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Rumors
are rife that once upon a time, during the infamous prohibition fiasco,
White Oaks augmented its celebrated cuisine by dispensing forbidden
spirits. Not the bath-tub gin and needled beer variety that
were rampant, mind you, but the authentic wares of distillers in Canada,
Scotland, and France. In addition to this brazen liquor transgression,
some hardy survivors of that era whisper that high-stakes gambling
supplemented the whole ticklish operation.
In frank answer to these vicious innuendoes,
the plain unadulterated truth is that this doyen of restaurants was
guilty as implied on all counts.
White Oaks opened its doors in 1928 and it
became "the place to be seen in" almost immediately.
The larder was always chock a-block and it was presided over by master
practitioners of the epicurean art. The booze was ferried in
from Canada nightly and it flowed copiously from dusk to dawn. These
two necessities of the good life were further enhanced by grand-scale
wagering, and it was within this sybaritic ambiance that captains
of industry, political hacks, denizens of the underworld, and sports
and entertainment luminaries, mingled and rubbed congenial elbows.
In short, those were clandestine, but
oh so tempting, times. The roster of White Oaks patrons read
like a Cleveland "Who's Who, " and the proud names therein were frequently
upstaged by a parade of national and international personalities.
All who came sought solace, and all who entered accepted the humbling
experience of being surveyed at the peep-hole entry.
For those who seek at least a modicum
of documentation, take a quick peek at the existing door of the men's
lounge. It, as its plaque indicates, was the original entrance
to this long-ago oasis where the parched, and the famished, and the
jaded, once cavorted in carefree abandon.
The final truth is that today White
Oaks continually strives to retain the fascinating mystique that has
haunted it since it surrendered its youth some sixty years ago.
Toward that end, only you can measure the success or failure of our
efforts and we do cordially welcome your verdict.
"Bon appetit, " from the staff and management
of White Oaks Top |
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