American comics: I drew Superman during the Great Depression

"Jack and Charlie's Restaurant" is also called "Restaurant 21".

It is a secret wine cellar built during Prohibition.

The entire No. 21 restaurant was renovated from three brownstone houses at Nos. 21, 19 and 17 West 52nd Street. The stone door of the wine cellar where Colin is standing in front of him was renovated from part of the partition wall between Nos. 21 and 19. .

It is said that Jack Kleindler and Charlie Burns, the founders of Restaurant No. 21, believed that the current prohibition policy in the United States was a "big stupid thing" and felt that they had an obligation to violate this terrible law and serve the country. Depression New York offers good wine and good food.

Colin declined to comment on the restaurant founder's motives.

However, it is undeniable that Restaurant 21 has become an important underground bar in New York, and many political and business celebrities are its customers.

Including, Hughes, who invited Colin this time, is also an old customer of Restaurant No. 21.

"You're finally here, Colin."

In the low underground tavern, Hughes raised his glass and gestured to Colin. Behind him was the bartender in a white tunic.

"A cocktail."

After drinking down the wine in his hand, Hughes turned to the bartender and confessed.

The latter skillfully prepared a glass of wine and pushed it in front of him.

"What do you want to drink? I recommend the Henniswell rye whiskey here. It was distilled in 1911 and was recently re-bottled..."

Picking up the cocktail in front of him, Hughes recommended to Colin with a tipsy look on his face.

"I'm not as rich as you," Colin rejected Hughes' recommendation with a smile. He turned to the bartender and said, "Give me a glass of gin."

Taking a sip of the juniper berries in the cup, Colin looked at the environment in Restaurant No. 21.

In the parquet-floored Pine Lounge, guests are holding wine glasses, reading newspapers or chatting leisurely, without the gloomy feeling of the bar below. Here people can drink to their heart's content without worrying about being peeped by prohibition agents.

"Don't worry, the restaurant is safe. In fact, not long ago, a group of federal agents searched No. 21 for a full 16 hours but still found nothing. No. 21 was not found separated by a wall."

The door of the wine cellar of Restaurant No. 21 was designed by the person in charge of the restaurant specially invited by a Swiss watch designer. It weighs two and a half tons. The entrance and the wall are tightly fitted. Once closed, no smell or sound will be transmitted.

Personally experiencing the era of the Great Depression and Prohibition gave Colin a special sense of history.

I don't know if it was due to the influence of the atmosphere on the 21st, but the gin in my mouth became a little bit more bitter.

Tasting the taste of Prohibition-era gin in his mouth, Colin raised his head and noticed the various small objects hanging from the ceiling of the restaurant.

"This is?"

Looking at the football helmets, airplane and train models hanging from the ceiling, Colin cast a questioning look at Hughes.

"This is a gift from a regular customer. At the same time, No. 21 uses these toys to mark the guest's specific dining position. For example, the one with the tuna model is Ernest Hemingway's position, the ship model belongs to a certain shipping industry king, and the helmet is Rugby club owner’s…”

Of course, in addition to these people, Howard Hughes also left his own mark on the ceiling - a specially made flying model.

"Next, it's your turn to think about what kind of small gift to leave for 21 Tavern."

After explaining the reason for the densely packed items on the ceiling, Hughes raised his eyebrows and mentioned something to Colin in front of him.

"The gift I'm leaving behind?"

After hearing Hughes's reminder, Colin took another look at the model hanging above his head.

If nothing else, what he hung on the ceiling of Restaurant 21 should be a Superman doll.

"Mr. Howard Hughes, your food is ready."

At this moment, a waiter wearing waiter clothes and a unique Viennese Long Island accent came to the two of them and reminded Hughes at the bar.

"Are you ready?"

After hearing the waiter's words, Hughes held the wine glass and was led by the other party to the specific location where the airplane model was hung.

“Today’s kitchen is preparing grilled seabass. I recommend pairing it with the white wine from Chateau Lagache…”

After the two sat down, the waiter picked up the wine bottle and introduced it to them.

If you just look at the meticulous service attitude of the waiter, it is difficult to imagine that this is just a bar. What the waiter in front of you recommends is prohibited items during the Prohibition period.

After taking a sip of the white wine in front of me, the rich fruit aroma matched the tender taste of the seabass. The slightly sour lemon juice taste that emerged at the end of the aftertaste was just right to dilute the fish belly fat in Colin's mouth. greasy feeling.

"It's a pity that the white wine is not old enough, otherwise it would taste better."

Swirling the slightly cloudy white wine in his hand, Hughes said with some regret.

Affected by the "18th Amendment" (Prohibition Act), the entire United States is extremely strict on the transportation and sales of alcoholic goods. Wines in 21 good restaurants are often smuggled into restaurants. This situation creates a problem.

That is, there is no guarantee that the wine smuggled into the restaurant will be of good quality every time.

Just like the white wine that Hughes and Colin tasted this time, although it was a good wine for Colin, it obviously did not satisfy Hughes.

Although he was invited to Restaurant No. 21, drinking was not the main purpose of Colin's trip.

Unlike Hughes and others who lived in the Great Depression and the Prohibition period, Colin himself did not have such a strong dependence on alcohol. Moreover, if he wanted, he could drink as much as he wanted in the anti-world. Therefore, he did not need to sneak to an underground bar like No. 21 to taste the taste of alcohol like Hughes and others.

"How is the itinerary for shooting the iceberg?"

After taking a bite of sea bass, Colin looked up and asked Hughes.

"It's going well. I have chartered a cruise ship and am going to the place where the Titanic sank to shoot some pictures. As for the iceberg, I have also hired a professor from the University of California, Houston, who studies the relationship between ocean currents and glaciers, to track the source of the iceberg that sank the giant ship. According to his guess, the wandering iceberg is likely to come from Greenland..."

"So, your final destination is Greenland?"

Hearing this, Colin put down his knife and fork and looked at what the other party said.

"If I can take a suitable picture of the iceberg, I don't mind going to Greenland."

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