fNobody living today can say they dined in an 18th century tavern, but one group now has a pretty good idea of what it might have entailed.
The Blue Star Cafe off of Chrysler Avenue in Schenectady appeared normal to passing motorists on Saturday, Oct. 22, but peering through the window would have revealed an unusual sight, with patrons dressed in colonial garb. Opening the cafe door released sounds of colonial music too, because it was the start of a dinner infusing history and entertainment into one. The eatery became a living museum and allowed patrons to not only view artifacts, but also eat, drink and sing some of history, too.
Robin Kravetz, or “Good Wife Robin” for the night, organized the unique event called “Tavern Night,” which explores an element of history lost in the shuffle of wars and revolution in the 18th century. Setting up such an event wasn’t new to Kravetz though, because she longed to host another Tavern Night after her and her husband retired from running their cafe in Rexford. After losing their venue for hosting the event, she started to search for another.
“I missed doing the colonial Tavern Nights,” Kravetz said. “We really should know our roots and how we came to be. Living history is a very fun way to do that.”
Larry Breckenridge, owner of the Blue Star Cafe, said Kravetz is one of his regular customers and when she asked him to host the event he was more than willing.
“My family has been here since the 1630s, so … it just piqued my interest and it just sounded like such a good opportunity to teach, explain the small nuances of life in that time period — things that aren’t in the history books that you don’t read about,” Breckenridge said. “We are our history, that is what we learn from, that is what we go forward with and in a lot of instances I haven’t seen this kind of history being taught. It is kind of like we are ashamed of our roots and we shouldn’t be.”
Preconceptions of exactly what Tavern Night entails, based on current understandings of what a tavern is and does, should probably be left at the door. While there was a colonial brew served in pints, the tavern served a far different purpose than “getting hydrated.”
Taverns were more of a rest stop and hotel for travelers in colonial times, and provided families and people a place to stop and eat, maybe even pay a few shillings to sleep on the floor or share a bed. The event focuses on common people taverns, which were far different from the grandiose offerings at taverns for the rich.
“The ones where people stopped at while traveling were called ‘ordinaries’ and they would have places where people would lodge,” Kravetz said. “I am not sure I would have wanted to truly have traveled in those time periods.”
Journeys would often be “extremely long, tedious and difficult,” she said, because there were no real roads allowing people to zip down the highway like modern times. Travel between the main cities, such as New York City to Boston, would have taken several days.
Common taverns could even be in someone’s home, with a portion of the house set up to accommodate guests. She said the Mabee Farm is even believed to have possibly been a tavern.
One of the only differences in the Tavern Night offering is that alcohol isn’t served, but the food is right on mark to how it would have been prepared, with few frills or spices.
“We use the recipes as close as we can without sacrificing the health codes and things,” Kravetz said.
Another, maybe odd feature, is guests don’t know what they’re eating until they arrive at the event. She said the food offering is kept to something that would likely appeal to most people.
“People don’t know what they were going to have until they are there eating that night,” Kravetz said. “You would have whatever the mistress had in the big pot … and you either took it or left it.”
The food options during the recent event started off with a small appetizer called Johnny Cakes, which Kravetz said had a bland flavor and were similar in size to a silver dollar pancake. Apple butter was offered to spread across the top.
The main course was called “Hoppin’ John,” which consisted of a rice, bean and ham mixture cooked together along with sides of carrots and green beans. The dessert offering was “little cakes,” or cookies as we call them today.
The aspect about the night Breckenridge enjoyed most was having people come together and share the experience.
“I just enjoyed the camaraderie of our guests. That is the reason my wife and I run this restaurant, we love watching our patrons have a good time. Eating is a lot more than just filling our belly, it is a social event and that is what we want here.”
Kravetz said the event is unique for the area and she wants to continue organizing Tavern Nights.
“I like to make history interesting for people so that they learn it,” Kravetz said. “To get something like this you would have to travel. There is nothing local like this and if you did the price is a lot more prohibitive than what we are charging.”
The next Tavern Night will be held at the Blue Star Cafe on Jan. 21 and reservations can be made by calling owner Larry Breckenridge at 337-6094. The cost of the Oct. 22 event was $22 per person.
Some modern amenities, said Breckenridge, are still provided.
“I think you will learn a lot about our history, a lot about what people did and enjoyed … and experience a night of colonial tavern as best we can replicate it,” Breckenridge said. “It is nice to have flushed toilets. I was going to lock the (bathroom) doors and tell everyone they had to go outside, but I decided against that.”
