Text 8580, 106 rader
Skriven 2008-06-09 08:08:00 av DAVE DRUM (1:123/140)
Ärende: Birthday of the Automat
===============================
1902: Joe Horn and Frank Hardart open the Automat at 818 Chestnut Street in
Philadelphia. It's America's first coin-operated cafeteria.

Customers would put nickels into slots, turn a knob and open a little glass
door to get their food. Horn and Hardart used Swedish-patented equipment they'd
imported from Berlin, which already sported a successful "waiterless
restaurant."

Some sources place opening day on June 9, others June 12. What's not in dispute
is the place was a bargain. The price of a cup of coffee stayed at a nickel
from 1912 (when it was worth about $1.10 in today's money) until 1950 (a mere
45 cents today), before it inevitably rose to two nickels.

The company branched out to New York's Times Square in 1912 and continued to
expand its operation. The firm also designed its own improved automat
quipment.

Employees serving as "nickel throwers" at the head of the line exchanged
currency or large coins for the nickels you'd need for the coin slots. One
nickel for coffee, five for the turkey and gravy, another nickel for pie. You'd
also have your choice of other diner-food favorites, including a famous
macaroni and cheese, chicken potpie, Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes,
creamed spinach and baked beans. Desserts were also renowned: huckleberry,
pumpkin, coconut-cream and custard pies, as well as vanilla ice cream with real
vanilla beans, and rice pudding with plump raisins.

It was all prepared in centralized, assembly-line kitchens using standardized
recipes that called for quality ingredients. This, plus 85 locations in
Philadelphia and New York, made it America's first fast-food chain.

The famous coffee that poured from coin-and-crank-operated dolphin-shaped
spouts was never more than 20 minutes old. Irving Berlin composed "Let’s Have
Another Cup of Coffee" about it, and the ditty became Horn & Hardart's theme
song.

That's not the Automat's only spot in American culture. Edward Hopper painted
it in 1927. The original Broadway set for The Producers incorporated some of
the Automat. And then there's the Concerto for Horn and Hardart by P.D.Q. Bach
(Peter Schickele).

Price increases eventually replaced knuckles full of nickels with quantities of
quarters and even special tokens that you had to go get from the cashier. All
this reduced both the efficiency and the charm of the Automat, because
efficiency and economy were in fact the very heart of its charm.

The chain finally succumbed to the ever-rising price of ingredients for its
original recipes, changing tastes and of course the growing popularity of
fast-food chains like McDonald's and Burger King, as well as New York &
Philadelphia's plethora of pizza places. Philly's last Automat closed in 1990,
and New York's (on East 42nd Street) a year later. The company closed its last
bakery cafe in 2005.

The Automat lives on in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
There you can see an elaborately decorated, 35-foot section of Philadelphia’s
original 1902 Horn & Hardart, complete with mirrors and marble. It ain't your
father's fast food, but it may be your great-grandma's comfort food.

http://tinyurl.com/4vcxar - Slideshow - http://tinyurl.com/3hcubb

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: New York Steaks In Wine/Cheese Sauce
 Categories: Beef, Cheese, Wine
      Yield: 6 servings
 
      2 tb Olive oil; divided
      6    (10 oz) New York steaks;
           Trimmed (1" thick)
  2 1/2 oz Boursin or other French
           Garlic-and-herb cheese; in 6
           Wedges
  1 1/2 c  Merlot
    1/4 c  Chilled butter; in sm
           Pieces
      2 ts Chopped fresh Italian
           Parsley
      2 ts Chopped fresh chives; plus
           Whole chives for garnish
 
  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in each of 2 heavy large skillets over
  medium-high heat. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Add 3 steaks
  to each skillet; cook about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
  Transfer to platter; top each with 1 cheese wedge. Tent with foil to
  keep warm.
  
  Pour off drippings from 1 skillet; add wine to skillet and boil over
  high heat until reduced to generous 1/2 cup, scraping up browned bits,
  about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add butter and stir until melted.
  Mix in parsley and chopped chives. Season with salt and pepper. Pour
  over steaks. Garnish with whole chives.
  
  Jill Silverman Hough
  
  Makes 6 servings
  
  Bon Appétit - Menus | January 2008
  
  MM Format by Dave Drum - 10 January 2007
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives
 
MMMMM

... "11 long-haired Friends of Jesus in a chartreuse micro-bus."
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