St Francis Hotel, San Francisco 1919

This menu comes from the honoree banquet given for Baron Shimpei Goto, the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, by T. Ohta, General Consul for Japan. Chef Victor Hirtzler reproduced this bill of fare in The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book, published in 1919, which continues to be highly prized book among collectors.

Hirtzler trained in Paris and was a food taster and cook for Czar Nicholas II and was also chef de cuisine for Carlos I of Portugal. He was the chef at the St. Francis Hotel when it opened in 1904 and remained until 1926. Hirtzler was a great self-promoter and named several dishes after himself including Crab Cocktail Victor, Chicken Salad Victor as well as Victor Dressing and Celery Victor. He endeared himself to his famous guests by naming dishes after them including Sarah Bernhardt and Enrico Caruso. Hirtzler was considered a celebrity himself at the time.

Courtesy Henry Voigt Collection

Each print is accompanied by a copy of the interior menu where available.

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