Mr. Foster died shortly "before" the restaurant opened. Mrs. Foster ran it by herself. Black tie was not required but jackets and ties were. Mrs. Foster usually wore a black or navy (floor lenght) dress, upswept hair and pearl ear-rings. Yes, you did place your order when you made a reservation- she prepared everything to order. There was another lady there (a black woman who did most of the serving among other things) while Mrs. Foster would sit with each of the customers. The food was sort of Southern American cooking elevated to the highest level.
I loved that place- it was so special and attracted the "grandest of clientele". But, that New York has vanished. Just vanished into thin air.
05 October 2009
Comment of the Day
Regarding the bygone and much-love Mr. and Mrs. Foster's Restaurant on East 81st Street, a reader writes:
Hey, great to see a piece about Mr. and Mrs. Foster's Place! James Villas' book gives a wonderful description of what it was like in its hey-day, how Mrs. Foster was shopping at local farmer's markets for the freshest ingredients as well as incorporating exotic things (then) like kiwi fruit. It didn't all start in Lyons. She was doing "American regional cuisine" before anyone knew exactly what that meant.
ReplyDeleteUpstate Johnny G