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Wednesday, July 14, 2021

The Camellia House Supper Club in The Drake Hotel, Chicago, (1940-1977). Included is the Original and Famous Camellia House Salad Dressing Recipe.




The Camellia House was internationally famous in the Drake Hotel of Chicago. 

Traditionally one of the city's finest Supper Clubs serves superb continental cuisine in quiet and elegant surroundings. The service was so smooth that an ashtray with ashes magically turned into a clean one without you noticing the switch. Crumbs on the tablecloth were swept up with a handheld tool, which again went on unnoticed. The selection of entertainment, by artists from Europe to the Orient, was second to none, packing the dance floor every night.
Syracuse China dinnerware was designed by Dorothy Draper for the Camellia House restaurant in Chicago's Drake Hotel. First produced in 1940, this beautiful pattern was made with different color ring accents. Postcards of the Camellia House from the 1960s show this pattern on tables. The Drake Hotel retired in the late 1960s.


In the 1940s and 50s, the restaurant hosted an in-restaurant live AM radio show on WGN with live music from the bands playing in the restaurant and live commercials. The live AM radio show was broadcast on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM in the 1940s and 1950s.


It was 'THE' place to host weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvah parties, baby showers, sweet-16 birthdays, family reunions, and gatherings. The stage was beautiful, and the dancefloor was hoppin'.


I personally dined there many times in the late 1960s and the 1970s. It was my folk's favorite restaurant. Although excessively expensive, the food and service were 5-star and worth every penny. 

The Drake Hotel's famous seafood restaurant, the "Cape Cod Room," closed in 2016.




Copyright © 2021, Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

The  Original  Camellia  House,
Salad  Dressing  Recipe
  • 3 medium whole eggs
  • 1½ - 2 Tbsp. Colman's dry mustard powder
  • 1 dash (> 1/8 tsp) ground white pepper
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp. Louisiana hot sauce
  • 2 oz. hot water
  • 1 qt. corn oil
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined (or use a processor to mix).
Store tightly covered at room temperature.
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