The original Delmonico’s is a New York institution and has been around for nearly 200 years. I’ve been reading a very interesting, but very long book, called Appetite City and they have an entire (very fascinating) chapter dedicated to the history of the restaurant. When Delmonico’s first opened, there weren’t fine dining options in the city. People were fed what was being served at inns, rather than being able to order their own food. So two brothers came together to offer New York City diners a menu, tablecloths, and food from a real “chef.” The restaurant is famous for inventing some dishes we still eat (and love) today, such as Eggs Benedict, Baked Alaska, and Lobster Newburg.
We ate at the original for Restaurant Week a few years ago, and we were a bit underwhelmed.
About a year ago, they opened up a midtown location called Delmonico’s Kitchen, just a few short blocks from where we live. We had been meaning to try it for a long time, however, we finally got there a few weeks ago to check it out. The restaurant had about a 20 minute wait on this Friday night, but there were seats available at the bar with the full menu, so we went for it.
The bread basket they served had a very nice selection, with a few warm items and pink salted butter.
I went with the boneless slow cooked short ribs with “baby spinach, sweet potato hash, red wine natural.” I love short ribs, however, I was shocked at just how big this cut of short rib was. It was more like a big piece of brisket with the taste of succulent, sweet short ribs. I absolutely loved this dish. I did the happy belly dance while taking down half of the portion (and sharing with Mike) and took the rest home for an amazing short rib and egg breakfast the next day.
The sauce was rich but not overpowering and the meat had a great flavor. The hash underneath somehow didn’t get the least bit soggy and maintained all the great flavors of each veggie. Really fantastic.
Mike went with the DK Double Burger which was described as “Our prime burger blend continues the legacy that began in 1837 when America’s first hamburger was served at Delmonico’s.” How can a burger lover such as Mike not try America’s first hamburger?
And it was a doozy. At least 6 inches stacked high.
I had no idea how Mike would manage to take a bit out of this, but he prevailed!
And it was a really fantastic burger. With a stack that high, one might expect it would all become a scrambled mess, but instead the thin burger bun was a great conduit for the flavorful, well charred meat and the collection of cheese and burger toppings. Great burger. And the fries were pretty damn good too.
By taking back leftovers, we scraped up enough room to try dessert. It all sounded great, but Delmonico’s is known for their Baked Alaska, so we decided to try their midtown version.
This was a beautiful piece of art.
Lovely cherry and chocolate ice cream inside on a chocolate cake/crust base, covered in marshmallowy soft meringue and browned ever so slightly on the outside.
A beautiful, tasty, and decadent dessert. It felt special.
The whole meal really felt special. Those short ribs were some of the best I’ve had and I am sure we will be returning with guests as the weather grows colder and we stay closer to home. Glad to have this in the neighborhood.
Total Nom Points: 8.5 out of 10
