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.

History of the Cape Cod Room at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. (1932-2016)

Authentic Bookbinder's Soup Recipe from Master Chef Marshall at The Drake Hotel.

VISIT OUR DRAKE HOTEL CAMELLIA HOUSE SOUVENIR SHOP

INDEX TO MY ILLINOIS AND CHICAGO FOOD & RESTAURANT ARTICLES.

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

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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.

Another Example of Lincoln's Kindness.

My first strong impression of Mr. Lincoln," says a lady of Springfield, "was made by one of his kind deeds. I was going for my first trip alone on the railroad cars. It was an epoch [event] of my life. 

I had planned for it and dreamed of it for weeks. The day I was to go came, but as the hour of the train approached, the hackman (a carriage driver), through some neglect, failed to call for my trunk. As the minutes went on, I realized, in a panic of grief, that I should miss the train. I was standing by the gate, my hat and gloves on, sobbing as if my heart would break when Mr. Lincoln came by. 

"Why, what's the matter?" he asked me, and I poured out all my story.

"How big's the trunk? There's still time if it isn't too big." And he pushed through the gate and up to the door. I took him up to my room, where my old-fashioned trunk stood, locked and tied. "Oh, no," he cried, "wipe your eyes and come on quick." And before I knew what he was going to do, he had shouldered the trunk, was downstairs, and striding out of the yard. Down the street he went, fast as his long legs could carry him, I trotting behind, drying my tears as I went. We reached the station in time. Mr. Lincoln put me on the train, kissed me goodbye [on the forehead], and told me to have a good time. It was just like him.