A few dozen of these 200+ retro dessert recipes come from restaurants located in NYC and the suburbs to the northeast.
These were the types of places where executives would power lunch (like The Four Seasons or The Landmark Club), or where the wives would meet for a social lunch with friends (like the Silvermine Tavern).
Most of the menus had a French or Continental leaning, which was one of the fashions of the time and area.
For more information about these restaurants, their current status, or what they were like back in 1978, read on.
A Little Something
Norwalk, CT
No longer open
Recipe contributed: Easy and Perfect Cheesecake
Auberge Maxime
721 Titicus Rd
North Salem, NY 10560
Chef: Bernard Le Bris
Auberge Maxime is unfortunately no longer open, and is now a popular restaurant named Vox.
Chef Bernard provided his recipe for Souffle Au Chocolat.
Cafe de la Plage
233 Hillspoint Road
Westport, CT 06880
Cafe de la Plage is no longer open and the property was recently for sale.
A New York Times review from 1982 was not very friendly, but it described Cafe de la Plage as a place where the “atmosphere is informal, something like that of a bistro-by-the seaside in France”. Desserts were described as “respectable”.
Recipe contributed: Chiffon Lime Pie
Calliope
111 Cherry Street
New Canaan, CT
No longer open; quickly became Brock’s, which recently closed.
Recipes contributed: Melba Sauce and Pineapple Parfait.
Chez Pierre
?? Main Street
Westport, CT
Chef: Don Burns
No longer open – Chez Pierre closed in the 80s. The space is now occupied by Tavern on Main.
Chez Pierre, obviously a French restaurant, was reviewed by the New York Times in 1982. As the NYT wrote, “Chez Pierre, located upstairs in a clapboard house on Westport’s Main Street, consists of two rooms arranged in a series of cozy alcoves. A free-standing brick fireplace separates one room into several dining areas. The net effect is in time and bistro-like, with original drawings by local artists on the walls, red-and-white checked curtains screening the windows. In a word: charming.”
The NYT also reviewed the desserts. “Among the desserts, coupe marrons au cognac was the winning choice – an inspired combination of vanilla ice cream, sweet chestnuts and cognac. Coupe Romanoff au kirsch was also tasty if more predictable. The ”gateau maison’ on three different occasions was walnut pie, with varied results as noted. When good, it was very good indeed. Chocolate mousse, though deep and dark in chocolate intensity, had a rubbery pudding texture.”
Luckily, the recipe we have is not for chocolate mousse. The recipe contributed was for Crème Caramel.
Cobb’s Mill Inn
12 Old Mill Rd
Weston, CT 06883
Cobb’s Mill Inn is no longer open; it closed in 2016. It appears that the property may be for sale.
Inn it’s heyday, the restaurant specialized in “robust country inn fare”.
As the NYT wrote in 1987, “what could be more restful, scenic or romantic than dining in a 200-year-old gristmill-turned-inn, overlooking a tranquil stream replete with showoff swans and ducklings?”
Of the desserts: “Desserts vary from a delicious and intense chocolate decadence and light, spicy sherry bundt cake to mundane versions of chocolate-mousse cake, gooseberry tart, strawberry-rhubarb tart, and a gelatinous strawberry mousse with strawberry puree.”
Cobb’s Mill Inn provided the recipe for Indian Pudding.
Dameon
32 Railway Place
Westport, CT
Dameon is no longer open.
In a NYT review from 1978 (the exact year this recipe was created), Daemon was described as a “14‐table room, with its adjacent tiny bar…stylish and simple. Brown-and-white checked tablecloths, sparkling crystal and small vases of fresh flowers are beguiling….an attractive setting and a pleasant, if unpretentious, menu at modest prices.”
“Runaway prize among the Dameon desserts is the coffee brandy ice‐cream pie—rich, sweet, hopelessly caloric. The Dameon “special” cheesecake is creamy with firm consistency, though not really special. The apple pie, with brandy and raisins—served in almost sinfully large portion, as is the ice‐cream pie—is an interesting blend of flavors, but almost too rich.”
Dameon contributed the recipe for Fresh Fruit Torte.
Emily Shaw’s Inn
RR 137
Pound Ridge, NY
(now 258 Westchester Ave
Pound Ridge, NY 10576)
Chef: Jean-Daniel Massaviol
The NYT described the Inn’s restaurant in 1977 as “Atmosphere: Authentic Early American; comfortable, gracious informality”.
Emily Shaw’s Inn was no longer open as of 1989 and is now the Inn At Pound Ridge.
Emily Shaw’s Inn contributed a recipe for Lemon Mousse.
Fat Tuesday
New Canaan, CT
In a 1987 article about New Canaan, the NYT described Fat Tuesday as “…among the more popular restaurants…with a young, mostly single clientele…”
This restaurant is no longer open.
Fat Tuesday contributed a recipe for Strawberries In Red Wine.
Gaslight Restaurant
1309 Post Road
Old Greenwich, CT
Chef: Peter S. Groesbeck
In 1978 (the year of this recipe) the NYT called Gaslight “near perfection…Two low‐ceiling dining rooms in a rambling house, with dark wood paneling, hunting prints, vaguely French country style.”
Regarding the desserts: “[b]ecause servings are abundant and many of the entrees are richly sauced, the dessert menu is for the most part quite simple— wisely so, we think. You can order crêpes Suzette or cherries jubilee at an extra charge if you wish. But we found the fresh pineapple bathed in Kirsch a refreshing punctuation to an extravagant meal. Other pleasing choices were peach melba, a delicate creme caramel, and a coupe aux marrons in which the chestnuts were firm and not sickeningly sweet. Meringue glacee Chantilly was rich, but the meringue was surprisingly edible, not sugary or stale, as one finds so often with meringues.”
Gaslight is no longer open.
Check out Gaslight’s delicious recipe for Black Forest Cake.
Greenstreet
253 Greenwich Ave.
Greenwich, CT
Chef: Artie Johansen
Greenstreet is no longer open.
Greenstreet contributed a Chocolate Mousse recipe.
Hayloft Restaurant
Route 35
South Salem, NY 10590
Chef: John Lefebure
The Hayloft restaurant (part of the Hayloft Motel) served American and Italian dishes until its closing.
Hayloft contributed a recipe for Crème Caramel.
La Cremaillere
46 Bedford-Banksville Road
Bedford, NY 10506
Chef: Jean-Pierre Ferrero
French restaurant La Cremaillerie is still open and appears to be doing well. It has a 4.5 Zagat rating.
Vanity Fair called it “home to the finest French country cooking on the East Coast.”
In a review from 1993, the NYT said that “…the entire dessert list ($8 a la carte) is available on the special menu with the eye-opening lemon tart not to be missed.”
La Cremaillerie contributed a recipe for Crepe Ma Pomme and a recipe for Crème Anglaise.
Le Chambertin
348 West 46th Street
New York, NY
A wine lover’s paradise, Le Chambertin was a restaurant that the NYT said “might have been transplanted lock, stock and cuisine from France itself” and “one of the best known of the small, family owned French restaurants on the West Side”.
Le Chambertin is no longer open, although we still have their recipe for Strawberry Tarte.
Le Chambord
Westport, CT
Chef: Jean-Robert Pouget
No longer open.
Described in a NYT review from 1982 as “Westport’s premier French restaurant”, Le Chambord received exceptional praise for its “Grand Marnier souffle…exemplary enough to be the standard by which others should be judged…The souffle…was perfection itself, light and delicately orange-scented. An accompanying vanilla sauce also was delicately flavored with Grand Marnier”.
Luckily, Le Chambord provided their recipe for this Souffle Au Grand Marnier here.
L’Olivier
248 E 49th Street
New York, New York
Chef: Georges Magerus
No longer open.
In 1977, less than a year before this recipe, New York Magazine described L’Olivier as “a secret worth keeping” and called their Gateau Turinois “brilliant” – and you can find the L’Olivier recipe for Gateau Turinois here.
Luigi’s Restaurant
Ridgefield, CT
No longer open.
Luigi’s contributed a recipe for Fudge Pie.
Quarter Deck Restaurant
299 Long Ridge Rd
Stamford, CT 06902
Chef: Jerry Fecteau
No longer open.
Quarter Deck contributed a recipe for Prune Cake.
Rags
somewhere near Hill St and N Bedford Rd
Bedford Hills, NY 10507
Chef: John Zipser
No longer open.
Rags contributed a recipe for Walnut Pie.
Roger Sherman Inn
195 Oenoke Ridge
New Canaan, CT 06840
Chef: Walter Maliszewski
Roger Sherman Inn is still open.
The Roger Sherman Inn seems to be flourishing, unlike many of the old colonial inns in the surrounding area.
The Inn gave their recipe for an Omelette Souffle.
Skipper’s Restaurant
Beach Rd
East Norwalk, CT
(now 52 Calf Pasture Beach Road
Norwalk, CT 06855)
This restaurant is no longer open.
Skipper’s contributed a recipe for Cheesecake.
Smalley House
439 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT
Chef: Ken Smalley
No longer open, this location is now the 439 Kitchen.
The Smalley House served Continental dishes and received a fairly good NYT review in 1978.
Smalley House provided their recipe for Chocolate Almond Torte.
Stonehenge
35 Stonehenge Rd. and Route 7
Ridgefield, CT 06877-3534
The restaurant closed in 2017.
According to the Ridgefield Press, Stonehenge “had a reputation for fine European cooking — in 1965, a prominent New York wine and food club, ‘Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin,’ chose Stonehenge to host their monthly meeting”.
Stonehenge gave their recipe for Apple Fritters.
The Cheese Shop of New Canaan
New Canaan, Connecticut
This store is no longer open.
The Cheese Shop contributed tips for serving cheese to guests.
The Elms Inn
500 Main Street
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Chef: Mario Scala
The Elms Inn is no longer open; it was converted into condos in 2015..
The Inn gave their recipe for Strawberry Mousse.
The Four Seasons
99 East 52nd Street
New York, NY
The original location is now closed, but The Four Seasons has been rebooted.
The Four Seasons was known for pioneering seasonal menus as well as it’s unique modern interior design.
Someone must have had a good connection at the restaurant, because The Four Seasons contributed all of these recipes:
Black Forest Cake
Frozen Lemon Zest Souffle
Crème Patissiere
Chocolate Velvet
Chocolate Napoleon
The Inn At Ridgefield
20 West Lane
Ridgefield, CT
The Inn At Ridgefield is now Bernards.
The Inn At Ridgefield was known for a fixed price, French influenced menu.
In 1987, the NYT described the interior as “fabric-covered walls, dark-green wainscotting, comfortable chairs and banquettes and soft lighting. The lounge still has live piano music.”
The Inn supplied their recipe for Chocolate Velvet.
The Landmark Club
1 Landmark Square
Stamford, CT 06901
The Landmark Club is no longer open.
In the Stamford Advocate’s great article about the area’s bygone “power lunch” scene, The Landmark Club was definitely the place to powerlunch.
The Landmark Club contributed their recipe for Strawberries Romanoff.
The Silvermine Tavern
194 Perry Ave
Norwalk, CT 06850
The Silvermine Tavern closed in 2009, but reopened after some renovations. It is now The Inn at GrayBarns on the Silvermine River.
Sounds like the brunch was amazing back in the day.
The Silvermine Tavern provided their recipe for Tipsey Trifle.