Should the menu be intended for a dinner including ladies, it must be composed of light, fancy dishes with a pretty dessert; if, on the contrary, it is intended for gentlemen alone, then it must be shorter and more substantial. If the dinner be given in honor of any distinguished foreign guest, then a place must be allowed on the menu to include a dish or several dishes of his own nationality; avoid repeating the same names in the same menu. Let the sauces be of different colors, one following the other.

Also vary the color of the meats as far as possible, from one course to the other. Offer on the menus all foods in their respective seasons, and let the early products be of the finest quality (consult a general market list to find the seasonable produce;, and only use preserved articles when no others can be obtained.

If the menus are hand written they must be very legible.

Menus are indispensable for service a l'Americaine; there should be one for each guest, for as no dish served from the kitchen appears on the table, every one must be informed beforehand of what the dinner is composed, and those dishes that are to follow each other.

Menus must be both simple and elegant, and of a size to allow them to be easily placed in the pocket without folding, as it is the general desire to keep the bill of fare of a dinner at which one has assisted.

A few important observations necessary to bills of fare and their classification are here given:

Oysters On The Half Shell

Oysters appear on the menu the same as in the Russian service; on French bills of fare they do not mention them. Suppress oysters in every month not containing the letter R, such as: May, June, July and August, and serve Little Neck clams instead.

Soups. Soups are served after the oysters. One clear and one thick soup should be selected but if only one is needed, give the preference to the clear soup.

Hors-D'Ceuvre, Side Or Light Dishes

Hot hors-d'oeuvre are, generally, timbales, croustades, cromesquis, palmettos, mousselines, bouchees, cannelons, cassolettes, rissoles, etc. With the same course serve cold side dishes, such as olives, radishes, canapes, caviare, pickled tuna, anchovies, etc.

In the French service, the fish and the solid joints come under the head of releves or removes. In the American and English service, first comes the fish, then the removes.

Fish

If the fish be boiled or braized, add potatoes to the menu; if broiled or sauted, some cucumber salad; and, if fried, serve plain or with a light sauce.

Removes Or Releves

The releves or solid joints are composed of saddles, either of veal, mutton, lamb, venison and antelope, or else beef tenderloins or middle short loins. Turkey, goose, capon, pullets, ducks, etc., may be served, accompanied by one or two vegetables.

Entrees

Place on the bill of fare first the heaviest entree, and conclude with the lightest; they must be previously cut up so as to avoid carving. No fish figures in the American service as an entree, but terrapin or crabs may be allowed; also lobsters, shrimps, frogs, croquettes, etc.

Each entree should be accompanied by a vegetable, served separately, except when it is one of those described above, such as terrapin, etc.