This interesting silverplate bowl is stamped on the top of the lid in the innermost of the concentric circles: O. GIOLITO. (Click on photo for larger image.)

It was made by Jos. Heinrichs, Paris and New York, and is stamped on the bottom as well with Giolito's name. (See backstamp below.)

Jos. Heinrichs was founded in 1897 manufacturing kettles and cooking utensils from nickel silver and copper. The business filed for bankruptcy in 1937.

It turns out that there were at least three restaurants within a few blocks of each other in New York City in the Twenties that were seemingly all owned by Giolito brothers, and with similar sounding names: Giolito's Cedar Garden, Giolito's Venetian Garden and Giolito's Roman Garden. There was also Old Giolito's and Giolito Bros.

I found a flattering review of Giolito's Venetian Garden in Rian James' 1930 "Dining in New York." He went on to end it with this dismissive sentence: "Giolito's Roman Garden is on West 49th Street, but don't bother much about it. You can hardly tell the difference."

Naturally this flip belonged to Oreste Giolito Roman Garden, located at 108-110 West 49th Street! (See postcard below and click for a larger image.) Oreste Giolito was the owner.

According to his obit in The New York Times, Oreste Giolito – or O. Giolito – was born in Turin, Italy and went to London as a youth and became head waiter at the famous Romano's Restaurant there. Other files show that he also started at least one restaurant while in London.

He emigrated to New York at 22 and opened a business on Coney Island before starting Roman Garden in 1908, which, the Times said, "became one of the best known restaurants of its type in the city."

He died Aug. 31, 1934.

For those of us who love restaurant china, Giolito used Syracuse China's Ardmore pattern, date coded G-12 (or 1926), at the Roman Garden with his own topmark of orange crown, blue cross and his name. In 1928, he received the decoration of Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy.