The American Menu

1883-1908 E xplorers like Lewis and Clark ventured into the vast Dakotas after the lands were obtained as part of the Louisiana Purch...

New York City,  1907-1909  This comic postcard from about 1912 promotes an Italian restaurant named The Carlos to New Jerseyites by cl...

New York City,  1899-1919   Rector’s holds a significant place in American social history. Established on Broadway at the dawn of the ...

Ketchikan,  2015  Our family had a wonderful time this summer traipsing through Southeast Alaska. In Ketchikan, we lunched at t...

Chinese- American Restaurants 1896-1926 Chinese restaurants first opened in the United States during the California Gold Rush. In the e...

San Francisco,  1908  Interfoliata is the technical term for items found between the pages of a book. These unexpected discoveries can...

Springfield, Mass. T his menu comes from the Massasoit House in Springfield, Massachuse tts on April 16, 1865. It was Easter Sunday—150...

Washington, D.C.  1865  During the first week of March 1865, the celebratory mood in Washington contrasted sharply with that in Richmo...

Iowa & New York, 1889  In the 1967 movie The Graduate , Mr. McGuire gives young Benjamin some unsolicited career advice:  Mr. Mc...

Henry County, Iowa 1878  Menus from small dinners in private venues during the nineteenth century are few and far between. They seem t...