history - chefs: restaurants

Restaurant History

Where, when and how they developed

The public dining room that came ultimately to be known as the restaurant originated in France, and the French have continued to make major contributions to the restaurant's development ever since.

It would at first seem that restaurants have been around since time in memorial. But not so. Although for 100's of years it is true that beverages were sold at inns and hostelries and guests staying overnight were often offered meals from whatever the host was dining on, from the host's table, (from which we get the culinary term 'table d'hôte' menu). It was not until 1765 that restaurants as we know them came in being.

So what about all the famous chefs we learn about before that date? They were under the employment of the rich, of royalty or of the landed gentry. Before the French Revolution, European aristocratic households maintained elaborate establishments, offering the best cuisine by employing the best of chefs: the richer the household the better the chefs. But when the Revolution reduced the number of private households offering employment, chefs and cooks had to find employment in other kitchens or looked to open their own eating establishments.

Also up to this point, many foods and even dishes were very strictly controlled by certain Guilds, who governed what, who and how these dishes could be served etc and even took part payment for the selling of these dishes. A system that may seem foriegn to our modern way of culinary thinking, but this remember was another age, another era

Think of it as how music is goverened and ruled by copyright these days.

The first true restaurant proprietor is believed to have been one Monsieur A.Boulanger; a soup vendor. Who in 1765 opened his business on the Rue Bailleul, in Paris. The sign above his door advertised restoratives, referring to the soups and broths available within, believed to be made from pigs or sheep's feet which would have been a cheap, nutritiious food source. So what we now know as 'restaurants' took their name from that sign that was actually advertsing what was sold, not 'where' as it is today. The word or variation of it now denotes any public eating place, whether it is in English, French, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Romanian and many other languages. Most countries use a version of the word; in Spanish and Portuguese the word becomes 'restaurante', in Italian it is 'ristorante', in Swedish it is 'restaurang', in Russian it becomes restoran and in Polish - 'restauracia'.

Boulanger's restaurant was probably the first public place where any diner might order a meal from a menu offering a choice of dishes. Boulanger operated a very modest establishment and the book 'Larousse Gastronomique' tells us that Members of the guilds were up in arms over this and saw it as an infringement on their business and declared Boulanger was making a 'ragout' or stew which the 'Guild de Traiteurs' had the only legal right to produce. Boulanger's establishment was shut down and was taken to court over. Monsieur Boulanger won his case in court, and so the modern restaurant was born it is believed.

Monsieur Boulanger re-opened his Restaurant, continued serving his ragout but also prepared other dishes on site and to order and the customer at the end of his meal now got a bill from hiom only with no payment required to the Guilds.

It was not until 1782 however, that the first true luxury restaurant was opened and by 1804 Paris had more than 500 restaurants, producing most of the great chefs of the time and of history, thus creating many famous dishes and a cuisine that ruled the world.

That first true luxery restaurants was 'La Grande Taverne de Londres'; founded in Paris in 1782 the owner was one Antoine Beauvilliers. Beauvilliers was a leading culinary writer and gastronomic authority of the time, who later wrote what became a standard work on French cuisine: L'Art du Cuisinier (1814).

Beauvilliers achieved a reputation as an accomplished restaurateur and host. The famous French gastronomic chronicler Jean-Athelme Brillat-Savarin, a frequent guest, credited Beauvilliers with being the first to combine the three essentials of an elegant room: smart waiters, a great wine cellar and superior cooking. Brillat-Savarin also noted that Beauvilliers would point out a dish to be avoided, the one to be ordered and send at the same time for wine from the cellar, the key of which he produced from his own pocket. He assumed so gracious and engaging a tone, that all these extras and attention to detail deemed so many favours conferred to him.

French restaurants of the Nineteenth century

During the Napoleonic era the Palais-Royal, the tree-lined area adjacent to the Louvre, became the site of many of the finest restaurants in Paris. The menu of the Véry, a leading restaurant of the era listed:

• one dozen soups
• two dozen fish dishes
• fifteen beef entrées
• twenty mutton entrées, and scores of side dishes

The novelist Honoré de Balzac often dined at the Véry, and is said to have consumed prodigious quantities of oysters, fish, meat dishes, fruits, wines and liqueurs. It was also favourite haunt of gourmet-author Grimod de la Reynière, who considered it the finest restaurant in France. The Véry was absorbed in 1869 by the neighbouring Le Grand Véfour; this restaurant was still in business in the mid-1990s and was still regarded as one of the finest eating places in France.

Another outstanding Paris establishment of the 19th century was the Café Foy, later re-named Chez Bignon, a favourite dining place of the English novelist William Makepeace - Thackeray and of the Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini, who lived in the same building.

The Café de Paris, on the Boulevard des Italiens, was the first of many restaurants in Paris and elsewhere that have operated under this name. Other favourite eating places were:

• Rocher de Cancale, on the rue Montorgueil, famous for its oysters and fish.
• Restaurant Durand, at the corner of the Place de la Madeleine and the Rue de Royale, a favourite gathering place of politicians, artists, and writers, including the authors Anatole France and Émile Zola.

The most illustrious of all Nineteenth century Paris restaurants was probably the Café Anglais, on the Boulevard des Italiens at the corner of the Rue Marivaux, where the chef was Adolphe Dugléré. He created such classic dishes as sole Dugléré (fillets poached with tomatoes and served with a cream sauce having a fish stock base) and the famous sorrel soup potage Germiny. On June 7, 1867, the Café Anglais served the now-famous "Three Emperors Dinner" for three royal guests visiting Paris to attend the Universal Exposition. The diners included Tsar Alexander II of Russia, his son the Tsarevich (later the tsar Alexander III) and King William I of Prussia, later the first emperor of Germany. The meal included:

• soufflés with creamed chicken (à la reine)
• fillets of sole
• escalloped turbot
• chicken à la Portugaise (cooked with tomatoes, onions, and garlic)
• lobster à la parisienne (round, flat medallions glazed with a gelatine-mayonnaise mixture and elaborately decorated)
• ducklings à la rouennaise (the carcasses stuffed with liver and pressed, presented on a platter with boned slices of the breast and the grilled legs and served with a red wine sauce containing pureed liver)
• ortolans (small game birds) on toast and eight different wines

Although the Café Anglais closed in 1913, when the building was demolished the table setting for this dinner was displayed at La Tour d'Argent, the oldest surviving restaurant in Paris.

Toward the end of the 19th century, in the gaudy and extravagant era known as 'la belle époque', the luxurious Maxim's, on the Rue de Royale, became the social and culinary centre of Paris. The restaurant temporarily declined after World War I, but recovered under new management, to become an outstanding gastronomic shrine

Of course during this time period, restaurants were now springing up all over Europe. Most were still only for the gentry, but time and natural evolution was to later see the development of restaurants, of eating astablishments for the 'common man'.

France however was still the centre of fine cuisine and was to produce many of the world's finest chefs, including Georges-Auguste Escoffier, who organised the kitchens for the luxury hotels owned by César Ritz, developing what we now call the brigade de cuisine, or kitchen brigade; consisting of highly trained experts each with clearly defined duties. These teams included a chef, or gros bonnet, (large hat) in charge of the kitchen; a sauce chef (often the the deputy or sous chef); an Entremetier; in charge of preparation of soups, vegetables, and sweet courses; a Rôtisseur to prepare roasts and fried or grilled meats; and the Gardemanger; in charge of all supplies and cold dishes. In Escoffier's time, the duties and responsibilities of each functionary were sharply defined, but now in modern times, rising labour costs and the need for faster service have broken down such rigidly defined duties. In the kitchens of even the leading modern restaurants, duties at the peak of the dinner-hour preparations are likely to overlap widely, with efficiency maintained amid seeming chaos and confusion.

French restaurants in the Twentieth century

In the Twentieth century, with the development of the automobile, country dining became popular in France, and a number of fine provincial restaurants were established. The Restaurant de la Pyramide, in Vienne, regarded by many as the world's finest restaurant, was founded by Fernand Point and after his death, in 1955, retained its high standing under the direction of his widow, Madame "Mado" Point. Other leading French provincial restaurants have included the Troisgros in Roanne; the Paul Bocuse Restaurant near Lyon; the Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern, Alsace; and the hotel Côte d'Or, at Saulieu.

Originally, selected restaurants throughout France were evaluated annually by the Guide Michelin, a publication devoted to surveying eating establishments and hotels in more than 3,400 towns and cities. Awarding one, two or three stars, based upon quality. This has now grown to restaurants world wide.

French restaurants today are usually in one of three categories: the bistro or brasserie; a simple, informal and inexpensive establishment; the medium-priced restaurant and the more elegant grand restaurant, where the most intricate dishes are executed and served in luxurious surroundings.

Non French restaurants

Other nations have of course also made many significant contributions to the development of the restaurant.

Italy
The botteghe (coffee shop) of Venice originated in the 16th century, at first serving coffee only, later adding snacks. The modern trattorie, or taverns, feature local specialities. The osterie, or hostelries, are informal restaurants offering home-style cooking. In Florence small restaurants below street level, known as the buca, serve whatever foods the host may choose to cook on a particular day.

Austria
Coffeehouses offer leisurely, complete meals, and the diner may linger to sip coffee, read a newspaper or even to write an article. Many Austrians frequent their own "steady restaurants," known as 'Stammbeissl'.

Hungary
The csárda, a country highway restaurant, offers menus usually limited to meat courses and fish stews.

Czechezlovakia
The beer halls of the Czech Republic, especially in Prague, are similar to coffeehouses elsewhere. Food is served, with beer replacing coffee.

Germany
The Weinstube is an informal restaurant featuring a large wine selection, and the Weinhaus, a food and wine shop where customers may also dine, offers a selection of foods ranging from delicatessen fare to full restaurant menus. The Schenke is an estate-tavern or cottage pub serving wine and food. In the cities a similar establishment is called the Stadtschenke.

Spain
The bars and cafés of Madrid offer widely varied appetisers, called tapas, including such items as shrimp cooked in olive oil with garlic, meatballs with gravy and peas, salt cod, eels, squid, mushrooms, and tuna fish. The tapas are taken with sherry, and it is a popular custom to go on a chateo, or tour of bars, consuming large quantities of tapas and sherry at each bar. Spain also features the marisco bar, or marisquería, a seafood bar; the asadoro, a Catalan rotisserie; and the tasca, or pub-wineshop.

Portugal
Cervejarias are popular beer parlours also offering shellfish. Fado taverns serve grilled sausages and wine, accompanied by the plaintive Portuguese songs called fados (meaning "fate").

Scandinavia
Sandwich shops offer open-faced, artfully garnished sandwiches called smørrebrød. Swedish restaurants feature the smörgåsbord, which literally means "bread and butter table" but actually is a lavish, beautifully arranged feast of herring, shrimp, pickles, meatballs, fish, salads, cold cuts, and hot dishes, served with aquavit or beer.

Netherlands
Holland has sandwich shops, called broodjeswinkels, serving open-faced sandwiches, seafoods, hot and cold dishes, and cheeses from a huge table.

England
English city and country pubs traditionall have three kinds of bars: the public bar, the saloon and the private bar. Everyone is welcome in the public bar or saloon, but the private bar is restricted to habitués of the pub. Pub food varies widely through England, ranging from sandwiches and soups to pork pies, veal and ham pies, steak and kidney pies, bangers (sausages) and a pint (beer), bangers and mash (potatoes), toad in the hole (sausage in a Yorkshire pudding crust), and Cornish pasties, or pies filled with meat and vegetables.

Japan
Characteristic of Japan are sushi bars that serve sashimi (raw fish slices) and sushi (fish or other ingredients with vinegared rice) at a counter. Other food bars serve such dishes as noodles and tempura (deep-fried shrimp and vegetables). Yudofu restaurants build their meals around varieties of tofu (bean curd), and the elegant tea houses serve formal Kaiseki table d'hôte meals.

China
Restaurants serving the local cuisine are found, and noodle shops offer a wide variety of noodles and soups. The dim-sum shops provide a never-ending supply of assorted steamed, stuffed dumplings and other steamed or fried delicacies.

Asia
A common sight in most parts of Asia is a kind of portable restaurant, operated by a single person or family from a wagon or litter, set up at a particular street location, where specialties are cooked on the spot. The yakiemo and yakieka(Baked potato and baked squid) peddlers that prowl the streets looking for custom can still be found in parts of Japan. Taiwan also has its share of peddlers selling anything from corn on the cob marinated in soy sauce through to fried tofu and chicken feet. It is interesting to note that this is an illegal practise in Taiwan and the hawkers will often break into a run if a policeman is sighted.

Middle Eastern restaurants

In the tavérnas of Greece, customers are served such beverages as retsina, a resinated wine, and ouzo, an aniseed-flavoured apéritif, while they listen to the music of the bouzouki. Like other Mediterranean countries, Greece has the grocery-tavérna where one can buy food or eat.

The Turkish 'Iskembeci' is a restaurant featuring tripe soup and other tripe dishes; muhallebici shops serve boiled chicken and rice in a soup and milk pudding.

American contributions to restaurant development

The cafeteria, an American contribution to the restaurant's development, originated in San Francisco during the 1849 gold rush. Featuring self-service, it offers a wide variety of foods displayed on counters. The customer makes his selections, paying for each item as he chooses it or paying for the entire meal at the end of the line. Other types of quick-eating places originating in the United States are the drugstore counter, serving sandwiches or other snacks; the lunch counter, where the diner is served a limited quick-order menu at the counter; and the drive-in, "drive-thru," or drive-up restaurant, where patrons are served in their automobiles. So-called fast-food restaurants, usually operated in chains or as franchises and heavily advertised, offer limited menus-typically comprising hamburgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, or pizza and their complements-and also offer speed, convenience, and familiarity to diners who may eat in the restaurant or take their food home. Among fast-food names that have become widely known are White Castle (one of the first, originating in Wichita, Kan., in 1921), McDonald's (which grew from one establishment in Des Plaines, Ill., in 1955 to more than 15,000 internationally within 40 years), Kentucky Fried Chicken (founded in 1956), and Pizza Hut (1958).

Many school, work, and institutional facilities provide space for coin-operated vending machines that offer snacks and beverages.

The specialty restaurant, serving one or two special kinds of food, such as seafood or steak, is another distinctive American establishment. The Pullman car diner, serving full-course meals to long distance railroad passengers, and the riverboat steamers, renowned as floating gourmet palaces, were original American conceptions. They belong to an earlier age, when dining out was a principal social diversion, and restaurants tended to become increasingly lavish in food preparation, decor, and service.

In many modern restaurants, customers now prefer informal but a pleasant atmosphere and fast service. The number of dishes available, and the elaborateness of their preparation, has been increasingly curtailed as labour costs have risen and the availability of skilled labour decreased. The trend is toward such efficient operations as fast-food restaurants, snack bars, and coffee shops. The trend in elegant and expensive restaurants is toward smaller rooms and intimate atmosphere, with authentic, highly specialised and limited menus.

The information contained on all my historical web pages is supplied for your interest only and further research may be required. I have gathered it from many sources over many years. While I attempt to insure they are crossed referenced for accuracy, I take no responsibility for mistakes - additions or corrections are welcomed.

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