WE HOLD THESE TURKEYS TO BE DELICIOUS

When John Adams arrived in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress, he immediately went out to eat.

- BY VICTORIA FLEXNER

“Dirty, dusty, and fatigued as we were,” he wrote in his diary that night—August 29, 1774—“we could not resist the Importunity, to go to the Tavern, the most genteel one in America.” A few days later, when George Washington rode into Philadelphia, he made straight for the same establishment.

City Tavern had opened the previous year, backed by a group of wealthy Philadelphians who'd decided there was no place in town that met their standards for decent food and drink. Although the tavern’s sophisticated culinary style was influenced by Europe, it was also uniquely American, and a reflection of the colonies’ global ties. There was likely shad from the Delaware River, fresh corn and lettuces from nearby farms, sugar and pineapples from the Caribbean, spices from Asia.

But the multistory building at the corner of Walnut and Second Streets was more than just a place to eat. In addition to dining rooms, it had a bar, lodgings for travelers, and a room for coffee. It also had a subscription room, where newspapers and magazines from across the colonies and Europe were delivered regularly.

The tavern quickly became a favorite meeting spot for the Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson took almost all of his meals there as he wrote the Declaration of Independence. Many of his compatriots routinely ate and drank in its rooms as they worked to construct a new nation. And on July 4, 1777, with the war unfolding not far away, the Congress gathered there for a meal to celebrate the United States' first birthday.

As naval vessels filled the Delaware River that day, crowds amassed along the shorelines to cheer. When the sun began to set, fireworks, bonfires, and candles were lit throughout the city. Philadelphia glowed with fresh patriotic spirit.