Famous Feasts in History Diamond Jims Banquet

About the famous feast held by Diamond Jim to honor his Hoffman House horse, menu, history, and description.

FABULOUS FEASTS THROUGHOUT HISTORY

The Occasion: "Diamond Jim" honors his horse, the Hoffman House, New York City, 1905.

The Host: 'Diamond Jim' Brady, millionaire railroad equipment salesman, trencherman, and bon vivant, who gave a party honoring his racehorse, Gold Heels.

The Menu: The party lasted from four in the afternoon to nine the next morning, and Brady, probably the greatest eater of all time, plied his 50 guests with $40,000 worth of food. No one ate more than he did, but then the all-time champion trencherman typically ate single dinners consisting of 3 dozen oysters, half a dozen crabs, two bowls of soup, seven lobsters, two ducks, two huge portions of terrapin, a sirloin steak, assorted vegetables, a platter of pastries, and a 2-lb. box of chocolates--all washed down with a gallon or two of orange juice.

Table Talk: Brady didn't drink alcohol, but the guests consumed 500 bottles of Mumm's champagne with their food. As a little treat, Brady provided $60,000 worth of diamond brooches for the ladies and diamond-studded watches for the male guests--making the total cost of the bash $100,000. Guests couldn't recall a nicer party given for a horse, although some remembered "a charming affair" Mrs. Stuyvesant Fish held for her pet monkey at her Newport, R.I., villa, not to mention the "divine dinner" a New York millionaire gave for his dog, which was all dressed up in a diamond collar worth $15,000.