London Broil (1932); Spaghetti Marinara (1932)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

MANHATTAN OASES
by Al Hirschfeld
NEW YORK'S 1932 SPEAK-EASIES
WITH A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO BARS AND BEVERAGES
By Gordon Kahn
with an introduction by Heywood Broun
E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., New York
1932

Pg. 18:  ..."schmaltz"...

Pg. 28:  Almost everything goes, but there will be no ghastly pranks like the administering of a Michael Finn.

Pg. 42:  ...with the rye entirely too dark to be the McCoy.

Pg. 44:  The choosey drinking habits of the whites are a bad influence on the sale of "mule" to the dusky element.

Pg. 62 ("Sam's"):  The cuisine is exceptionally good--for the Village.  The London broil is especially commendable.

Pg. 62:  The occasional hoofers, saxophone players, and other musicians are referred to by the barkeep as "talent."

Pg. 72 ("John and Jean's"):  The spaghetti marinara is uncommonly good.

Pg. 80:  The liquor is the McCoy...

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LONDON BROIL:  OED has 1969!  Merriam-Webster has 1946.  It's said that people from London haven't heard of London broil; it's probably from New York City.  John Mariani cites that it's in Charles G. Shaw's NIGHTLIFE: VANITY FAIR'S GUIDE TO NEW YORK AFTER DARK (1931), but there Keen's Chophouse calls it "London grill."

SPAGHETTI MARINARA:  Mariani mentions a 1905 printed reference to "eggs alla marinara" and a mention in the film RAIN OR SHINE (1930).  I'll probably find it easily once the NYPL's menu collection indexing is done.  In any case, it ain't 1948.