FoodNet

Bohemian San Francisco

1914

Page 32 · 2 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Proprietor and all his household accompanied us to the door with many bows and gesticulations, wishing us best of luck, and we went back to our homes in the desolated city with the feeling of having been trans- ported to Fairyland of the Orient. We discovered later that our Japanese friend was of the family of the Emperor and was here on a diplo- matic mission. 59 BOHEMIAN One cannot well write a book on Bohemian restau- rants of San Francisco without saying something about the great hotel whose history is so OLD AM) intimately intertwined with that of NEW the city since 1873, when William C, PALACE Ralston determined that the city by the Golden Gate should have a hotel commensurate with its importance. San Francisco and the Palace Hotel were almost synonymous all over the world, and it was conceded by travelers that nowhere else was there a hostelry to equal this great hotel. To the bon vivant the grills of the Palace Hotel con- tained more to enhance the joy of living than anywhere else, and here the chefs prided themselves with provid- ing the best in the land, prepared in such perfect ways as to make a meal at the Palace the perfection of gastro- nomic art. There are three distinct eras to the history of the Palace Hotel, the first being from 1876 to 1890, the sec- ond from 1890 to 190G, and the third from 1900 to the present day. In the earlier days the grills, both that for gentlemen and that for ladies, were noted for their magnificent service and their wonderful cooking. A breakfast in the Ladies' Grill, with an omelet of Cali- fornia oysters, toast atod coti'ee, was a meal long to be remembered. Possibly the most famous dish of the old Palace was this one of omelet with California oysters, and it was prepared in the following manner: OYSTER (For two) : Take six eggs, one hundred OMELET California oysters, one small onion, one tablespoonful of butter, one tablcspoon- ful of flour, salt and pepper to tasteOmelet with California Oysters. Beat the eggs to a froth and stir in the onion chopped fine. Put the eggs into an omelet pan over a slow fire. Mix the flour and butter to a soft i)aste with a little cream, and stir in with the oysters, add- ing salt and pepper to taste. When the eggs begin to stiffen pour the oysters over and tuin the omelet together. Serve on hot plate with a dash of paprika. 60 SAN FRANCISCO This is the recipe of Ernest Arbogast, the chef for many years of the old Palace. The slightly coppery taste of the California oysters gives a piquancy to the flavor of the omelet OLD AND that can be obtained in no other way, NEW and those who once ate of Arbogast's PALACE California oyster omelet, invariably called for it again and again. We asked Jules Dauviller, the present chef of the Palace, for the recipe of what he considered the best dish now prepared at the Palace and he said he would give us two, as it was difficult to decide which was the best and most distinctive. These are the recipes as he wrote them for us: Trim some select fillet mignon of beef, PLANKED about four ounces of each, nicely. Saute FILLET these in a frying pan with clarified butter MIGNON on a hot fire. Dress on a small round Planked Fillet Mignon