It seems Caesar Cardini (and his brand of dressing, Cardini's, which Tesco still sells today) is claimed to have been the inventor - a Mexican citizen, but in a restaurant in California at the time of the invention.
I would think the chives+potato=American association will be from baked potatoes usually coming with toppings like sour cream and chives and/or cheese in the US, but plain in the UK (which is why I tend only to order them as a side dish in US or US-style restaurants).
The use of "à la mode" to mean "with ice cream" always seemed bizarre to me as well. There is a tale explaining its origins online - http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PieHistory/ApplePie.htm - though I have no idea how accurate or otherwise it may be.
It all sounds like a great menu to me, anyway - I'm not sure I've ever tried corn chowder, but I know and like all the other elements well!
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I would think the chives+potato=American association will be from baked potatoes usually coming with toppings like sour cream and chives and/or cheese in the US, but plain in the UK (which is why I tend only to order them as a side dish in US or US-style restaurants).
The use of "à la mode" to mean "with ice cream" always seemed bizarre to me as well. There is a tale explaining its origins online - http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PieHistory/ApplePie.htm - though I have no idea how accurate or otherwise it may be.
It all sounds like a great menu to me, anyway - I'm not sure I've ever tried corn chowder, but I know and like all the other elements well!