I fel t a hel pless exasperat ion as I watched h im .
T he same feel i ng of vo iceless anger was upon me as Iwatched t he gentleman who was supposed at t he SanSebast ian Casi no to keep me suppl ied wi th hot food
,
bring a d ish from t h e i n ter io r of t he café and then puti t down on somebody e l se’ s table to cool wh i le h es trol led across th e terrace to ask t he mili tary guard ianat t he gate how many people had paid for admiss ion,or at what hour t he ban d played
,or what number had
won t he lottery .
Th e Urbana in t he P laza Gui puzcoaLa Urbana
i s a S pan i sh restauran t wh ich pr ides 1 5 1>1a z a
i tself on i ts French cui s i ne .
Gmpuz coa
O f t h e cafés the bright Novel ty i n Novelt y Café't he Alameda i s t h e most amusing .
AlamedaThe v iew from t he terrace of t he restau ran t of
Monte Ulia i s so fine that th e cookery Monteof t he establ i shmen t
,w h 1ch 1S always
suffi c ien tly good,becomes a secondary considerat ion
on a clear spr ing morn ing .
Ulia
TH E SAN SE BA ST I AN CLUB S
Th e Real Club Naut i co i s bui lt i n t he shape of ash ip and command s a Splend id v iew of th e bay . Int he hot weather i t i s very pleasan t to d ine ont he deckof th is sh i p ashore and l i sten to the musi c of t he Casinoband
,t he Casi no b e ing j ust beh ind t h e c lub-house .
2 84. The Gourmet ’s Guide lo 8urope
Th e Cantabrico Club,of wh ich t he Cantab rico
Restauran t forms part,i s i n t h e Cal le Miramar . T h e
restauran t i s t he scene of many banque ts . T h e
Cantab rico Club has acqui red a great stretch of landtwo mi les away from t h e tow n ont h e Urumea R i ve r .Here a Coun try Club i s to b e formed
,a club-house
i s to be bu i l t,and lawn-tenn is courts
,a gol f course
,
and a pigeon-shooti ng enclosure are to b e made .
Senor Fel ix D ot res has made a golf course on h i sproperty round t h e Vi l la Z i nza
,and has formed a gol f
c lub of wh ich many members are of t h e Span i shnob i l i ty .
Th e Cercle Francai s on th e fi rst floo r of t he Caféd e la Mari na i s another Of t h e San Sebast ian clubs .
BI L BAO
I t i s cur ious that at t he great northern town of
S pain there should be no first-class restauran ts . Th e
two best i n t h e town are th e Ant iguo,i n t h e Calle d e
Bidebarrieta,and t he Moderno . Both of these boast
what th e S pan iards term Cocina F rancesa,whi ch only
means that i f you make a request,as th e Engl i sh
always do,t h e cook wi ll fry your food wi th but ter
in stead of oil.O f t h e clubs of Bi l bao t he Real S port ing Club i s
t h e most i n terest ing to Engl i sh v i s i tors . Its float i ngpav i l i on int he bay i s a two-stor ied house—boat wi tha Shel ter over t h e deck .
PORTUGA L ETE
At Portugalete,t h e port of Bi lbao
,there i s a
restaurant m good , as S pan ish restauran ts go— attachedto ’ the hotel of t he place
,t he Inza
,t h e propr ieto r
of which i s D n. Manue l Calvo . Th e cook andt he staff of wai ters come from Lhardy
’
s,th e we l l
2 86 The Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
i n French,which h e i nd i cated that h e d id not under
stand,but h e grasped the fact that I wanted d i nner .
I was given weak consommé,a very th in sl i ce of very
pale salmon,filerpique
'
,f oie gras ou gele’
e,fowl and salad
and anice . I t w as very much t h e d i nne r one wouldexpect as t he 5 8. table d
’
hoz‘e meal of a London hotel .T he charge w as 1 2 pesetas
,about OS . I drank a pin t
of good Span i sh claret for wh ich I was charged 2 s .
,
and a v i le glass of Span ish brandy for wh ich I wascharged 9d . Th e serv i ce I must admi t w as excel lent .To t he st ranger
”
i n any cap i tal i t always seems ap i ty that t he pr inc i pal restauran ts always try to g ivethei r customers a French d inner and not a d inner o ft he d i shes of t he country . Below i s t he menu of abanque t given at Lhardy
’
s i n honour of Anton ioFuentes th e bul l-figh t er. It cost th e guests 2 5pesetas ap iece . There i s noth i ng to d ist i nguish i t
,
except i ts lack of or ig inal i ty,from any l ike feast i n
a French prov in c ial town .
Consommé P rintanier Royal .F i lets d e Sole a la Normande .
Tournedos a la Chateaubriand .
Chaud ~ froid d e Cail les .
Chapons d e F rance rdt is .
P etits Poi s a I ’AnglaiseCroute Grosei lle .
Biscui ts Glacés .
D essert .
VI Ns.
Jerez .
Bordeaux .
Champagne frappé .Café et L iqueurs .
Th e Cafe' d e Fornos i n t he Calle d e Alcala i s th eother restaurant, outs ide those of the hotel s, i n wh i ch
Spa in 2 87
I have eatena meal . I t i s qui te a wel l-decorated ser iesof rooms ont he ground floor
,and looks more l ike a
c lub d i n i ng-room than a café . It seems Café d e Fornos ,to b e asleep dur ing t he greater port ion Calle d e M031 5
of t he day,a somnolen t wai ter i n a cane chai r b ei ng
t he one occupan t of t he rooms,but i t wakes to l i fe at
meal-t imes and i n t h e even ing . T he lunch I at e
there cost me about I O pesetas . T h e house has al i ft
,and on the fi rs t floo r are cabinets par t iculier s
where l i tt le supper part ies are g iven after t he theatre .
Th e Mad rilese dandy W i sh i ng to sup Café Ingles ,c‘
z deux general ly patron ises t he Cafe Calle d e SeVfllaIngles i n t h e Calle de Sev i l la
,where th e private rooms
are sai d to b e part i cularly wel l decorated .
T he Ideal Room i s a recent add i t i on to t he Madrilene restauran ts . T he Span iard s d e Th e Ideal Room,
scr i be i t as La ult ima palahra— th e last 034113 Alcalaword
,i n such establ i shments . At La Vina P
,SO I
am told by Span iards,t he bes t cookery
L V'
Pof t he coun try i s to b e found . The
a ma
Casa de Bot iou off t he Calle Mayor has been established for th ree centur ies . Its spec ial ty Casa d e Botioui s Span i sh cookery . It cor responds to Calle May ort he Chesh i re Cheese i n London.
Most Anglo-Saxons pass ing through Madrid are
conten ted to breakfast and d ine at thei r hotel,and
,
before t he a dven t of t he R i tz,n in e ou t Hot el d e Pari s ,
of t enEngl i shmen went to t he Hotel Puert a (1 9 1 301
de Par i s . T he meals served i n t h e l ow-ce i l i ngedrestauran t
,wi th i ts wonderful outlook and i ts army
of wh i te-clothed tables,are ne i ther noti ceably good
nor not i ceably bad . Th e Engl ishman who knowsh is w ay about Madrid on arr i v i ng at t h e Hote ld e Pari s has h i s bath
,and then for b reakfast o rders
P escaa’o F r ito,for all S pan iards are born fryers
,and t he
chef at t he Pari s i s a past-master wi th th e fry i ng—pan .
If there are salmon steaks— t he salmon of the Bay of
2 88 The Gourmet’
s Guide to 8urope
Bi scay— h e orders one of those to b e fr ied,and h e
asks whether t h e great prawns caught off th e coastat Cad iz are on t h e menu . Tor t illa conj amon(omelet tewi th Montanchez ham), Renones c‘l la hrochet (k idneysona skewer) , and perhaps a S l i ce of truff led tu rkey
,
complete h i s repast ; after wh i ch h e l igh ts a Brevad e Cabanas or D e Book and strol ls to t he Museo tolook at t h e Old masters .Parisiana i s i n t he park of Mondoa
,about twenty
Pari sianamlnu tes by t ra in from t he Puerta d elSol . It 15 open from Ap r1l t lll Septem
b er. A Hungarian band plays dur ing d inner, and t hecookery i s sai d to b e good .
MAD R I L EN E CLUB S
The Nuevo Club, int he Calle d e Sev i l la,i s smal l
Nuevo Club, and very select ..
The Haute Noblesses calle d e and t he d iplomat lst s form t he greaterSev1 11a proport i on of i ts members . An excellen t d inner i s ob tai nable there .
The Gran Pena,i n t he Cal le Alcala
,i s also selec t
,
Granp efia,and i s largely used by mi l i tary Officers
3 Calle Meal-é” and by civ i l servants . The GranPena admi ts temporary fore ign members .Casino d e The Cas1a o d e Mad r1d I S t he l argestMadrid , Calle of t h e Mad r1d clubs . It has bought ad e “ can” property In t he Calle d e Alcala
,wh ic h
has been converted i n to a most luxur i ous c lub-house .
Tiro d e Pich én,T h e pigeon-shoot i ng c lub i s at Casa
casa “19 Camp o d e Campo,t he Royal Park across t he
r i ver to t h e west of Mad rid .
2 90 The Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
(anchov ies), Sard inas, P escado, P escad illa, Casson, andCalama res (octop i ) are amongst the various fi sh fried .
A halfpenny bunch of rad i shes bough t from t he old
woman with a basket w ho stands outside t he ShOpi s a very usual accompan iment to the fi sh . Any onew ho would sooner eat h is fi sh on t he spot can gointo a room attached to th e shop and there for apeseta and a half h e can sup onol ives
,rad i shes
,fr ied
sole,and Manzan i l la . O f Andalusi an fish-d i shes
,
Cor ‘vina con Guisantes (a coarse fi sh,stewed
,with
peas and a r i ch sarice), Salmonez‘
e a l H orno (red mulletbaked wi th sl i ces of on ion and tomatoes
,oil and
v1negar), are two of t he bes t . Tor ij a, a d i sh ch ieflyeaten onGood Fr iday, consi sts of sl i ces of breadd i pped 1nsweet wine or sherry
,fr ied in oil
,and then
covered wi th honey and water . Empan’ado de f amon,another d i sh i n wh ic h sher ry i s used
,i s less outre
’
than t h e above . A Sl i ce of ham i s put between two
sl i ces of bread an d d i pped i n sherry,and t he sandwich
thus made i s d ipped‘
inegg and fr ied . Ch icken tri pe
(lungs, l i vers, and combs of ch icken stewed 21 la M ode
de Caen) and t he wel l—known Cr iad ella,i f not Anda
lusian d i shes,are cooked to perfect ion in Andalusia.
M enudo a la F lamensca i s tr i pe and trotters and Chor i z o,
t he sausage of t he coun try,s tewed together . Pre
served frui ts and var ious forms of Tur ron(sugar paste)are Specialt 1es of Sevi lle, t he best shop for them bei ngalmost opposi te to the lion’ s 'mout h let ter-box in t h e
S ierpes .
SE V I L L E
Th e cookery at t h e Sev i l le hotels has been ratherunj ustly abused . Th e great rush of Br i ti sh travel lersSets toward s Sev i lle about t he t ime
'
of t he Fai r and of
Holy Week,and many of my compatri o ts are d i s
appoin ted not to find a-large caravanserai w i th anAust r ian manager, a F rench chef, a Swed ish hall
Spain“
2 9 1
por ter,and German wai ters
,telephones and motor—cars
,
an d al l t he other conven iences wh ic h are gatheredtogether i n t he monster mod ern hotel wh i ch takesno colou r from t he country i t i s i n . Sev i lle i s Sev i l le ;no one i s in a hurry there ; and i f t he guests donot l ike what i s prov ided for them
,the i r hosts are
genuinely gr ieved,and that i s al l . Journeying to
Sev i lle j us t before Fai r t ime,I once met an Engl i sh
couple of my acquain tance w ho were coming onmore le i su rely to t he same dest inat i on . I asked themwhether they had secured the i r rooms
,for rooms are
at a premium dur ing the two great weeks of t he
year,and they said that they had not though they
had wri tten for them,but that they would b e obl iged
to me if I would i n si st on th e manager keep ing forthem two good bedrooms
,a si tt i ng-room
,and a maid ’ s
room . Th e s i tt i ng-room should get t he mornin g sun ,th e bedrooms must b e qui te qu iet
,and t h e maid ’ s
room must b e near that of her mistress . Of coursethey might as wel l have asked for t he moon and afew stars wi th wh i ch to t r im i t .I have Stayed at both t he hotels to wh ic h AngloSaxons go
,t h e Mad ri d and t he Par i s, and have found
t he feed ing very much onan equal i ty, Hot el d eMad r1 d
rather rough,i n tended to b e t h e H aute Calle d e Men
Cuisine F ranpaise, but fall ing cons iderd ez Nunez
ably short int he at tempt . T h e Hotel d e Madr id hasa great pat i o wi th palms and creepers as i ts adornmen ts
,and th i s i s a pleasant place i n which to s i t
after d i nner . All t h e chefs at t he Madrid are,I am
told,French . I t should always be put to t he cred i t
of t h e ki tchen of th i s hote l that H uevos cl la Flamenpaw ere fi rst cooked there .
T he feed ing at t he Hotel d e Pa 1 i s i s rather moreSpan i sh than
6
t hat of i ts r ival , and a nat ional d i shfrequently makes i ts appearance on t he b i l l of fare .
O n t he last occas ion on wh i ch I stayed at the Par is
2 9 2 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeI was given a sleepi ng-room in t he hotel ’ s annexe
,a
house i n t he same l i t t le square,and foun d t he i n ter i o r
Hot el d e Pari s ,
of t h e house comparat i vely quiet, thoughPla z a d el out s1d e t he no 1se of t ram bel l s and mulePacmco bel l s and t he other hundred and onesounds of t h e Seviliann ight wen t onmerr i ly i n t he
square,whi ch must have been named Pac ifico as a
j oke.
I am told onvery good author i ty that t he cookeryat the Hotel Paz i s better than that in any otherhote l i n Sev i l le
,and that t h e Hote l Cec i l has a chef
w ho may bri ng t h e restaurant i n to favour .In t he Calle d e las S ierpes
,Paul Bourguet p re
s ides over El Pasaje de O r iente,qui te a large restau
E1 Pasaj e d eran t and café
, pat 1sser1e, and charcut ler’
s
Oriente , Ca11e shop,W i th an en trance In a street at
d e las Sierp es t he back as wel l as i n th e narrow mai nalley . Paul has been manager and ma itre d ’hdtel i nseveral important restauran ts i n d iff erent parts of t heworld
,and t he cooke ry at El Pasaj e d e O r iente i s
both French and Span i sh . I was taken to breakfastthere by fr iend s who had told Paul to b e on h i smet t le . W e wen t th rough t he lower rooms of t he
restauran t,whi ch were fi l led W 1 t h Span iard s eati ng
the i r almuer z o,and in to a qu ie t l i tt le room on th e
fi rst floor looking down onto t he busy Calle d e lasS ierpes . Paul had elected to Show me t he FrenchS i de of t he cookery of h is establ i shmen t
,and gave
us a capi tal b reakfast i n wh i ch eggs and kidneysplayed a prominen t part
,and some adm i rable Caf e
’
Special. Had he e lected to give me a b reakfast of
purely Sevilianpla ts I should have been even morethankful to my hosts and to Paul ; but I had anexce l len t meal . A band plays i n t he café from
7 P .M . to midn ight . A table d’
lzdz‘e lunch and d innerare served in t h e restaurant . The wise man go i ngto the O r iente wil l send for Paul and tel l h im h is
2 94 The Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
t ruth to tel l,t h e rust i c charm of t h e garden i s a
greater attract ion than th e Eritana cookery . It i swel l
,however
,not to grumble too much to t h e pro
prietor Manuel, general ly known as Manol i to, a smal lgrey-hai red Span iard
,w ho has a twinkle i n h i s eyes .
He says l i t t le,but what l i t t le he says i s always to
t h e poin t . One of the stor ies told Of h im i s that ayoung Span iard
,who owed Manol i to a large sum for
d inners,brought some fr iends to d i ne
,and fussed so
much over t he order ing of t h e meal that h e annoyedManol i to .
“ I wi l l br i ng you a d ish,a most extra
ord inary d ish,a d i sh you have never seen before
,
”
sa i d Manol i to,and d i sappeared
,to return immed iately
wi th a large d i sh capped by a great cover . The d i shwas put before t he over—part i cu lar S pan iard an d t hecover wh isked Off . Ont h e d i sh lay t h e very long andmuch over-due b i ll .Th e Tabernas
,or wine—rooms
,are part of t he
l i fe of th e town. I general ly go before d inner to
Pasaj e d e la th e Pasaj e d e la Magdalena,whi ch is
Magdalena,
almost opposi te t he Hote l d e Madrid,
031 19 11 9 Mendez to d r ink a glass of very l igh t,very d ry
Nune zM
'
ll et i r Thereanz am a as an app se
i s excel len t sherry Inthe b ig casks wh ich are namedafter ce lebri t ies
,Wel l ington b eIng duly honoured in
th i s manner,and t he pr i ces are ext 1 aord inarily cheap .
I have never been bold enough to t ry t he l i t t le crabsand t he snai l s wh i c h th e Span iards eat as a rel i sh wi thth e i r w ine .
SEV I L I AN CLU B S
O f the clubs,t he Circulo d e Labradores i n t h e
Calle S ierpes i s t he most importan t . It has a good
Circulo d e read ing-room with a supply of fore ignLabradores , newspapers . S trangers p roperly 1ntrocane S lerp es duced can become temporary membersat a subscr i pt ion Of 20 pesetas a month
,except
SA 2 9 5
dur ing the month of Apri l,when the subsc ri pt ion i s
1 00 pesetas .T h e two most exclus ive clubs are t h e Casino
Sevilliano i n t h e Plaza d el D uque, Casino p laz a,
and t h e Casino Nuevo,more gene d el D uque
ral ly known as the Casinillo,or F ramb rera . The
lat ter i s t h e sport ing club of t he c i ty.
I t has a c harming l i tt le c lub-housewhi ch i s decorated wi th shoot i ng and hunt i ng pi ctures by the best art i st s of t he modern school ofSevi l le . During t he Fai r week t he other c lubs giverat her formal balls int he i r pav i l i ons on th e ground
,
but the members of t h e sport i ng club engage all th ebest professi onal dancers i n Sev i l le to amuse the i rguests . Th e pav i l i on of th i s c lub
,wh ich i s a plat
form l igh ted by many electri c l i gh ts,i s t h e cen tre
at n ight of a vast assemblage of in tensely in terestedSpec tators
,for al l t he people who sel l and buy at t he
Fai r gather round to see t he fine si gh t . Ont he h ighplatform are t he guests and hosts
,and the gi rls in
the i r br igh t—coloured garments danc ing to t he musi cof t h e gui tars or s i tt in g and clapp ing the i r hands tomark t he beat . All round in t he darkness are thousand s Of eager eyes i n dusky faces watch ing intentlyevery movement of t he dancers .
Casinillo
BO BA D I L L A
The j unction of t h e l i nes to Sev i l le, Granada, andAlgeceiras i s Bobad i lla, and there al l t rai ns wai t fo rhalf-an-hour that t h e passengers may feed . Th e meali s qui te a good sample of S pan i sh cookery
,and i t i s
fortunate that th i s i s t he case,for Engl i sh t ravel lers
coming from G i bral tar general ly have the i r fi rst ex
perience here of t he Span ish cu i s i ne . Soup or eggs,accord ing to t he t ime Of day
,an en trée
,a j o in t
,and
fi sh form t he menu of the usual meal . I kept a note
2 96 The Gourmet ’s Guide t o Europeof a meal I at e at th i s rai lway buff et
,and find that an
omelet te,one of t h e l ight ones
,stewed beef and ch ick
beans,a ragout of veal
,fi sh fr ied in butte r
,and cheese
were t he d ishes I was gi ven . T h e garl i c I though thad been rubbed i n wi th too heavy a hand
,but other
wise the meal was excel len t . A very beaut i ful Andalus ian used to be the presi d ing Hebe at t h e bar
,but
th is pleasant s igh t to travel lers ’ eyes has now van i shed .
Probably t he pret ty lady has mar1 ied and ret i red .
GR ANA D A
The great del i cacy of Granada are t h e T raveles
hams,chestnut-fed and snow-cured . They are ob
tainable only i n t he mountain town of Traveles,near
Granada, and t he p ig-b reeders are so j ealous of poss i bleimi tat ions that every genui ne ham is branded wi tht he corporat ion stamp of the town . Gr i lled t routfrom t he adj acent r iver Darro are del igh tful eat ing
,
and t he flavour of t he small -wild strawberr ies fromt he Alhambra garden s i s as pleasant as those Oft he Alps .Th e Alhambra Palace Hotel
,wh ich i s qui te c lose
to the Alhambra,1s t he newest h otel InGranada
,and
Th e Alh ambra i s said to be up to date i n i ts cookery .
Palace I t i s owned by a large landed proprietorof th e prov i n ce
,the Duque de San Pedro
,and i t was
opened by King Alfonso onNew Year ’ s Day 1 9 1 0 .
TheWashington Irv ing and the S iete Suelos Hote ls,
t he two houses always patron i sed by t he Br i t i sh andWash ington Amer icans onvoyage, before t he AlIrving hamb ra Palace Hotel was bu i l t
,are
opposi te to each other near t h e Alhambra,and are both
under t he same managemen t . T he cookery at thesehotels i s somet imes qu i te good, for Spai n somet imesi t i s not . When I last stayed at t he Wash ingtonIrv i ng a decade ago t he two hotels were i n one of
2 98 The Gourmet ’s Guide to 8urope
TH E CLUB S O F JER Ez
The c lubs of Jerez are t he Cas i no Nat ional i n the
Calle Larga,t h e lead ing club of the town
,and t he
Casino. Jerez ano, t h e Agricul tural Club, also i n t he
Calle Larga . In both these clubs,as i n al l S pan i sh
c lubs,mild roulette i s played
,espec ial ly at Fai r t ime .
A Lawn-tenn i s Club,a Polo Club
,an d t he Jerez Gun
Club complete th e l i st . At al l these clubs an Engl i shmanhav ing proper i ntroduct ions i s we l comed as anhonorary
,or a temporary
,member . It was at the
Jerez GunClub that K ing Alfonso wont he hearts ofthe makers of Sher ry . A big challenge cup had beenshot for. I t was
‘
filled with wine,and t h e king
,who
had been shoot i ng,was about to d r i nk to t h e town
and t h e winner,when looking i n to t he cup h e saw
that th e l i qui d was champagne .
“ Take t h i s away,
”
h e said,
“ and b r ing i t to me ful l of sher ry . I wi l ld r i nk to t he town of Jerez i n i ts owngood wi ne .
”
CA D rz
F i sh i s t he contr i but i on of Cad iz to th e ki tchen .
There i s a small var iety of so le,cal led local ly d sad ia
,
which,fr ied dry
,i s a very tooth some morsel . Fried red
mullet i s a local d i sh much apprec iated . The prawnsof Cad iz are very large and very fine . Th e shel lfi sh are better avo ided
,for t he drains of t h e town
empty in to th e bay .
Th e d i n ing-room of t h e Hote l d e Franc i a i s th erestauran t of Cad iz . Th e hotel w as bu i l t by t he
Hot el d e presen t propr ietor wi th money woni nFrancia , Plaz a t he lot tery . Th e whi te marble pat iod e Mma gives t he hote l anappearance of daz zl i ng cleanl i ness
,and t he house i s i n fact exceed ingly
Spa in 2 99
wel l managed . Th e “ pension of th e hotel i s 1 5pesetas a day . Th e cook knows h i s art
,and when a
pr ivate d inner i s ordered everyth ing i s real ly excel len t .There are no restaurants i n Cad iz not attached tohotels . Th e establ i shments wh ich cal l
Cerveceria
themselves restauran ts are real ly cafés . Ingles ,P la z a d e
Th e Cerveceria Ingles,however
,will 1a Cons ti tution
give luncheons and d inners to a Spec ial order,and
they are very good —for Cad iz .
About th ree miles outs ide t he town,ont h e l i ne of
t he t ramway,i s t h e Balnear i o . This i s a new Casi no
and bath ing establ i shmen t bui l t on t hesands some th i rt y yard s from t he sea.
Luncheons and d inners are served at t h e usual hotelpr ices
,and are good . This establ i shment i s a new
depar ture for t he south of Spain,where i t i s unusual
to see lad ies and the i r fami l ies abroad dur ing t h e dayt ime Th e s i te fac i ng t he Atlan t i c i s very heal thy .
I t i s proposed to bu i ld an hote l adj oi n i ng t he Casi no,
and do much toward s improv ing t he cu is ine,hop ing
to at tract v i si tors from all parts of Spai n .
Th e Balneario
TH E CA D I Z CLUB S
The Casino Gad i tano i s th e ch ief club i n Cad iz .
Thi s i s not a club as w e understand i t,s i nce no meals
are served there. I t i s,however
,a soc ial cen tre
,and
here take place dances and bal ls and enterta i nments tofore ign royal t ies
,&c . At cer tain per iods of t he year
roulette i s played there . When t h e Governor changes,which i s often
,roulet te i s general ly stopped by a new
order . After a Short i n terval,however
,t he i n fluence
of t he members of t he club proves more powerfulthan t he Governor ’ s order, and play recommences .
300 The Gourmet ’s Guide t o Europe
SAN LU CARSan Lucar
,at t h e mouth of t he Sev i l le R iver
,
oppos i te Cad iz,i s t he favour i te water ing-place of t he
Sev i l le world . There are fine sands . D ur i ng t he
summer months t he Cisnos Hotel of Jerez open s abran ch at San Lucar . San Lucar i s cons idered t he
most healt hy and sunny spot 0 11 t h i s coast,and the re
has long been talk of bu i ld i ng a good hote l there by aBelgi an synd icate . A good hotel would certai n lyprosper. Th e king ’ s uncle has a palace there
,bu i l t
onaccoun t of the reputat ion of San Lucar as a heal thresort .
ALG ECE I R A S
There i s an octagon corner i n t he d ini ng-room oft he Re i na Ch ri s t i na wi th a look-out onto a sub-trop i cal
Reina Ch r i st inagardenwhich i s pleasan tly rememb eredby all who have d ined there . T h e
hotel has an Engl i sh manageress,w ho pr ides herse l f
onobtain i ng pr imeurs for her cl ients,and a French
chef. T he fi sh here 1 s always beaut i full y fresh,be i ng
ju st caught before going to t he cooking-pot or fryin gpan . T h e red mullet and the fresh sard i nes are two of
t h e favour i te fi sh d i shes . A new wing has recen tlybeen added to t he hotel . There I S room
,however
,ln
Algeceiras for another hotel, the pri ces of w h 1ch wouldfi t th e pockets of t he Offic ial world of G i b ral tar . ACasino has been bu i l t
,by a French synd icate
,c lose to
t he Re in a Chri st ina,and an endeavour i s be i ng made
to give Algeceiras al l t he amusements to b e found i nthe towns of t he R i v iera .
RO N D ARonda i s d est i ned to b e a refuge for t he sold iersand offic ials of G i b ral tar when they feel t he weather
PORTUGAL
Lisbon— LisbonClubs— Cintra -Estoril -Cascaes— OportoThe Clubs of Opri rto
m Bussaco— Pamp ilhosa .
MY acquain tance wi th t he cookery of Portugal i s sol im ited that I wi l l not attempt to lay down t he lawon t he subj ec t . B1 it ish lad ies who have l ived forsome t ime i n t he coun try always add some of t h e
Portuguese soups to the i r book of recettes,and some
of th e Portuguese egg d i shes, such as Domin i cans,”
are excel lent . T h e P oula rd e d lhuf era, which hold s avery proud posi t i on i n the H aute Cuisine F ran
sca ise, i s
real ly a Portuguese d i sh . When,dur i ng the Pen i n a
sular War,t he French troops sacked t he Conven t of
Albufera,part Of the i r spo i l was t he book of recet tes
kept by the cook . Thi s volume,carr ied to Pari s
,was
looked at by one of t h e great chefs of t he day,and
t he Chi cken of Albufera became a h igh ly commendedFrench d i sh .
L I S B ONThere are good hotel s to stay at i n Li sbon
,and there
are restauran ts i n plen ty,but to t ry t h e cookery of some
of t he town eat i ng-houses a gourmet requ i res to haveh i s taste educated up to
,or down to
,t he Portuguese
standard .
At t he Braganza,a l i ttle club of bachelor
’
Br i tonsBraganz a ,
3 ua have been i n th e hab i t of d in i ng to
Viet or Cord-0n gether’ and order ing the i r d i nner i nadvance
,and th i s 15 a fai r sample of what t he steady
302
{Por tugal 303
going but very comfortable hostel ry can do when i tchooses :
Madeira R iche.
J ohannishergerClaus ) .
Chd/eau Giscour s .
George Goulet .
P or to I 8 I 5
L iqueurs .
A good breakfast of two ample pla ts only and a longand sound d inner are served dai ly at I I A.M . and 7 P .M .
Th e pr ice i s moderate,bei ng about 900 re
’ i s and 1 1 00
respect ively . (It i s wel l to remember that t he ex
change var ies cons iderab ly,and i t i s therefore d ifficul t
to give t h e equivalen ts i n sterl i ng for t he pr ices quoted,
but 4500 to 5 200 ré i s may b e roughly taken at £ 1sterl ing .) Th e proprietor i s M . Saset t i
,w ho i s ably
suppor ted by h i s manager and by a head wai ter namedCelest i no
,a most useful person ineve1 y way .
Wines,sp i r i ts
,and l iqueurs of fore ign or igin are
expensive at t he Braganza, as t hey are everywhereel se
,owing to t he h igh custom tari ff ; but th e local
wines,amongst wh ich may b e c i ted Collares
,Collares
Branco,Serraday res wh ite and red
,Bucel las
,are
al l good and cheap table wines . Lombadas (fromMade i ra) and Monte Banz iio (from a spr i ng i n t he
pi ne-woods west of Ci ntra) are t he best table-waters .I stayed mysel f at t he Avenida Palace Hotel, and
Queues d e Boeuf. Creme Clamart.Petits Soufllés D és ir.SaumonSauce Genevoise .
Selle d e P resale a la Montpens ier.Poularde a l’Ambassad rice .
Paind e foies gras enBellevue .
P unch au K irsch .
Asperges Sauce Mousseuse .
P intades Truffées .
Salade Japonaise .
Timbales a la L yond’
Or.
Glaces a la Américaine.
Petits fours .
D essert .CAFE.
304 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europefound t he cookery there ne i ther good enough to prai senor bad enough to condemn . Li sbon has half-a-dozen
Th e Avenida restauran ts,but I d i d not exper iment i n
Hot el,Rua d o them all . My fi rst v i s i t was to t h e Café
”meme Tavares,where Senor Cald eria i s t he
host . T h e restauran t i s i n th e Rua Largo do S .
Café Tavares ,
Roque . T h e fron t room i s c reamRua Largo d o coloured and has large m i rrors on i t sS ‘ Roque walls . Beh ind th i s b ig room i s a nestof rakish-looking l i t t le pr ivate rooms wi th groundglass doors . In these rooms t he young bloods of
Lisbon revel from midn igh t unt i l th e small hours .For the i r convenlence there i s a back door i n t he Ruadas Gaveas . There i s a good rah/e d
’
ho‘
z‘
e lunch servedfor 600 ré i s
,and a table d ’hdte d i nner for 800 réi s . I
wen t to t he Tavares at lunch-t ime,and found that I
w as ent i t led for my money to hor s d’
oeuv re,th ree
other d i shes selected from t h e b i l l of fare,cheese and
fru i ts . I selected d nguilles a la P or tuga ise as one Ofmy pla ts
,hop ing that i t migh t b e a nat ional d i sh ;
T h e ee l s were j ust l i ke any other Stewed ones, wi th athick brown sauce .
In searc h of t he nati onal d i shes I d in ed at t he Leaod’
OurO i n t he Rua do Pr i nc i pe kept by Anton i oLea’o d ’Ouro,
Monte i ro,and found i t a rather bare
Rua d o Princi p e but perfectly c lean room wi th big pictures of r i ve r scenery and game i n heavy woodenframes ont h e green walls, and a pleasan t suggest i onof Bohemian i sm i n t h e company, for most of t h e menwho sat at the tables of bent wood and marble lookedas though they were menof t he pen, or brush , or oft he sock and buskin . A great golden l ion rampant ont he wine coun te r explain s t he name of t h e h ouse.
The meals of th e Golden Lion are cl la ca r te. Iknew that Sopa de Cama rao, a bi sque of prawns, i s aSpec ial ty of t he house, so I ordered th i s as my soup,put my finger onto t he fish wh ich had t he st rangest
306 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europeclub gives d ances and holds a recept ion on t he n ightof King George ’ s b i r thday . Th e club i s mosthosp i table to v i s i tors . A travel l i ng v i si tor can b e
i n troduced by a member and made free of t he club fora fortn ight . Should such a member wi sh
(to make
use of t he c lub for a longer per i od , t he commi tteemay elect h im as a v i si t in g member on payment of asmal l month ly subsc r i pt i on .Th e GremI O Lit terario and t he Jockey Club are
the Po rtuguese c lubs of t he c i ty .
CINTR AThere i s l i tt le scope for gourmand i se of any kind
at Cin tra,t he l i fe there be i ng of t he s implest . NO
one ever th inks of asking a fr iend out to d inn er,
for the food at all th e hotels i s very plai n,and t h e
amusement of t he l i tt le town in t he even i ng consistsi n br idge and poker part ies formed after d inner .
E STOR I LAt Estor i l
,which i s t he Br igh ton of Portugal
,a
br igh t l i tt le place j ust outside t he mouth of th e r i ver,
Grand Hot el there are three good hotel s— t h e Grand,
EStom owned and managed by Mons . Estrade,
where t h e cui s i ne i s French and i s to be recommendedt he Ital ie
,owned by an Ital i an
,which i s neve r w it hOI
'
I t
Engl i sh guests ; and t he more Portuguese Royal . AHot el d ’
I talie,cas ino i s attached to t h e first-menti oned
EStorfl hote l,and t he l i tt le wheel i s general ly
sp in n ing there . In Portugal,however
,no one knows a
month in advancewhether gamb lingw ill b e permi tted orwill not be permi tted in t he var ious casinos . Min ist r iesi n Portugal have fi ts of t he Nonconformist con sc ience
,
l i ke Min ist r ies inGreat Br i tain,but somet imes offic ials
are kind ly bl i nd to what i s go ing on under the i r noseseven t hough i t b e again st t he str i c t letter of the law .
Tor tuga" 307
CA SCA E SCascaes i s t he twi n town of Estori l . Estor i l contai ns t he v i l las wh ich used to belong to th e royal fami lyand to t he r i ch merchants of Lisbon . Cascaes ch ieflyconsi sts o f the old fort wh i ch served as th e king’ s palace
,
a l i t tle fi sh ing v i l lage,th e palat ial Casa O ’
Neil,and
var ious c lubs for outdoor Sports . There are acres oflawn-tenn is grounds round t he Cascaes Th e Cascaes
Sports Club,and t h e p igeon-shoot i ng 0111 10
ground ona rocky promontory j utt ing out i n to t h e
sea i s probably t he most pic turesque i n th e world .
O P ORTO
O porto,so far as t he residen t Br i t i sh are con cerned
,
i s a town of c lubs and not of restauran ts . I waswarned not to essay t he cookery of t he hotels
,and
t he hosp i tal i ty of my hosts left me no Opportun i tyof doing so even had I been so minded .
TH E OPORTO CLUB STh e Factory i s a rel ic
,a very pleasan t and very
hosp i table rel i c,of t he days when Engl i shmen going
to a fore ign land expected to stay theremany years
,and establ i shed wherever
they settled in any numbers a soc ial centre, a fortressof Br i t i sh i deas and Br i t i sh comfort . Th e Factory
,
which stands i n t he st reet wh i ch used to b e calledt he Road of t he Engl ishmen
,but which w as renamed
out of compl imen t to a Portuguese hero,i s a very sol i d
bu i ld ing . It has a vaulted basemen t,wall s as th ick
as those of any cast le,and a gran i te stai rcase which
has no v i s i ble supports c l imbs to th e fi rst story .
T h e Factory i s part inst i tu te,part club . I t has a
good l i brary,to t h e enjoyment of which all Br i t i sh
born are wel come . Th e club i s supported by a
Th e Factory
308 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europecertain number Of the Br i t i sh port win e fi rms
,Of
which one member represents t he fi rm in t he c lub .
Th e en trance fee i s as h igh as t hat of t h e Br i t i shYacht Squadron
,and each member on j o in i ng lays
down a p i pe of v i n tage port for future consumpt i on
,and gives some wine for presen t d 1 i nking . NO
other club or assoc iat ion i n t he world has such ace l lar of port
,and t he wine i s t reated wi th the
deference due to i t . Th e d in i ng room i s a fineapartment
,from one wall of wh ich a Georgian
worthy looks down with en ti re approval upon h i ssuccessors . After d i nner an adj ournmen t i s madeto another great hall down t he centre of wh i c h runsa long table Of splend id mahogany . The bott les ofport are placed on t he sh in i ng wood
,
‘ and t h e winei s enj oyed in an atmosphere free from all t he grossodours of food .
“ And t he smokers ?” I asked t h e
hosp i table gentlemanw ho showed me t he Factory .
Th e smokers,I was told
,S it l ike t he s inners that they
are,when port i s ont he table
,at one end of t h e long .
tab le,whi le those who appreciate t h e wine so w isely
that they forego a c igar s i t at t he other end .
Th e Br i t is h Club at Oporto i s a charming andmost hospi tab le knot of Br i tons i n a house beauti ful .
I canno t bel ieve that I owe an apologyto a body of good fel lows
,but I was
told by a lady w ho v i si ted O porto soon after I d i dthat some of t h e members were hurt that t he bestI could say concern i ng t he c lub in an art i c le I wrotei n t he D a ily M a il was that i t w as
“ clean .
” I real lysai d many apprec iat ive th ings as wel l
,and i f th e
Oporto Club menknow how del igh tful i t i s for aman w ho has spen t weeks i n S pan i sh and Portuguesehotel s
,where cleanl i ness i s not a prominent v i rtue
,
to be brought in to a house as fresh and ai ry and wel lo rdered and wel l-groomed as t he Br i t i sh Club i s
,they
wil l pardon my hav ing rej o i ced inthe cleanl i ness of
Th e Op ort o Club
SW I TZ ERLAND
The Food Of th e Country— Lucerne Basle— Bern—GenevaS t . Morit z — Davos .
TH E FO O D O F TH E CO U NTRY
SWITZ ERLAND i s a count ry of hotels and not ofrestaurants . In most of t he b ig town s t he hotel shave restaurants attached to them
,and in some of
these a d inner ordered cl la car te i s j ust as wel l cookedas i n a good French restauran t
,and served as wel l
i n other restaurants at tached to good hotels t h e table
ol’
ho’
te d inner i s served at separate tables at any timebetween certa in hours, and th i s i s t he custom of mostof t he restaurants i n most of t he better c lass o f hotels .There i s i n every l i tt le mountai n hote l a restaur ;an tbut th i s 18 general ly used on ly by inval ids
,or ve1 y
proud persons,or mountai neers coming back late from
a cl imb . There 15 no coun try inwh ich t he gourmethas to adapt h imsel f SO much to c i rcumstances and inwh ich h e does i t
,thanks to exerc i se and mountai n
ai r,with such a Chesterfield iangrace . I have seen
t he Engl i shman w ho,at t he very excellen t restau
ran ts of t he Schweit z erhof or National at Lucerne,
ate gloomi ly a perfectly cooked l i t tle meal wh ic hh e had ordered a la car te on the day of h i s arr i vali n Swi tzerland
,s i tt ing smi l i ng i n peace two days
later eat ing t he z‘
ahlet J
d’
hote meal at a l i t t le table
Swit z erland 31 1
i n t he restaurant of one of t he hotels at Lauz anne o rVevey
,Montreux or Ter r i tet
,after a walk along t he
lake s ide or up the mountain to Caux,and four days
after taking h i s seat at a long tab le at Z ermat t or t heR i ffel Alp
,talking qui te happ i ly to perfec t strangers
on e i ther s ide of h im,and eat ing t he menu th rough
from end to end,more consc ious of t h e splend i d
appet i te a day on t he glac iers had given h im than of
what h e i s devouring . Swi tzerland enti rely demoral i ses t he j udgmen t of a gourmet
,for i ts mountain a i r
gives i t undue advan tages over most other count r ies,
an d an abundant appet i te has a way of paralysi ng allth e finer cr i t i ca l facult ies .At one past per i od al l hotels in Swi tzerland wererun on one s imple, cheap plan . There were mealsat certai n hours
,there was a tab le i n t h e big room for
t he Engl i sh,another for t he Germans
,and anothe r for
mixed nat i onal i t ies . If any one came late for a meal,so much t he worse for h im or h er
,for they had to
begin at t he course whi ch was then going round . Ift ravel lers appeared when d inner was hal f over
,they
had to wai t t i l l i t was qu i te fin i shed ; and then , as afavour
,t he maltre d
’
hotel would in struc t a wai ter toask the cook to send the late comers i n someth ing toeat
,which was general ly some of t h e rel ic s of t he
j ust-completed feast,t he odours of which st i l l hung
about t he great empty d in ing-hal l .
LU CERNE
I t i s a matter of h i story that Mons . R i tz,t he
Napoleon of hotels and restauran ts,at a c r i t i cal t ime
of h i s career put al l h i s spare moneyinto t he purchase of a share i n t he HotelNational
,and t he fi rst move he made inmanagemen t
was to establ i sh a first-class restauran t i n t he hotel .Croakers had prophes ied that a first-class restauran t
Hotel National
3 1 2 The Gourmet ’s Guide lo Europei n Swi tzerland would be a fai lure because tour i stswould not pay restauran t pr i ces
,but these pre
d ict ion s were fals ified, and t h e restauran t of t h e
National became and has remained one of t h e bestrestauiants at tached to hotel s i n any country inEurope .
Whether some one e lse w as making h i sto ry at t h eSchw eit z erhof at t he same t ime i n t hesame w ay I do not know,
but t he two
hotels have run neck and neck i n t he excel lence of
thei r restaurants .The Palace
,a new hotel
,i s qu i te i n t he fron t rank,
and i ts restaurant can b e classed wi th t he restauran tsI have ment ioned above . A gourmet
,
onwhose taste I can depend,and w ho
was last summer at Lucerne,wri tes thus to me :
“ Th e Schweit z erhof and t he new Palace I place ona par
,and t h e restauran ts of each are qui te good . Th e
restauran t of t he Nati onal I place hors concours ’ asbe i ng in a class by i tsel f. It i s managed by a ma itre
'
John Owens,who has been there for years
and years,and whom everybody knows . I lunched
yesterday at th e restaurant,and found t he Rav ioli
Napoliz‘
a ine and t he P ilajr de Langousz
‘
e masterp ieces .I should sum up t he success Of t he restaurant of theNational i n one word— JOHN.
”
I usually find that any one who has stayed at Lucernehas a good word to say for h i s part icular hote l restaurant . I was once at Lucerne dur ing race week
,
and was doubtful whether I should find a room vacantat e i ther of t he hotels at wh ich I usual ly stay . Acharming old pr iest
,w ho was a fel low-voyager
,sug
gested to me that I should come to a l i tt le hote lhard by the r iver and there
,though t he room I was
given was of t he very Old con t i nen tal pat tern,th e
d in ner my friend ordered for h imsel f and for me was
qu i te excellent . I have breakfasted at t he buffet at
Schwei t z erh of
Th e Palace
3 1 4 The Gour inet ’s Guide to Europe
GENE V A
Geneva i s a capi tal wh ich has few firs t—class res tauran ts . There i s l i t t le faul t to find wi th t he restaurantsattached to t he hote ls
,and most t ravel lers d i ne where
they sleep,but t he hotel s of Geneva were mostly bu i l t
i n t h e days when a res tauran t was not a n ecessi ty i n ahotel
,and th e table d
’
ho‘
z‘e d i nner of t he day forms t he
meal that n ine out of t env i s i tors to Geneva eat atthe i r hote l . At t he National
,wh ich i s t he hotel at
wh ich I usually stay, I have found l i tt le cause togrumble at meal t imes
,though I have usual ly d i ned
e i ther at t he Restauran t du Nord o r at t he KursaalRestauran t
,i f th e latter happens to be managed for
t h e seasonby some good restaurateur .The Restaurant du Nord i s ont he fi rst floor of ahouse on t he Grand Q uai, a cafe bei ng ont he ground
fl oor . From t he wind ows of t he resRestaurantd u Nord , taurant there I s a pleasan t V1ew overGrand Que“ t he end of t he lake and t he Rhonerush ing out of i t
,t he two br i dges
,and t he l i tt le i sland
onwhich t he poplars grow. T he house outs ide i swh i te-faced up to i ts second storey . T h e restaurantcons ists of two salons
,both Open in summer
,but on ly
One,t he smaller of t he two
,a red room with a parquet
floor,be ing used in winter . The Nord has an a i r of
d i st inct i on i ts meals are it la car te and i ts propr ietor,
tal l and weari ng p ince-nez,has t he grand ai r that so
wel l becomes a successful restaurateur . Th e bi l l offare of th e d i shes and t he w i ne l i st are both under onecover . Th e l i s t of d ishes i s a comparat ively short one
,
but t he cookery i s unden iably good . Th e Nord i s anexcel lent restaurant at which to sample t he var iousfishes of t he lake
,for fresh fish i s t he strong po in t i n
th e cookery of Geneva . The Feras i s a wh ite-fleshedfi sh
,which i s l i ke a herr in g
,and it s l iver i s as p r ized
Swit z erland 3 I 5
as that of a mulle t . T h e Lotte i s a fish locally i n greatfavour . Th e t rout are j ust as palatable as they werewhen Cambaceres used to impor t them into Francefor h i s suppers . Th e cooks at t he Nord make of perchan excel lent d i sh
,and t he ki ng of t h e lake fi sh
,t h e
great char,t he Ombre-cheval ier
,i s general ly on t h e
bil l of fare at the Nord . An Ombre—cheva lier it laGenevoise i s a noble d i sh . P et ites truites cl
_
la Volta ire
and Feras 21 la Bonne Tante are two admi rable locald ishes . T h e Nord has a good ce llar of Swiss w ines
,
commenc ing wi th Mon t d ’
O r at fr . 5 a bottle, andClos de Rocher at fr . 4 a bot tle . Th e Grand FineChampagne Of t he house at fr . a glass i s to b erecommended .
Th e Kursaal on t he nor thern s ide of t he lake hasa restaurant on i t s b road i l luminated ter race . T he
Kursaal con tai ns t he Variety Theatre Kursaalof Geneva
,but t he res tau ran t wi th i ts Res taurant
Amer i can bar,and t he Cercle d es Etrangers
,i s d iv ided
off from t he rest of t he establ ishmen t,and has a sepa
rate entrance . I t i s w ise to find out w ho i s th e res
taurateur who is i n charge o f t he Kursaal Restauran t .I have known i t to b e at a low eb b as a d i n i ng-place
,
but when last I was i n Geneva I found i t i n h ighfavour with t he best c lass of v i s i tors to t he town
,for
Negresco had come from t h e Casino Mun ic i pal atNice to take charge dur ing t he summe r of t h e KursaalRestauran t
,and had brought h i s head cooks and h i s
nz a it res d ’
hd tel with h im .
There are two summe r restaurants i n t he publ i cgardens of Geneva
,one i n t he Jard in Anglai s
,and t h e
other i n t he Jard i n des Bast ions, t he park Opposi te th etheatre . At both a cheap tahle d ’
ho‘
te meal i s served atm idday . I have never lunched at t he Jard i n Anglai sk iosk
,but I have been much amused by t he company
,
cons i st i ng large ly of studen ts, w ho eat the i r middaymeal i n summer at t he glass house i n t h e Jard i n d es
3 1 6 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeBast ions . Two fran cs i s t h e pr i ce of th e middaymeal at th i s restauran t
,and i t serves a supper at
fr . commenc ing at s ix o ’ c lock .
The Casi no i n t he Eaux V ives Park,a short d r ive
or t ramway j ourney ou t of Geneva,i s a l i t t le grey
Casino,
chateau wi th a slate roof,round wh ich
Eaux Vives has been constructed a b road woodenterrace
,wh ich i n summer i s i l luminated wi th many
l i t tle lamps,and i s used as a d in ing place . T h e v iew
from th is terrace of t he lake,th rough a v ista of b ig
trees and over t he slopin g lawns,i s exceed ingly pretty .
Just beh in d t he chateau i s a wooden theatre,and a
great shed wh ich serves as a Brasser ie . An ornamentalchalet and a l i t tle kiosk
,wh ere glasses of mineral
water are sold,complete t he bui ld ings . There are
five or s ix tenn i s courts i n t he park,and i n summer
t he Eaux V ives i s an amusing place to lunch at or tod i ne at . The pr i ces at t he restaurant of t he table
d’
hote meals are fr . 3.50 for breakfast, and fr . 5 ford inner . A 2 franc table d ’
hote meal 1s offered by t heBrasser ie. Both t he Casino and t he Brasser ie are
closed i n winter .
A FTER D INNERThe after—d inner amusements of Switzerland are ass imple as t he Sw i ss d inners are . W here there i s aCasino there i s usually a var iety performance afterd inner
,and most of t he large towns have a theatre
wh ich is open i n t he winter,and wh i ch i s run much
ont h e same l i nes as are t he mun ic i pal theat res i nFrench country towns . The theat re at Geneva asp i resto h igher th i ngs than do most of t he Swiss theatres
,
though i t i s Open i n t he winter months on ly . Greatstars v i s i t i t w i th thei r compan ies . I have heardopera very wel l sung there
,and have seen wel l-played
comed ies . The Kursaal contain s the var iety theat reof t he town , and t he performances con t i nue unt i l
3 1 8 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europepleasan t wines
,and Yvorn e i s a very st rong one.
Always ask what t h e local cheese i s . There are
var iet ies of al l kinds,and they afford a change from
t he eternal slab of Gruyere.
ST . MoR I T z
S t . Mori tz is becoming a very fash i onable wintersport i ng resort
,and from the midd le of January to
the commencement of March there are more of the
young Pr i nces of Europe to b e found there than,at
any other t ime,i n any other v i l lage— for i t i s on ly
a v i l lage— ih Europe . There i s a cafe-restauran t j ustabove th e stat i on
,but t he restauran ts attached to t he
hotels are t hose at wh ich most of t he pr ivate d innersare given . That of t he Savoy Hotel I found qui te up
to date,and some of t h e royal t ies who
stay at t he Kulm give the i r l i t t le d innerpart ies at the Savoy . As a proof of t he comparat ivelypoor mater ial to b e found in Swi tzerland
,t he manag
ing d i recto r of th i s hotel told me that when a part icularly recherche
’ d inner was requ i red h e telegraphedto Par i s for al l t he food in the raw to b e sen t to St .Mori tz .
Th e S t . Mori tz Club,whi ch is pract i cal ly t he
Br i t ish Club, has rooms in t he Savoy bui ld i ng . ItsTh e St . Morit z read ing and smoki ng room
,a great
Club comfortable lounge panel led wi th darkGerman oak
,i s one of t he pleasan test c lub rooms
I know anywhere .
Th e Savoy
D A VO SIn Elsener’ s Restaurant Davos has a par ti cularlygood d in ing—place. Mons . Elsener was fo r a t ime
caterer to a battal ion of t he ColdstreamGuards
,and h e also w as t he manager
of t he restauran t of t he Imper i al Inst i tute whenthat
Elsener ’
s
Sw itz erland 3 1 9
bu i ld i ng competed wi th Earl ’ s Court . This i s t hemenu of a d i nn er wh ich I at e at Elsener’s one January
,
and for wh ich I had noth i ng but commendat ion
Hors d ’oeuvre .
Bortsh Clair.F t aites encourtbouillon.
Pommes. Sc . Holl.F i lets MignonRossini .
Pommes Souffiées . Celeris moel le.
Cail les roti al’Anglaise.
Salade d e Sai son.
Angel s onHorseback .
D essert .
AUSTR I A
AustrianCookery—Vienna— Sal z burg— Baden CarlsbadMarienbad—Other Towns .
AU STR I AN CO O K ERY
O F t he many good th i ngs that might be sai d concermng Austr i an cookery, t he best i s
,that there i s
no country i n t he world,not even except ing France
,
where t he average of good cookery,i n i nns and hotel s
i s so h igh as i n Austr i a . I t i s an except ion,even i n
th e smallest inns,to be served w i th an i l l—cooked meal
,
and t he red and wh i te or blue and wh i te tab leclo th sspread on t he l i t tle tables under t h e trees i n anycoun try hotel garden always seem to b e clean . Onecharac ter i st i c of Aust r ian cookery
,and a very good
one,i s that t he cook
,i n cooking a meal
,adds to h i s
d i shes al l t he sal t and spi ces that can b e requ i red in'
carefully cons idered quan t i t ies . T he d iner never hasto half empty a sal t-ce llar or send a rai n of b lackpepper on to h i s meat . Th e W iener Rostbra ten
,
t he steak Of t he cap i tal,t h e W iener Schnit z el
,d iffe r i ng
from that of Hanover and Hamburg i n i ts garn i sh of
anchov ies, ol ives, and hard-boi led eggs,are two of t he
best-known of t h e Aust r ian d i shes . O thers are— Ver
micel l i w i th poppy seeds ; Smoked beef, sauerkrautand dumpl ings ; Styr ian mutton and herbs ; Esterhazy roast beef and minced vegetables ; Pork chopsfr ied in bread crumbs ; Lent i l soup wi th sausages ;
320
32 2 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
lunched at t he Austr ian restaurant, i s a very goodSpec imen of an Aust r ian meal
Kalte Vorspei se(Hors d
'
oeuvre) .Ruhreier mit Spargelsp i tz en(S cramb led Eggs , Asp aragus T1p s ) .
R ind fle isch mit Gemuse
(Boiled Beef and Vegetab les ).Backhiihner
,H aup tel Salot
(F ried Ch ickenand Let tuce ).
P rager S chinken(P rague Ham).
Kaiserschmarren(a Vienna D elicacy ) .
Apfelst rud l(App le Cake ) .
T he d r i nkables were
D reher ’ s L ager Beer .Sch lumberger
’
s Voslauer Goldeck .
Mat toni’ s Giesshiibler.
VI ENNA
T he Bri stol Hotel at V ienna w as th e smart d in ingplace when I fi rst made t he acquain tance of t heBristol
,Austr ian capi tal ni gh on th i rty years
Kh mer Ring ago. I t lost some of i ts smartness at onet ime
,bu t has now regained i t al l
,and i ts restaurant
,
redecorated and smartened up i n every way , i s thebest of t h e cosmopol i tan restauran ts of t he Austr iancapi tal . The restauran t has a luminous glass roof onwh ich fly ing lad ies are outl i ned
,and when I last passed
through V ienna long rol ls of paper were pi nned to
i ts wal ls i n order that th e opi n i on of habitue’s migh tbe takenas to what its next transformat i ons hould be
d ust r ia 32 3
l ike. An Amer i can bar,j ust off t he d in ing-room
,
and a café,are i n great favour wi th th e Bri t i sh and
Amer i cans w ho v i s i t t he hotel . A table d’
lzo‘
te d i nneri s served f rom 6 P .M . to 8 P .M .
,but t he smart young
Officers w ho come i n to d i ne and t h e groups OfAmer i can s and Br i ton s as a rule o rder thei r mealsit la car te. T he 21 la carte pr i ces are h igh
,but t h e
cookery,t he serv i ce
,and t he pleasant sur round ings
j ust i fy t he pri ces . Some spec i alt ies of t he house are
t rout taken al ive from the aquarium,H uit res Titania
,
H oma rd Card ina l,Poularde Wlad imir
,Soufle
'
KingEdw ard Oranges c
‘
z l’
lnf ante.
Cafés and restaurants c luster round t he O peraHouse. In a street of tal l houses j ust beh ind t he
Opera i s Sacher ’ s Hote l and Restauran t, Sach em,
t h e Old-estab l1sh ed ar1stocrat ic d 1ning Augus t inerplace of Vienna . I ts name i s d i splayed S t rasse
bold ly at t he corners of t he st reet,so as to gu ide t he
wanderer to i t . There are two d in ing-rooms in t he
restauran t . T he one to t he r i gh t i s t he favour i teone . I ts ce i l i ng i s of brown wood, and t he broadframes of i t s doors and mi rrors are also brown . Itswal ls are covered w i th crushed strawber ry paper wi tha deep red pattern . T h e lamps
,half globes of l igh t
p ink,held by cords of l i ght pink wi th b rass adorn
ments,are str ik ingly pretty . There are meals served
at set pr i ces be tween 1 2 noon and 8 P .M . One menui s a 6-kroner one
,t he other a I o-kroner one. Twice
,
however,when I have asked
,i n defect ive German
,
for t he menus Of t he table d’
hote meals,a wai ter
,
knowing me not to b e an habitue’
,and doub tless
th inking that h e was doing h i s best for t he house,
has solemnly assured me that only a'
la ca r te mealsare served at Sacher ’ s . There i s always one d i shof t he country
,frequen tly an Hungar ian one
,on
t he b i ll of fare, and such d ishes as fr ied brain s andtomato sauce and Risot to, wh i ch are ona menu I
324 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europehave preserved
,show that Sacher ’ s i s aware that Italy
has an excel len t nat ional cuis ine . T he head wai ter,
w ho speaks a l i tt le Engl i sh, i s a very useful man tocall i n to counci l i f t he tab le wai ter i s i nc l ined to betoo anxious that t he d i ner should be a source of .
profi t to t he restaurant . T h e table wai ter a t Sacher ’ sI general ly find i s not sat isfied to take note of t he t i pgi ven to t h e head wai ter who makes out and presen tst he b i l l . He expec ts a t i p for h imsel f. Thi s to manyEngl ish i s thei r fi rs t not ificat ion that t he ind iscriminate t i pp ing wh ich i s prevalent i n Austr i a extends tot he restaurants . At th e water ing-places
,Carlsbad
,
Marienbad,and the other Bohemian Baths
,there
are th ree wai ters who expec t a t i p at mid-day d i nnerand supper— the head wai ter
,t he table wai ter
,and
t he small boy who bri ngs t h e wine. An Austr ianat any except t he very smar t establ i shments general lyg ives 3d .
,2 d .,and I d . to t he th ree wai ters accord i n g
to the i r grade . An Engl i shman general ly g ives more .
Me i ss l and Schadn’s,wh ic h presents a very h igh ly
decorated exter i o r to th e Karthnerst rasse,and has an
Mei s sl and en trance i n t he‘
market-place beh in dSch adn'
s,Karth t h e house
,i s t he typi cal Vienn ese
nersu asse restauran t . In th e d i n i ng-rooms ont h e fi rst floor
,offic ials
,officers
,and th e wel l-to-do
c i t izens eat p i ckled veal,smoked suck ing-pig, stewed
beef of var ious kinds,stewed pork
,Risi Bisi (r ice and
beans), and other nati onal d i shes . In var ious smal lrooms on t h e ground floor and in t he basemen tvarlets of var ious degrees revel a t immen sely reducedrates .Hartmann ’ s
,almost oppos i te to the Br i stol
,i s very
Franz Hart popular at t he t ime of t he mid-daymann’
s . meal . Its walls are pane l led wi thTh e Ring green s i lk
,and i ts windows command
a v iew of t he busy l i fe of the R i ng. Its cu is inei s Austr i an .
326 The Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europeone admi res the v iew from t he terrace
,or looks at t he
treasures of th e abbey .
O f t h e clubs of Vienna t he Jockey Club i s soc ial lyth e most important . Then comes t he Wiener Club .
Thi rd onth e l i st i s the Commerc ial Club .
A FTER D INNER
Ronach er’ s i s a huge music-hall and supping placewhere one can eat one ’ s even ing meal and see at th esame t ime a fine var iety performance onthe Stage .
For many year s i t was t he finest var iety theatre i nEurope. I t is wel l wor th a v i si t even from thosepeople w ho do not hab i tual ly go tomusi c-halls. Th e
Apollo i s another musi c-hal l where the great s tars oft he varie ty firmament often appear . So much hasbeen wr i t ten lately of t he bal let at t he Imper ialTheatres of Russia
,that i t migh t b e bel ieved that no
good danc ing was to b e seen outside St . Petersbu rg,
and Moscow . Th e corps d e hallet of t he Vienneseopera dances admi rably
,they are all gi r l s p i cked for
the i r looks,the premieres danseuses are great art i sts
,
and t he ballets are mounted as splend id ly as i n anyother theatre i n the world . I have seen “ Excels iordan ced in most of th e capi tal s of Europe
,but nowhere
so wel l or with such fine mount ing as i n V ienna;O f t h e theatres for l igh t opera i t i s d i fficul t to giveany ind i cat i ons
,for th e r igh t theatre t o go to i s t h e
theatre at whi ch t he current success of O scar S trausso r Leo Fal l happens to be runn ing . Though Viennai s an early closing town on t he whole
,the reve l lers
stay late at “ Max and Mori tz,
” “ Susses Madel,
”
Dummer Kerl,
” and at such establ i shments as t heTabarm, Maxim
’ s,and th e Chaperon Rouge
,whose
names are ani nd icat ion Of the i r character .
d us tr ia 327
SAL Z B UR G
Th e town of Salz burg,a del i gh tful town
,has
half-a-dozen restaurants wh ich give good,plain
,wel l
cooked food . Th e buff et at t he ra i lway stat i oni s much above t he av erage of such restauran ts . Att he Kurhaus Restauran t you may l i sten to a mi l i taryband whi le you eat a mid-day table d
’
hote meal,
wh ich costs you about half-a-crown . Mirabel l i nt he Marktplatz has a gardenwhere t h e tables areset i n ho t weather . There are many restaurants ont he surround i ng h i l ls
,ont h e Mon chsberg and t h e
Gai sberg . Th e cafe—restaurant on t he plateau of t he
Monchsberg i s a pleasan t place to s i t and l isten to t heband ; and t he S t . Hubertus i s another pret ty restau
ran t ont he long forest-clad l i ne of h i ll . To see t hegood people,
of Salzburg enj oy ing themselves at the i rease one should go to t he St . Pete r ’ sSt iftskeller. I t i s a vaulted arcadebui l t agai nst t he s i de of t he rock . T he l ight wi nesof t he country
,red and wh i te
,obtai nab le here
,are
no t iceably good . Supper i s served at oak tables wi thout any tablecloths
,and a paper napki n i s wrapped
round t he kn i fe,spoon
,and fork . T he d i shes o f
t he day are t h e S imple but not always easi ly d i gest i ble pla ts of Austria
,H usaren-bra ten
,f ungfern-hra ten,
Ka iserfleisclz , and t h e rest . Th e whi te Konventweini s a qui te harmless beverage .
St i ft sk eller
BAD EN
Baden i s a l i tt le water i ng—place sixteen mi les fromt he cap i tal
,to which t he Viennese go for a “ cure,
”
and to which t he Carlsbad and Marienbad doctorssomet imes send the i r pat ients to begin an afte r cure.
I t i s a pretty l i t tle place wi th shady parks and an
328 The Gour inet ’s Guide to Europeunpretenti ous restauran t at t h e Kurhaus and anoth eri n th e W eilburggasse, and t he walk up t he valley oft he Sct echat has cafe-restauran ts at several of thepoin ts of i n terest .
CAR L S BA D
Probab ly twenty Engl i shmen go to Carlsbad forthei r l i ver ’s sake for every t enw ho go to V ienna tob e amused
,and t h e great Bohemian town in -the
val ley where t he hOt spr ing gushes u p i s one Of t heresorts to wh i ch gourmets
,who h ave eaten not w isely
but too wel l,are most frequen tly sent . I t i s a town
of good but very s imple—
fare,for t he doc tors rule i t
absolutely,and noth i ng wh ich can hurt a pat ien t ’ s
d igest ion i s al lowed to appear ont h e b i l l Of fare of
any of t he restaurants or hotel s .The l i fe of th e place
,wh ich ch iefly i s bound up i n
t he cons iderat ion of where to eat t he th ree s implemeals al lowed
,i s cu ri ous . In t he morn ing
,after t he“
d isagreeable necessi ty of dri nking three or more glassfuls of the hot water
,every man and every lady spends
a half hour deci d ing where to breakfast,and what
ki nd of rol l and what ki nd of ham they shal l eat .
Th e bakers ’ shops are crowded by people pi cking outt he spec ial rusk or Spec ial rol l they prefer, and theseare car r ied Off i n l i t t le pi nk bags . Two sl i ces of hamare next bought from one of t he shops where meni nwh i te c lothes S l i ce al l day long at t he lean Pragueham or t h e fatter Westphal i an . No man i s really ajudge of hamun t i l h e has argued for a quarter of anhour every morn ing outs ide t h e shop in t he CarlsbadH igh Street
,as to what breed of pig gives t he most
appet i s i ng sl i ce . Bag i n h and, ham in pocket, t he
man undergo ing a cure walks to the Elephant i n th eAlte Wiese
,or to one of the l i t t le restaurants wh ich
Stud the valley and t he h i l ls ides,del igh tful l i t t le
330 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europedoctor i s never al lowed to run a finger at w i l l downa Spe i sen-Karte . Eggs
,lean ham
,qui te plai n fish
,
boi led beef,roast ven ison or veal or mutton
,partr idge
,
ch icken,kompot ts and vegetables comprise t he en t i re
choice . Lucki ly most of these th ings are excel len tat Carlsbad . O f t he fowls I have already spoken .
Th e Tepl,t h e brown stream wh i ch r i pples down
through many mi les of pine-clad h i l ls to fall i n to t heEger below Czirlsbad
,i s ful l of excel len t t rout
,and so
are many of the other st reams in Bohemia . Th eset rout are general ly cooked ou hleu. Z ander
,th e p ike
perch,i s always to b e obtained ; and Fogash
,a
Lake Balaton fi sh wi t h fi rm wh i te flesh,i s served
gr i lled and i s exce l len t . T he partr idges sho t ont h e h ighland s about t h e Abbey of Tepl are fineplump b i rds
,and partr idge shoot i ng inAustr i a com
mences a month earl ier than i t does i n England .
About 4 c rowns i s the pr i ce of a partr id ge at anyof t he best restauran ts
,and a med ium-sized trout cost s
about 3 c rowns .At all t he restauran ts a table d ’ho‘ te d inner i s to befound wh ich i s su i tab le for people w ho are not go i ngth rough a cure. T he pr i ce of th i s d inner var ies from5 crowns at t he best restauran ts to 3 crowns 50 hel lerat t he more moderate ones . I take at random oneof W eishaup t
’
s 5-crown d i nners, and find that i t consi sts of Creme de R i z
,Sand ra sauce H ollandaise
,Saute
’
de Veau P r intaniere, Rost-hecf rot i (s i c), P oud ing aux
f ruit— all d i shes banned to those on “ cure” d iet .Most of t he l i tt le restaurants ont he r i ver and t he
h i lls have some spec ialty,general ly of tarts or some
other entremet . At Hans He i l i ng t he Kaiserschmarreni s a specialty
,wh ile at t he Hunt ing Lodge t he
d pf elstru'
d l 1s espec ial ly del i c ious .Herr Pupp owns a very cons iderable port i on of
Carlsbad . His great hote l and restauran t and caféand garden at t he end of t he Alte Wiese cover
d us tr ia 33 1
a very large amount of ground,and he has as we l l
many houses wh i ch are dependances of t he hotel .The café and restaurant accommodate Pup p
’
s’
many hundreds of people . There i s Alt e Wiesea grove of l i t tle horse chestnut t rees where red-clothedtab les are se t
,and where s imple food and t ea and
coffee and beer and i ces are served by li t tle wai tressesi n b lack . A glass shel ter borders one s ide of th i sgrove
,and there i s a large bandstand where one of
t he many bands there are i n Carlsbad plays i n t he
afternoon and even ing . A narrow road d iv ides t h egrove from another space
,a three-cornered one i n
t he open ai r,where t he tables are whi te-clothed and
where t he wai tresses and waiters d iv ide t he duties .On one S i de of th i s space i s a vast hall used as acafé and concer t-room when t h e weather i s coldand wet
,and on t h e other i s t he restauran t . Th e
restaurant i s bu i l t i n th ree steps . Fi rst ont he groundlevel are tab les shel tered by b ig wh i te sunshadesdecorated wi th a pattern of chestnut bloom and leaves
,
then comes a terrace Shel tered by a canopy upheldby b ig spears
,and then ins i de t h e bui ld ing are two
rooms,t he further one at a h igher level than the near
one. Th e windows are taken ou t i n hot weather andleave frames of cr imson and gold
,t h e decorat ion s are
gorgeous,and there i s an abundance of gas and electr i c
l igh ts . Pupp’
s ona warm summer ’ s n igh t at suppert ime
,when th e Cur-kapel le finds t h e music
,i s a
ve ry fine s i gh t . T he food i s i nvar iably good andwel l-cooked at Pupp
’s,b ut t h e wai ters on crowded
n igh t s seem to have more cl ients on the i r hands thanthey can attend to sat i sfactor i ly .
My pet restaurant at Carlsbad i s W eishaup t’
s i nt he Alte Wiese . I have watched i ts r i se to fame .
Th e fi rst t ime that I went to Carlsbad Wei sh aup t'
s,
Herr W e i shaupt had a Shop where ham Alte Wieseand other de l i catessen were sold
,an d ont he other s ide
332 The Gourmet ’s Guide t o Europe
of t h e en trance passage was a l i t tle d in ing-room . Iwas told that whatever was of t he best i n t h e marketof a morn ing was secured by We i shaupt for h i sc l ients
,and I found that no plumper part r idges
,no
fresher t rout,were to be found anywhere . Now
Her r We i shaupt has th ree rooms,al l decorated in
excel lent taste,i n h i s restaurant
,and i ts fron t i s Of
b rown marble . He h imsel f i s “ hoflieferan t,and
wears t h e b est-fit t ing frock-coat i n Carlsbad , and allvest iges of the ham
_
shop have van i sh ed . T h e restau
ran t i s of a manageable S ize,t he head wai ters do not
rush about,t he wait ing i s done without noi se
,and
there i s no overcrowding of tables . T he part r i dgesare as plump and t he trout are as fresh as of yore
,and
t he cook of t he estab l i shment i s an art i s t . W eishaup t’
s
now has i ts Specialite’
s de la M a ison,of some of wh ich
I partake ont he day before I begin a “ cure ” andont he day I fin ish one before I go to t he stat i on .
They are M ad r ile’ne enTasse
,i uf s Gourmancl, Filets
de soles Camhon,P oulet saute
’
Ca talane,Soufle
’ M occa'
.
Onwarm days W eishaup t’
s puts tables under t hetrees on t he other S i de of t he Alte Wiese
,an d
s i t t ing of an even i ng at one of these tables,one sees
al l t h e world of Carlsbad taking i ts after-supper walkcome past .At t he Savoy, wh i ch stands h igh up i n that par t ofCarlsbad which i s named t he West End
,t h e great
Th e Savoy ,l ights of Anglo-Saxon society generally
West End take thei r meals . T he Amer i can s havet he hotel i n great favour
,and t he very pleasan t
cosmopol i tan soc iety wh ich is to b e found wheret he we l l-known Amer i cans go clusters i n i ts res
taurant . There i s a Span i sh corner where halft he dukes of Spain are general ly to b e found
,and
many of t h e Russian nob i l i ty are hahitues of th e
restaurant . T h e Savoy has i ts ownband . Nuncovitch
,of Egypt ian fame
,i s one of the propr ietors of
334 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeWhenever an Engl i shman has a crav ing to breakh i s cure and to eat such of t he food of t he countryLoi b
’
s ,as h i s doctor has forb idden h im
,I find
Th eat ergas se that h e general ly goes to Loib’
s,a
hotel and restauran t wh ich i s i n t he Theatergassealmost beh in d the theatre . This restaurant i s i nh igh favour wi th th e c i t izen s of Carlsbad w ho are
under no d iet restr i ct i ons .In t he env i ron s of Carlsbad are many pleasan t l i ttlerestauran ts where fresh-caugh t t rout and t h e s implemeats al lowed by the doctors at t he mid-day meal are
to b e found . At Aberg,where a watchtower/ stands ont he h ighest po in t of
t he h i l l s,there i s a terrace whence a beaut i fu l v iew
of the Eger val ley i s obtai nable,and i t i s qu i te a
pleasan t spot for any one walking ont he forest pathsto cal l a halt for lunch .
S t . Leonhard t ’ s,deeper in the forest
,i s another very
pleasant l i t tle restauran t . The woodis on all S i des of i t
,an d i t i s much l ike
a l i tt le count ry i nn wi th a few glass shel ter s near i tas a refuge on rai ny days .One of the walks alongside t he Eger takes one
down-s tream to t he small v i l lage of Dal lwi tz,and
there i n a l i ttle park of a chateau i s to be found amaj est i c oak
,one of those made famous by t he poet
D rei Ei ch en,
Korner . Also in the park i s the Restau
D allWi t Z ran t D re i E i chen,where there i s qu i te
a large d in ing-room and the usual l i t tle tables outs i deunder t h e t rees. D o not b e led by Baedeker ’ saccount of a charm ing l i tt le lake to go i n search of
i t . Tw o ponds just outside th e restauran t gates aret he only sheets of water you wi l l find .
T h e pleasantest,perhaps
,of al l t he sy lvan restau
rants wi th i n walki ng d i stance of
Carlsbad i s the Hans He i l i ng oneWhere the Eger runs th rough a rocky gorge. The
Aberg'
St . Leonh ardt ’
s
Hans Heiling
d ustr ia 335
restauran t wi th i ts terrace and many tables looksqu i te pi cturesque and in keeping wi th i ts surroundings
,and one lunches wi th i n a b iscu i t-th row of the
r i ver,and wi th t h e sound of t he rapids as an aecom
paniment .‘
The v i l lage and mineral water establ i shmen t atG iesshubel i n t h e val ley of t h e Eger i s almost beyondwalking d i stance
,though i t i s qui te a
pleasan t day ’ s out in g to go there bypub l i c coach in t he morn ing and to walk back int h e cool of t he afternoon . T he establ i shment has arestauran t where very much th e same food as i s to b efound in t he Carlsbad restaurants i s ready for v i s i torsat remarkably cheap rates . A most benevolen t oldmanager i s i n charge of th i s par t of t he establ i shment .There i s a pretty l i t t le park i n wh ic h to st roll afterlunch
,and on t h e h i l ls i de i s t he Spr ing wh ich suppl ies
t h e wel l-known table water . You may see i t bubb leup in a basi n of marb le covered by a curve of crystal .A pleasan t d rive ’ s d i stance from Carlsbad i s Elbogen
,
a med iae val town and castle h igh ona rocky knol l loopedby t he r i ver . At t he h otel i n th e marketplace there i s a charming ter race
,parti
al ly roofed over,from wh ich there i s a fine View of th e
gorge of t he r i ver where i t makes one of i ts ha i rp inturns . The food i s s imple and t he serv i ce e lementary
,
but t he si tuat i on and sur round ings make t h e terraceof t he Elbogen in n a notable lunch ing place .
At Ege r,wh ich forms a poin t for a trai n excursi on
from Carlsbad,t he restaurant at t he stat i on i s the
best feed ing place of t he town . Aport ion of t h e platform i s rai led Off
before t h e restauran t,and in th i s enclosure one can
s i t and lunch o r d ine and watch al l t he bustle and thecoming and going of the trai ns.
Gies sh ubel
Elbogen
336 The Gournzet ’ s Guide to Europe
TH E CAR L SBA D CLU B SIf there i s any soc ial c lub i n Carl sbad I neverheard of i t
,and I am sure the doctors would order
the i r pat ients not to belong to i t,as c lub l i fe would
keep them out of th e open ai r . Th e n earest approachto such a club that I know of i s t he read ing-room oft he Kurhaus
,where for a dai ly or weekly or month ly
subscr i pt ion y ou can look a t t he papers of al l t hec iv i l i sed countr ies .There i s a spor ts assocrat lon wi th sub-d iv is i onsi n to golfing and lawn-tenn is and shoot i ng and wintersports clubs . Th e golf l i nks and the i r pav i l i on lieup t he valley j ust
b
beyond t he Kaiser Park Cafe.
There are tenn i s courts inseveral parts of Carlsbad .
Th e courts wh ich are between t he F reund schaf Saaland the Kaiser Park are those onwhich the tournaments are played . Th e new Kurhaus
,howeve r
,now
be i ng bu i l t,may have i t s club surpr i ses for t he vi s i tors .
A FTER D INN ER
Th e Carlsbad theatre,a handsome bu i ld i ng i n th e
Alte Wiese,gives dur ing t he Carlsbad season al l th e
operettas wh ich are i n favour i n V ienna . Th e bestar t i sts of t he operetta stage often come to Carlsbad ona tou r and s ing the i r favour i te reles for a few per
formances . Farces are also somet imes played . Th e
performances general ly commence at and Conclude at n ine or shor tly afterwards . There are tw o
var iety theat res i n t he lower town, at both of whi cht he great Stars of t he musi c- '
hal l world often appear.
MAR IENB A D
O f Mar ienbad I can only speak as hav ing gonethere once or tw ice i n a seasonwhenever I have
338 The Gour/net ’s Guide to Europe
CLU B S
Th e Marien bad Gol f Club owns l i nks ont he greattable-land beyond th e Rub ez ahl. When I saw i t
last t he c lub-house was extraord i nari lysmall
,and t he flags flying before i t
were extraord i nar i ly large. King Edward had takent h e l i tt le pav i l ion in to favour as a place to go to atafternoon t ea—t ime
,and had expressed a hope that i t
would b e enlarged ,‘
w h ich hope was duly carr ied ou t .
Th e Golf Club
A FTER D INN ER
Th e late King Edward was a staunch patron Oft h e l i t t le theatre at Marienbad
,and i t became t he
fash ion'
for all the great people taki ng the i r cure tob e seen i n the boxes when operetta was bei ng played .
Th e performances are run onmuch t he same l i nes asth e Carlsbad ones . There i s
,I bel ieve
,a var iety hal l
at Mar ienbad,but I have never been to look at i t and
i ts performances .
OTH ER TOWNS
I have not beeni n Innsb ruck recently enough towri te with any confidence of t he qual i t ies of t he
restaurants there,but I noted wh en I w as there last
that Kraft ’ s i n Museumstrasse and Grab hofer’
s i nErlens t rasse were cafe-restaurants worth not ice . To
Meran I have never been,but I am told that i t
resembles t he other watering~
places i n that t he bestmater ia l and best serv i ce i s found i n t he restauran tsof th e best hotels . At Bad Gastei n I have lunchedwi th con tent at t he old-fash ioned Badesch loss
,and
have d ined wel l at t he newer Kai serhof. At P raguemy exper ience has been that the restauran ts of ‘
t he
e/Tustr ia 339
two r ival hotels,t he Saxe and the Blue S tar
,are
t he two best to d ine at,but my gastronomic experi
ences i n th ree days at Prague were not encouraging .
At R i va on the Lago d i Garda there are two bighotels
,t h e cookery at e i ther of wh ich be i ng clean
and Austr i an comes as a change after the r i chnessof t he Ital ian school . Abaz z ia
,t he Nice of the
Austr ian R iv iera,has not y et ach ieved th e ful l cele
b rity which i s sure to come to i t . Th e restaurantOf the Stephan ie has an excel len t cook
,but i s by no
means cheap .
HUNGARY
Th e Cookery of the Cquntry— Buda-Pesth—Buda-Pesth ClubsOth er Towns .
TH E COO K ERY OF THE COUNTRY
P apriha i s t he new elemen t wh ich comes i n to play i nmost Hungar ian d i shes . Perhaps th e best known of al lt h e d i shes of Hungary i s t he Gulyas, or as t he Frenchcal l i t
,t h e Goulache
,wh i ch i s a comparat ively d ry
d i sh of beef,dusted w it h papr iha, as one eats i t i n Buda
Pesth and wh ich as one t ravel s westward becomesmore and more l ike a ragout seasoned wi th t he Hungar ian pepper . Papr ihahuhni s a fowl dusted wi th th epepper and baked or stewed . Papr ika Carp i s excel lent .Ungar isches Rehhulini s a form of p ickled veal . Hungar ianwines are wel l known in England and Amer i ca— Erlauer
,O fner
,Carlowi tz
, Goldeck,R iesl i ng
,
Leanka,Ruster
,Schomlay er, Sz egs z arder, bei ng often
impor ted . Kristaly and Isle d e Ste . Marguer i te are
Hungari an mineral dr inking waters . Biere d e KObanya i s one of t he many l igh t beers of t he coun try .
BU D A-P ESTH
One of t he customs of Buda-Pesth i s that t he twogreat clubs of t he c i ty —t he National Casino
,wh ich i s
340
342"
The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeA correspondent from Hungary tel ls me that th i srestauran t must have changed i ts name, for he wasunable to find i t .Th e great wh ite restauran t oppos i te t he OperaHouse
,D rechsler
’
s,i s an excel lent house at wh ich to
D rech sler’s,
essay Hungariand i shes,and I ate there
And raS SYSt rasse a very wel l cooked Papr iha huhn. It i sas we l l
,however, to have a compan ion w ho speaks
Hungar i an i f one d ines away from t he hotels or t he
two club restaurants . T he Gamb r inusRestaurant i n th e O uter R i ng
,a great
room wi th wh i te and gold columns,was another
res tauran t at wh ich I essayed t h e nat ional d i shes w i thsuccessful results. A mi l i tary band played, t he roomwas crowded
,and beer seemed t he beverage of t h e
house .
On t he menu of the restauran t of t he HotelHungar ia
,a restaurant much patron i sed by t he Hun
garians, one of t he d ishes i s always Gulyas. At t herestaurant of t he Br i stol there i s generally a choice of
Hungarian d i shes .Theatres begi n early at Buda-Pesth
,and therefore
afternoon t ea becomes animportan t meal, and theatregoers general ly sup after the play i s over . There i s acafe at t he corner of every street
,al l always ful l in th e
Kugler'
s,
late afternoon ; but Kugler’
s,t he fash ion
Gi selap lat z able past ry cook, i s th e smart t ea-d r inkingestabl i shmen t . In t h e b ig room i s a long coun terwi th on i t many d ifferent kinds of sandwi ches
,sweets
,
cakes,and a dozen d iff eren t kinds of wine. In th i s
room and i n t h e smal ler one l i tt le tables are set veryc lose together, and at them si t beaut i ful lad ies and
generals i n full un i form and al l t he gi lded youth of
Buda—Pesth . Li ttle wai tresses scurry about wi th i ces,
and cups and glasses and plates of cake .
T he theatres themselves do a cons iderable cater ingbus iness
,for i n t he foyer t here i s always a buffet where
Gambrinus
343
al l kinds of eatables and dr inkables are d ispensed dur ingt he en tr ’actes . Even in t he great red and yel lowmarble Opera House a long table occupies t h e centreof t he foyer
,and t he aud ience fal ls to very heart i ly at
sandwiches,and sard ines
,cav iare
,sweets
,lemonade
,
and beer between t he acts .On t he Island of S t . Margaret there are severalpopular restaurants and brasser ies .
TH E CLUBS OF BU D A-P E STH
The most gorgeous, most tasteful, most beaut i fulclub I know is t he Park Club in the Park of BudaPesth . I t i s a “ cock and h enclub
,
” and t he lad iesgo there i n t he summer every afternoon and si t on t heterrace
,and on race days watch t he
people returnlng from t he races . Ont h e ground floor i s a beauti ful oval hall, wi th finefurn i ture and a weal th of flowers . To one s ide runsa ser ies of rooms where every indoor game may b efound
,and to t h e other s ide i s a long v ista of d in ing
rooms.Upsta i rs i s a splend id bal l room
,and when
on a bal l n igh t t h e Cz ardas are danced by everybodyafter supper, t he scene i s a st imulat ing one . Onhoteven i ngs t h e tables are moved from t he d in ing-roomsou t to t h e terrace . There are lawn-tenn i s courtsb eh i nd t he house and a narrow garden wi th fountainsi n fron t of i t .Th e National Casi no i n t he c i ty i s a stately c lub .
Th e porters wear t he old scarlet Hussar un i form .
O 11 t he fi rst floor i s a long green corr i do r Nationalwhere are hung t he heads of deer shot CaS ino
by members . A suite of rooms runs th e length oft he bui ld i ngs, one of t he rooms be in g stocked wi tha fine select i on of t he n ewspapers of al l nation s . T h e
d inners given in t he b ig d in ing-room general ly have
Park Club
344 The Gour inet ’s Guide to Europea touch of nat i onal cookery . This i s one whi chbreaks away from t h e usual French l i nes
Somtoi. Gulz as Clai r .E teville 1 868. Fogas d e Balatonala Jean Bart .
Chd teau Margaux Cui ssot d e Porc frais .
1 875 .
Moet 1 884 .
Tohay 1 846.
Silvorium 1 796.
Baracrhplinha l 860 .
Th e Club Of t he Gentry and t he Un ion Club are
other c lubs of t he c i ty . All are hosp i table to the
stranger i n troduced by a member . The Polo Clubi s i n th e cen tre of t h e race-course . Th e Tenn is Clubi s on t h e Margaret Island .
A FTE R D I NNE R
Th e great opera house i s wel l worth a v i s i t,though
i ts performances do not rank wi th those of t he operasof th e great European cap i tals . I t i s qu i te a cons iderab le t ime s i nce I was i n Buda-Pesth
,but I found
then that the most applauded number in al l t he Hungarianoperettas was a cake-walk
,and that at al l t he
comedy theatres translat ion s of French or Engl i shplays were on t he boards .
OTH ER TOWN S
O f Tatra Fured and Tatra Lomnic z I know noth i ng by personal exper ience ; but Hungarians tel lme that at t he Grand Hotel at the one and at
Choucroute farc ie.
Cai lles tOt ies sur CanapéSalade .
Artichauts frai s . SauceBordelaise.
Taros L epeny .
ROUMAN I A
Th e Dish es of the Country—The Restaurants of Bucarest— BucarestClubs— S inaia.
TH E D I S H E S OF TH E COUNTR Y
I N Rouman ia you must never b e aston ished at thei tems set down i n th e b i l l of fare ; and i f bear
”
happen s to b e one,try i t
,for bru in does not make at
all bad eati ng . The l i st of game i s general ly surpr i singly la 1 ge, and one learns 1nRouman ia t he d i fferencet here 1S in t h e ven ison wh ich comes from t he d i fferentb reeds of deer . Cav iare
,bei ng t he produce of t he
count ry,i s a splend i d d i sh
,and you are genera l ly asked
wh i ch of t he th ree var iet ies,
easi ly d i st ingui shableby the i r var iety of colour
, you will take . T h e Rou
man ian cav i are i s smaller than t h e Volga caviare . Acaviare salad e i s a d i sh very frequen tly served . T h e
fol lowing are some of the d i shes of t h e country :Ciulama
,ch ickenwith a sauce i n wh ich flour and
butter are used ; Scordolea , i n wh i ch crawfish,garl i c
,
minced nuts,and oil al l play a part Baclava
,a cake
of almonds served wi th sirop of roses . These th reed i shes
,though now Rouman ian
,were original ly 1n
t roduced from Turkey . d rdei Ungelute i s a d i sh of
green pepper,meat
,and r ice ; Sarmalute are v i ne
leaves,or leaves Of the wh i te cabbage
,fi l led wi th
meat an d served wi th a th i ck preparat ion of milk ;M ilitei i s m inced beef fr ied ona gr i l l i n t he shape
346
Roumania 347
of a sausage . Cheslas and M ama/iguz z a , th e food of
t he peasan t,much resemble th e Ital ian P olenta
,and
are eaten with cold mi lk . Glz iveci,a ragout wi th
al l k inds of vegetables mixed i n i t,i s a favour i te
d i sh of t h e coun try .
TH E RE STAUR ANTS O F BUCAR E ST
Capsa’
s Restaurant takes a h igh place amongst t h egood restauran ts of t h e world . Capsa i s a Frenchmanwho has learned h i s dut ies as cook and Cap sa
’
s,Calea
con fec t ioner i n some of t h e best houses Victori ei
of Pari s,and comi ng to Bucarest
,h e has b rought
French taste to bear upon t h e cookery of t he country,
and at h i s res tauran t there i s always a choice of d ishesof Bulgaria
,and of French pla ts . Capsa
’
s establ i shmen t ont he main street i s a con fect ioner ’ s shop whichi s used as a café, for one of t he pleasan t customs ofth i s very Par is ian town of t he East i s for people tos i t at mid n igh t outs ide t he con fec ti on ers ’ Shops eat ingices or d r i nki ng long cold beverages th rough straws .T he door of t he restauran t i s a few yards down t he
by-st reet . Th e door ‘ i s c hanged for j alousies i n hotweather . Th e wall s of th i s restaurant are pa in tedto resemble green and yel low marble
,and th e pi llars
wh i ch support t he roof are green wi th gi lded capi tals .A great wh ite stove i s t he on ly un-Par i s ian obj ect i nt h e restauran t . There i s a show-table on which colddel i cac ies and fru i t are placed . T he clientele of Capsa
’
s
reminded me of those of the Anglais and th e Ermitage i n Par i s . Many of them are elderly
,al l are
smart,and onrace-meet i ng days the talk i s of horses
,
for these wel l-groomed gentlemen are mostly ownersof race—horses and members of t he Jockey Club .
Capsa,
Sharp-featured , wear ing a l i ttle moustacheand frock-coated
,goes from table to table taking
wi th h im a d i sh Of some cold del ightful meats or a
348 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europplate of except ional ly fine fru i t to Show to h i sfavour i te customers . T h e pr i ces at Capsa
’
s are t he
pr i ces of a good Par i s i an restauran t . One lun ch att he restauran t
,t he b i l l fo r wh ich was t he equ ivalen t
for 1 7 francs 50 cent imes, consi sted of hor s d’
ceuv re,
a gr i l led sterlet,Sarma le
,Cepes P rovengales, cheese, a
half-bottle of D ragasami (whi ch wine has t he flavourof muscatel grapes), a hal f-bottle of Matton i water
,
coffee,and a l i queur glass Q f fine-champagne, which
last,at 3 francs, was t he most expensive i tem in
t h e b i l l .Thi s i s a typi cal d i nner wh ich I at e at Capsa
’
s
Cav iar .Ciorba d e Poulet .Turbot a la Grec .
Mousaka aux Courges .
Gateaux .
And th i s a breakfast
Glach i d e Carpe (froid ) .CEufs Polenta.
P i lau.
Aubergines aux Tomates .
Th e Rouman ian d i shes wh i ch are spec ialt ies atCapsa
’
s are these z— Soups— Ciorha de P ui Ciorha
a’e Galust i ; Ciorha de Bur ta . Fi sh— Sterlet it laD ohroutscha . O ther D i shes— D ovlecei umpluti cu
smantana ; P er isoare cu aurd Sarmale cle Var z aChiveciu Na t ional Ra ta cu cast raveti acr i Curcanpe Var z a ; Tocanu de M uschiu cu ma inaliguta .
Capsa’
s l i st of the Rouman ian wines may safelyb e taken as a guide to what i s best of t he countryv in tages . D ragasan i
,Odobest i
,Cotnar
,Tamaiosa are
the whi te wines, some of wh ich are of v i n tages asd i stant i n date as 1 879 ; and t he red wines are
Nicorest i, Odobest i, an d D ealu mare . A bottle of
350 The Gourmet ’ s Guide to EuropeO f cafes and pastry-cooks and café-chan tants t here
Joneson,
“
are a great number i n t he town andSt rada COVeSCi t h e parks and t he suburbs; Jonescui n t he Strada Covesci i s one of t h e cafet iers whoseShop i s very popular in t he afternoon .
BU CAR E ST CLUB SThe Jockey Club 1s t h e most importan t of t he
clubs of Bucarest,wh ich are al l after t he French
mode l . Th e Jockey Club has a d in ing-room of t h e
Br i t i sh type . Th e Mi l i tary Club,t h e T ineriniea
(t h e Youth ), t h e Royal,and t he Agricol are the
other clubs . Th e last th ree are hosp i tab ly incl i nedtowards t ravel l ing Br i tons who are sui tably in troduced . P lay runs h igh at t h e Bucarest c lubs .
A FTER D INNER
Th e odds are strongly lnfavour of a v i s i tor find ingont he boards of th e b ig theat re some patr iot i c nat ionalopera or play of many acts
,and wi th scores of charac
ters i n i t . A li tt le company Of French players fromt he Capuci ne w as at one of th e operetta theatres whenI made acquaintan ce W i th Bucarest, and V ienneseopere ttas were be i ng played at a second . In t he hotseason t he Moul i n Rouge and two or th ree open-ai rcafé-chantants are amusing places at wh i ch to spendan hour.
S INA I A
S inaia i s t h e h i ll stat i on in t he Carpath ians wheret he King and Q ueen of Rouman ia have bu i l t the i rsummer palace . Th e v i l lage i s i nten tional ly keptsmall
,an d there are on ly three hotels . Two good
express t ra in s run both ways dur ing t h e day ,'
and t he
Roumania 35 1
j ourney from Bucarest i s not a long one,and i s in
t erest ing. At Ploesc i,a junc t ionont h e l ine where
al l t rai ns stop,there i s a refreshmen t room where a
cheap and plen t i ful table d ’
hote meal i s served . S inaiai s very fash ionable i n the summer
,for most of th e
min i sters and many of t h e forei gn d i plomat i sts fol lowt he King and Q ueen up to t he p ic turesque v i llage1n the woods below t he great grey
Res taurantcrags . Capsa has a gay l i tt le restauran t Cap sa , Bouleont h e Boulevard Ch ica
,a l i tt le pav i l ion vard Ch lca
of i ron and glass,pain ted and gi lt
,which i s open dur
i ng t he summer months ; and George Biegler ’
s,
R iegler has a d ainty l i t tle coff ee-house Th e Park
and terrace and a t iny garden where a cascade fallsover min iature boulders next door to one of t he
bandstands .Th e Hotel Caraiman
,on a h i l l j ust above t he
s tat ion,i s open summer and win ter . In summer i t
i s c rowded to i ts hold i ng capac i ty . Inwinter a score of guests have the b ighotel to themselves . I can answer for t he meals atthe hote l be i ng S imple and wel l cooked, and a st rangerarr ivi ng duri ng th e off season i s flattered wi th muchattent ion .
Hotel Caraiman
SERV I A
The Food of th e Country— Belgrade -Kij ievo.
A WALK th rough the marke t of Belgrade i n t he
autumn shows at once what there i s good to eat i nServ ia . There i s no market i n all t he south of Europewhich can show such colour or such a wonderfulcho ice of fru i t . Beans of al l ki nd s and al l coloursfrom br igh t yel low to deep green
,c r imson tomatoes
,
peppers orange and green and red,deep scarlet rad ishes
,
purple egg-plants
,cabbages
,lettuces
,and on ions are
cheek by j owl wi th tubs of honey,p iles of c heeses
,
and great trays of plums and grapes,peaches
,apples
,
and pears . Wholesale buyers come from all overEurope to t he Belgrade market to buy frui t
,and as
t he peasan ts are al l i n t hei r nat i onal costumes,t he
market place with i ts rows of acac ia and chestnu tt rees giv i ng shel ter to t he stal ls i s a very pi c turesques igh t .
BE LGRA D E
Th e cookery ofBelgrade I S t he cookery Of Vienna,
or rather a rough imi tat ion of i t . Th e power of
France i n t he ki tchen ceases d i rectly th e Balkans
Th e Grand come i n to s igh t . At the Grand HotelRes taurant , there i s a restauran t wh ich i s th e bes tMiCh a‘ el St reet i n Serv i a . Brown velvet couches andzin c palms convey an idea of luxury
,and the cookery
35 2
354 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe~ but to whi ch t he Serv ian s generally go by rai l .There i s a l i tt le hote l there which has a glassed-inverandah
,and some v i l las wh ich are taken by the
month by t he merchants of Belgrade,and t ree—clad
h i lls w i th paths made onthem,and a l i tt le lake with
a pun t on i t,a fountai n and a rose-garden . The
hofst of t he hotel,h idd en to do h i s best
,gave t he
l i t t le party of pi cn ickers,of whom I was one
,some
vegetable soup,veal cutlets
,r i ce and potatoes, and
pancakes and blackberr ies .Serv ia i s not a country i n wh ich a gourmet Shouldcal l a “
h al t to enj oy good th ings to eat and good th ingsto dr i nk .
AFTE R D INNER
At Belgrade I found at t he theatre t he usualpat r iot i c d rama, Inwhich th e Serv ians are the v ictorsover t he Turks
,and after see i ng one act sh i rked t he
res t . There was no alternat i ve amusement,and “
event he hall-porter at th e Grand could suggest noth i ngexcept an even i ng in a café where a band played .
BULGAR I A
The Food of th e Country—Restaurants Of Soha—TheUnionClub .
TH E F O O D OF TH E CO UNTRY
ALL t he fi sh of t he Danube are to be bought i n th e
s t range semi-O r ien tal street of t he prov i s i on mer
chants at Sofia,where wei rd
,uncouth j o in ts of meat
are surrounded by pi les of country sandals and squaresof embro idery and wooden water bot tles . Mencarrybunches of l i ve fowls t ied to t he end of yokes upand down th i s st reet
,and boys sel l sheep ’ s trotters
arranged l ike a fr i nge ona st i ck . In t h e vegetableshops are masses of peppers
,and a stew h ighly seasoned
wi th papr iha i s t he meat-d i sh of t he people . Th e
cheese Sadowa,or Sadova
,i s good
,and so i s a cream
cheese . Turkish and Austr ian cookery meet andfratern i se i n t he ki tchens of Sofia .
TH E SO F I A RE STAUR ANTS
T he restaurant of t he Hotel d e Bulgarle has wh i tebl inds and l i ttle tables w i th wh i te l i nen tab lec loth s
,
and i s qu i te smart and clean . T he Hot el d ecook must be an Austr ian
,or must Enlgafi e
have learned h is t rade i n an Austr ian ki tchen, for35 5
356 The Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europet h e food i s exactly that wh ich one would expect tob e offered i n a small prov i n c ial Austr ian town .
There i s a Greek restauran t in Sofia,the exter io r
of wh ich d id not look suffic iently i nv i t i ng to temptan i nspec t ion of t he i n ter ior
,and there i s a Mace
domian café where some of t he ardent Bulgar ianpol i t i c ians d i ne. Th ese and a beer-house
,
“ Th e
Red Crab,where a band plays ; two café concerts
,
which keep open t i l l al l hours of the n ight,and i n
wh ich fire-water i s served under many d i ff eren tnames ; and a dozen or two ord i nary cafe's
,are the
houses of refreshmen t “i n Sofia .
TH E SO F I A CLU B S
Th e mil i tary officers have a large c lub, on t h e
model of t h e Austr ian Officers’ casi nos
,and t he
fore ign colon ies i n Sofia have a part i cularly pleasan tl i t t le club i n t h e Un ion . Two-th i rds of t h e mem
bers of th i s c lub are Engl i sh ; butsome of t he customs of con tinen tal
c lubs,such as the i n troduc t ion of new members to al l
the other members, are adhered to . T h e d i plomat i stsof t h e var ious Agenc ies— forBulgaria be i ng nominal lyvassal to Turkey
,t he Legat i ons are cal led Agenc ies
al l be long to t he Union . Th e club extends honorarymembersh i p to v i si tors
,and to be accorded th i s
pr iv i lege add s immense ly to the pleasure of a stayi n t he Bulgar ian cap i tal . There i s a read ing-roomi n t h e club
,where t he papers of al l nat i on s are
t o b e found . T h e chef i s an art i s t . He adapts h i smenus to t he tastes of h is masters of al l nat ional i t ies
,
and a mausahu,a r isot to
,and a saddle of Welsh mutton
may somet imes be found on the same b i l l of fare .
Some of th e statesmen and generals of Bulgar ia are
members of th is clu b, and when a man of very great
Th e UnionClub
X V I I
T U R K E Y
Turkish Cookery—Constantinop le Restaurants—Th erapiaConstantinop le Clubs .
TH E Turki sh cookery i s by n o means to be despi sed .
The Turk has been d r iven bag and baggage out of
many European countries,but h e has always left h i s
cookin g—pots beh ind h im . In Greece and i n th e
Balkan States the best d ishes of t h e coun try are real lyTurki sh ones . Th e Turks
,l ike all Mohammedans
,
are great eaters of vegetab les,and beans
,small cucum
bers,r i ce
,and whatever fru i ts are i n season form t he
p r1nc 1pal food of all c lasses . The Turk i s extremelypart i cular con cern ing t h e water h e d r inks ont he b i l l sof fare of t he restaurants th e var ious dr i nking watersfind a place
,and a charge i s made for them . Th e
many-coloured sherbets wh i ch make t he windows Oft he cafés i n the poor por t ions of t he towns look l ikethose of chemists are as much a subj ec t of taste tobe d i scussed as wines are wi th us .T h e Turkish hahohs and th e pilaf s of ch i cken are
good,but thei r appearance i s n ot appet i s i ng and they are
too satisfying . A l i tt le r ice and beef,rather aromat i c
i n taste,is wrapped round wi th a th i n v i ne leaf
,i n
balls t he s ize of a walnut,and eaten e i ther hot or
cold . This i s cal led Ya landj i D olmas. Yaour t or
Lait Ca ille’ i s a mi lk curd
,rather l ike what i s called
D iche M ilche i n Germany. d uhergines are eaten in358
Turhey 359
every form ; one method of cooking them,and that
one not easi ly forgotten,i s to smother a cold aubergine i n
on ion,garl i c
,sal t
,and oi l t h i s i s named YmamBay la
’i .
Keinf te’
are small meat-balls tast i ng strongly of on ions .Loufe r fish
,fr ied or gri l led ; Plaki fish, eaten cold ;
P ict i fi sh i n asp i c ; smal l oc top i stewed i n oil ;t he Espadon
,or sword-fish
,gr i l led ; M ousaha
,vege
table marrows sl i ced,with chopped meat between t he
S l i ces and baked ; Yachni, meat stewed wi th celeryand other vegetab les ; Kehap,
“ kabobs ” with a bayleaf between each l i ttle b i t of meat Kastanoto
,roasted
chestnuts stewed i n honey,and qu inces t reated in t he
same manner ; vermicel l i stewed in honey ; and preserves of rose leaves
,orange flowers
,and j essamine
all are to be found i n t he Turki sh cui s i ne . Th e
Turk is t h e best sweetmeat maker i n Europe,and
a t i n of rose-leaf jam,or a wooden box of Rabat
Lakoum,fresh ly mad e
, ,is always an acceptable gi ft
to take home to England to any household . Th e
Rdt i Kouz oum i s lamb impaled whole ona Sp i t l i ke asucki ng-pig
,which i t rather resembles i n s ize
,be i ng
very small . I t i s wel l over-roasted and sent up whole .
I am informed on t he best authori ty that when a hostwi shes to do you honour he tears pieces Off i t wi thh is fingers and places them before you, and you haveto devour them in t h e same manner .I herewith give a typ ical Turki sh d inner
D uz ico.
H ors d ’oeuvre .
Yalandj i D olmas .
POTAGE .
Creme d ’Orge .
PO I SSON .
Espadon. S ce. Anchois .
360 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
ENTREE .
BongbonKebabs .
Carni Yanik.
ROT I .Kouz oum.
L E’ GUME S .
Bahmieh a l’OrientaleYmamBayld i.
E NTREMETS .
Yaourt et F ruits .
The wines of Turkey are mostly of a Sauternec harac ter . Ba lkan i s a strong rough wine . D ouz ico
i s a l i queur wh ich somewhat resembles Kummel . Itcomes from Tchesme
,and Omourdja, and Broussa,
and t he Greeks and Levan t ines, w ho are i t s p r i nc i palcon sumers
,are very part i cular as to t he brand .
Mast ik,from Ch io
,i s another l iqueur largely con
sumed by t he Chri st ians i n Turkey .
O f course every hotel i n Pera has i ts restaurant .That of the Pera Palace i s t he one which t he travel l i ng
Engl i shman grav i tates to naturally,and
i t i s t he bes t of i t s kind . I do notth ink i t would be consi dered first-rate i n any capi talexcept that of Turkey .
Of t he restauran ts of Pera,apart from t he hotels
,
Tokatlian’ s i s t he best . This b ig res tauran t i s bui l tTok at lian’s ,
i n t he shape of a cross,and glass sc reen s
Grande Rue keep th e draugh ts of a i r away from t he
customers . The prevai l ing colour of pi llars and wal l si s c ream colour . Th e rooms are lofty
,and a fl igh t
of stai rs leads to a sui te of rooms ont he fi rst floor .T he part of t he restauran t nearest th e entrance servesas a café . Tokatlian’s at fi rst S i gh t reminded me
somewhat of our London Gat t i ’ s . In t he even ingTokat lian’ s i s c rowded
,and qui te a number of the
Pera Palace
362 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeUnless any man i s an en thus iast
,i t i s as wel l t o tes t
Turki sh cookery at Tokatlian’s or Jann i ’s,and not to
ven ture i n to any of t he Turkish restauran ts i n S tamboul . Not that t he cookery i s not excel lent
,for i t i s
but a Turk does not seem to m ind how gar i sh,or
sord i d,or d i rty t he surround ings are
,so long as h i s
food i s wel l cooked . If y ou wish to try t he novel tyOf eat ing a Turkish d inner i n a Turki sh restauran t
,do
not forget that a Turk takes h i s one substant ial mealof t he day about noon . Th e best place at wh i ch toexper imen t on Turkish cookery i s an out-of-doorseat i ng-place i n what i s by courtesy cal led a gardennear S ta . Soph ia. There i s an enclosure and a groveof dusty l i t tle t rees . A ki tchen and a wooden shed i nwh ic h t he hubble-bubble p i pes are ranged onshelves are i n t he centre of t he enclosure
,and there
are many plai n wooden chai rs and tables occup ied byoffic ial s of all grades
,mi l i tary officers
,and t he Turkish
mercant i le commun i ty .
Another d in ing-place i s c lose to t he ra i lway stat ion;and i n the Grande Rue d e Sirkedj i near t he GalataBr i dge there i s qu i te a cho ice of restauran ts . At th eRestauran t O smanl ie i n th i s st reet I h ave eaten red
mul let stewed in oil wi th pi ckled cabbage,peppers
and ol i ves as a garn i sh,a cap i tal M ausahu of d ubergines
—for there are séveral vegetable foundat ion s for M ou
sahas— a P ilaf , Kabobs roasted over a charcoal fire, andBaclava
,as a sweet Th e d inner was wel l cooked
,
t he Oi l surpr is ing me by be i ng excel len t ; but t he d i rtyroom
,t he cheap colou red pr i n ts
,t he great bunches of
fol iage put i n vases to attract th e flies away from t he
guests,t he mirrors Insoi led gi l t frames
,t he strange
conglomerat ion of food Shown i n th e windows to attract customers
,were not appet i s i ng . And the guests
,
all of whom seemed to have been a week without aShave
,and such of them as Showed any l inen hav ing
ev idently quarrel led wi th the i r laundresses,were qui te
Turhey 363
i n keep ing wi th t he d i r ty b lue pain t on t he wall sand the stain s ont he marble-topped tables .
TH ER A P I A
Constant i nople,with i ts mangy dogs
,and i ts s treets
al l i n holes,always seems to me an unc lean and
abominable c i ty,and I take steamer as soon as
possi ble to Therap ia,which i s a c i v i l i sed v i l lage .
Here,as in Pera
,th e choi ce of d ini ng-places l ies
between one of t he Palace Hotel s,t he Therapia
Palace,and Tokatlian’ s . Both are clean and ai ry
,
and t he sea b reeze blowing down from t h e BlackSea fi l l s al l t he rooms w i th heal thy salt—purified ai r .I do not th ink that there i s anyth ing to choosebetween t he two hotel s i n t h e matter of cookery
,
wh ich i s fa i r at each .
CONSTANT INOP L E CLUB S
There are two clubs i n Pera— th e Li tt le Club,t he
t i t le of which i s I bel ieve t he Cerc le d e Constant inople, and t he Cerc le de l
’
Orient i n t he Grande Rue .
Th e Cerc le d e l’Orient i s t he club of Cerclet he Ambassadors and t he Great Ones of d e f orm“
t h e Land . I t i s hospi table to properly in troducedstrangers ; i ts chef i s a most accompl ished art i st andi t has all t h e d ign i ty of an old-estab l i shed cosmopol i tanc lub . I t i s c losed dur ing t he hot mon ths when al l i tsmembers are e i ther on leave or at Therapi a . Th e
Li tt le Club keeps open al l t he year round . In th e
hot weather i t roll s up i ts carpets and takes t he doorsoff the i r h inges ; i n win ter i t becomes Th e Li ttlesnug and comfortab le . The offic ials of Ch m
all t he consulates,and t he d i plomat i sts and t he
merchants,are members of t he club
,and at lunch
364 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europet ime there i s a Br i t i sh tab le
,and a French
,and a
German,round wh ich cluster t he var i ous nat i onal i t ies .
It i s a very comfortable and mer ry and hospi tableclub
,and as i t i s almost next doo r to t he b ig ho te l
of the c i ty,i t s hosp i tal i ty i s much apprec i ated by th e
clubbable menof al l lands .
AFTER D INN ER
There I S general ly a French company playing int he theatre of t he b ig pav i l ion wh ich stands back somew ay from the Grande Rue
,j ust above t he Pera Palace
Hotel . Such nati ve en ter tai nmen ts as there are i t i swise not to v i s i t w i thout a gu ide i n at tendance
,who
wi l l explalnt he natu re of the per formances,and very
probably save t he i nqui r i ng stranger from many dullhalf-hours spent i n very hot and c rowded l i t t le rooms .
366 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
are some of th e sweets of t he cu i si ne . All Grec iancookery is done over a charcoal fire . A too great useof oil i s t he beset t ing sin of t he i nd i ff erent G reekcook . Th e egg
-plan t i s the great “ stand-by”
of
t he Grec ian ki t chen i t i s stuffed i n a dozen d ifferen tways .Th e food of t he peasan t i s grain , r i ce, goat-fleshwhen h e can get i t, a skinny fowl on t he greatfest ivals
,mi lk
,and strong-tast i ng cheese . A bunch
of grapes and a hunch of sour b read i s h i s Usualhot weather meal .T he Grec ian wines, though some of them tasteshock ingly of res in
,are not unpalatab le . Solon ,
Sout z os, Keph ista, Kephal len ia,are al l qu i te d rink
able ; and t he better-class wi nes of Kephallen ia,and
those of Patras, made by a German fi rm,are enj oy
able. Much of t he Greek wine goes to V iennaand other centres of t he wine t rade
,an d reappears
wi th labe ls on t he bottles hav ing no connec t ionwi th Greece .
ATH EN I AN RE STAUR ANT S
Th e restaurants of Athens are not happy hunt i nggrounds for t h e Anglo-Saxon gourmet . Th e Restau
rant S plend id,ih t he Hotel d es Etrangers
,Place d e la
Const i tuc ion,t he Minerva
,and the D ’
At henes,both
i n t h e Rue de Stade,are t he pi ck of a not too
promisi ng bunch ; and Murray recommends one i nAmal ias S treet, near t he Palace
,which I do not
remember to have seen .
A most grave l i t térateur to whom,as he had been
lately t ravel l i ng i n Greece,I appl ied for supplemen
tary i nformation, appl ied t he adjec t ive beastly to
al l Greek restaurants,and added that t he one great
cry ing need of Greece and Athens i s an Amer i canbar for the sale of cool ing d rinks in the Parthenon.
D ENMARK
The Hours of Meals—CopenhagenRestaurants—The Badehotelsonth e Sound .
O F t he food Of t he country there i s l i t tle to say . Th e
restaurants of t he hotel s asp i re to French cookery t h e
s impler eat ing-places where t he D anes enj oy themselves have t he plai ner cookery of Scand inav ia— scrapsof beef i n t he form of Tournedos
,cutlets
,baked fowl
,
and t he smorgasbord— t he hors d
’
ceuvre of t he north,
wh ich,however, are to b e found in greater var iety
i n Sweden . The hours of the meals throughoutScand i nav ia Should b e noted by th e Engl i shman
,
w ho because h e l ikes to lunch at and d ine atth i nks tha t t h e whole world must do l ikewise .
Th e Dane or Swede or Norwegian r ises very early,
has h i s coff ee and rol l,and then works t i l l 1 1
,when
h e leaves h i s office or h i s place of employment andeats h i s b reakfast . At noon h e goes back to workand at 4 P .M . h e eats h i s d i nner . He generally supsl ightly before h e goes to b ed . Th e Bri ton w ho goesi n to a restauran t at what h e considers t he sane hoursat wh ic h to feed and finds no table d ’lzbte meal readyand t h e cook out for h i s dai ly walk
,learn s that every
country does not of necess i ty fol low the Br i t i sh t imetable.
368 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
CO P ENH AG EN
At t he Hotel d ’Angleterre, Opposi te t he RoyalO pera House, I found t h e cooking qu i te good
,
Hot el d ’
Angle both in t he restaurant and gr i l l-room ,
t erm though not in any way d ist inct ive lyDan ish ; and th e same can be sa i d for t he cooki ng ofth e Hotel Br i stol
,a red-bri ck bu i ld ing wi th a h igh
Hotel Bri s tol, tower up whi ch people who wish to
Raad h usp lad see t he v iew are conveyed i n a l i ft .Menw ho know the i r Copenhagen have told me thata good d inner i s to be found at the /Phoenix . I had beentold that I should find t h e nat ional cookery in t heDan i sh
restauran t of t h e Tivol i Gardens, andthat t he pr ice of i t was 3 kroner . I
hunted all the Tivol i th rough for th i s part i cularrestauran t and d i d not find i t . The Tivol i i s aparal lel to our Earl ’ s Court Exh i b i t i on
,and i t i s i n
t he very cen tre of t h e c i ty . If al l th e bu i ld ings ,
between Le i cester Square and S t. James Square werepulled down and a garden made Wi th a great freeconcer t hal l and a great free theatre and a smallertheatre for pantomime with a tremendous peacock
’s s
tai l as a curtai n and another stage for ac robats,and i f
s ide-shows galore and a score of cafés and restauran tswere scattered about and a lake made and a pagoda bu i l t
,
then London would have someth i ng resembling t he
Copenhagen Tivol i . I t r ied at least t enof t he caferestaurants i n t he Gardens
,aski ng i n my best D an i sh
i f they had national cookery . All blazed wi th l igh t,
i n each I was bowed to a l i tt le table,and as I stood
and parleyed a menu in whi ch most d i shes were itla was put i n to my hand . At last i n despai r I satdown at a table i n one of t he b ig d in ing-rooms wh ichare one i ther s ide of t he concer t hall
,a hal l wh ich is
Ti voli Gardens
370 The Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeAt Marienly st, wh ich i s near Els inore, there i s anhotel semi-or ien tal i n appearance with arched veranTh e Casino,
dahs and a wealth of creepers . A casino,
Marienly s t a restaurant,and two score of cottages
form par t of t h e bath ing estab l i shmen t . What I havewri t ten concern i ng t he food and t he v iews at Skodsborg and Klampenborg hold s good for Marienly st .In t h e casino grounds is Hamlet ’ s grave, wh ich i s ave ry good reproduct ion of t he last rest i ng-place of aV iking. A ne ighbouring pleasure-garden , j ealous ofth i s happy idea of Marienly st , has made i n i ts groundst he i dent ical pool i n wh ich Ophel ia d rowned hersel f.
A FTER D INNER
I have descr i bed above t he Tivol i Gardens,i n
wh ich al l Copenhagen amuses i tsel f i n t he summer .My knowledge of t he W i n ter amusemen ts after d inneri s but scanty
,but I am told that t he performances at
t he O pera are wel l worth see i ng,and any one w ho i s
anamateur of danc ing should see t he performances oft he Opera Corps d e Bal let
,from whence have come
to us such art i sts as M l les . Genée and Br i tta .
S W E D EN
Th e Food of th e Country— S tockholm Restaurants— SaltsjobadenS torvik—Goth enburg .
MOST of the d i shes of t he countr ies of t h e north are
very s imple ones . T he mater ials wh ic h a Swed i shcook has at command are l imi ted
,and t he d inners
of t he coun try,though good
,pla in
,and plenteous
,
cannot b e sai d to come under t he head ing of theH aute Cuisine. Some of t he d i shes of t he coun tryare Ka/dalmar
,chopped meat rolled in a cabbage leaf
and fr ied ; Svemé Bej fib eef beaten th in and cooked
wi th sal t and a th i ck layer of pepper and on ions ;Graflax, raw salmon eaten wi th oi l
,v inegar
,pepper
,
and a sauce of sweet herbs ; Py t z‘ Joanna
,fr ied d ry
hash,exactly l ike t he Amer i can d ish onwhich all t h e
proprietors of board ing-houses i n t he S tates are supposed to feed the i r lodgers ; Sta irgéarf , which i s t hesausage of th e coun try fr ied ; F i/bunée, sou r mi lkrather l ike our j unket
,eaten with ginger
,sugar
,and
scraped brown bread ; Brae/nSar i Br inga, bakedcorned beef ; Tournedos 21 la Nobis
,smal l steaks in l i tt le
ch ina pans,wi th asparagus po in ts and a mayonnai se
sauce ; Biff /Ypres, beef-steak and pork chopped fine,wi th potato round t he di sh . Stecfn‘ St rammirg i s afish much l ike a pla i ce . Smorgasbord , w h ich is l i teral ly “ b read and butter
,i s very much t h e same as
t he Russian Z aéouséa . T h e sm‘
o’
rgasbord table and i ts371
372 The Gaurmet’
s Guide to 8urapeaccompanying stand of l i queurs i s often i n an anteroom to t h e d in ing-room . It was explained to me
that t he d i stances in the country be i ng very great,
some guests would arr ive early,some late
,and t he
smb’
rgaséord table b r i dged over t he many bad quartersof an hour which would otherw ise have to be endured .
STOCK H O LM
Th e Opera Kall‘
aren,wh ich forms part of t he
bui ld ings of t he Opera House,i s,I should fancy
,
th e most typ ical of al l th e S tockholmrestauran ts . Th e b ig d in i ng-room is
panel led wi th wood the colour of dark cedar,and
above th i s i s some heavy gold ornamentat ion andsome wel l-pain ted pi c tures of semi-nude nymphsand shepherds . The ce i l i ng i s of wood . I was oneof a party of six w ho asked t he propr ietor to prov idefor us a lunch of Swed i sh d i shes . This was t he ,
menu '
Op era Kallaren
Taking t he d ishes i n order . Fi rst came t he bars
d’
oeuvre,fol lowed by t he j unket . The raw salmon
was succeeded by young capercai lz ie and cranberr ies .To my surpr i se t he b i rds were very tender
,and thei r
flesh had no res i nous twang ; but for the dark colourof t he meat I should have taken them to be pheasan ts .Pancakes and cloud berr ies were t he fi nal i tem . W e
drank with t he sm‘
o‘
rgasbord e i ther Schnapps or a yel lowfiery nat ive l i queur ;w e relapsed to French and GermanW i ne at d inne r, and then tasted some Swed i sh punch ,
Smorgasbord .
F ilbunka.
Graflax .
Kri’
ftstufning.
Tjad ar m l ingon.
Planar m S y lt .
374 The Geurmet ’s Guide to 8urepevodka . T h e c rayfi sh
,erfif z
‘er
,a l i t tle larger than th e
French ones,excel lent i n flavour
,and served i n a terr ine ;
t h eBisque soup ; cav iare served ,as of course i t should be,on a bed of ice
,are good at th e Rydberg, and t he cook
manages to make even a ptarmigan toothsome . I t i sa favouri te place for people to sup at after t he theatre .
T h e table d’
héz‘e d inner costs 3 kr. 50 ore and the
lunch 2 kr. 5 0 fi re . Calor ic punch i s a favouri tedr ink here
,and two men th ink noth ing of d ri nking
a bottle betw een them after d i nner o r supper .One of t h e best restaurants i s t h e Cont i nen tal, i n
Th e Cont i t he b ig wh i te hotel of that name opponent al s i te t h e rai lway stat ion ; Tournedosand Nasseléa lseppa, a soup made from tender youngnet tles
,bei n g spec ialt ies of t he house .
The Café du Nord,i n t he great square
,i s very
clean,very crowded
,and very popular
,al though more
bourgeois than t he others . Th e foodi s good
,meals bei ng served mostly
,
21 la car te. A good filer d e beeuf costs about 90 fire .
The busi ness menw ho mostly patron i se t h i s caféd i ne from 3 to 4 P .M . Many people sup there i nt he even ing . There are some excel lently pai n tedpi c tures i n black and gold
,rather dar i ng and French
i n subj ect,on th e walls .
Th e Berns Salonger, a great th ree-stor ied red,
whi te, and gold café, with a small space crowdedwi th chai rs before i t
,and a covered
bandstand very close to t he balcon iesof t he café
,i s a place where sandwiches
,coffee
,punch
,
and l iqueurs are always to be obtai ned at al l hoursS t romp ar and al l seasons . The St romparterren, at erren pretty garden on t h e harbour
,and t h e
Blan ch Café, wh ich has very green shel ters, are openfrom th e I st May to the 3oth September .A mi l i tary band
,fine fel lows i n cocked
hats and si lver epaulettes, or a naval band i n t h e
Cafe d u Nord
Berns Salonger
Blanch Cafe
Sweden 375
un i form of pet ty offi cers,are to be found playing
in t he afternoon at these restaurants .The Hassel backen , onan i sland in the fj ord, i s t hemost in terest ing of t he Stockholm restaurants . Onthe i sland i s a park
,and a l i t tle town g asselb ack en
’
of theat res and c i rcuses . T he park Skansen
i s known as t h e Skansen . I t i s a botan ical gardenand a zoological garden in one
,with some of t h e
features of a museum added to them . Part of t h e
seven thousand ac res are left as vi rg i n forest . T he
an imals are housed as nearly in thei r natural stateas poss i b le t he bears have the i r caves
,the b i rd s have
av iar ies so h igh that p i nes grow inside,t he re indeer
are i n an enclosure of forest . Outsi de th i s park i s t h eHassel backen
,a broad-roofed bu i ld i ng wi th a wide
verandah on t h e fi rst floor,whence one looks over
t he garden w i th i ts hundred s of l i ttle tables to the
harbour and i ts i s lets and t h e town . Th e seasonduri ng wh ich t he Hassel backen is opened i s fromMay to t he end of September . D uring t he earlypart of t he season Tziganes play in one of t h e rooms .In summer a somewhat no i sy orchestra plays i n t he
garden . Th e pr i ce of d inner,pr ix fixe, i s 3 kr.
50 ore ; t h i s i n cludes soup, fi sh,meat
,relefve
'
(general ly t he Swed i sh gu inea-fowl cal led lzj a rpe) and ice.
Wine and coffee are of course extra .
Th e Hasselbacken is often used for t h e giv i ng of
banquets of ceremony, but t he d inner at 3 kr. 50 ore
i s more l ikely to i n terest the st ranger wi th i n t he gatesthan the more extensive feasts
,so I give a typical
menu of th i s very reasonably pr iced repast
Purée a la Reine.
~
Saumon fumé aux Epinard s .
Selle d e Moutonaux L egumes .
Gel inottes rét ies . Salade.
Soufiiée au Ci tron.
376 T/ze Gaurmez’
r Guide to gurepe
A FTER D INNE R
My stay i n S tockholm was made dur ing summerwhen t he weather was hot, and I found that th eHassel backen and the street o f amusement outs idegave me al l t he amusement I wan ted
,W i thout stewing
inan opera-house or one of t he theatres o f t h e town .
I fancy,however
,that t he opera-house was c losed fo r
t he summer mon ths,but of th i s I have not any c lear
recollect ion .
SALTSJOB A D EN
At t h e Swed ish Br ighton,a very simple and very
pretty v i l lage amid st t he pi nes ona fj o rd whe re smal l
y ach ts lie at anchor ont h e plac id water,and a score
of l i t t le i slan ds have t ea-houses amid st t he t rees,and
l i t tle p iers j u t out i n to t he wavelets,and bath ing
sheds are on t he b ri nk of t h e water,there are
a hal f-dozen of hotels and restaurants at all o fwh i ch t he pri ces are surpri s i ngly c heap . At th e
Grand Hotel I was given a cop ioussm
‘
o‘
rgasbord , fr ied fi sh,stewed frui t
,
unl im i ted bread,butter
,and cheese ; a pi n t of
Swed ish beer or any other s imple beverage was atmy serv ice, and t he c harge was I kr. 50 ore
,or
abou t 1 3. 8d .
Grand Hotel
STOR V IK
At S torv ik, a stat i on on the Storlieu l i ne,there
i s a restauran t whic h i s celebrated throughoutSweden . You are charged 2 kr.,
wh ic h i s the pr i ce of a meal at all
rai lway refreshment rooms,and hel p
yoursel f at a b ig central table,c rayfish soup
,fish
,
meat,poult ry
,game
,and sweets al l bei ng i n cluded
i n t he meal,and a glass of l ight beer .
N O RW A Y
Th e Ch ristiana Restaurants —Th rond hj em.
NORWAY i s not a happy hunt ing—ground for t he
gourmet . At th e best of t he d in i ng-places the foodi s plai n food wel l cooked ; at t he other d in ing-placesi t i s plai n food ind ifferen tly cooked . Salmon
,hal i but
,
and ptarmigan are t h e var iat i ons from beef,b read
,
mi lk,and vegetab les, and salmon and ptarmigan after
a t ime pall onthe palate .
CH R I ST I ANA
The restaurant at the Victor i a Hotel at Ch r ist ianawas t he ground of most of my exper imen ts i n t h e
cookery of Norway,and I fe l t grate
ful to t he cook for maki ng a youngptarmigan qu i te an eatable b i rd . Th e Hotel S cand inavie, one of t he other th ree hotels of t he c i ty, advert i ses that i ts cookery i s both French and Norwegian .
I at e an even ing meal at the brown-walled restaurantat tached to t he Tivol i Gardens, where there i s a theat re
of var iet ies,and found th e Tournedos
and t he hal i but there very much t h e
same as they are anywhere e l se i n the nor th .
Holmenkollen, 1 000 feet up t he moun tai n beh indChri st iana
,has i ts hotel and restauran ts
,
which are wel l worth v i s i t i ng,not so
much for t he food , which i s of th e s implest d escrip378
Victoria
Tivoli
Holmenkollen
Norway 379
t ion,as for th e wonderful v iews . The room in wh i ch
lunch i s served,strapping Norwegian gi rls taki ng t he
place of th e usual wai ters,i s a copy of t h e b ig room
i n an old Norwegianfarm . There i s a smal l cafe' i nt he grounds of t he hote l wh i ch i s also a model o f anold Norw egian house .
Frognersae ter, fur ther up t h e mountai n onwhichi s the Holmenkol len
,and Ekeberg
,are also famous
for the i r V iews,and at each place there i s a café .
A FTER D I N N ER
Wish i ng to do i n Chri st iana as t he Norwegians do,
I attended a performance of one of Ibsen ’ s plays i n atheat re bui l t after the mode l of a Greek temple . AsI do not know a word of Norwegian
,I d id not find
t he performance exh i larati ng . My exper iences a t t h eTivol i were far more entertai n ing .
THROND HJEM
O f any restauran t i n Th rond hj em I cannot speakfrom personal knowledge
,but two or
t hree of my corresponden ts have hada good word to say for t he cookery at t he Br i tann ia .
Th e Bri tannia
X X I I
R U S S I A
RussianCookery— S t . Petersburg—Th e Clubs of S t . PetersburgMoscow—Th eMoscow Clubs—0d essah Kief— Warsaw— H el
s ingfors—Yalta .
RU S S I AN D I S H E S
RUSSI A deserves ful l c red i t for hav ing reta ined anat ional cui si ne
,and a very excel lent cui s i ne i t i s .
Some Russians are gourmand s,
’
and before d inner orlunch make a pre l iminary meal from t he Z ak-oust erbuff et
,where potatoes and celery
,sp i ced eels
,stuffed
crayfish,ch i l l ies stuffed wi th potato
,ol ives
,minced
red cabbage,smoked goose flesh
,smoked salmon
,
smoked sturgeon,raw herr ing
,p i ckled mush rooms
,
rad ishes,cav iare
,look very tempt ing ont he i r separate
plates,and where an array of l i queur bott les wi th
t he vodka most i n ev idence keep them company . I twould be obv iously unfai r to cal l al l Russ ians gluttonsbecause some of them eat too much
,as i t would be
to cal l t hem all d runkards because some Russ ians candr i nk a surpr i s i ng quant i ty of champagne at a s i t t i ng .
Soups are t he pr i nc i pal cont ribut ion'
of Russia to t h e
cu i si ne of t he world . The Russ ian Mouj ik,when
h e fi rst st i rred some sour c ream in to h i s Sc/z z’
or cabbage broth
,l i tt le though t that from h i s raw i dea t he
majest i c Bar teh and kind red soups would spring . InEngland Bar tel: and Rossolnié
,th e latter a soup in
whic h cucumber j u i ce and parsley and celery roots380
382 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeIn England Blinis make the i r appearance with cav iareat d inners at al l t imes of t he year
,and I fancy that
most Anglo-Saxons th ink that they are a Russian subst itute for our crumpets . This i s what an Engl i shmanres i dent i n Russi a wr i tes to me ont he subj ec t :“Blinis arenot on ly eaten at Cubat ’ s and the Ermitage
,
but they are eaten in dozens and thousands of dozensal l over orthodox Russia
,from th e Winter Palace to
t he most humble house— out they are eaten on lydur ing one w eek _ of t he year
,Carn ival week
,t he
week preced in g Len t . Blinis are not l i ke crumpets .They are i n fac t noth ing but Amer i can buck-wheatcakes
,about t he same shape and we i gh t
,i f anyth ing
a l i t tle l ighter . They are made of wheat and of
buck-wheat,and are eaten with hot mel ted butter
,
smetana (th i ck sour cream) and fresh caviare . Thereare also fancy Minis
,wi th wh i tebai t
,on ion s
,car rots
,
baked i n to th e paste . In one shape or another theyare devoured by al l t he mill ions of Russ ians twice aday for a week . Th e merchants
,who are st i l l a
spec ial ‘ caste ’ i n Russia,make i t a po i n t to eat as
many as poss i b le,and manage to swallow several
dozen at a si t t i ng .
”
As a con t rast,let me give you an extrac t from an
art i c le by M iss Insley wh ich appeared i n th e D a ilyM a il
,u nder th e head ing of “ Everyday Li fe i n
Russia,
” and wh ich d escr i bes a fami ly d i nner i n aRussian country house
,and th e menu of a d inner
given by Count Lamsdorff at t he S t . PetersburgFore ign Office . Th e Coun t ev ident ly kept a Frenchchef
,and t he d inner i s cur iously cosmopol i tan i n i ts
composmon.
Huitres d ’Os tend e .
Consommé au fumet d e truffes .
Petits pates .
Homards a la Hohenz ollern.
Russ ia 383
Selle d ’
agneau garnie.
Parfait d e foie g1 as au Champagne.
Punch . melonet cass is .
Fai sans d e Boheme a la broche flanqués d’
ortolans roti s .
Salade laitue et concombres frais .
Asperges d’
Argenteuil, Sauce Moussel ine.
D uchesses ala Pari s ienne.
Bombes glacées .
F romages .
D essert.
The excel lent gourmet who sen t me t he above menucommen ts thus on t he P a rf a it d e foie gras ou Cham
pagne “ T he essence of th i s d i sh i s to have anabundance of t h e wine j el ly wel l i ced i n waves al lround t he foie gras.
” This i s the extrac t from MissInsley
’
s art i c le “ W e do not have th e ‘z akousky
’
so fami l iar i n stor ies of Russ ian l i fe,but wh ich I
have learned on ly to expec t at Russian d i nner-part ies .Here w e begin wi th soup
,hav ing wi th i t a t i ny hot
scone wi th chopped meat i ns ide . T he soup,i n stead
of t he usual cabbage soup,i s made of beets
,and there
i s th i ck sour c ream for i t . T he Russian duck i s verytender and toothsome wi th pi ckled cher r ies ; t he
potatoes bear s igns of hav ing been frost-b i tten therei s a plate of crumb led green cheese i n to wh ich t he
Countess puts a sl i ce of black bread and butter,butter
s ide downwards,and passes t he plate onto her brother
,
w ho serves h imsel f i n th e same way ; and there i s ab i g decanter of red boas for all who wan t i t . Afterth e duck there are veal cut le ts . For t he sweets w e
have a concoct ion wh ich looks l ike treacle, and wh ic hi s made of the stewed j ui ces of var ious fru i ts . ”
Iced éoas i s a common dri nk of t h e country, andi n t h e Caucasus some very good wines are made .
There i s a champagne of t he D onwhich often findsi ts way i n to bot tles wi th. Rhe ims label s onthem .
384 l e Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
ST . P ETER SBURG
Th e first-class restauran ts of S t . Petersburg are al lFrench i n cui s ine . I can on ly speak from exper ience
of one of them,D onon’ s
,a red-faced
bu i ld ing i n a courtyard en tered throughanarch . I was g iven qu i te an excel lent d inner forabout 5 s .
,but my bottle of claret
,cup of coffee
,
and l i queur of fine champagne cost th ree t imes asmuch as my d inner d id . This
,I am told
,i s th e
case i n al l t he h igher-c lass S t . Petersburg restau
rants . T h e set d i nner i s general ly pr i ced at 2
roubles,about 45 . 4d . a head
,and t he profi t i s made
on t he W i ne . I t i s t he custom to d rink Frenchwines
,and t he duties on these are enormous
,the
bott les be i ng cross-gartered wi th offic ial st r i ps of
paper,each of wh ich represents a customs rece i pt .
A bott le of French Vin ord inaire costs 4 roubles
50 kopeks, or 9 8. 8d .,an d no bott le of Rhe ims
champagne i s ob ta i nable for less than 1 0 roubles . Awh isky and soda costs I rouble 50 kopeks, and i nsome places 2 roubles. D onon’ s
,so I am told
,has
fallen away somew hat from i ts ol d glor ies,and i s
not as fash ionable as i t used to be,but I d i d not
miss t he fash i onable element and found t he cookeryqu i te good .
L’
Ours,the Bear
,ont he Bolschay a Kononschaya,
i s a very favour i te and a very fash ionable restaurant .
D onon’
s,Moika
L.ours I ts cui s i ne i s French,wi th a few of t he
Bolsch ay a best Russian d ishes adopted i nto t heKononsch ay a H aute Cuisine.
The restaurant of t he Hotel d e l’
Europe i s anexcel lent one
,and i s very popular wi th
t he upper c lasses of t he Russi an capi tal .Contant ’ s
,ont he Moika, has a garden wh i ch, i n
D e l’
Europ e
386 T/I e Gourmet ’ s Guide to Europe
was very much l ike a wh i ti ng, but more heav i lyfleshed
,served a [a Colber t
,beef
,fowl
,a vegetable
d i sh aiI d a sweet,a d i nner qui te wel l cooked, but
noth i ng d i sti ngu i shed or i n terest i ng in i t . T h e
charge for th i s was 3 roubles, and as usual myhumble p Int of red wine and glass of old bran dy weret he largest i tems in t he b i l l . I am told that bothErnest ’ s and F elic ien’ s are opened i n t he win teroccas ional ly for t h e c onven ience of sle i gh ing part ies
,
and I can read i ly understand t he pleasure of comingout of a mi st of frozen snow into one of the i r comfortab le d in ing-rooms .Beyond t h e Islands
,and wel l outs ide S t . Petersburg
,
i s the Samarkand,a restauran t wh ich i n
winter serves as t he po in t to whichslei gh d rives are made . It i s not cons idered a firstclass restaurant .In S t . Petersburg I lunched one day at Le i ner ’ s
,
a German restauran t onthe Nevsky Prospec t,wh ich ,
Leiner ,
was very crowded and very bustl i ng,
1 8 Nevsky and I at e a German meal wh ich wasPrOSp eCt plenteous for i ts pr i ce
,I f roub le .
. I
drank some Russian P i lsener beer wh i ch was qui tel ight and qu i te cool .There i s a purely Russ ian restau rant
,Palkine
,
Samarkand
Palk ine ,
ont he Nevsky Prospect t but hav i ng1 7 Nevsk y walked Into I t W i th t h e 1nt ent 10nofProsp ect order ing ‘ a Russian meal
,I could find
no one there w ho talked any language other thanRussi an, and in despai r I beat a ret reat .Th e Hote l d e France has a luncheon at 75kopeks
,or 1 5 . 6d .
,wh ich is very popular with th e
Hot el d e France bus iness commun ity of S t . Petersburg,
6 Bolch aia and i ts d in ing-room i s c rowded fromM°skala
to 2 o ’ clock . T he food i s noth igh-class
,but of a good bourgeoi s descr i pt i on
,and
the place i s kept by a Belgian,Mons . Renaul t .
Russia 387
ST . P ETER S BUR G CLUB S
Th e New Engl ish Club,which must not be con
founded wi th the Engl i sh Club,i s t h e Br i t i sh club of
S t . Petersburg . It has i ts rooms at Bri ti sh (mm,
36 Morskaia,wh ich street m igh t b e MorSkaifi
cal led th e P i ccad i l ly of St . Petersburg,and these
rooms compri se two b i l l iard-rooms,read ing and
wri t i ng rooms,a d i n ing-room
,and a card-room . The
Ambassador and all t he staff of t h e Br i t ish Embassyare members
,and prac ti cal ly al l t he clubbable Br i ton s
i n S t . Petersburg be long to t he club . Engl ishmenbelonging to good clubs at home
,and in troduced by
members of t he club,can become honorary members
for a week,or temporary members at 5 roubles a
mon th . Fore i gners (Amer icans excluded ) are notel igi b le as ord inary members
,but they can b e ad
mit t ed as temporary or honorary members . This rulehas been passed to preven t t he New Engl i sh Clubbei ng Russian i sed as has happened to t he Engl i shClub . As there i s a
,to a young club
,proh ib i t ive
tax of £2 00 onrestaurants,t he cater i ng of t he club i s
done by Pivato’
s Restau rant,which occupies t he two
floors beneat h t he club ’ s rooms .The Commerc ial Club ont he Engl i sh Q uay hasMr . Ma hersonas i ts Presi dent . It i s Commerciala luxur ious c lub
,and i s cosmopol i tan
,Club , English
many of t he Br i t i sh merchants bei ng 8113 553501
8
1
3?
members of i t . The Engl ish Club,on vai
‘
a’
Nad érej
t he D vort sovaia Nadérejnaia'
,has no nala
Br i t i sh members . It i s t he club of t h e Russianari stocracy and of officers i n c rack regimen ts . I twas or igi nal ly founded by a few Engl i shmen , but t hec lub now i s i n no way Engl i sh .
Th e Yacht Club on t h e Great Morskaia i s the
388 T/ze Gourmet ’s Guide f o Europebest known of t he S t . Petersburg clubs . I t i s a c lubYach t Club, of t he ari stoc racy . The presen t Pr imeGreat MOrSkaifid Min ister of Russia i s the only memberw ho does not boast a t i tle . T he club takes acti on inpol i t i cs
,and has been known to expel a member w ho
supported a party not i n sympathy wi th t he v iews oft h e nob i l i ty.
There i s another yacht c lub ont h e Islands .T h e Club of the Nobi l i ty and th e New Club are
other clubs of St . Petersbu rg .
A FTER D INNER
My week in S t . Petersburg in t he autumn was nott he best t ime for see i ng e i ther t he summer or t he
winter en tertai nmen ts,for I was there j ust between
t he open ing of th e theatres and t he c los i ng of t hegardens . T he var i ous gardens wi th the i r restaurantsand var iety shows are t he places where th e Russian samuse themselves i n summer
,and i n t he pr i vate supper
rooms,which are to b e found i n most garden s
,t he
gi l ded youth of Russ ia sup t i l l al l hours,and often cal l
i n t he aid of some of th e t roupes wh ich have appearedont he stage . In the winter all that i s br i l l i an t i nRussia i s to b e seen on t he n ights when bal lets aredanced at th e Imper ial Opera-house . T he ballets andt he pr i nc i pal dancers are talked about and wr i ttenabout more than any other subj ec t of i n terest i nRussia . Where at an Anglo-Saxon d inner-partypol i t i cs or music would be d i scussed
,at a Russian
dinner-party th e bal let i s talked of. And as i n S t .Petersburg
,so i t i s i n Moscow
,and to a lesser extent
i n Warsaw .
Mo s cow
Moscow i s one of t he headquarters of real Russiancookery . S t . Petersburg i n th i s respect has been
390 The Gourmet ’s Guide to Europep ig
,gian t crayfish
,and bowls of c ream . Z akousf a
,
Seiianéa wi th Rastega i, cold sucking-pig and creamand horse-rad ish
,and an orange salad form a typ ical
lunch at t h e Slavianski. At d inner-t ime the soups,
ch iefly vege table or fi sh , and t he great variety of fresh
Slaviansk i water fi sh,formed th e i n terest i ng por
Baz aar , Rue t i ons of t he meal . The restaurantNik O’Sk a’a room of t he Slavianski i s wh i te belowand t h e upper port lonIs pa1nted in imi tat ion of wood .
A cur ious arrangement of l igh t arches supports theroof i nstead of p i l lars . Th e most i n terest i ng roomin t he Slavianski i s the old Russian Hall
,pain ted
i n glar i ng and barbar ic colours,i n which t he con cer ts
are given . Th e wai ters at t he Slavianski are i n d ressclothes
,and
,with t h e except ion of t he head wai ter
,
who talks a l i t t le Engl i sh and a l i ttle German,speak
Russ1an on ly .
Th e Ermi tage i s one of t h e h istor i c restaurants ofthe world . It has a tremendous staff of chefs andsous—chefs
,i ts store-rooms for game are a s igh t worth
s ee i ng,and i t has a wonderful d i nner serv ice of Sevres
ch ina wh i ch i s so prec i ous that an extra charge i smade for i ts use at any d inner par ty . I asked a
Th e Ermi tage,
l i t tle party of fel low-t ravel lers to
Trubnaia lunch wi th me,and I hope now
Plasmh ad that I was prompted ent i rely by t he
Spi r i t of hosp i tal i ty,and not by a des i re to b e
supported by my count rymen and countrywomenin a place where I expec ted to find Russian on lytalked . W e found ourselves in a su i te of h ighce i l i nged rooms
,al l l ight green In colour and
decorated elaborately wi th Stucco . Large mirrorsreflected apparently endless v i stas ; th e Z aéouséa
coun ter was under a fine musi c ians ’ gallery ; andi n another gallery t he tables Stretched far back .
The waiters at t he Ermi tage are al l in_ _
lo,
ng wh i tetunics with a red cord at t he waist
, _
t he Tartar
Russia 39 1
d ress . O n Sunday s and holy days t he wai ters,I
am told,wear coloured s i lk garments
,but th is
I cannot answer for from personal observat ion .I
placed my party for luncheon at a vacan t table,
and _one of t he white—tun icked wai ters put in to my
hand a bi l l of fare i n Russi an . I could see thatt he d ishes were d iv ided i nto three categor ies
,and
should have understood noth in g more had not oneof t he managers
,a k ind ly person
,rubicund
,and
walking del icately i n a way wh ich sugges ted goutybig toes
,come to my rescue . If he was not Fren ch
,
h e talked French l ike a Frenchman,and h e explained
that eggs and fi sh were i n t h e fi rst sec t ion,cold
meats i n t he second,and hot meats i n t he th i rd .
O f these w e had a choi ce of two d i shes for I rouble2 5 kopeks . An omelet te and a salmi of grousewere what t h e ma it re d
’
hotel recommended,and
though both of these were certai n ly not Russ iand i shes
,w e at e them and were grateful . I began
very wel l wi th t h e rub i cund nzui z‘ re d ’hotel,but I
soon fel l i n h i s est imation . I had been a week i nRussia and I had not tasted any of t he Russianwines . I was told that both t h e red and wh i tewines grown on th e Emperor ’ s estates i n t he
Caucasus were extremely good,and t h e Ermitage
seemed to me to b e exactly t he restaurant wheret he best crus of t he best years of t he bes t winesof t he count ry would be found . I asked t he ma itre
d’
ho‘
tel. He appeared to be i n sulted,but then
remembered that I w as only an Engl ishman,and
could not b e expected to know t he custom of t hecoun try .
“ I bel ieve there are such wines,
”h e said
,
“ but w e know noth i ng o f them here .
” Besi dest he large su i te of publ i c d in ing-rooms at the Ermi tagethere are many pr ivate ones
,some of them large
enough to accommodate . al l th e guests at offic ialbanquets wh ich are usually held here.
392 Tne Gourmet ’s Guide to Europe
A good d in ner i n a pri vate room at t he Ermitagei s by no means a cheap meal . Here i s t he menuof a typi cal one . Th e various forms of pet its pate'smay b e noted as bei ng cur i ous . They are served,as I have wri tten before, wi th t he soup
Consommé Bariat insky .
T imbale Napoli taine .
Vol—au-vent Ross ini .F riands a la Reine.
Tartelettes St . Hubert.Esturgeon enVind e Champagne.
Selle d e Moutond ’
Ecosse Nesselrode.
Punch I mperial .Becasses et Cailles .
Salade, et Concombres Salés .
Chouxfleurs, Sauce Polonaise.
Bombe enSurpri se.
D essert.
Petits Pates
T he Bolskoi Moscovski,which i s on one of the
b ig squares of t he c i ty opposi te t he Town Hal l,has
a Spac ious d i n ing-room . T he wai ters here are alsod ressed i n t h e whi te l inen Tartar d resses . An
orchestr i on d iscourses music dur i ngt he meals . Th e Bolskoi i s a favour i terestauran t i n summer at lunch-t imewith. t he menwhose fami l ies are at th e
Datchas or v i l las i n t he country,and w ho therefore
take ~
t heir mid—day meal at one of t he eati ng-placesin th e town . 1
Testyoff’
s,a rather Shabby l i t tle wh i te restauran t at
t he corner of t heTheatre Square, i ts walls covered wi thTest
o
y ofi‘
s '
Russ 1an i nsc r i pt ion s,i s t h e best purely
Th eat re square Russian restauran t of the town,so I was
told,and t he Grand Dukes and other great nob les go
there to eat Russian d i shes . I though t I wouldemulate these great men
,and sat d own at one of t he
394 Tbe Gourmet ’s Guide to Europ eate cav iare from a l i ttle pot embedded in ice
,th e stage
was occup ied by var iety performers, some of themEngl ish
,some Amer i can
,some Fren ch
,some Russian
,
but none,with the except ion of a Russian gi rl who
sang i n h er owntongue,of th e fi rst class . Three
sterlet were brought to us al ive and kicki ng i n a longdeep S i lver d i sh covered wi th a napkin , and w e madeour choi ce of them. T h e rna i z‘ re d ’hotel
,w ho attended
as though th i s was a solemn “ceremony,adv i sed that i t
should be cooked wi th whi te wine sauce . While w e
wai ted for t h e s terlet w e t r ied a bottle of Russianchampagne
,wh ich
,wonderful to
,s tate
,was on t h e
wine l i st . It was label led Excel s i o r,was d ry
,and
much resembled th e w 1ne some of t he Rhe ims fi rmssel l for t h e publ i c-house trade . T he s terlet when i tarr i ved was served nobly i ts back was garn ished wi thparsley and sl i ced lemon and t he claws of crayfi sh
,
and i n i ts wh i te wine sauce were c rayfi sh flesh andt rufli es and l i t tle mushrooms . If a good eel from aclear r iver had all i t s o i l i ness taken from i t and i f itsflesh became so l i gh t as to b e almost gelat i nous, then i twould taste l ike a sterle t . A sturgeon served wi thchampagne or a st rong r ic h sauce cannot compare toa Br i t i sh salmon or a turbot
,nor can t he great wh i te
fi sh of t he Don ; but a sterlet, i t seems to me,stands
very h igh on t he l i st of small fi sh del i cate to t he
taste .
f AS a contrast to t he Russian d in i ng-places,th e
restaurant of t he National Hotel gi ves one a d i nner oft he cosmopol i tan type which one findsi n those great caravanserai s of wh ich
R i tz may be considered the patron sain t . T he furniture has al l come from Oxford S t reet or Tottenham Cou rt Road , th e ch ina from Pari s
,t he wai ters
from_
Germany . Every language under t he sun i stalked by t he -ma itres 517251 71. A sterlet w i th a pi nksh rimp sauce gave t he Russi an touch to th e d inner
,a
Hot el Nat ional
Russia 39 5
Spec ial ly ordered one, wh ich I at e there. This was
t he menu
Cavare frais avec d e l’ eau d e Vie Russe.
Consommé a la Colbert.Sterlet ala Russe .
MoutonBraisé .Gel inotte roti, Salade .
H aricots vert s a l’Anglaise .
Peches ala Bordelaise .
TH E Mo s cow CLUB S
T he Engl i sh Club of Moscow,though on lyE ngl ish
in name,i s hosp i tab le to travel lers who are su i tably
in t roduced . Its members are of t he ar i stoc rat i cc lasses . I t i s s i tuated ont he Tverska
'
I a.
T he Merchan ts ’ Club i s ont he Great D imi trovka .Th e Club of t h e Nobi l i ty
,which has a magn ificent
sui te of rooms for ball s and recept ions,i s also on t he
Great D imi t rovka .
O D E S SA
At t he grea t port on t he Black Sea th e restaurantof t h e Hotel d e Londres Yastchouk i s one of t he besti n Russ ia . Yastchouk was t he name of
Yast ch ouk ,
i t s late propr ietor, w ho d ied in 1 902 . 1 1 BoulevardHe was a real lover of good cookery
,
N1°h °las
enj oying noth ing more than to serve an exquis i temeal to a real connoi sseur . When any gourmetcame to h i s restaurant
,he would ask h im whether
he came from the north or th e south . If from the
north,h e would suggest a real southern meal, wi th
Rougets a [a Gras and t he del i c i ous d gneau d e la ir,
unobtainable i n S t . Petersburg,and a ragout of auber
gines and tomatoes . If from the south,he would
recommend a good Born-b w i t h pet its pétés, or a sl i ce
396 Tbe Gourmet ’s Guide to Europeof Koulebiaba
,a great pot-p ie ful l o f all k inds of good
th ings,or some milk-white sucking-p ig covered wi t h
c ream and horse-rad ish . Yastchouk has j o i ned t he
maj or i ty,but h i s restaurant i s carr ied oni n t he same
Spi ri t as when h e was al ive .
Most of t he other hotel s have restau rants attachedBruhns , 1 6 D éri to them . T he Bavaria and Bruhns areb aS SOVSkaia popular restaurants
,t he latter bei ng i n
espec ial favour for t he mid—day meal .D ur ing t h e summer a restauran t i s opened in t he
Alexander Park and a band plays t here .
A travel l i ng gourmet wr i tes thus to me concern ingOdessa : “ There i s a capi tal res taurant attached to
t he Hotel du Nord,where t he cu is i ne
i s real ly excel len t . I know t he Lond res,
but, speaking personally, I Should g1ve the restauran tat t he Hotel du Nord t he preference.
”
Hot el ' du N0rd
KI E F
At Kief t he Restauran t Sémadéni i s a rendezvoussémad éni
,of all fore igners
,and most of t he papers
1 5 KreCh t Ch at ik of all the coun tr ies of Europe are to b efound there .
to be th e best d i n ing-place i n Warsaw,but i t has
Liefeld , 1 2now been surpassed by t he new Br i stol .
Ulicah rab iego A correspondent wr i tes to me :“ Th e
KOt Z Gb ue large d in ing-hall w i th i ts wonderfulelectr i c arrangemen ts reminds me of Aladd in ’ s CaveBri stol , or a palace i n a pan tomime. Th e food44 Krak pwskie and t he serv i ce can b e commended andPr z edmleSVk e recommended . Th e prices are a bsurdlysmal l . For about 2 5 . I have j ust eaten some Filetsd e Saudar Polona ise (with butter and egg
sauce)
398 Tbe Gourmet ’s Guide to EuropeConsommé aux Noui lles .
Petits parés .
Saumon, Sauce Moussel ine.
Brochet farc i .F i lets d e Soudac Joinv i lle.
Jambon braisé au Mad ére.
Birkis d e Veau Cacha.P intad es braisées aux Choux rouge.
Noisettes d e Chevreui l,Sauce Poivrade .
F i lets piqués ala broche.
Poulard es bardées .
Gr ives au genievre .
Salade—Compete .
Macédoine d e Legumes a la Creme .
Eclaires au Café .Glaces Tutti-F rui ti .
And th i s i s a 1 00 kopek lunch,four d i shes be i ng
al lowed each person :
Consommé d e Yerchis .
Barchoque .
P etits pates .
Saumona l’ I talienne.
Mayonnaise d e S igai s .
Coqui lles d e H omard a la gelée .
S ielawy Meuniere.
Estu'
rgeonau Vindu Rhin.
F i lets d e Soudac Portugaise .
Rosbif a la Broche .
Ragout d e MoutonP rintanier .Poitrines d e Veau farc ies .
Poulardes sautées au paprica .Bitkis d e filet S trogonoff.
Cervelles frites, Sauce TomateGé linottes a la Creme.
P irojkis a la Paresseuse .
Omelette aux Cepes .
(Eufs Bercy.
Russia 399
D indes— Perdreaux .
P rmd Jambon.
Rosbif.Langue d e Boeuf.
Gateaux—Compote—G lace .
A travel l i ng gourmet wri tes : “ A good word mayb e said for t he restauran t attached to th e Hotel d el’
Europe, nearly opposi te t he Bri stol Hot el d ei n t he Krakowski Faubourg
,which i s l
'
Europ e
excel len t,and very wel l patron ised . O f course i t has
t he usual Z abousba counter,with i ts i nnumerab le
l iqueurs and de l i cac ies . On fi rs t enter ing one hasalmost t he impress i on of going in to some monast i crefectory on account of t he numerous heavy and severel ooking columns support ing t he ce i l i ng ; i n fact, i tmore resembles the a i sles of a church than a ch i crestauran t . Th e pri ces (for Russ ia) are reasonable.
H E L S ING FOR S
Many Anglo-Saxon s find themselves at one t ime or
another at t he Finn i sh seaport . All t he pr i nc i palhote ls have restaurants . In t he Opera Op erak allaren,
kallaren,wh ich forms part of t he New New Th eat re
Theatre,a mi l i tary band plays at n igh t
,and t he supper,
though i t i s as s imple as a Swed i sh meal,i s qu i te wel l
cooked .
Th e Alphy d dan, which i s i n t he D jurgurd en, t h edel ightfu l garden wh ich i s on t he Bay Alp h y d d an,
of Tole,i s in summer t h e pleasantest Park Of T5 1°
d in ing-place i n Hels i ngfors .Another very pleasan t l i tt le summer restaurant i son t h e i sland of Hogholmen
, where Restaurant ,are t he zoological gardens of t he town .
Hbgh ‘flmen
400 Tbe Gour inef s Guide to Europe
YALTA
T he Crimea to an Englishmanv aguely suggests snowand hardsh i ps
,b ut none of t he R i v ieras of Europe i s
more del ightful i n Spr i ng or autumn than that wh ichS tretches from Livad i a to Feodos ia
,and has Yalta
,
Simeis,Aloupka, Alouch ta, Soudak, and Feodosia on
i ts shores .( O f these luxur ious v i l lages of sea baths
th e Engl i shman i s most l i kely to find h imsel f atY alta .
T he Russian R i v iera 1s j ust as expens ive as th eHot el d e p ari s ,
French one,and t he manw ho d ines at
Quay t he restauran t of the Hotel de Par i s i na pav i l ion up to wh ich come t he wavelets
,will get
Par i s ian cookery and Par i s ian pr i ces .Th e Café Flor i n
,th e restauran t of which j uts ou t
cafe’ Florin
,i n to t he wate r
,i s another at trac t ive and
Quay expensive d in ing and lunch ing place .
There i s an amusing restauran t i n t h e publ i c gardenof th e town .
P r inted b y BALLANTYNE , HANSON 63° Co.
Ed inb urgh 65° Lond on