Travels with Melrose

Notes from the Road

Escanaba, Mich. In smaller American cities there is often one particular restaurant that everyone knows is in a class by itself in menu, prestige and price. This species multiplied rapidly a few years after the war, as the economy meshed into gear. The decor, modeled on a vision of the metropolis, was heavy modern, with dim lighting and an electric organ. In recent years the lights have been turned up a bit and the organ, though still present in the flesh, has in most cases been mercifully silenced. The food is generally not too bad and sometimes very good, especially when, to the conventional steaks and chicken and the duck à l’Orange or Boeuf Bourgignon that frequently signal the prestige status, the menu adds game or a regional specialty. The prices are not in the astronomic range of Ernie’s or La Caravelle, but if you do a little drinking you’ll end up close to $20 apiece.

JB

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James Burnham

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Notes from the Road

Escanaba, Mich. In smaller American cities there is often one particular restaurant that everyone knows is in a class by itself in menu, prestige and price. This species multiplied rapidly a few years after the war, as the economy meshed into gear. The decor, modeled on a vision of the metropolis, was heavy modern, with dim lighting and an electric organ. In recent years the lights have been turned up a bit and the organ, though still present in the flesh, has in most cases been mercifully silenced. The food is generally not too bad and sometimes very good, especially when, to the conventional steaks and chicken and the duck à l’Orange or Boeuf Bourgignon that frequently signal the prestige status, the menu adds game or a regional specialty. The prices are not in the astronomic range of Ernie’s or La Caravelle, but if you do a little drinking you’ll end up close to $20 apiece.