Tag Archives: 1970s
“Hot Cha” and the Kapok Tree
What kind of career might the son of a junk dealer father and a mother who owned a restaurant end up with? If he was Richard Baumgardner he would run restaurants raucously decorated with gilded and spray-painted objets d’art — … Continue reading
Filed under food, history, restaurants
Basic fare: French fries
I suspect that in the 19th century more Americans ate French fried potatoes at home than in restaurants. Boiled, baked, and mashed potatoes were more common on restaurant menus than fried potatoes of any sort. However there were probably a … Continue reading
Filed under food, history, restaurants
The (partial) triumph of the doggie bag
I can’t remember when restaurant servers began automatically asking if you wanted to take home food left on your plate but I know it’s a relatively recent phenomenon. It used to be that food was wrapped up only if patrons … Continue reading
Filed under food, history, restaurants
Good eaters: Andy Warhol
He certainly wasn’t from the same category of eaters as James Beard, yet both Beard and Andy Warhol celebrated American cuisine, even in its more humble pancake/sandwich/barbecue forms. Warhol was a typical American eater in many regards. He was conservative … Continue reading
Filed under food, history, restaurants
Men only
Men’s grills were often located in hotels or were set off as special preserves in venues heavily trafficked by women such as tea rooms and department stores. Schrafft’s, Stouffer’s, Mary Elizabeth’s, Marshall Field’s all featured men’s grills. Designed to resemble … Continue reading
Filed under history, restaurants
Swingin’ at Maxwell’s Plum
In 1965 impresario Warner LeRoy, son of Hollywood producer Mervyn LeRoy (Wizard of Oz, Mr. Roberts, Quo Vadis), opened Maxwell’s Plum as part of his theater on First Avenue and 64th Street in NYC. Hamburgers and a good wine list … Continue reading
Filed under food, history, restaurants
The saga of Alice’s restaurants
A 1965 Thanksgiving dinner at the former church where Alice Brock and her husband Ray lived inspired Arlo Guthrie’s ballad of his arrest and subsequent draft board rejection for illegally disposing of trash. But “Alice’s Restaurant” also created vibrations so … Continue reading
Filed under food, restaurants
We eat in restaurants several times a week and yet know very little about their history. I plan to dip into my archive of research and images every so often to present a little tidbit that highlights aspects of our American restaurant culture. Let me know your thoughts.
