While watching “Boardwalk Empire“, the HBO series about Atlantic City’s prohibition days, HG’s thoughts turned to Longchamps, that long gone, magical chain of New York restaurants.
Where’s the connection ? Well. One of the principal bad guys in “Boardwalk Empire” is New York crime kingpin (and World Series Fixer!) Arnold Rothstein. A.R. had a brother-in-law named Henry Lustig who was in the food business. A.R. owned an attractive piece of real estate at 78th and Madison. A.R. put up the money and real estate and a restaurant chain, Longchamps, was born. Longchamps was, of course, named after the Paris race track. The name was apt: A.R. and Lustig were gamblers (A.R. was shot and killed while playing cards). Both men loved horses and they wanted the restaurant chain to evoke a Parisian flair (though the cuisine was American and international). Eventually there were 12 Longchamps restaurants in New York. They were pure theater. The colors were red, gold, yellow and black. The interior design was by the German art deco expert Winold Reiss (with an assist from New York architect Ely Jacques Kahn). Multi level, beautifully lit, Longchamps had suave service and excellent wine lists. In the beginning, it copied the European custom of forbidding tipping by simply adding a 10% charge to the bill. The food was marvelous. And, the price was right. Not cheap. Not super expensive. Just in the middle. Everything went well until 1946 when the IRS slapped Lustig with a $10 million tax bill and a fraud indictment (he spent four years in prison). Longchamps was soon in disarray and losing money. Jan Mitchell, the remarkable restaurateur who had revived Lüchow’s, the great German restaurant on 14th Street, bought Longchamps in 1959 and quickly restored it to glory. From 1959 to 1967 (when Mitchell sold out and the chain disappeared), HG was a frequent customer. Pot a Feu (better than Paris); lush spaghetti with chicken livers; creamy chicken curry; lamb chops; eggs benedict and the ultimate roast beef hash. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Longchamps always hit the spot. Following their wedding in judge’s chambers on Foley Square, HG, BSK and the wedding party celebrated with eggs benedict and champagne at the Longchamps opposite City Hall. In memory, every meal at Longchamps was a celebration.
PLEASE-do you have the recipe for Longchamps Creamy Chicken Curry? Or do you know where I might find it?
Thank you
I do hope this message gets to poor Montana, though she posted more than a month ago. Hungry Gerald, if you know her email address, please ship this post out to her.
In 1964, Jan Mitchell, the owner, published “Cooking a la Longchamps,” a very pleasant, useful and interesting record of hundreds of Longchamps recipes. The book is available, used, at very reasonable prices. Try B&N. Try ABE.
The book does NOT have a chicken curry recipe per se, but it DOES have a serious recipe for what it calls “curry sauce.” I would think that by boiling some chicken (Longchamps curried chicken NEVER was browned) and immersing it in this sauce you’d get as close as dammit to the Real Thing. Here’s the recipe (from the book):
CURRY SAUCE a la LONGCHAMPS
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, minced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Few sprigs of parsley
1 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1 green apple, cored and sliced
1 tbsp tomato puree
Salt and pinch of sugar to taste
2 cups chicken broth
Directions:
Melt the butter in a casserole. Add onions, celery, garlic, parsley sprigs, thyme and bay leaf. Let simmer slowly until slightly browned. Add the flour and mix well. Add the curry powder, coconut, apple, tomato puree, salt and sugar. Blend thoroughly. Add the chickn broth. Bring to a boil and cook slowly for one hour. Strain. Bring to boil once more.
Note: If a mild sauce is desired, add a few tablespoons of cream and some finely chopped chutney.
I very well remember Longchamps’ chicken curry, one of my favorite dishes there. I suppose the last time I had it, forty or so years ago, was at their restaurant on the east side of 3rd Avenue in the 70’s. We ate at one Longchamps or another from 1935 through the early 1970’s, I believe, or whenever they shut their doors forever.
My father was one of the chefs for Longchamp’s. He worked there from around 1940 to 1952, where he had a heart attack and was disabled after that. I believe he worked mainly at the one on 79th street in NYC, however, I seem to remember him going to help out at 34th and 59th street. It is a little vague since I was born in 1940. His name was John Motta. I do remember when I was about 8 or 10 he had come home one day and said he had been promoted to head chef. He had created several recipes for the restaurant and one I would like to get my hands on was for a special vinegeret sauce, thick with finely chopped peppers, onion, garlic and basil.
On my birthday, he would buy and bring me home their special Hazelnut cake with the mocha iceing and of course once or twice I got one of their dolls that the restaurant sold for a birthday or Christmas. Reading about this brings back memories. He sang opera at home and loved Enrico Caruso and even tried out at the Metropolitan Opera. We will never know after all this time, but I would not be surprised if he had something to do with that Spaghetti recipe. He did know Mr. Mitchell, because I remember he would tell me when he was coming in to the restaurant.I still have the tools he used to make the roses out of the radishes and fancy melon balls, etc. etc.
Emily Motta Wiseman
2270 N. Highland Avenue
Tarpon Springs, Fl 34688
727-946-0303
ewise101@aol.com
Emma: Thank you for the words about your father. He must have been a fine chef. In fact, I might have enjoyed his food. In 1951, I dined at the 79th Street Longchamps to celebrate getting my first job in journalism (believe I had chicken curry, then a fairly exotic dish). Watched some Boardwalk Empire on TV last week and recalled that crime big shot Arnold Rothstein owned the Longchamps chain before his death.
Loved the story and appreciate your good memories of the meals!
My dad was the Executive Chef for the Longchamps restaurants, wrote an intro and all the recipes for Cooking a la Longchamps.
Remember the Riverboat!