Between courses: where’s my butter?

In the early 1950s middle- and upper-income people in cities of 25,000 or more were surveyed about their restaurant habits. People with lesser incomes and those living in rural areas and small towns were excluded because they were considered to be infrequent restaurant patrons. Thirty-five percent of those surveyed reported eating a restaurant lunch or [...]

Taste of a decade: restaurants, 1810-1820

The nation has begun to grow westward though settlement is still mostly along the coast. Seven cities exceed 10,000 in population in 1810, rising to eight over the decade. In the largest city, NY (152,056 in 1820), commerce is on the rise, yet by mid-decade there are only eight hotels and five banks. Pigs run [...]

Between courses: nutburgers & orangeade

Had S. J. Perelman not gone to Los Angeles to write for the movies — including the Marx brothers’ Horse Feathers — we might never have known his reaction to LA’s larger-than-life animals and shoes, etc., housing restaurants that served food he found hilariously weird. In a 1934 series of absurdist essays called “Strictly From [...]

Subtle savories at Nucleus Nuance

If it weren’t for the steady number of souls searching the spheres for Nucleus Nuance, I’d hesitate to touch this subject. After all, it was a clubby hangout that I never experienced personally so I’m at risk of leaving out things that true-blue fans care about. On the other hand, there doesn’t seem to be [...]