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I love reading menus and today I’ve lost myself in the New York Public Library’s mind-boggling collection of vintage Thanksgiving menus, some dating as far back as 1840! They’re a window into the food fashions of the time and what’s remarkable from a quick glance is that all of New York’s legendary hotels were serving up Thanksgiving dishes that seem familiar today – albeit for a much reduced rate! At the Plaza Hotel in 1899, you could get turkey stuffed with chestnuts for $0.75 — or sweetbreads, cooked “Parisienne” style, for a dollar. So, without further ado, if you’d care to join me for a Thanksgiving dinner to remember at one of New York’s legendary hotels…

Gramercy Park Hotel, 1949.
gramercy park 2 1949

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The Plaza Hotel, 1959.
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Broadway Central, 1899.
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broadway central 3

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National Arts Club New York, 1905.
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Hotel Manhattan, 1900.
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Waldorf Astoria, 1912.
waldorf astoria dinner 1912

waldorf astoria 1912

Hotel New Yorker, 1937.
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Chins, 1944. (OK, so I know this isn’t actually a hotel, but I thought it was too cool-looking not to share.)
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So there you have it. Happy Thanksgiving!

3 Comments

  1. What a great find, I bet the online library could become addictive…

  2. Some of the prices are unbelievably high.
    They look low by today’s prices, but some of these meals cost more than the average man would earn for a working an entire day.

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