...this fascinating article in Gourmet Magazine being some reminiscences of Louis Diat, inventor of (amongst other things, he's got a recipe for Chicken Gloria Swanson) Vichyssoise - he was Head Chef when Bemelmans worked there. Click on his 'tache to see.


And then this site, which is related but was chiefly of interest to me for the page dealing with "shopping in New York", around 1940. Click on Woody to see.

Here I feel that I should mention some places for MEN'S CLOTHING before the
family budget runs out altogether. First should be mentioned Brooks Brothers, at
346 Madison Avenue (at 44th Street), one of the oldest firms in the city. You
will find nothing cheap in this store, but neither will you find any-thing but
the very best. The same is true of F. R. Tripler and Co. at 366 Madison Avenue
(46th Street), and of Finchley at 566 Fifth Avenue (near 46th Street). There are
a few smart and expensive men's shops in the Rockefeller Center neighbor-hood.
For more moderate prices, try the various stores of Rogers Peet Co., of
Broadstreet's, of John David, and of Weber and Heilbroner. Frankly on the cheap
side are Crawford Clothes and Bond Clothing Stores. And Barney's Clothes, I 11
Seventh Avenue (at 17th Street), is becoming a New York institution with the men
who have to dress well for little money

How many of these stores still exist? Damn few I'll wager, damn few. Sorry about the way it reflowed...dunno why and couldn't be bothered to fix it.


To close, here is a recipe for Vichyssoise, taken from the New York Herald Tribune column "This New York" by Lucius Beebe, 15 June 1935,
During the torrid months of last season, we never could mention Creme Vichysoise as having been on a menu without receiving at least one request for the formula for this superlative summer soup. We, therefore, have obtained his own private recipe from Paul Moreau, chef de cuisine at the Madison, and your own cook may paste it up between the butcher's calendar and the foie-gras firkin once and for all. It is:
"Peel and wash thoroughly a pound and a half of young red carrots.Slice very fine and simmer in a little fresh butter for about ten minutes.Add two tablespoons of flour and mix well. Add a quart of chicken broth and cook slowly for forty-five minutes after seasoning with salt and a dash of paprika. Strain twice through a fine sieve to get a smooth-textured cream."
"Prepare in a flat pan a half pint (col. 2--ed.) of cream and three egg yolks; stir well together and mix slowly with the cream of carrots. Put onthe stove again and keep stirring to the boiling point. Remove immediately from the fire and strain again through cheese-cloth. Place in a cool place and serve very cold, preferably in a bowl surrounded with ice."