Gundagai: Beef Wellington (1965)

[Mark Odegard]

>I suspect it may come from Louis Szmathy (correct Hungarian
>spelling?) and his famous Chicago restaurant. I'll do some
>checking.

I don't know how they keep the pastry surrounding the beef from sogging out.
I suspect the pastry is done on a special pre-heated rack, with a
strategically placed drain hole. My one experience with beef wellington was
in Chicago. This was a filet mignon surrounded by a magnificant, nicely
browned pastry ('pie crust'). This restaurant also had the *best* apple
strudel I've ever had (melt in your mouth). And also wonderful coffee, made
fresh at the table. Possibly this was the aforementioned restaurant? It was
in a rather humdrum neighborhood. But the service was magnificant -- and
utterly lacking in the pompousness I associate with restaurants of this
calibre.

Working from memory, a real beef wellington is a larger cut of beef (a prime
rib?) meant to be served with *considerable* ceremony.
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