The doe at eve

HELEN BROWN NORDEN

Sidewalk cafes, garden restaurants and hotel roofs bloom in New York

THE GREAT OUTDOORS.—For the first time in its history, New York is all set to take summer in its stride. Last year saw a few tentative efforts in the direction of sidewalk cafes, but it is only now that this civilized and eminently sensible practice of dining and dancing in the open air has become universal. Gardens and sidewalk cafes are popping up like magic all over the city, new roofs open weekly, and the bar or nightclub which doesn't boast at least an air-cooling system is going to be out of luck. There is no excuse for eating in stuffy inside rooms these days, when almost every place, from the little Italian restaurants on West 51st Street to the Ritz et al., has a garden all its own.

ST. MORITZ.—The Cafe de la Paix here is one of the most attractive places in Manhattan this summer. In the first place, it commands a superb view of Central Park. In the second place, it has been tastefully designed by Zareh Sourian, the well known young architect, with dull gold walls, lacquer-red leather wainscoting and a plant-shaped fountain, with silver leaves, which is reflected in the ceiling mirror. The walls all slide open, like a Japanese house, and leave you sitting right smack in the ozone. There are also tables on the sidewalk, itself, shielded by little green trees and bushes. In the third place, there is no tipping. Instead, a ten per cent tax is added to the final check and the waiters are instructed not to flutter around the tables and annoy you by acting as if they were trying to hurry you out of there. There are racks of European newspapers which you may read at your leisure, as you sip your aperitif; and games of checkers, dominoes and backgammon are provided at your request. In the fourth place, the cafe is open from 8 A.M. until 4 A.M., which just about covers the drinking hours; and in the fifth place, Victor Ferrasin, the French bartender— who used to be at the Ritz and at the Excelsior in Paris and who knows more notables than you can name—will mix you a special drink, called either "Bijou" or "pompier", whichever you prefer, which is made of one part sloe gin to two parts vermouth, and is delicious, beautiful to look at, insidious and potent.

The St. Moritz also has a roof for dinner and supper dancing. It is called the Sky Gardens, and Leon Belasco's orchestra plays there nightly, while Sheila Barrett does her superb impersonations. Adjoining the Sky Gardens is the Gossip Room, where they serve you drinks from all countries; while downstairs again, in Rumpelmayers, you can get such fascinating dishes as Macaroni pasticcio (a divine concoction of layers of macaroni, meat and flaky crust—shaped like a cake, but a whole meal in itself), baklava (a Turkish dessert of honey, nuts and that thin, flaky crust again) and Turkish coffee.

PIERRE.—As always, the very nicest people continue to go here for dinner and supper dancing. The cuisine is unexcelled, the roof overlooks the city lights with a flattering aloofness, and Jack Denny's orchestra, seated under their tent-shaped canopy, provide harmonious rhythms nightly.

WALDORF-ASTORIA.—The Starlight Roof has an interesting arrangement in its ceiling, which slides back and leaves you dancing in the open air. The decorations are particularly charming, with glass stars, of the coolest shade of blue imaginable, stuck around in the ceiling and walls. Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians play there nightly, for dinner and supper dancing, which should be about all the inducement that anyone needs.

BILTMORE.—The new Biltmore roof is called the Moonlit Terrace, which, in addition to the main dining and dancing room, has three adjoining salons: Fountain Court, Empire

Lounge and Cafe Moderne. The movable, drum-shaped bars in the Empire Lounge are especially amusing. Paul Whiteman's orchestra plays nightly for dinner and supper at this hotel.

COQ ROUGE.—This smart restaurant just about carries off the high honors for decorations. They were done by Ruth Withington, and they are really grand. No heavy drapes and gaudy circus effects, but instead a great feelingof coolness and light. The Skyline Bar is the most original thing of its kind that I've seen:— murals composed of enlarged photographs of New York at night, with lights cleverly placed behind them so that the buildings glow and twinkle out at you, as large as life and twice as handsome. Then there is Rooster Walk, where you dine out-of-doors in a court, and the Fountain Room, a pale, pale blue, with red and white striped awnings in the ceiling and a triangular glass fountain, with real water rushing up and down in it. Clarence Tisdale and his trio sing nightly—Negroes with beautiful voices, who work very hard and sing constantly in English, French and Italian, although no one seems to hear them. Upstairs, in the Blue Grotto ballroom, there is dancing nightly, from 9 o'clock on. The blue walls here are of that peculiarly icy shade which gives an impression of superlative and refreshing cleanliness. This restaurant is highly recommended.

MADISON.—The roof terrace here looks like an English walled garden, with flower boxes, privet hedges and screens of evergreens. A buffet dinner and supper are served—an interesting innovation—and an Argentine orchestra plays throughout the evening.

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ST. REGIS.—Vincent Lopez' orchestra plays on the roof here; and they have a wonderful bartender named Petiot, who used to be at Harry's Bar in Paris and who is Secretary of the International Association of Barflies, of which O. O. McIntyre is President. The roof is also fine for luncheon. At that time you may hear Jules Lande, the distinguished violinist.

RITZ.—After all is said and done, this is really one of the nicest places in town to go for dinner these hot evenings. The Japanese Garden is ingeniously constructed in a court, under the sky, itself, with the coolest-sounding fountains in the world splashing at each end of it, and real, green gardens. The lights are pleasant, the service is perfect, and the whole atmosphere is one of cool relaxation.

CHATHAM.—Chatham Walk was justly famous last summer, and its charm and popularity continue this year. The food is very good, there is a new bar in the garden, and lots of big, beach umbrellas, under which you may sit and while away an afternoon in as agreeable a fashion as you could ask.

MARGUERY.—This hotel, celebrated for its French food, has a new garden, enclosed with blue lattice work and bright with umbrellas. It is very smart both for luncheon and dinner.

PARK LANE.—The restaurant here, where you dine and dance, boasts what is probably the only real water-wheel in a Manhattan hotel, very rural and refreshing. Adjoining are the Park Lane Gardens, where you can cocktail or dine out-of-doors, under gay umbrellas in different bright colors.

ONE FIFTH AVENUE.—A charming new bar and restaurant opened here last month. The decorations are in impeccable taste—cool, white walls, chintz curtains, comfortable chairs— with a great feeling of roominess and air, reminiscent of the best of the English country houses.

PENT HOUSE BELLA VISTA.—This is at 139 East 57th Street and has a long porch with flower boxes on the railing, a gay awning and little tables for dining a deux. The food is excellent, and Fran Craven and Paul South sing little songs for you while you dine.

CASINO DE PAREE.—This gigantic music hall is still going strong, for dinner and supper, with dancing on the stage, and an ambitious entertainment program. If you haven't yet heard Jimmy Savo sing River, Stay 'Way from My Door, don't let anything keep you from it any longer. He is one of the few entertainers in New York whom you absolutely must not miss.

MON PARIS.—This is at 142 East 53rd Street—smart and gay. Gene Fosdick provides the music; and there is a great deal of charm and atmosphere.

BILLY ROSE'S CASINO.—Not content with packing half the town nightly into his Casino de Paree, Billy Rose has opened this second music hall, on the same grand scale, between 53rd and 54th Streets, on Broadway. For a ridiculously small sum, you can have dinner, see a news reel, a Mickey Mouse comedy, an elaborate stage show with beautiful maidens in the semi-nude, vaudeville acts and well known entertainers, and you can dance on the stage, yourself.