Manhattan Newsletter June 2026
Thank you for reading the Manhattan of La Jolla Newsletter
This Newsletter, we celebrate Father’s Day, the 4th of July,
and make a respectful nod to some of America’s most long-standing restaurants!
FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND
Come join us Friday, Saturday or Sunday for the perfect steak for the perfect father. We will have our regular menu all three days. You can make reservations by phone, Open Table, or Resy. For the father who is difficult to buy for, a Manhattan gift certificate is the perfect gift.
FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND
We will be celebrating our county’s 250th anniversary Saturday and Sunday July 4th and 5th with our regular menu and some special dishes from the revolutionary war period.
We won’t be having a fireworks display, but some think flambéing a steak tableside can seem like fireworks.
We have also summarized some history, from a New York Times article on restaurants from the Revolutionary period that are still operating today, and what they ate and drank, which was apparently a lot.
Restaurants from the Colonial period still operating today
There were many bars, referred to as taverns, In the colonial times where patriots gathered to plan and plot with revolution in mind. Here are a few of them they're still operating today.
The Griswold Inn, Essex, Connecticut (pictured)
Originally build as a schoolhouse in 1738 it became a tavern called the Tap Room and by 1776 it had been moved and attached to the Griswold Inn. Over the centuries additional dining rooms were added, and today you can order a pint of Revolutionary Ale.
Fraunces Tavern, New York City
Originally built as a private home in 1719, it was turned into a tavern by Samual Fraunces in 1762. The story goes that Washington bid farewell to his troops at dinner in December 1783, before leaving to sail back home to Virginia. The second-floor dining room where they ate is now a Revolution era museum.
The ’76 House, Tappan, New York
The ’76 House serves an ale that is brewed from a recipe that was said to be used by Washington. Alexander Hamilton resided upstairs for two years at it’s told that he sometimes had dinner with a notorious British spy who was imprisoned at the tavern.
Stage House Tavern, Scotch, New Jersey
One of the oldest operating taverns in the US is The Stage House Tavern built in 1737 by John Sutton. In the Revolutionary War it served as a way station for troops and officers, and a headquarters for military conscription. Stories include visits by Washington and General Lafayette. It still operates today serving classic comfort food.
DRINKING IN THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD
Apparently, drinking during the Revolutionary period was far more commonplace than today. It's said the people then drank three times as much liquor per person than now. Some blame the lack of drinkable water. In a newly release book, "An Intoxicating History of the American Revolution," by Brooke Barbier, the author says "even hard cider and beer for breakfast werecommonplace."
In a new book about the Founding Fathers, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch points out "John Adams took a tankard of hard cider with his breakfast every day, James Madison reportedly drank a pint of whiskey every day and Thomas Jefferson said he wasn't much of a user of alcohol, he only had three or 4 glasses of wine at night."