Serious Eats: New York
Thanksgiving at the Plaza... In 1899
Photo: Ephemeral New York
Ephemeral New York unearthed the '99 Thanksgiving menu at the Plaza Hotel—sorry, that's 1899—from the archives at the New York Public Library.
Some highlights? Caviar canapes for 40 cents; stuffed Boston gosling for 75; veal breast, a half-dollar. There are two kinds of green turtle soup and twenty-five desserts—and that's before the fruit course. The traditional Thanksgiving meal hasn't changed much in a century; one could dine on turkey stuffed with chestnuts, sweet potatoes, creamed onions, and pumpkin pie for $1.40. And if Mr. Rockefeller or Mr. Morgan preferred duck? He could choose from red-headed, teal, mallard, or canvas-back duck... or Long Island duckling.