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 .

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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 .

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

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

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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

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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

,

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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

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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

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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 ,

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 .

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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 .

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 .

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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

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1 98 s e Gourmet’

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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

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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

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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

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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 .

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2 1 4 Tae Gourmet’

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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

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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 .

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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

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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 .

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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

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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 .

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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‘

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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

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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 .

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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

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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 .

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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

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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 .

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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

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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 .

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 .

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 .

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 .

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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

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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 .

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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 .

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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)

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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