European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse By Cliame Geist new York times Here Are issues that continue to Divide americans and fish Lor dinner is one of them. Fish taste like said Dave Bannister As he sliced into a medium fare 16 ounce sirloin Steak Wall marbled Al Ona fifth a new York restaurant in Greenwich Viii ago. He said it is amazing to him what people do to try to Matte fish table Good blackening them squirting Lemon juice on them and drowning them in sauces. You could do he same thing to a Washcloth he said end avoid Bones they used to have a fish on the menu of the restaurant that was smoked grilled and peppered grilled smoked and peppered Mackerel with Arugula and endive1they did everything to that Lish but pistol whip it and dress it in Bermuda shorts the Mackerel has been unceremoniously dumped irom the menu along with tha poached Salmon marinated in mint with Pinto Beans the Gray sole with Salmon mousse Lemon sauce and papaya chummy and the grilled Lolle with Chantl classic of Oliveth and Hwy item have been replaced by the sirloin the Wei mignon and the prime rib at Iha top of the menu. They Ere served with baked potatoes topped with butter sour Cream chives and Bacon bits without apology. You can order a bide of spinach aau leed in Butler if ii helps will the guilt said the owner Arnle Rosen the restaurant went from doing 300 tables a week to 1,000 after the menu change said Rosen people finally got Llred of fish fish and More fish even these fashionable people in the Village a lot of them admitted they never liked fish that they were going along with the crowd. They wars tired of no flavor he said. One customer said he was putting Steak sauce on the fish his wife serves at Home. They were Llred of going to restaurants and paying $125 for to people and walking away hungry he said referring to the attractive but notoriously Small portions served Al Many Nouvelle cuisine restaurants. Gives Way to t7iow who an of two of from from food and filth an demanding thet Steak be put Beckon not Tunny menut. Food is to eat William Denton chimed in not to Frame and hang on the i i Hank people were Llred of the pretentiousness that seemed logo hand in hand with this from from food Rosen said. If you did t like something at a French restaurant you thought it must be your fault. You grew up with steaks. You know if they re Good or not everyone agrees with this beef backlash. I Don t like the change said i Ronda Spellman a customer at one fifth who ordered broiled red snapper. They might As Well just go ahead and list arteriosclerosis As a menu or maybe a surgeon general s warning on the menu said her dinner companion Shelley Petersen who further suggested meat eaters sections in restaurants. Alt this Burnt flesh is disgusting. And Barbaric. And stupid it s bad for your there has been a downturn in beef consumption during the past decade because of warnings that the relatively High fat and cholesterol found in beef contributes to heart disease and cancer. The beef Industry Council recently counterattacked coming to new York to announce the Start of a $30 million advertising Campaign real food for real people using cybill Shepherd and James gamer As Ihler spokesmen. Sometimes i wonder if people have a primal instinctive craving for hamburgers Shepherd purrs in the ads. Something hot and Juicy end so simple you can eat it with your some diners said it got to the Point where not Only were they unable to Reed French menus in new York but the English ones As Well. Look Al this said Benjamin Shaw pointing to an item on the old one fifth menu baked Goat cheese with Raddle Tchlo haricots verts an hazelnut Vinaigrette i m not quite sure what that really fish is something you eat on Friday for penance offered Ralph Granov you can salivate just thinking about a Steak,1 said Diane Rechtenwald. This rarely happens when you think of poached by owlish called sea Robin or sea Squab in trendy restaurants. An ode to the automat by Marian Burros new York. Times extraordinary How potent cheap music is says a character in Noel Coward s private lives. The Macaroni and cheese a the automat is equally potent. Although it has been 40 years since i made my first trip to this precursor of the fast food carryout. I have Nevar forgotten the Macaroni and cheese. Or the hot dog and baked Beans the Brown bread and Cut up Spaghetti with Tomato sauce that our group shared today there is Only one automat left anywhere on the Comer of 42nd Street and third Avenue in Manhattan the Horn & hardart operations filled with their windowed shoe boxes Nave gone the Way of the soda fountains and their Little Glass dishes of chocolate sprinkles. I have passed the remaining automat hundreds of times As an adult but i had never been tempted to go in preferring to preserve the special memories of my childhood encounters. Finally curiosity got he better of me. Even before i entered i had second thoughts a sign outside Tor David s cookies was Clear indication that the automat had changed. After i went through the door i was certain i had made a mistake off to the right loomed a vast cafeteria. But then i spotted Thorn straight ahead those Little windows under the while on Black Art Deco signs Lor beverages sandwiches hot meals pies pastries. It was like a trip Back to the 40s before there were salad bars croissants or Yogurt. The cashier who used to turn dollars into Nickels now turns dollars into brass tokens Worth 75 cents each or Silver Anas which will buy you a 40-Cenl cup of Coffee the Coffee still streams out into heavy China mugs from the same Dolphin spouts Joseph v. Horn Lound in Italy. And the powerful brew tastes exactly the same hot Strong and slightly burned. No wimpy decaffeinated Coffee Here. In fact everything but the hot dog tastes the same. The Macaroni and cheese flecked Golden Brown is a Little like Franco american used to be in its heyday. All of the 40-year-old goodness remains. Tuna on soggy White bread with Battle fatigued lettuce that Sticks to the roof of your Mouth and refuses to let go is equally comforting. The Apple pie has exactly the same amount of Glutinous filler i m quite cure. Sompol theold i we has remained fail flu to this vestige of the Days before Mcdonald s took Over men in knitted Caps women with Silver Blue hair a Paunchy Gray haired Man who Chain smokes and talks loan imaginary Friend Bui there is a new generation of automat diner secretaries Young executives with briefcases mothers and children in search of reasonable prices and variety most of them however Prater to select from the cafeteria line with its up to Date salad bar its steam Lable meat loaf and mashed potatoes roast beef and creamed spinach. There s Only one automat left in new York therein change but much is the same at it to 40 Yuan ago. Saturday april 18, 1987 the stars and stripes Page 17
