Delmonico's Restaurant

Delmonico's Restaurant [The light-hearted popular history is by Lately Thomas, "Delmonico's: A Century of Splendor" ((Boston: Houghton Mifflin) 1967.] was one of the first continuously run restaurants in the United States and is considered to be one of the first American fine dining establishments. [Nathan Aaseng, "Business Builders in Fast Food" The Oliver Press, 2001:8-10. (ISBN 1881508587); Richard J. Hooker, "Food and Drink in America: A History (Indianapolis: Bobbs Merrill) 1981, ch. 18 "Eating Out 1865-1900" provides context.] It opened in New York City in 1827, originally in a rented pastry shop at 23 William Street. It was first listed as a restaurant in 1830. Unlike the inns that existed at the time, a restaurant like Delmonico's would permit patrons to order from a menu (à la carte, as opposed to table d'hote), rather than requiring its patrons to eat fixed meals. Later, Delmonico's was also the first in the United States to use a separate wine list.

The restaurant was opened by the brothers John and Peter Delmonico from Ticino, Switzerland. In 1831, they were joined by their nephew Lorenzo Delmonico, who eventually became responsible for the restaurant's wine list and menu. In 1862, the restaurant hired Charles Ranhofer, considered one of the greatest chefs of his day. Beginning in the 1850s, the restaurant hosted the annual gathering of the New England Society of New York which featured many important speakers of the day. In 1860 Delmonico's provided the supper at the "Grand Ball" welcoming the Prince of Wales at the Academy of Music on 14th Street; supper was set out in a specially constructed room: the menu was French, and the "pièces montées" represented Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the "Great Eastern" and Flora's Vase. The "New York Times" reported "We may frankly say that we have never seen a public supper served in a more inapproachable ["Sic". "irreproachable" may have been intended, unless a covert reference to the evening's crush was implied.] fashion, with greater discretion, or upon a more luxurious scale". [Susan Bindig, "New York Welcomes the Prince of Wales, 1860" "Dance Chronicle" 12.2 (1989:221-24) p. 234.]

The business was so successful that from 1865 to 1888 it expanded to four restaurants of the same name. At various times there were nine different locations. When the William Street building was opened on a grand scale in August 1837, after the Great Fire of New York, New Yorkers were told that the columns by the entrance had been imported from the ruins of Pompeii. [ [http://www.steakperfection.com/delmonico/History.html History of Delmonico's Restaurant and business operations in New York] ]

Delmonico's vacated the six story Delmonico Building at Fifth Avenue (Manhattan) and Twenty-Sixth Street in 1895. The edifice was sold to John B. Martin, owner of the Martin Hotel, in May 1901. ["Delmonico Building Leased", New York Times, May 4, 1901, pg.3.]

In 1919, Delmonico's was sold away from the family to Edward L.C. Robins. Its grand location, "The Citadel", at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street ultimately closed in 1923 as a result of changing dining habits due to Prohibition.

Chicken à la King, Lobster Newberg, and Delmonico Potatoes were invented at Delmonico's restaurant, but it was most famous for Delmonico steak. Eggs Benedict were also said to have originated at Delmonico's; although, others claim that dish as well.Citation | last = Butler | first = Mabel C. | title = Letters: Benedicts' Eggs | newspaper = The New York Times Magazine | pages = SM40 | year = 1967 | date = November 26, 1967 | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F1061FF63D5814728FDDAF0A94D9415B878AF1D3 | access-date = 2007-02-23 ] Citation | last = | first = | author-link = | year = 1942 | date = December 19, 1942 | title = Talk of the Town | periodical = The New Yorker | pages = ] Citation | last = Claiborne | first = Craig | author-link = Craig Claiborne | title = American Classic: Eggs Benedict | newspaper = The New York Times Magazine | pages = 290 | year = 1967 | date = September 24, 1967 | url = http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40B13FB3B5F16738DDDAD0A94D1405B878AF1D3 | access-date = 2007-02-19 ]

Famous patrons included Jenny Lind (who, it was said, ate there after every show), Theodore Roosevelt, Mark Twain, "Diamond Jim" Brady, Lillian Russell (usually in the company of Diamond Jim), Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, J.P. Morgan, James Gordon Bennett, Jr., Walter Scott, Nikola Tesla, Edward VII (then the Prince of Wales), and Napoleon III of France. Journalist Jacob A. Riis claimed to be a patron of a different sort: in his book, "The Making of an American", he mentioned that when he was down on his luck, a kindly French-speaking cook at Delmonico's would pass him rolls through the basement window.

In 1929, three years after the last Delmonico's closed, Oscar Tucci opened a restaurant called "Oscar Delmonico's" at the former Delmonico's location at 2 South William Street location (sometimes listed as 56 Beaver Street) in New York. In 1977, another restaurant called Delmonico's was opened at the location by the Huber family, which they operated until 1992. The building was vacant until 1998, when the Bice Group acquired the property and again opened a "Delmonico's" with Gian Pietro Branchi as executive chef. The restaurant was sold to the "Ocinomled" partnership in 1999, and they continue to operate "Delmonico's" there.

THe equally unconnected Delmonico's Hotel, at Park Avenue and 59th was a center of Beatlemania in August 1964, when the Beatles stayed there. [Photograph included in the Museum of Modern Art exhibition, "Pictures of the Times: A Century of Photography from the New York Times"MoMA, No. 22 (Summer, 1996:10-130 illus. p. 13. ]

Trivia

The "Delmonico's" name was so famous that other restaurants (having no connection with the Delmonico family) were opened across the USA, and the name continues to be used to this day. The New Orleans, Louisiana, "Delmonico's", which opened in 1895, was purchased by Emeril Lagasse in 1997. Emeril refurbished the restaurant and re-opened it as Emeril's Delmonico.

In Caleb Carr's book, "The Alienist", Delmonico's features prominently in the story, as the protagonists do much of their thinking and problem-solving there, while enjoying sumptuous meals.

The original restaurant was the subject of episode CW1F03 ("Number One's") of "Unwrapped", originally aired on April 12, 2006.

In one of his "Life With Father" stories, Clarence Day recounts eating lunch with his father at Delmonico's. When he is still hungry at meal's end, Lorenzo Delmonico gives him a chocolate éclair for dessert.

Notes

References

* [http://www.steakperfection.com/delmonico/History.html History of Delmonico's]
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_nSPEISS_v30/ai_18091879 "John Delmonico - pioneer of fine dining in America"] by Milford Prewitt. "Nation's Restaurant News", February, 1996.
* [http://www.nyc-architecture.com/LM/LM044-DELMONICO'S.htm New York Architecture Images - Delmonico's]
* [http://www.delmonicosny.com/ Website of modern-day Delmonico's restaurant in New York. (Opened in 1998.)]