Delmonico’s

I’m not sure why I still link to super old posts I’ve written, as I’ve come leaps and bounds from those early years, but I did once upon a time write about Delmonico’s – which is one of the oldest restaurants in the country, and I even briefly discuss the history in that link (and I mention having gone to Delmonico’s once prior to that post – of which I have absolutely zero recollection!). In any case, I have some friends who, when they’re in town and ask me out for dinner, I do everything in my power to join them.

Jeffrey is one such person. He recently tapped me to join him and several colleagues (I was the youngest at the table by at least 20 years, and the only non-CEO, which made me feel extremely unaccomplished but also super cool because dude, I’m hanging with amazing people!) at Delmonico’s on his quest to devour every piece of history at the place: chicken a la keene, the Delmonico, lobster newberg, and a baked Alaska.

Because I need my greens – and do love salad so – I opted to start with a Caesar salad. The poached egg was the perfect foil, blending beautifully with the anchovies on the lightly dressed greens. Yum.

For my main affair, I chose the bone-in Delmonico, which is dry aged and was cooked to perfectly medium rare. I thoroughly enjoyed my steak.

I should note that there were two Delmonico steaks listed on the menu, this one and a boneless wet aged rib eye. Jeffrey chose the other one and graciously shared a bite with me. Both of them were delicious, with different qualities that stood out for each. I brought my bone home and gave it to the dog (please, no dog people who have a different opinion on that, I’m not here to defend my choices on what I feed my dog, thanks). I definitely enjoyed my steak.

The chicken a la keene was shared around the table, and I only tried a bite. It was incredibly dry and quite disappointing; I didn’t understand how or why this would be something a person visited a steakhouse to order.

The lobster newberg surprised me when it came; I was always under the impression that it was a rich, heavily sauced dish. This had barely any sauce, and the lobster was also overcooked, rubbery, and untasty. Sad! I’ll pass on both of those items next time.

The Baked Alaska came last, and while it was beautiful to behold, I didn’t find it particularly amazeballs either.

***Apologies for the picture quality; I was snapping them quickly in order to not stand in the way of anyone eating.

Honestly? The steak was delicious, solidly tasty, and I wouldn’t hesitate in the slightest if someone wanted to visit. However, I would not bother with any of the other 3 dishes “invented” there – just steak. Oh, the sides were tasty as well, but not unique, just standard steakhouse sides.

Please bear in mind, though, I didn’t pay for dinner – so if I had, I would probably change my rating to “I would definitely go back, though I’m not sure I’d seek a return visit” (just because my pockets are not balla status… yet).