The Matchcover Storyteller

Dan Stampler was born in Manhattan in 1914.  

He learned the restaurant business working for his father and opened The Steak Joint in Greenwich Village (58 Greenwich Avenue) in 1946.  It went on to be one of the most popular in The Village.  Stampler ran it for 25 years, selling in 1970.  He opened a Steak Joint in Miami but left it after only 2 years for health reasons.   Stampler died in 1986 at age 72.  

The New York Times has a lovely 1948 article with Stampler offering tips on cooking steak  

The Steak Joint is also one of three American restaurants claiming to be the originator of the “doggie bag”.  The others (for which you can probably find matchcovers) are Lawry’s Prime Rib in Los Angeles and The Old Homestead Steak House in New York City.

No less food royalty than authors Jane & Michael Stern say unequivocally, yes, it was at Dan Stampler’s Steak Join, Inc.  He wanted budget-conscious diners to take away leftovers without feeling embarrassed.   The grease-proof take home bag was actually invented in Chicago, and Stampler’s even had a picture of his beloved Scottish Terrier on the bag, but of course, these were leftovers from a great high-end steak joint, the dog never actually got.  In fact, in a fairly detailed article on doggie bags, there is a recipe for “steak ‘n grits” for breakfast!

I will tell you I was attracted to this cover simply by the vivid yellow cover.  It’s a 30-strike, front strike from the American Match Co. in New York.  Dan Stampler’s name came next and I think you know by now eponymously-named covers send me to Dr. Google to see what he can tell me.  Meanwhile, I might take an interest in yellow covers, because I have seen a few lately that just pop!