So, what was once the hottest restaurant / cocktail lounge in late 1960's Washington DC, you wonder? Why clearly it was The Devil's Fork located inside the Gramercy Inn on Rhode Island Avenue, 'natch! Prepare to be greeted with the warmest of welcomes, and on your way out, don't forget to grab a handful of these flaming matchbooks in the basket at the end of the bar... or is it on your way down... down... dowwwwn?! And for more devilish dining details, dig the wicked array of illustrated devil dames on a rare, original MENU over at wild 'n wanton Worthpoint!
8 comments:
That menu is a riot -- not just the prices -- but a chicken cooked in a pineapple? And I remember there used to be a lot of broiled steak places around but haven't seen that on a menu in ages.
On to the main event, this is a cool little matchbook. It's very striking (ha!) in bright red with the little dash of yellow. I love the back too, with the black strike band moving up through the artwork.
The front is the real winner, that's a great piece of minimalist art.
Its fitting that this restaurant was located in DC since most politicians deserve to go to the devil (both political parties!)
The colors are bright on this matchbook, neat find.
That is pretty deep into northwest DC. A lot of Brookland has been revamped in the last twenty years. I wonder what it was like in the sixties? It's still an area most tourists never consider treading.
And not a spot for vegetarians either, I guess. This place has not one thing that is even remotely healthy on the menu. As much as nostalgia drives me to long for the craftsmanship, aesthetics, and entertainments of the past, I have to say that I am thoroughly happier with the modern food scene. I would not trade 2020s gastronomy for any other decade in history--though it sure is fun to read about.
But back to aesthetics: I am indeed sorely nostalgic for the interesting kitsch and themes of places back then. This matchbook is beautiful and promises a neat restaurant theme I dearly hope the actual building's decor was able to keep.
I was discussing with a friend recently about how corporations are remaking all the fast food joints into glass box buildings. The familiar architectural characteristics of Taco Bell and Pizza Hut and MacDonald's (etc.) have transformed into anonymous modern units no different from a Starbucks or a Payless Shoes or an airport concourse. He said he figured it was so the buildings could be more easily rebranded as they were bought and sold by various corporate owners. Only the signs would need to be updated. It's an interesting thought. But speaking of those signs: It's left us in an interesting spot where some fast food chains literally use their old, outmoded architecture as a logo on their new, anonymously designed locations. There's something weird and forlorn about seeing a drawing of a taco bell or pizza hut on the side of a girder-and-glass cube. Most logos are idiomatic, sure, more about cultural associations than literal product marketing. But this here is an inversion of the standard haunted house: Here the living thing is the surviving product and the ghost is the building it used to haunt. So wild.
Anyway, thanks for letting me ramble. Super cool matchbook!
What is the menu like, I wonder.
A lot of spice?
I get a 403 forbidden on the menu link.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1968-vintage-menu-devils-fork-1988966272
I’ll take the chicken baked in a pineapple and a side of tiny, stringless beans, please. And about 20 of those gorgeous match books to go!
Splendid choice! I was wondering if I could substitute the Satyr’s Steak inside the pineapple instead of chicken, and can the whole thing then be chicken-fried as well as smothered in gravy
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