| Title: | Historic Menus Collection |
| Dates: | 1962-2008 (bulk: 1970-1979) |
| Extent: | 1.17 lin. ft. (1 flat box and 1 oversized folder) |
| Abstract: | A collection of over 70 menus annotated by the donor from various restaurants in New York City, New Jersey, Florida, Montreal, San Francisco, and other locales. |
| Provenance: | Gift, in part, of Thomas Murray, April 2008. |
| Collection Call Number: | Fine Prints P213:(1-76) (Menu Box) |
| Preferred Citation: | Historic Menus Collection, Special Collections Division, Newark Public Library. |
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
Photocopying of materials is limited and no materials may be photocopied without permission from library staff.
Researchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission.
Thomas C. Murray began collecting menus of the restaurants he visited in the 1960s. He visited restaurants of a variety of cuisines including standard American fare, but also Italian, German, French, Spanish and even Swedish and Hungarian. Some of the restaurants he tried were in New York City, but he also made trips to many other places including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and even London, Ireland and Istanbul. He also dined in South Florida, particularly Miami Beach and Palm Beach.
Not only did he obtain copies of menus from these restaurants, but he also annotated them with the date he attended the restaurant (most of the visits were in the 1970s), some mention of who joined him (co-workers, friends, etc.), the occasion if any (an aunt’s birthday, etc.), and sometimes even a markings of what he ordered. Many times, he had other people sign the menu with him. In some instances these signatures are of friends or colleagues wishing him well at a congratulatory dinner, but often the signatures are of a restaurant owner or staff. In most cases if the restaurant or city was not readily identifiable, Murray also wrote this on the menu.
The remaining menus in the collection were culled from miscellaneous incomplete and uncataloged collections of menus in the Newark Public Library over the past 50 years. This portion of the collection is open and future menus may be added.
This collection is organized into three series grouped by the donor and also by size.
Consists of annotated and dated menus collected solely by Thomas Murray from restaurants in New York, San Francisco, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Montreal and other cities.
Consists of menus collected by the Newark Public Library that were formerly uncataloged or part of other, smaller institutional collections.
Consists of several menus collected by Thomas Murray and another collected by the Newark Public Library and formerly part of the Picture Collection.
The entries below represent persons, organizations, topics, forms, and occupations documented in this collection.
Murray, Thomas C.
Restaurants--California--San Francisco
Restaurants--Florida--Miami Beach
Restaurants--Florida--Palm Beach
Restaurants--New Jersey
Restaurants--New York (State)--New York
Restaurants--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
Restaurants--Quebec (Province)--Montreal
Restaurants--Washington, D.C.
Menus—1960-2010
Alejandro, Reynaldo G. Classic Menu Design: From the Collection of the New York Public Library, Glen Cove, NY: PBC International, 1988.
Greenstein, Lou. A la carte: A Tour Of Dining History, Glen Cove, NY: PBC International, 1992.
Heimann, Jim. May I Take Your Order?: American Menu Design, 1920-1960, San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1998.
Radice, Judi. Menu Design, Locust Valley, N.Y.: PBC International, 1985.
Radice, Judi. Menu Design 2: Marketing the Restaurant through Graphics, New York: PBC International, 1987.
Radice, Judi. Menu Design 3: Marketing the Restaurant as a Total Graphic Environment, Glen Cover, N.Y.: PBC International, 1988.
|
Item
|
Title
|
Cuisine
|
Date
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petite Marmite (Palm Beach, Fla.) | American and Italian | 1973 |
| 2 | Casa Delmonte (New York?) | Italian | 1970 |
| 3 | Texas Lone Star (London) | Cocktail list | ca. 1970-1990 |
| 4 | Old Hook Inn (Emerson, N.J.) | Wine list | 1978 |
| 5 | The Deer Head's Inn (Elizabethtown, N.Y.) | German | ca. 1965-1990 |
| 6 | Portofino (West Orange, N.J.) | Italian | 1978 |
| 7 | Spanish Tavern (Newark, N.J.) | Spanish | 1973 |
| 8 | Henry Sampler's Filet Mignon (New York) | American steak and seafood | 1972 |
| 9 | El Faro 72 (New York) | Spanish | 1973 |
| 10 | Lou Vaccaro's | Italian | 1970 |
| 11 | Lisbon Lounge (JFK Airport, New York) | American | 1970 |
| 12 | Doherty's (Palm Beach) | American | 1973 |
| 13 | Chiji's (Tampa, Fla.) | Tex-Mex | 1984 |
| 14 | Le Traianon (San Francisco) | French | 1971 |
| 15 | Top of the Mark Luncheon (San Francisco) | American | 1971 |
| 16 | O'Lun Ney's (New York) | Irish | 1977 |
| 17 | The Garden Luncheon (New Hope, Penn.) | American | 1985 |
| 18 | [Unknown Restaurant] | American seafood | 1968 |
| 19 | Our House Tavern (Freehold, N.J.) | American | 1983 |
| 20 | United States Senate Restaurant (Washington, D.C.) | American | 1974 |
| 21 | Great Southern Hotel Restaurant (Galway, Ireland) | Continental(?) | 1972 |
| 22 | The Irish Pavilion (New York) | Irish | 1971 |
| 23 | The Cattleman Enterprise (New York) | Southwestern American | ca. 1968-1970 |
| 24 | Les Pyrenees Restaurant (New York) | French | ca. 1970-1990 |
| 25 | London Terrace Pub (New York) | American | 1989 |
| 26 | Restaurant a la Catalogne (Montreal) | French Canadian | 1970 |
| 27 | Diogenes (New York) | Greek | 1978 |
| 28 | O'Lunney's (New York) | American and Irish | ca. 1973-1976 |
| 29 | Original Vesuvio (Lyndhurst, N.J.) | Italian | 1971 |
| 30 | The Penthouse (Philadelphia) | Continental and American | 1973 |
| 31 | Caffe Espresso La Bella Ferrara (New York) | Italian Cafe | 1979 |
| 32 | Vincents Clam Bar (New York) | American and Italian seafood | 1979 |
| 33 | Tadich Grill (San Francisco) | American and seafood | 1986 |
| 34 | Top of the Park (New York) | Continental and American | 1979 |
| 35 | La Galleria (Scheveningen, Netherlands) | Italian | 2002 |
| 36 | El Parador de Jose Luis (Montreal) | French Canadian | 1972 |
| 37 | Stockholm Restaurant (New York) | Swedish and Italian | 1971 |
| 38 | Italia (Pavillion Italien Al'Expo '67, Montreal) | Italian | 1967 |
| 39 | Charlie Brown (N.J.?) | American | ca. 1973-1976 |
| 40 | Fraunces Tavern (New York) | American | 1975 |
| 41 | Gigi (Miami Beach, Fla.) | French | 1970 |
| 42 | Watergate Terrace (Washington, D.C.) | Continental | ca. 1977-1978 |
| 43 | Chez Francois (Washington, D.C.) | French | 1970 |
| 44 | Desjardines (Montreal) | French Canadian and seafood | 1970 |
| 45 | Nando's (Palm Beach, Fla.) | Italian and American | 1975 |
| 46 | Pagano's Casa Vecchia (Philadelphia) | Italian and American | 1971 |
| 47 | Joe Monahan's | American | 1971 |
| 48 | Breakers (Rockaway Beach, N.Y.) | American and seafood | 1971 |
| 49 | Grotta D'Oro (Brooklyn, N.Y.) | Italian | 1971 |
| 50 | Seamen's Inne (Mystic, Conn.) | Seafood | 1970 |
| 51 | EMKE (New York) | Hungarian | 1977 |
| 52 | Market Bar and Dining Rooms (World Trade Center, New York) | Seafood | 1976 |
| 53 | Lawson Pub (Oceanside, N.Y.) | American | 1975 |
| 54 | El Jerez Restaurant (New York) | Spanish and Mexican | 1979 |
| 55 | The Cloister (Buffalo, N.Y.) | Seafood | 1974 |
| 56 | Claude St.-Jean Restaurant (Montreal?) | French | 1974 |
| 57 | Jury's Copper Grill (Dublin, Ireland?) | Continental and Irish | 1972 |
| 58 | Molly Malone's Pub | Irish | ca. 1968-1980 |
| 59 | Mrs. J's Sacred Cow (New York) | French and seafood | 1975 |
| 60 | Henry's (Los Angeles) | Continental and Italian | 1975 |
| 61 | Astis (Miami Beach, Fla.) | Italian | 1973 |
| 62 | The Pub (Clifton, N.J.) | Continental | 1970 |
| 63 | Donaghy's Carriage Inn (Larchmont, N.Y.) | German and Continental | 1976 |
| 64 | Donaghy Steak House (Bronx, N.Y.?) | Irish and Continental | 1980 |
| 65 | The Library (New York) | Continental and American | 1979 |
| 66 | Gallagher's (New York) | American | 1976 |
| 67 | Moorings (Toronto) | Seafood | 1972 |
| 68 | Castagnola (San Francisco) | Seafood | 1971 |
| 69 | Sonny's Italian Restaurant (Miami Beach, Fla.) | Italian | 1970 |
| 70 | Du Midi (New York) | French | 1971 |
|
Item
|
Title
|
Cuisine
|
Date
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | Hotel Metropol (Belgrade) | Slavic | ca. 1960-1980 |
| 72 | Pera Palas Orient Express Bar (Istanbul, Turkey) | Beverage and snack menu | ca. 1970-2000 |
| 73 | Lufthansa | Flight dinner/breakfast menu | ca. 1985-2008 |
|
Item
|
Title
|
Cuisine
|
Date
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 74 | Chesler's (Palm Beach, Fla.) | Continental | 1972 |
| 75 | The Playbill (New York) | American | 1962 |
| 76 | Maurice's (Palm Beach, Fla.) | Italian | 1970 |
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