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Marion Harland's Complete Etiquette

<h2>CHAPTER XXVI IN THE RESTAURANT</h2> THE woman who, for the first time, is taken to dinner in a large restaurant is naturally slightly confused by the experience. She needs, however, to know only a few essential points in order to be able to conduct herself with propriety and to enjoy her evening. She and the man who has taken her will leave their wraps in charge of the maid or hat man at the door. If she has worn a hat, she will retain this, but if she has gone in a carriage or a car with only a light scarf about her head, she need not be embarrassed, for many of the women in the room will be without head-gear. In this country, it is not customary for women dining in public places to wear gowns cut more than slightly low. When the two are shown to their table, the woman should remove her gloves, keeping them in her lap or perhaps putting them on an empty chair that is near. Neither the gloves nor a hand-bag should ever be placed on the table. The man[260] should do the ordering, but as he will consult his guest’s wishes, she should be prepared to express these definitely and with sufficient promptness not to keep the waiter standing too long. Unless something very elaborate is desired, a plate of raw oysters, a little fish or a bit of bird, a salad and a sweet with coffee, with the things that go with them, will suffice. The custom as to ordering is not the same in all restaurants and if two women be alone, the one who is acting as hostess should ask whether the waiter wants the entire order at once or not. Usually a slip of paper and pencil are given which saves the possibility of mistake on the part of the waiter. Frequently, the portions of meat and salad and of some other dishes are abundant for two persons, but it will be well to make a friend of the waiter to the extent of asking if this is the case. <hr class="tb" /> The habit of certain fussy people when eating in a restaurant of wiping off their plates before they are served is intolerable—and foolish. It is unpleasant for other people,—besides, if the plates are not clean, there is no ground for faith in the napkins. To snap the fingers at a waiter is to stamp one’s self as a vulgarian. <div class="sidenote">A MODERATE ORDER</div> Order within your means and display no anxiety[261] when toward the end of the meal the waiter lays your bill face downward on the table. When you are ready to pay it, satisfy yourself that it is correct and place on the waiter’s tray a sum sufficient to cover it and the amount of the tip custom says you must give. If a mistake has been made, a quiet word will usually prove a sufficient remedy. <hr class="tb" /> <div class="sidenote">THE MENU CARD</div> For the benefit of the woman, who for the first time is confronted with the elaborate menu card of an expensive restaurant, the following explanation of terms is given: <div class="blockquot"> “Aspic”—Meat jelly. “Au Gratin”—Dishes covered with crumbs and browned. “Au Naturel”—Plain, simple. Potatoes cooked in their jackets are “au naturel.” “Barbecue”—To roast any animal whole, usually in the open air. “Bisque”—Soups made thick with mince and crumbs. “Blanch”—To parboil, to scald vegetables, nuts, etc., in order to remove the skin. “Blanquette”—Any white meat warmed in a white sauce, thickened with eggs. “Bouillon”—A clear broth. “Bouquet”—A sprig of each of the herbs used in seasoning, rolled up in a spray of parsley and tied securely. “Café au lait”—Coffee boiled with milk. [262] “Café noir”—Black coffee. “Camembert”—A brand of fancy cheese. “Canapé”—Usually toast with cheese or potted meat spread upon it. Sometimes made of pastry. “Cannelon”—Meat stuffed, rolled up and roasted or braised. “Capers”—Unopened buds of a low trailing shrub grown in southern Europe. Pickled and used in sauces. “Capon”—A chicken castrated for the sake of improving the quality of the flesh. “Caramel”—A sirup of burnt sugar, used for flavoring custards, etc., and for coloring soups. “Casserole”—A covered dish in which meat is cooked; sometimes applied to forms of pastry, rice or macaroni filled with meat. “Champignons”—French mushrooms. “Charlotte”—A preparation of cream or fruit, formed in a mold, lined with fruit or cake. “Chervil”—The leaf of a European plant used as a salad. “Chillies”—Red peppers. “Chives”—An herb allied to the onion family. “Chutney”—A hot acid sauce made from apples, raisins, tomatoes, cayenne, ginger, garlic, shalots, lemons, vinegar, salt and sugar. “Comfitures”—Preserves. “Compote”—Fruit stewed in sirup. “Consommé”—Clear soup. “Cream sugar and butter”—Is to rub the sugar into the butter until they are well incorporated, then beat light and smooth. “Creole, A la”—With tomatoes. [263] “Croquettes”—A savory mince of meat, or fowl, or fish, or mashed potatoes, rice or other vegetables, made into shapes and fried in deep fat. “Croustade”—A kind of patty made of bread or prepared rice. “Croutons”—Small bits of crusted bread used in soups or as garnishes. “Croutons”—Bread dice fried. “Crumpet”—Raised muffins baked on a griddle. “Curries”—Stews of meat or fish, seasoned with curry powder and served with rice. “De Brie”—A brand of fancy cheese. “Demi-tasse”—A small cup; term usually applied to after-dinner coffee. “Deviled”—Seasoned hotly. “Eclair”—Pastry or cake filled with cream. “En Coquille”—Served in shells. “Endive”—A plant of the composite family used as a salad. “Entrées”—Small made dishes served between courses at dinner. “Entrements”—Second course side-dishes, including vegetables, eggs and sweets. “Farcie”—Stuffed. “Fillets”—Long thin pieces of meat or fish, generally rolled and tied. “Fines herbes”—Minced parsley, etc. “Finnan Haddock”—Haddock smoked and dried. “Fondant”—Melting. Boiled sugar, the basis of French candy. “Fondue—A preparation of melted cheese. “French dressing”—A simple salad dressing of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sometimes mustard. [264] “Galantine”—Meat, boned, stuffed, rolled and boiled, always served cold. “Glacé”—Iced. “Glaze”—Stock boiled down to a thin paste. “Grilled”—Broiled. “Gruyére”—A brand of fancy cheese. “Hors d’œuvres”—Relishes. “Jardinière”—A mixed preparation of vegetables stewed in their own sauce; a garnish of vegetables. “Julienne”—A clear soup with shredded vegetables. “Koumiss”—Milk fermented with yeast. “Lardoon”—The piece of salt pork used in larding. “Lentils”—A variety of the bean tribe used in soups, etc. “Marrons”—Chestnuts. “Mayonnaise”—A salad dressing made of oil, the yolks of eggs, vinegar or lemon juice, salt and cayenne. “Meringue”—The white of eggs whipped to a standing froth with powdered sugar. “Mousse”—Ice-cream made from whipped cream. “Noodles”—Dough, cut into strips or other shapes, dried and then dropped into soup. “Nougat”—Almond candy. “Paprika”—Hungarian sweet red pepper. “Pâté”—Some preparation of pastry, usually a small pie. Hence “patty-pans.” “Pâté de foie gras”—Small pie filled with fat goose liver. “Pièce de résistance”—Principal dish at a meal. [265] “Pilau”—East Indian or Turkish dish of meat and rice. “Pimento”—Jamaica pepper. “Pimolas”—Small olives stuffed with pimento—i. e., sweet red pepper. “Piquant”—Sharply flavored, as “sauce piquant,” a highly seasoned sauce. “Pistachio”—A pale greenish nut resembling the almond. “Polenta”—An Italian mush made of Indian meal, or of ground chestnuts. “Potage”—A family soup. “Potpourri”—A highly seasoned stew of divers materials—meat, spices, vegetables and the like; a Spanish dish. “Purée”—Vegetables or cereals cooked and rubbed through a sieve to make a thick soup. “Ragout”—Stewed meat in rich gravy. “Ramakins”—A preparation of cheese and puff paste or toast, baked or browned. “Rechauffé”—Anything warmed over. “Rissoles”—Minced meat, made into rolls covered with pastry or rice, and fried. “Rissotto”—Rice and cheese cooked together; an Italian dish. “Roquefort”—A brand of fancy cheese. “Rôti”—Roasted. “Roulade”—Meat stuffed, skewered into a roll and cooked. “Roux”—Butter and flour cooked together and stirred in a smooth cream. A white roux is made with uncooked flour; a brown, with flour that has[266] been browned by stirring it upon a tin plate over the fire. “Salmi”—A warmed-over dish of game, well seasoned. “Sauté”—To fry lightly in hot fat or butter, not deep enough to cover the thing cooked. “Scalpion”—A mince of poultry, ham and other meats used for entrées, or it may be a mixture of fruits in a flavored sirup. “Scones”—Scotch cakes of flour and meal. “Shalot”—A variety of onion. “Sorbet”—Frozen punch. “Soubise”—A sort of onion sauce eaten with meat. “Soufflé”—A “trifle” pudding, beaten almost as light as froth, then baked quickly. “Supreme”—White cream gravy made of chicken. “Tarragon”—An herb the leaves of which are used for seasoning and in flavoring vinegar. “Tartare”—As a “sauce tartare”—tart, acid. “Timbale”—A small pie or pudding baked in a mold and turned out while hot. “To Braise Meat”—Cook in a covered pan in the oven with stock, minced vegetables, and peas, beans, etc., whole, and with savory herbs. “To Marinate”—To cover with lemon juice or vinegar and oil, or with spiced vinegar. “Truffles”—A species of fungi growing in clusters some inches below the surface of the ground. Used in seasoning and for a garnish. “Tutti-frutti”—A mixture of fruits. “Velouté”—A smooth white sauce. [267] “Vol-au-vent”—Light puff pastry baked in a mold and filled with chicken, sweetbreads or other delicate viand. “Zwieback”—Bread baked twice. </div> <hr class="chap" /></div> [268] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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