Many boardinghouses were run by widows who needed an income after their husbands passed away. It appears that food service was not a top priority. In the early nineteenth century most boardinghouse-keepers offered three meals daily: breakfast, dinner, and tea. These were rushed affairs, served family style at set times. Food was quickly devoured, so latecomers would have ended up with cold scraps, if anything was left.23
Eliza Leslie's mother Lydia may have at least tried to improve the caliber of the dishes she served by enrolling young Eliza at Mrs. Goodfellow's. Perhaps other boarding house owners picked up on this idea, also sending daughters or employees to Mrs. Goodfellow for instruction. Goodfellow's original shop on Dock Street, and then the one on South Sixth Street, were both close to inns and boardinghouses, conveniently located for any women working at them to take classes.
An offshoot of the tavern model that developed in Philadelphia as a result of the large British influence was the idea of eating and drinking establishments as meeting places and information hubs for an elite upper-class clientele, mainly the city's merchants and other influential leaders.
Claiming to be the oldest social organization speaking the English language, “The Colony in Schuylkill” or “Schuylkill Fishing Company” was founded as a men's fishing club in 1732 by a few of the original Philadelphia settlers, many of whom immigrated with Penn to the New World. Their first meeting house, which they called “the castle,” was built on the west side of the Schuylkill River when the area was still a wilderness. In 1781 the group was renamed the “State in Schuylkill” and for generations they fished in the city's streams, then cooked and ate what they caught themselves, each one serving the other.24
Also referred to as the “Fish House Club,” members have always prepared their own food, and in the beginning devoted much time to hunting and fishing, enjoying the time spent outdoors and sticking to simple cooking techniques. For example, club rules stipulate that “high seasoning” should not be used when grilling steaks. Although city development, pollution, and overfishing have caused the club to move its location several times over the years, the citizens (as club members are called) still gather along the Schuylkill to feast on barbecued pork, grilled steaks, planked shad, and perch “thrown” in skillets, all prepared by club members and served with the group's famous Fish House Punch, a potent rum-based brew.25
Many members of the Fish House Club have also belonged to the Philadelphia Club, a private gentleman's club which claims to be the oldest metropolitan men's club in the United States. A group of men began meeting in a coffee-house at Fifth and Minor streets around 1830 to play cards. Joined by friends, they organized the Adelphia Club in 1834; the name soon became the Philadelphia Club. Since 1850 the club has occupied the Thomas Butler Mansion at 1301 Walnut Street and is known as the city's most exclusive club, its membership limited largely to old Philadelphia families. Prior to the 1950s, ladies were only admitted three times, for balls in 1851 and 1869, and a centenary tea in 1934 at which Mrs. John Markoe, the belle of the ball of 1869, poured tea for the distinguished veterans. Beginning in 1953, women have been allowed in as dinner guests, although they are still excluded from membership. Today members dine on Old Philadelphia-style lunches of chicken salad, fried oysters, and ham-and-veal pie.26
The London Coffee House was established in 1754 by newspaper publisher William Bradford and had a prime location—Front and High streets, overlooking the Delaware and next to the market stalls. Although coffee, tea, lemonade, and beer were served, its patrons preferred wine and liquor. Basically an upper-class tavern, the London Coffee House was the first stop for many ship captains and travelers; messages were exchanged and auctions posted and held. Merchants gathered at noon to read newspapers, discuss prices, and schedule goods for shipping.27
However, as the city grew, the import merchants did not need to be so close to the marketplace, and they began to separate into groups. When the City Tavern opened on Second Street in Philadelphia in December 1773, it soon became the fashionable spot for the merchant class, exceeding the old London Coffee House in popularity. A five-story building with kitchens, a bar room, two coffee rooms, and three dining rooms, it also boasted the “second largest ballroom in the New World,” five lodging rooms, and servants' quarters. The tavern became the premier entertainment spot for wealthy Philadelphians, featuring a continuous succession of banquets and balls.28
Wild game, fresh fish, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and local wines were enjoyed by men of all social classes at the City Tavern. Sample dishes would have included hearty fare such as chicken or pork cooked with Madeira wine, turkey stew with fried oysters, ham-and-veal pie, and West Indies pepper pot soup; as well as desserts such as pastries, puddings, and fruit pies and cobblers.29
In addition to its reputation for food, the tavern had many interesting uses throughout the late eighteenth century. In the fall of 1774 it became the unofficial meeting place of the delegates before and after sessions of the first Continental Congress, which was assembled at nearby Carpenters' Hall. It was used by both Continental and British armies to house prisoners of war, and military courts-martial were held there. Washington used the location as his headquarters briefly in 1777, and the tavern hosted a banquet in his honor in 1789 as he passed through Philadelphia on his way to New York for his presidential inauguration.30
Also in 1789 the City Tavern's two front rooms were rented and turned into the Merchant's Coffee House and Place of Exchange. A portico was added, and its former smaller rooms opened into one big entrance room.31 The tavern was damaged by fire in 1834 but never properly repaired, and therefore was torn down twenty years later. One newspaper claimed it had been “immolated on the altar of improvement.” Today, a reconstruction of the tavern on the original site at Second and Walnut streets serves typical eighteenth-century dishes.32
Hotels also became places for the elite to meet and dine, in addition to providing accommodations for well-to-do travelers. Elizabeth and Daniel Rubicam owned the Washington Hotel at 20 South Sixth Street in Philadelphia, which became well-known for providing superb food and first-rate lodging.
Mrs. Rubicam was best known for her green turtle and terrapin soups. Green turtle soup was prepared using huge sea turtles that were caught in the Caribbean and shipped north. It was highly esteemed, and as a result these turtles soon became scarce and very expensive. Terrapins were smaller turtles found more locally in the Chesapeake, New Jersey's Egg Harbor, and the Delaware Bay and became a substitute for green turtle.33
A list of articles sold in the Philadelphia markets in 1818 refers to them as “tarapins,” or bay tortoises. The price was from $1 to $2 per dozen. Prior to this they had been eaten by slaves in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia; the slave-owners eventually realized what a delicacy they had been missing.34 Food connoisseurs in Britain also quickly picked up on this fact, and Londoner Frank Schloesser praises them in The Greedy Book: “One of the most valuable products of the United States (gastronomically speaking), the terrapin must be eaten to be believed. It must also be specially imported. It is a species of turtle—but even more so—and quite exquisite in its subtlety.”35
The Rubicams capitalized on this discovery, gaining status as the first caterers in Philadelphia who presented terrapin as a gourmet dish. When Mrs. Rubicam took over managing the business after the death of her husband, a large portion of the fame she achieved as a cook was due to the way she dressed terrapin. In 1869, The Universal Recipe Book by H. W. Harper refers to terrapin as “a favorite dish for suppers and parties, and, when well cooked, they are certainly very delicious. Many persons in Philadelphia have made themselves famous from cooking this article alone. Mrs. Rubicam, during her lifetime, always stood first in that way.”36
Mrs. Rubicam's version of terrapin soup was considered so delectable that it became a standard item for caterers not only in Philadelphia, but in New York and Baltimore as well. James M. Sanderson, a fellow Philadelphian who was chef and owner of Franklin H
ouse Hotel, went so far as to describe Mrs. Rubicam as the creator of terrapin cookery in his cookbook. Eliza Leslie also published Mrs. Rubicam's terrapin recipe in her 1837 book Directions for Cookery, but did not cite her as the source.37
TERRAPINS
Have ready a pot of boiling water. When it is boiling very hard put in the terrapins, and let them remain in it till quite dead. Then take them out, pull off the outer skin and the toe-nails, wash the terrapins in warm water and boil them again, allowing a tea-spoonful of salt to each terrapin. When the flesh becomes quite tender so that you can pinch it off, take them out of the shell, remove the sand-bag, and the gall, which you must be careful not to break, as it will make the terrapin so bitter as to be uneatable. Cut up all the other parts of the inside with the meat, and season it to your taste with black and cayenne pepper, and salt. Put all into a stew-pan with the juice or liquor that it has given out in cutting up, but not any water. To every two terrapins allow a quarter of a pound of butter divided into pieces and rolled in flour, two glasses of Madeira, and the yolks of two eggs. The eggs must be beaten, and not stirred in till a moment before it goes to table. Keep it closely-covered. Stew it gently till everything is tender, and serve it up hot in a deep dish.
Terrapins, after being boiled by the cook, may be brought to table plain, with all the condiments separate, that the company may dress them according to taste.
For this purpose heaters or chafing dishes must be provided for each plate.38
Mrs. Rubicam may have actually been a competitor to Mrs. Goodfellow, as it is thought that she also provided cooking instruction to wealthy ladies. According to food historian William Woys Weaver, it stands to reason that if she created terrapin cookery in the early 1800s, she must have taught other people how to do it because there was a trick to cooking these turtles without making the whole soup bitter.39 The Rubicams' hotel was not far from Goodfellow's second shop location, so perhaps they even worked together rather than competed in order to maximize their profit. It is also possible that Mrs. Rubicam taught the recipe to Mrs. Goodfellow who then incorporated it into her classes, which would explain how the recipe was known to Eliza Leslie.
A reference is made to the teaching skills of these two ladies in a 1914 historical perspective about the old Patterson Mansion in Philadelphia. A member of Philadelphia's wealthy merchant class and a veteran of the War of 1812, General Robert Patterson was well-known throughout the city during his lifetime. He had married Sarah Engle of Germantown in 1817. In the article Sarah Patterson is described as “an intellectual woman and gifted musician, whose love of society and gracious charm of manner rendered her a perfect fit helpmeet for her distinguished husband.…Mrs. Patterson was a wonderful housekeeper, having been taught the art by both Mrs. Rubicam and Mrs. Goodfellow.”40
Rubicam recipes for dishes other than terrapin can be found in nineteenth-century manuscript cookbooks. One owned by Ellen Markoe Emlen includes chickens curried and Rubicam Pudding.41
RUBICAM PUDDING
14 eggs
1 qt cream or rich milk, quite fresh
1 vanilla bean
1/2 lb sifted white sugar
1/4 lb of bloom raisins, stoned and cut in half
2 wine glasses of brandy
A wee pinch of salt
1/2 a nutmeg grated
This pudding is always eaten quite cold.
If this pudding is cooked too long it will become watery
and not eatable, it must be watched.
Another famous Philadelphia hotel that had a restaurant was the Mansion House Hotel, launched in 1807 by William Renshaw out of the Bingham mansion on Third Street. It had become fashionable in the early part of the nineteenth century to open an inn or tavern in a house of historical significance, particularly the residences of Philadelphia's founding fathers or places frequented by Revolutionary War heroes. The Mansion House's former owners, Mr. and Mrs. William Bingham, were of the Philadelphia elite merchant class, epitomizing social prestige, wealth, and luxury. Their house was considered one of the most elegant in Philadelphia, if not all of America. Renshaw soon left this location in 1812 to open the “New Mansion House Hotel” on Market Street, but returned two years later and stayed there until it was destroyed by fire in 1823.42
The hotel was later rebuilt and reopened by Chester Bailey, and eventually put under the proprietorship of Joseph Head. Originally a member of Philadelphia's upper-class society, Head had the unfortunate experience of losing most of his money. He then decided to use his knowledge of fine dining to open a “Private Gentlemen's Restaurant and ClubHouse” at the corner of Columbia Avenue (now Seventh Street) and Walnut, in what had first been the McClellan, and then later the Randall family mansion. He established himself there and then took over the larger Mansion House until it was badly damaged by fire in 1847, when the hotel was closed.43
Head was serious and enthusiastic about gastronomy, even making his way over to France to learn French culinary techniques and using this knowledge to open a French cooking school at the Mansion House Hotel in the late 1830s. However, unlike Mrs. Goodfellow, Head was probably teaching other men to be professional cooks.44
Even confectionery shops became places to go out to get something to eat, especially ice cream, a Philadelphia favorite. Many of these shops would provide a pleasant garden setting and fireworks to enhance the experience of enjoying the sweet, creamy treat. In the 1790s Frenchman Peter Bossee (sometimes referred to as Bossu) opened Bossee's Gardens, which included music and fireworks, and by 1800 began advertising Bossee's Ice Cream House which offered ice cream, syrups, French cordials, cakes, claret, and jellies.45
The most popular of these open-air ice cream eateries was Vauxhall Gardens, a perfectly manicured botanical garden named after the famous London attraction, featuring rare trees and decorative accents such as Chinese bridges and a pagoda. Ice cream was prepared in the Italian manner—molded into fruit shapes including pineapples, strawberries, and lemons, as well as orange-flavored goldfish. Fireworks were part of the festivities, and in 1825 Vauxhall even presented a dramatic re-creation of Mt. Vesuvius erupting.46
Other ice cream eateries were ice cream parlors and dining saloons. The main difference between the two was that ice cream parlors had carpeting and the saloons had bare floors (the type of shop Mrs. Goodfellow opened with her son in 1837). Both were popular with prosperous middle-class customers who enjoyed the elaborate interior (which often featured fancy tables, gilded picture frames, and shiny mirrors) as much as the treats served there. Both places usually featured a candy counter on one side, and a soda fountain which sold ice cream on the opposite. Or the ice cream may have been served in the back section of the building, with a small bakery on one side of the front and the candy and soda fountain on the other. Many owners would temporarily convert their ice cream parlors to oyster bars during the winter months, serving oysters, sandwiches, cake, and coffee.47
In 1859 Jos. Garland and Bros. advertised their “New confectionary and ice cream saloon” located at 926 Chestnut Street. Hailed as a “ladies and gents dining saloon,” it featured “foreign and domestic confections, including ice creams, jellies, water ices, and fruits, as well as plain and fancy assorted cakes, fine pastries, &c.” The establishment was also available to rent for large or small supper parties, and they would cater elsewhere as well, offering free delivery of their goods to private parties and weddings.48 One can imagine it to be a popular social place for young men courting their ladies.
Parkinson's and Isaac Newton's were well-known Philadelphia spots for providing exquisite frozen treats and other confections. At Parkinson's, ice cream was served in long-necked champagne glasses, with vanilla and lemon being the most popular flavors. One patron wrote, “In the summer season, immense quantities of the finest ice cream are sold in Philadelphia. Indeed the city vaunts itself on producing the best ice cream in the world; and strangers generally give the preference to that which is sold at such establishments as Parkinson's an
d Isaac Newton's over any which is to be found in our other great cities.”49
The Parkinson family name became synonymous with fine ice creams and confections throughout the United States in the mid-1800s. This culinary dynasty can be traced back to George Parkinson, who bought the Pennsylvania Arms tavern in 1818. His wife Eleanor opened a confectionery shop next door, and it became so well-known and lucrative that they joined forces, eventually including their son James in the business. Mother and son published the cookbook The Complete Confectioner in 1844, and in addition to selling sweets, they also ran a restaurant at 180 Chestnut Street. Philadelphia society continually marveled at James's culinary skills and innovative techniques, including for example, his invention of champagne frappe à la glace in 1850.50
In addition to the French-style pastries and sweets that had become fashionable in Philadelphia, those made according to Italian technique became popular as well. A confectioner and distiller named Lawrence Astolfi announced in an 1817 newspaper that he had just returned from Italy where he received training in sugar work and pastry-making in order to bring this knowledge back to Philadelphia. The advertisement also declares that he brought back with him some highly skilled confectioners, many of whom had been employed in the Courts of Naples and Rome, as well as other principal Italian cities. In addition to the pastry and desserts for sale to private families and public companies, his shop at 136 Market Street also featured a coffee room in the “European style,” which sold delicate cordials and a variety of elegantly molded ice creams.51 Another ad in 1818 mentions a shop run by a Mr. Charrier, which sold all kinds of fresh pastry in addition to “Coffee and Chocolate, served up in the Italian style.”52
And in a nineteenth-century version of today's fast food, Philadelphia businessmen were known to pick up “little dainties” at an eating house or pastry shop to take the edge off of their late-afternoon hunger when dining later in the day was fashionable.53 An example of some of these offerings appeared in an 1817 issue of Poulson's Daily Advertiser which announced for sale “Pepper Pot and Pastry: Made and sold in Cherry Street, No. 136, between Seventh and Eighth streets, on the south side—where also may be had, pickle pipers and other little niceties, from 11 in the morning until 10 in the evening.”54 A Philadelphia tradition, “pepper pot” was soup flavored with a bouquet garni of locally available herbs including sweet marjoram, thyme, parsley, a carrot, a leek, and a sharp red pepper.55 And “pickle pipers” can be assumed to mean “pickled peppers.”
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