Rating: 
Summary: The Legacy of Horn & Hardart
Review: This is an excellent, well wriitten, and for the most part accurate picture of Horn & Hardart Automats, and their significant impact on the culinary habits of many its customers right up to its demise in New York in the early 1980's and its retrenchment to Philadelphia during that time period. What is inaccurate, is the representation that the last real company owned Automat, located at Third Avenue and 42nd Street closed in 1991. True, there was an entity operating under the trade name of Horn & Hardart at that location until 1991, but the restaurant was only a licensing arrangement, and the food served in the restaurant, such as Macaroni & Cheese, etc. were not the true Horn & Hardart recipies. The real Horn & Hardart recipies were available until 1991 at the only remaining Horn & Hardart Baking Company store, which was located in the Bala Cynward Shopping Center, as accurately described in the book as the last remaining Horn & Hardart location. Also, the recipies in the book, or at least the Macaroni and Cheese recipie, appears not to be authentic. Although the co-author, Marianne Hardart credits a nutritionist will assistance with the recipie, it appears that the recipie is not truly authentic, insofar key ingredients, such as crushed tomatoes and light cream are not included in the recipie. A much better recipie for Horn and Hardart's Macaroni and Cheese is as follows:MACARONI AND CHEESE 1lb. Ziti Rigati 1/8 tsp. Red Pepper 6Tbs. Flour 1/8 tsp. White Pepper 6 Tbs. Butter 4Tbs. Light Cream 6 C. Milk 3C. Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese 2 tsp. Salt 1C. Crushed Tomatoes 2 tsp. Sugar Boil ziti until barely cooked. Drain and set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, blend in flour and cook 2 minutes. Beat in the milk, then the cream and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Stir in the cheese until melted, then add the tomatoes, salt, sugar and two peppers. Add cheese mixture to the ziti. Pour into a baking pan and bake in a preheated 400* oven until top browns and bubbles. **To Freeze: Pour into aluminum pans, seal and place in freezer. DO NOT BAKE BEFORE FREEZING. **To Bake Frozen Macaroni and Cheese: Allow to defrost before baking. Uncover and place in 400* oven and bake until top is brown and bubbling. I had hoped that this book, which had promised to include the "secret" Horn & Hardart recipies, which were under tight family control, would have been the actual "secret" recipies. However, despite these disappointments, this is an excellent book that gives a detailed history of an American Institution.
Rating:
Summary: The Automat Lives Again!
Review: This is it! Finally, a history of Horn & Hardart, annotated and with many sharp, detailed photographs. While attractive and of very high quality, it's much more than a coffee table book. There's lots of first-person anecdotes that fill in the blanks for me. There's a full account of how the business operated, from its humble beginnings to its unfortunate demise. The numbers are very impressive, both in terms of the number of Automats, and the number of people served daily in New York City and Philadelphia. The account of the operation of the main commissary is fascinating , especially the automation of the pie-baking. But the personal recollections define what the Automats really were all about. The hot-water-and-ketchup-as-tomato-soup story is one I remember the most about how the Depression-era masses found refuge at the Automat. But this isn't all. The famous and the movie stars who frequented the Automats is another very special part of the story. Whether the Automat was part of the plot, or sometimes even the shooting location, you will love reading about it and seeing the beautiful photographs in the book. Don't forget about the recipes. There's many original Horn & Hardart recipes in the book, even tested by a nutritionist! I will definitely try some of them. I recollect an orchard owner in upstate New York who would transport and sell his fresh produce directly to Horn & Hardart. I seem to recall that he told me they insisted on using real pumpkins for making their pumpkin pie, instead of using the easier ingredient of squash. This book is the perfect antidote to the events of 9/11. I couldn't help but think how heartbroken and insulted all the gritty former Automat patrons were after witnessing how 9/11 forever changed their city.
Rating: 
Summary: Good nostalgia, inauthentic recipes
Review: Waiting with bated breath to try the recipe for Horn & Hardart's "authentic" macaroni and cheese, which I remember well from childhood, it was immediately apparent that this recipe is far from "authentic". The original recipe used a large, straight macaroni, while the book's recipe calls for "elbow macaroni". Oops. The original had bits of tomato, the book's recipe omits the tomato. Oops again. I didn't care to try what is clearly misrepresented as "authentic". Having said that, the nostalgia and history aspect of the book is quite good. But having purchased the book for the recipes, this was very disappointing. If you enjoy reading the history of the automat, this book is for you. If you're considering buying the book for the "authentic" recipes, save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Good nostalgia, inauthentic recipes
Review: Waiting with bated breath to try the recipe for Horn & Hardart's "authentic" macaroni and cheese, which I remember well from childhood, it was immediately apparent that this recipe is far from "authentic". The original recipe used a large, straight macaroni, while the book's recipe calls for "elbow macaroni". Oops. The original had bits of tomato, the book's recipe omits the tomato. Oops again. I didn't care to try what is clearly misrepresented as "authentic". Having said that, the nostalgia and history aspect of the book is quite good. But having purchased the book for the recipes, this was very disappointing. If you enjoy reading the history of the automat, this book is for you. If you're considering buying the book for the "authentic" recipes, save your money.
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