Higgins refers to the Algonquin Round Table. This was a gathering of friends who, from approximately 1919 to 1929, would gather for lunch every day at New York's Algonquin Hotel. They were a small, but intimate group of very witty writers and comic actors that included among others:
Alexander Woollcott,
Charles MacArthur,
Dorothy Parker,
Robert Benchley, and
Harpo Marx. The group was known for its bitingly funny discussions, wry observations of life, and intellectual humor. During this time, a specific table would always be reserved for them in the back of the hotel's restaurant. Often they would meet in Wolcott's room at the hotel for poker. Eventually, careers and life pulled them in different directions, which put an end to a unique and interesting bit of New York history. In the 1950s the restaurant was remodeled, the significance of the iconic table was forgotten, and it was disposed of.