Claimed by Helen Corbitt
Serves 8 · 2 of 6 items checked · 5 aisles
Produce
Oils & Vinegars
- Checked by Helen Corbitt
Pantry / Durable
Spices & Seasoning
Other
- Checked by James Beard
Gathering
Lunch at the Zodiac Room
1968 · Dallas, Texas
Corbitt serves her famous Zodiac Room lunch to Beard and Claiborne, who have come to see what Texas is doing.
Corbitt is near the end of her long run at Neiman Marcus, and the Zodiac Room has become a Dallas institution. James Beard, who had been telling Americans for years that their own regional cooking was worth taking seriously, has come to see it for himself; Craig Claiborne has come from New York with a notebook.
The lunch is Corbitt's: popovers and poppy seed dressing, a frozen lemon soufflé, cheese wafers, and a crab dish that Claiborne approves of. Beard, who is not well, eats more than anyone expected. The conversation is about how a department store in Texas came to serve some of the best food in the country, and Corbitt is happy to explain.
The table
Host: Helen Corbitt
James Beard — The dean of American cooking, in Texas to see the Zodiac Room for himself.
Craig Claiborne — New York Times food editor, always looking for a story worth printing.
The menu
Everything you need to host this menu, sorted aisle by aisle:
The menu
10 of 30 items checked
Claimed by James Beard
Serves 6 · 2 of 5 items checked · 4 aisles
First course
Cheese Wafers
Claimed by Craig Claiborne
Serves 12 · 2 of 6 items checked · 4 aisles
Claimed by Helen Corbitt
Serves 4 · 2 of 8 items checked · 6 aisles
Claimed by James Beard
Makes 1 sandwich · 2 of 5 items checked · 5 aisles
This gathering is an editorial recreation grounded in the biographies of those present; it did not necessarily take place as described.