Re: [CBQ] Hoity Toity Menu or Burlingto Bulletin No. 77

["Ray Breyer via groups.io" <rtbsvrr69=yahoo.com@groups.io>]

Um....you know that these are all NORMAL restaurant terms, and that there's nothing "hoity toity" about them, right? Railroad dining cars weren't slop buckets serving to the lowest common denominator; they were generally more expensive than an eatery without wheels, so catered to people who knew what a restaurant was, as opposed to a diner or home kitchen.

Railroad dining car staff were trained to the same standards as hotel restaurant staff, which before the 1970s were considered the best chefs in the country. Fine dining traditions in the USA are all from French cooking schools, which is why there are so many French words on the menu. Of course, before WWII (or at least before DeGaulle's presidency) there were far more people in this country who spoke French so the words weren't "hoity toity and furrin".

That we today don't recognize STANDARD restaurant terms as Table d'Hote, demi-tasse, or Lyonnaise is an indictment of the dumbing down of modern society, not of the menus of the 1880s-1960s. Note that we still use "hoity toity" French terms on modern menus, such as entree, a la carte, cafe, and hors d'oeuvres ("ordurves" to the typical American, or appetizers).

Read through just about any railroad's dinner menu and you'll see that they're pretty much identical to the CB&Q ones, at least in style. Their language didn't start shifting to plainer English and more basic item descriptions until the 1950s and 1960s.

Ray Breyer
Elgin, IL

On Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 03:09:37 PM CDT, David Pease via groups.io <david_f_pease=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:

I just finished reading Burlington Bulletin No. 77 which was a culinary time machine of Dining Car menus. Interesting to see the early items on the menus. Like Ox Tongue sandwich 20 cents, or the drink Kaffee Hag 20 cent, Kaffee Hag being

 rebranded as Sanka. Pie with cheese 25 cent. Now I've heard of pie served with cheese, but I've never seen it on a current menu. The list of cereals were common but they were all served with cream not milk. Not a bad idea if it wouldn't turn my arteries into cement. Early menus had a tomato and lettuce sandwich while in the last menus this evolved into a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. The word BLT was never used.

Their use of French to make their menu sound Hoity Toity was impressive. I kept Google busy looking up definitions.

I complied a list of some of them.

au Naturel = no seasoning, plain

Maitre d'Hotel = compound butter made from softened butter, finely chopped parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper

du Jour = dish specially prepared for a particular day, like Salad du Jour or Vegetable du Jour

franconia potatoes = basically American Fries

Delmonico potatoes = sliced potatoes, heavy cream, cheese, and breadcrumbs baked in a pan

potatoes persillade = French bistro-style potatoes, tossed in a fragrant mix of butter, garlic, and fresh parsley

Chicken a la Maryland = pan-fried chicken served with a cream gravy and fried banana

a la Carte = French phrase meaning individual dishes are ordered and priced separately

Demi Glace = brown sauce from classic French cuisine, made by reducing equal parts veal or beef stock

Table D'Hote = restaurant menu featuring a complete, multi-course meal

a la Mode = served with ice cream (most restaurants today will not know that you are talking about if you order pie this way)

a la King = meat served with creamy sauce containing mushrooms, pimientos (or red peppers), and green peppers

Consomme = crystal-clear soup made from a clarified stock or broth

Fricassee = French dish of meat that is first sautéed and then simmered in a creamy, white sauce

Meuniere = French sauce made from brown butter, lemon juice, and parsley

Tureen = a soup bowl with a lid (I've never had soup served this way)

Anglaise = (boiled/steamed), breaded dishes, or a light custard sauce

Sauce Robert = French brown sauce made from a demi-glace base, flavored with sautéed onions, white wine, and Dijon mustard

Seems to me to be a cook on a Burlington train you would have to attend the Le Cordon Bleu school in France.

In the later menus you will see a soup called Puree Mongole. There was a menu in one of older Burlington bulletins that showed this soup and upon seeing and never hearing of it I had to make it. It is basically a tomato soup and a green pea soup. Served correctly you ladle out some tomato soup then ladle into the middle of the tomato soup an equal part green pea soup. You do not stir the soups together. Then you try and get some of both soups on your spoon. It's got quite a unique favor.

David

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