Exhibition - Culinary Art | "New York Eats Out"

A hundred years from now, New Yorkers might be zipping around in space-age cars and wearing climate-controlled clothing, but one thing won't change: They'll still be fighting for 8 p.m. reservations at the city's hottest restaurants. In honor of Manhattan's long-held obsession with restaurants, the New York Public Library launches an exhibit this month titled "New York Eats Out," which chronicles dining culture from the nineteenth century through the 1960s. On display from November 8 to March 1 are menus, photos and paraphernalia from classic restaurants such as Delmonico's and assorted hot-dog vendors, clam shacks and Automats. The exhibit also pays tribute to Windows on the World, destroyed on 9/11, with reflections on the restaurant's legacy (476 Fifth Ave.; 212-869-8089).

—Salma Abdelnour

Published November 2002