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Dinner Carte du Jour, The Stevens Hotel, Chicago, August 5, 1933

I'll have the Baked Lobster Thermidor and Delmonico potatoes. What should I have for dessert? The menu is huge!

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by Anonymousreply 77July 31, 2020 8:53 PM

My grandfather got the shad roe. 85 cents.

by Anonymousreply 1March 4, 2019 5:44 AM

A dollar and a half for the stuffed lobster is outrageously high.

by Anonymousreply 2March 4, 2019 5:47 AM

This is why people weren't fat back then. Most of the main dishes and appetizers are a Low Carb / Keto dream. I'm fucking starving now.

They had Sanka! I didn't know they used to put acidophilus in milk back then. I thought that came around in the 70s

by Anonymousreply 3March 4, 2019 6:00 AM

That is a banquet! I have a hard time eating, right now, but I think i would be chowing down if I had that menu from which to select.

by Anonymousreply 4March 4, 2019 6:11 AM

I assume portions were much smaller then.

by Anonymousreply 5March 4, 2019 3:40 PM

Have the Coupe Fantasie a la Stevens!

by Anonymousreply 6March 4, 2019 4:00 PM

There's no poultry under the Steaks, Chops and Poultry. Interesting that the other poultry items (capon, guinea hen) are nearly as expensive (if not more expensive) than the meat items. Chicken used to me much more costly; thus the slogan "a chicken in every pot."

by Anonymousreply 7March 4, 2019 4:10 PM

I picked the most expensive thing in every category, and I still couldn't kill a $10 bill.

No wonder Veronica Lake's character freaks out over losing 5 bucks in Sullivan's Travels. (I know, MARY!)

by Anonymousreply 8March 4, 2019 5:14 PM

Gee, I can't decide: the half Guinea Hen, or the Filet Mignon as a main course?

The desserts, sadly, look terribly basic, so I think I'll finish with some Roquefort cheese. I think Prohibition had already been repealed by August 1933, no? Then I'd like a nice Sauternes to go with my cheese.

(This price list is a beautiful illustration of the effects of inflation. You know that that restaurant was surely considered very pricey, and remember, the US has never had massive inflation or hyperinflation in the 20th-21st centuries. And yet you'd still have to multiply every one of those prices by a factor of at least 15 to approximate what those dishes would cost today.)

by Anonymousreply 9March 4, 2019 5:22 PM

R3, knowing nothing about nutrition and diet, posts as though he does.

by Anonymousreply 10March 4, 2019 5:26 PM

A few years ago, the NYPL had tons of menus that needed transcribing. The menus were from all over the world, including cruise lines. I did quite a few of them whilst I was recuperating from an accident. Pretty fascinating.

by Anonymousreply 11March 4, 2019 5:38 PM

Interesting that they had a designated vegetarian dish.

Now go to the thread referencing the Baccarat Hotel and find the menu for the restaurant. Hard to get out of there for less than hundreds of dollars, with the potential for paying much more.

by Anonymousreply 12March 4, 2019 5:44 PM

Hob Nob Coffee House and Cocktail Lounge, Honolulu,1956

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by Anonymousreply 13March 4, 2019 5:46 PM

It’s been ages since I’ve had a decent Purée Mongole .

A bit confusing that it appears twice on the menu, with different prices. But I shall persist.

by Anonymousreply 14March 4, 2019 5:53 PM

Broiled lobster I suppose.

by Anonymousreply 15March 4, 2019 6:02 PM

R10 Types fat.

by Anonymousreply 16March 4, 2019 9:19 PM

Back then a whole roasted chicken was for special occasions. You had to order them at a butcher's shop or kill your own.

by Anonymousreply 17March 4, 2019 9:40 PM

I have a Maxim's Paris menu from 1964..shoudl I seek out collectors?

by Anonymousreply 18March 4, 2019 9:43 PM

What's a Philadelphia Capon? Is it from North Philly? South Philly? West Philly? Germantown? Chestnut Hill?

by Anonymousreply 19March 4, 2019 9:47 PM

What's a merry widow salad?

by Anonymousreply 20March 4, 2019 9:50 PM

Merry Widow Salad

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by Anonymousreply 21March 4, 2019 9:52 PM

Veggies for me. But I love this menu.

by Anonymousreply 22March 4, 2019 9:56 PM

R21, that is so disgusting. I so want to try it.

by Anonymousreply 23March 4, 2019 9:59 PM

I'm surprised they offered a "Vegetarian Dinner" in 1933.

What, no prix fixe?

by Anonymousreply 24March 4, 2019 10:02 PM

The pricing is what is the most interesting thing about the menu.

Even though it was 1933, I cannot understand why an ear of corn would be $.30 and a stuffed lobster would be $1,50,

Going by the price of the entrée it seems a cheap ear of corn should be a dime or so.

by Anonymousreply 25March 4, 2019 10:17 PM

I'll have the crabmeat dewey. I agree with r3, so many high end restaurants had very low carb menus. Only carbs you see are potatoes , no rice, pasta or bread. I think carbs were looked at as filler for the poors?

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by Anonymousreply 26March 4, 2019 10:21 PM

Those large hotel kitchens were like factories back then; hence the vast menu.

And the only ethnic places were red sauce Italian and chop suey joints.

by Anonymousreply 27March 4, 2019 10:27 PM

They had bread. See bottom of menu.

by Anonymousreply 28March 4, 2019 10:29 PM

These old menus and ephemera are so cool. It’s like looking in a time machine.

by Anonymousreply 29March 4, 2019 10:31 PM

The Frozen Pudding Lilly Ann sounds so ra-sha-sha!

by Anonymousreply 30March 4, 2019 10:31 PM

Puree Mongole is beautiful. Kind of split pea with a dollop of tomato purée.

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by Anonymousreply 31March 4, 2019 10:33 PM

They charged $.10 for bread and butter. It wasn't all you can eat breadsticks.

by Anonymousreply 32March 4, 2019 10:36 PM

What is Kaffe Hag?

The menu from the 50s sounds more appetizing and it has cocktails.

You definitely could eat like a king for $10 bucks!

by Anonymousreply 33March 4, 2019 10:36 PM

Decaf

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by Anonymousreply 34March 4, 2019 10:37 PM

R22 Coffee with whipped cream I think?

by Anonymousreply 35March 4, 2019 10:37 PM

Whoops. I guess that was café schlag.

by Anonymousreply 36March 4, 2019 10:38 PM

$10 in 1933 would be about $200 today, R33.

by Anonymousreply 37March 4, 2019 10:39 PM

Sauerkraut juice?? Lol.

by Anonymousreply 38March 4, 2019 10:40 PM

All the shellfish is fabulously inviting. All shipped fresh to Chicago. And so cheap. Think of the logistics. How much could a Maine or R.I. shellfisherman sell his catch for it to sell so cheaply all the way in Chicago.

by Anonymousreply 39March 4, 2019 10:44 PM

One of every thing Garçon!

by Anonymousreply 40March 4, 2019 10:46 PM

[quote]Merry Widow Salad

If she fed that to her husband, I think we can see why she's a widow.

by Anonymousreply 41March 4, 2019 10:52 PM

They have spaghetti with liver and mushrooms which sounds very unappetizing.

by Anonymousreply 42March 4, 2019 10:53 PM

How much were tips back then? Did they do it by percentage?

by Anonymousreply 43March 4, 2019 10:55 PM

Apparently the Stevens Hotel had a scandalous past...

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by Anonymousreply 44March 4, 2019 11:34 PM

This menu is such a mish mash. It's hard to read and there are TOO MANY items in each category. I found a menu online for The Flatiron Restaurant in NYC from 1907. It was for breakfast. What a hearty breakfast they served in 1907.

by Anonymousreply 45March 5, 2019 12:05 AM

Get the blackberry pie, bitch.

by Anonymousreply 46March 5, 2019 12:21 AM

My Stevens Hotel Dinner:

Tomato Juice

Frog Legs with Scallops

Sirloin steak

Mashed Potato

Peas

Cucumber salad

Strawberries and cream

Rolls

Coffee.

I could throw a five down to take care of the food, tax, and tip.

Price today per CPI:

$100.02

by Anonymousreply 47March 5, 2019 2:15 AM

A book of vintage menus with gorgeous graphic designs.

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by Anonymousreply 48March 5, 2019 9:26 PM

Love it - I can't help but smile when I see these old menus. Off topic - but if you were there you would be dressed appropriately - men in suits or maybe even tuxedos for dinner, women in a nice dress and hat and gloves. The good old days. If you go to midtown Manhattan these days in a suit you look like a freak. Damn tourists. Uptown is another story - you can still dress.

by Anonymousreply 49March 5, 2019 10:04 PM

I'm assuming this restaurant wasn't busy since it was during the Great Depression.

by Anonymousreply 50March 5, 2019 10:11 PM

I read a surprising stat (surprising to me, anyway) - that during the Depression unemployment peaked at 24.9% - horrible for sure - but everyone else was employed . It's like the Great Recession we just endured - try to get into a restaurant on a Saturday night in Fairfield County - we would go out and I would say there is no recession here.

by Anonymousreply 51March 5, 2019 10:18 PM

[quote] if you were there you would be dressed appropriately - men in suits or maybe even tuxedos for dinner, women in a nice dress and hat and gloves.

The downside is the men would end their dinner with a stinking cigar.

by Anonymousreply 52March 5, 2019 10:18 PM

Do they have an opening for a waitress? I can bake pies, too.

by Anonymousreply 53March 6, 2019 2:00 AM

We don’t hire common.

by Anonymousreply 54March 6, 2019 2:02 AM

Who are your people?

by Anonymousreply 55March 6, 2019 2:07 AM

I work around the corner from what was once the Stevens Hotel. The restaurants, which include a faux Irish bar named Kitty O'Shea, are geared to undiscerning tourists.

by Anonymousreply 56March 6, 2019 2:31 AM

Childs Restaurant, New York 1907

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by Anonymousreply 57March 23, 2019 11:50 PM

Thanks for posting OP. I love reading menus.

by Anonymousreply 58March 24, 2019 12:25 AM

The Brown Derby, 1947 (more pages to follow)

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by Anonymousreply 59March 24, 2019 1:26 AM

More Brown Derby

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by Anonymousreply 60March 24, 2019 1:26 AM

And more

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by Anonymousreply 61March 24, 2019 1:27 AM

Last page.

Note that this from the LA Public Library's extensive and searchable collection.

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by Anonymousreply 62March 24, 2019 1:28 AM

What are "Anna" potatoes?

by Anonymousreply 63March 24, 2019 1:43 AM

r63 Pommes Anna are still around.

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by Anonymousreply 64March 24, 2019 1:44 AM

Chinese Food in LA in the '40s. I'm just going to post one page; you can search "Forbidden Palace" if you want more.)

BTW, the LAPL's collection has over 7,000 menus, and it's not just limited to LA or California.

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by Anonymousreply 65March 24, 2019 1:48 AM

Sorry ... let's try that again.

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by Anonymousreply 66March 24, 2019 1:49 AM

Tadich Grill (which my parents always just called "Tadich's"), San Francisco, 1961. This restaurant opened its doors in 1849 and is still in business.

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by Anonymousreply 67March 24, 2019 1:52 AM

When my dad was a little boy, during the depression he went to see a NY Yankees game when he was 9. It was his birthday and his parents saved to get 10 cents for him to go. He was a Bronx boy and loved the Yankees. All his parents could afford to give him was two nickles, one to take the subway there and one to come home. It was a double header and he got hungry. They had no food at home and he had not eaten since 2 days before this day. He said he stared at the one nickle he had left for an hour trying to decide if he should buy a hot dog or take the subway home as it would be dark out when the double header ended. He bought the hot dog and had to walk through the dark Bronx streets for a very long distance to get home.

I thought of that and imagined my dad or his parents looking at that 1933 menu and realizing there was not one thing on there they could afford.

by Anonymousreply 68March 24, 2019 2:02 AM

R69 I was just thinking something similar - my mom told us her first job was in a Brooklyn Woolworth’s, around 1954 when she was still in High School. She worked in the glass department for .60 an hour - “A penny a minute” she joked. So even an order of chicken chow mein would have been an hour’s wage.

by Anonymousreply 69March 24, 2019 2:11 AM

Just a glass of cream, please.

by Anonymousreply 70March 24, 2019 2:13 AM

A bowl of hot water and some catsup, please! Are these crackers free?

by Anonymousreply 71March 24, 2019 2:21 AM

Yeah, R69, our parents, god bless them. They had hard, very hard. It breaks my heart. I hope they are or will go to a place where they can have whatever they want, as much as they want of food and everything else. Imagine people these days, so rich they can have whatever they want, any kind of food, planes, yachts, houses all over the world and they are usually the people who begrudge people like my dad and his family from having anything or your mom from earning a living wage.

by Anonymousreply 72March 24, 2019 2:52 AM

I’ll take spicy chick fil a. No pickles. Chick fila sauce. Waffle fries. Lemonade. No ice. Ice dream cone too please.

by Anonymousreply 73March 24, 2019 2:57 AM

Hawaiian pineapple cake !

by Anonymousreply 74March 24, 2019 3:00 AM

"The Stevens" is now known as the Hilton Chicago.

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by Anonymousreply 75July 31, 2020 5:37 PM

[quote]I'm surprised they offered a "Vegetarian Dinner" in 1933.

The world’s most famous vegetarian took power in Germany that year....

by Anonymousreply 76July 31, 2020 5:58 PM

Do you think that most people -- or at least the kind of people who would dine at the Stevens Hotel--would have been familiar with all the items on the menu? So many of them seem to have vanished into obscurity. I'm sort of a foodie, but I've never heard of:

Soissonaise

Imp. Prager Ham

Sauce Gribiche

Olivette potatoes

Salad Parmentier

Savarin Jamora

Bombe Paysanne

Japanese Layer Cake (that probably went out of fashion in 1941)

Cream cheese with Bar-Le-Duc

by Anonymousreply 77July 31, 2020 8:53 PM
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