DELMONICO
In 1827, during New York City’s financial evolution, the genesis of what would become a culinary institution, “Delmonico’s restaurant” was set.
A small shop was selling traditional pastries, high-quality coffee, chocolate, wine liquors, and Havana cigars, managed by the Delmonico brothers (John and Peter Delmonico, from Ticino, Switzerland).
Its success led them to purchase a triangular plot of land at the intersection of Beaver, William and S/William street where, in August 1837, they opened the first dining restaurant in the country.
Its reputation grew to national prominence.
Delmonico offered an unheard-of luxury: private dining rooms where discriminate entertaining was the order of the day.
The private cellar, the largest within the city, held the restaurant treasures: an impressive quantity of 1 000 bottles of the world’s finest wines!
During the early years, chef Alessandro Fellippini developed the restaurant’s culinary identity with the house special: the Delmonico steak (high quality deboned steak from the first ribs), still prepared with the original method today.
In the early 1850s, the restaurant hosted the New England Society of New York annual gathering with many important speakers of the day.
In 1860, Delmonico provided the dinner at the Grand Ball, welcoming the Prince of Wales at the Academy of Music. The New York Times reported, “We may frankly say that we have never seen a public supper served in a more inapproachable fashion, with greater discretion, or upon a more luxurious scale”.
In 1862, Charles Ranhofer was named “Chef de Cuisine” and created many unique dishes such as the Homard Newburg, still on the menu today.
After many years of negligence, Delmonico is starting a new era of excellence.
With a mission to make Delmonico’s Wall Street’s premier fine dining steakhouse, the 56 Beaver Street location was renovated to assume the opulence of its early years.
Its welcoming portico remains supported by the original, Pompeian pillars.
Its private dining rooms welcome the discreet, the wine cellar is once again filled to the rafters, and the cuisine, is, as promised in 1837, the finest the city has to offer!
In 2015, Ambrosia was impressed by the two brothers’ adventure and designed a Bordeaux wine to pair perfectly with meat in tribute to the work of those two pioneers in the culinary field.
