Tarragon Dressing

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   Tarragon dressing is quite popular, but the origin of the dressing (OED has "tarragon") is not recorded.
   From the NEW YORK HERALD TRIBUNE, 10 April 1961, pg. 14, col. 1:

   _We Give Our Love to the Tarragon_
By Clementine Paddleford
   Out of the Mid-West three new salad dressings march into the East to the trumpeting of George A. Treiber of Manhasset, Long Island.  Mr. Treiber is a salesman of long experience but not in the food field, yet never before has he handled products with such pride and pleasure as the Dominion Room Dressing "and it isn't my job," he explains, "this is merely a side line."
   It was 1947 Mr. Treiber started traveling for an electrical insulation company with a once a month stop in Evanston, Ill.  He didn't like the hotel food and taking a tip from the elevator operator, tried the Dominion Room Restaurant across the street.
   The eating was good, the place wasn't expensive and George Treiber went back again and again.  By doctor's orders he couldn't have too-acid foods so he made his own salad dressing at the table with oil and lemon crumbling in a side serving of Roquefort.  The waitress suggested he try tarragon dressing, a specialty of the house, and very mild.  George loved that dressing so much he didn't care whether he added the cheese or not.  On every visit thereafter he suggested to the proprietor that he pack the dressing for sale.  He did in a small way, selling only to guests.
   Each visit George Treiber would buy a few jars to stuff into his brief case for the home table.  Then he changed jobs.  All he missed about the old job was the trip to Evanston to stock the family larder with this tarragon "blessing."
_Return Visit_
   It was 1960 before Mr. Treiber came to Evanston again to dine in the Dominion Room.  "Remember me?" he asked the proprietor.  "Sure do," was the answer, "you are the fellow who nudged me into packing the tarragon dressing.  I did it finally, now it is selling in some of Chicago's best shops."
   For a handful of years the Treiber family and their friends had been missing that dressing and George was quick to ask "Give me the distribution for the East Coast."  The contract was signed.  George took over the (Col. 2--ed.) dressings, now there were three.  A litle side line, one thought in mind to keep his tarragon favorite on his pantry shelf.  He did a bit of selling, stopping at restaurants and to see grocer store buyers.  The easiest thing I ever tried selling, he told us, one taste does it.  A press of business.  Now Mrs. Treiber is lending a hand.  She does the paper work.
(Col. 3--ed.)
   Lorraine Murphy's Restaurant on the Island buys the dressing in gallon containers and by the case.  They are stocked also in any number of clubs and delicatessens and by April 15 the dressing trio will be sold in B. Altman's Fifth Ave. store.  (B. Altman's is now the Science, Industry, and Business Library of the NYPL, where I had my plastic bag of work stolen last week--ed.)  Also in their Short Hills and Manhasset delicacy shops.
   The Tarragon dressing is the most outstanding.  This is (Col. 4--ed.) made with vegetable oil, tarragon vinegar, orange juice, herbs and spices and is prettily flecked with the seed.  Ideal for a fruit salad being on the sweet side.  When used with Bibb lettuce its (sic) a perfect blending of flavors: the nut-sweet leaf, so crisp, the smooth sweet dressing with bitter bite of seed.  The eight ounce jar is 75 cents.  You pay 80 cents for the Blue Cheese dressing, which has both lemon juice and orange juice included with spices.  This has a hearty cheese flavor but we would like to see larger bits of the cheese.  The French dressing is 75 cents and a good dressing but made paprika red as the Middle West seems to think a French dressing should be and which we know it isn't.  Like Mr. Treiber we give our love to "Tarragon."