23 June 2010

a dinner at Delmonico's


We stepped into the rain and snagged a discarded whiteboard for cover as we dashed one block to Delmonicos. Opened in 1831, the restaurant is the country's first fine dining venue. Brag-worthy credits to the restaurant for being the birthplace of Lobster Newburg, Eggs Benedict and Baked Alaska. Although Delmonico's began as a French restaurant, it now classified a steak spot.

Time Out New York has the vibe to a tee: In fact, it seems pretty clear that Delmonico’s patrons neither know nor care who’s running the kitchen. If bankers still gather there for conspiratorial powwows, it’s surely only out of habit or convenience. The dining room was half empty on recent visits, and the blasé waiters—in burgundy vests that match the wall-to-wall carpeting—seem accustomed to doing little.




To eat, we ordered the Delmonico's Steak for Two with asparagus and an order of the twice fried french fries. After dining at Mark Joseph the previous evening, the steak simply could not compare! Grisly and lacking in flavor, the meat seemed to aim to fill the stomach of the kitschy banker, rather than to satisfy the palate of a foody. The asparagus was quite wonderful- firm and a bit juicy- it came decorated with Parmesan baked into crispy over-sized flakes. The twice fried french fries were about what you'd expect and came in a decent portion of sharing. Kudos to the friendly bar keep who brought me snacks, and his lovely lady counterpart who mentioned to me that she thought I was pretty!


Images: travel(dot)webshots(dot)com

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