Model-T's, Einstein's Theory of Relativity, Freud's Theory of Sexuality, the invention of plastic and the first silent movies…the early 1900's were rich with new discoveries. And anybody who was anybody in New York society could be found discussing these inventions, theories and innovations in one of the many Bustanoby Freres establishments that brought four brothers from Pau, France international fame and recognition. Always lavish, with an unyielding reputation for finery and perfection, their New York City restaurants, cafés and cabarets, and a Long Island hotel and casino brought people from near and far for an experience they were not soon to forget. Lillian Russell, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Diamond Jim Brady, Stanford White, the Roosevelt's, Dupont's, Vanderbilt's and other luminaries of the time were drawn to the brother's magnificent French cuisine and renowned wine collections. Their famed family liqueur, Forbidden Fruit, was wildly popular and used in many of the cocktails of the time. No respectable establishment was without this shaddock (grapefruit) brandy, so ironically, even if you were dining at the exquisite New York dining comparables like Maxim's or Delmonico's, or across the ocean in London or Paris, you were still sampling Bustanoby splendor.

From humble beginnings themselves, the Bustanoby brothers helped launch the careers and foster the popularity of many entertainers of the times including Rudolph Valentino and Sigmund Romberg who both worked at the New York restaurants - Valentino as a busboy and later a dancer, and Romberg as the house's orchestra leader.

Then came Prohibition - fourteen unforgiving years that left these men of standing and integrity broken and penniless and a generation of adoring patrons left to only reminisce about the fine food, fine spirits, good company and splendor that was synonymous with the name BUSTANOBY. But from adversity comes strength and ingenuity and as the family tree grew branches, so grew a multiplicity of talents, creativity and intelligence that would surely make our Basque-American forefathers proud.

The Bustanoby Family History Project was developed to share and explore the colorful history of the Bustanoby's and rekindle connections with other Bustanoby's now scattered throughout the country and the world. Please enjoy, and be sure to contact Mia Glover (Great Granddaughter of famed restaurateur, André Jean Baptist Bustanoby) if you have anything to contribute to this web site. -- R. Mia L. Glover

New York Times, Washington Post, and Marion Star Articles:

January 4, 1900: Yocum Gives Testimony July 4, 1907: Jacques Bustanoby Elopes with Heiress Ruth Boyd January 11, 1908: Do You Allow Smoking? July 14, 1908: Bride Will Sail Alone December 26, 1910: 18th Century Inn Downtown December 20, 1911: Cafe Beaux Arts in Creditors Hands   December 21, 1911: Cafe Beaux Arts Receiver A.H. Spilling Appointed to Continue the Business for 15 Days February 1, 1912: Cafe Beaux Arts Receiver February 1, 1912: Bustanobys are Bankrupt   April 8, 1912: Bustanobys in Business June 1, 1912: 4,000 New York Waiters Strike November 24, 1912: Jacques Bustanoby Sues for Divorce January 13, 1913: Figures in Queer Domestic Tangle April 5, 1913: Mayor Out to Stop Tea and Tango Now April 25, 1913: Bustanoby Excise Arrest March 30, 1914: Bustanoby Waiters Quit April 29, 1914: Riot in Broadway As Students Dine April 30, 1914: Another Columbia Riot May 8, 1914: Freshmen's Damage Bill June 6, 1914: Pair Tangoed Into Romance December 4, 1914: Known as Beautiful Boyds December 28, 1914: Baby Lion Given as Christmas Present March 8, 1915: Sinuosities of the Argentine Steps July 12, 1915: Band Concerts Today February 11, 1916: Andre Bustanoby Dead February 17, 1916: Seeks Bustanoby's Will February, 1916: $1,700 in Bustanoby Estate June 23, 1916: Rescue Mrs. Bustanoby August 12, 1916: Bustanoby Haled to Court August 23, 1916: Case Against Bustanoby Dismissed November 21, 1916: Receiver for Bustanoby's - Bankruptcy Petition Filed January 21, 1917: Baby Lion, Roasted, A Delicious Meal June 7, 1917: Thief Blames Woman August 5, 1917: Louis Bustanoby Died August 5, 1917: Louis Bustanoby Dead August 6, 1917: Bustanoby Poisoned, Claim August 6, 1917: Woman Hints of Murder November 26, 1918: Business Records July 31, 1921: Business Records August 13, 1921: Romance Even in New York December 7, 1921: Louis Bustanoby Bankrupt January 16, 1925: Raymond A. Bustanoby Weds March 16, 1925: Her Plea Saves Sailor   October 11, 1925: Picks out Policeman as her Assailant October 12, 1925: Patrolman Held in $10,000 Bail October 23, 1925: Accuser's Illness Delays Hart Case November 13, 1925: Bustanoby Case Dismissed September 20, 1927: Mrs. Bustanoby Faces Auto Driving Charge September 27, 1927: Mrs. Bustanoby Cleared June 1, 1928: Raid Bustanoby Club June 2, 1928: Bustanoby's Suite Raided May 29, 1929: Bustanoby Admits Hotel Liquor Charge October 14, 1931: Days and Nights in Gotham December 14, 1933: Pierre J. Bustanoby, of Cafe Fame, Dies July 26, 1935: Love Still Blooms For Bustanoby's Crepe Suzette Cooker March 21, 1937: Mr. Bodfish Goes to Town December 13, 1937: Nothing Dies Off So Quickly As the Popularity of a Night Club March 24, 1942: Last Bustanoby is Stricken at 62 October 25, 1974: Pastors Not Seen Immune to 'Other Woman' Syndrome   May 13, 2002: Taverns get on the stick and give women opportunities behind bars

Patent for Phonograph-Picture Exibitor [pdf]

Drinks Chosen for Color, not Taste at Women's Bar [pdf]

More Family History Facts from Dawn Bustanoby

An Oldtimer Remembers

The Bustanoby-Romberg Connection

Basque Song

More Basque Information

Raymond Andre Bustanoby's Memoirs

Bustanoby, Papa of Cafe Society

Bustanoby Recipes - Forbidden Fruit Cocktails and More