Created by a Syndicat des Restauranteurs which included the Café de Paris, Drouant, Fouquet's, Hotel Meurice, Pavillon Royal, Armenonville, Pré Catalan, and the French Line, Le Restaurant Français in the French Pavilion was the most renowned of the 112 restaurants at the 1939-40 World's Fair in New York. The cuisine, service, and décor in the 350-seat, glass-walled dining room, made an astounding impression on the American public. Le Restaurant Francais was run by restaurateur Henri Soulé who then went on to open Le Pavillon on East 55th Street in 1941.
The image of the champagne sipping beauty on the cover of this menu was created by Eduardo Benito, a well know fashion illustrator and painter of the 1920s and 1930s. Benito created covers for Vogue magazine for more than 15 years and he was also a successful portrait painter. The King of Spain, the Chinese Royal family, and Paul Poiret were among his subjects.
Courtesy Lou Greenstein.
