The First US Restaurant

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Delmonico's Restaurant in the Financial District of Manhattan was opened in 1837 by two brothers from Switzerland. Delmonico's is known as the first eating establishment in the United States to be called by the French word "restaurant."  It was novel in its day in that it had a bill of fare which listed a variety of dishes at individual prices set accordingly.  It also had private, individual seating for it's diners. Until that time, having a meal out entailed eating a meal, the only one on offer, at a set price with communal dining.


Last month we had the pleasure of dining at Delmonico's to celebrate my birthday. The staff was helpful and pleasant; decor was warm and inviting.  It was a lovely evening all around, although my side dish was not as expected and dessert was a bit of a let down.  I ordered a Gin Gimlet straight up, the Delmonico Steak, Asparagus Gratin, and Baked Alaska.


MY FINDINGS:
Gin Gimlet: PERFECT...the drink was served ch-ch-chilled in a generous sized martini glass with not a hint of Rose's about it..simple syrup and lime juice as it should be, I believe.
Delmonico Steak: PERFECT...the Delmonico Steak (dating back to 1830) is the first signature dish to have been created by the establishment...it was luscious and cooked exactly to my medium rare request.
Asparagus Gratin: NOT PERFECT...a gratin by definition is a baked dish topped with breadcrumbs, butter and cheese...not so at Delmonico's...the three or four tepid asparagus spears had a thin drizzling of a green color puree across their middle...edible but could have been better.
Baked Alaska: NOT GOOD/NOT BAKED...what a big disappointment...another signature dish created in 1867 has definitely lost it's grandeur in 2009...it's most egregious offense was that it appeared not to have been baked...the outside coating of meringue looked and tasted suspiciously like it had been treated by one of the latest modern kitchen devices, a food torch, which produces drastically different results than baking...shame on Delmonico's pastry chef.