High-end dining in the nineteenth-century United States.

A look at what fine restaurants served in mid-nineteenth century America, using the New York Public Library’s collection of menus from the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City for the years 1859 to 1865. With particular paid attention to the entrée category, 1,250 menus were analyzed. There are 900 different dishes mentioned, and the article discusses what were the most popular and the setting and customs governing such meals.