05.16.08
Review of Delmonico’s, Saturday April 2008
56 Beaver St. & S. William St., 212-509-1144
Great for: old-school dishes, very heavy dinners, Alienist fans, business dinners (not lunch unless you want to fall into food coma afterward)
The Boyfriend had some friends visiting from England, and we wanted to show them a classic New York experience. I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Delmonico’s since I read Caleb Carr’s mouthwatering descriptions in the Alienist, so I was really happy B picked it.
The six of us figured we’d have more than enough food with just entrées and sides. Two of us got the classic Delmonico’s 20 ounce boneless ribeye with crispy onion rings. It was so good! Juicy and tasty. And yes, I finished mine, I’m a proud carnivore first and a small woman second. Two others got the bone-in aged New York strip while, I think, the other guy got the 24 ounce T-bone. They were all quite happy with theirs. Those of us who tried both the ribeye and the NY strip agreed that the ribeye was slightly better, though. B’s lobster Newburg (said to be created here) in brandy cream was excellent; creamy, with some spicy caviar on the claws. I can see why that dish caught on in other restaurants.
We got six side dishes as well that maintained the high quality of the meal. The perfect hash browns did not quite live up to their name, being only good, as was the parmesan creamed spinach. We liked better the crisp, delicious French fries and broccoli in (less as requested) garlic and oil. The best things were the garlic and chive mashed potatoes and truffled potato purée.
After all this food, some of us were still able to make a valiant attempt at dessert. Two of the guys split a wonderful molten chocolate cake. I had the Delmonico’s sunday [sic] with candied almond slices, hot fudge, caramel sauce, fresh whipped cream and a cherry on top, all ensconced in a chocolate-covered pastry nest. Instead of vanilla, strawberry and cinnamon scoops, I asked for only vanilla and strawberry because I hate cinnamon (I think I’m allergic). The waiter was rude about it but finally understood and accepted what I wanted. It was a terrific sundae, with fruit chunks in the strawberry ice cream. B ordered the baked Alaska with banana ice cream, vanilla sauce and apricot jam and we loved it. Delmonico’s claims to have created that too – they certainly made it well enough to convince anyone that’s true.
Unfortunately, I can’t praise the service as I did the food. Our waiter looked much too young for a hearing aid but nevertheless seemed to need one. And he did not once attend to me first. (Any high-end restaurant worth its salt trains its staff to serve ladies before men as a matter of polite policy.) I wouldn’t have minded, but he also ignored my empty drink glass for an hour. The boys got red wine, and I seem to recall that he didn’t lift their bottle again after pouring their initial glasses. To be fair, they were giant glasses and not all of them needed topping up.
The last straw was when he argued with me about my ice cream. Cinnamon and I don’t get along, so I politely requested only two scoops, partly to avoid the cinnamon and partly to make the sundae a little smaller. He insulted me by saying he’d still have to charge me the full price whether it was two scoops or three (did he really think a $7 dessert was my worry after a $41 steak? plus you just don’t say that to customers), and after I said “I can’t have cinnamon,” bullied me into having a replacement scoop of strawberry. He was a big dumb lug.
The décor was better. It looked like a traditional men’s club with mediocre art but lots of wood and burgundy paint. It felt very plushly masculine. Except for the annoying waiter, we had an excellent meal and I loved the old New York throwback feel.
Rating: 8.5 / 10
Our cost: $560 for 6 people (service included, 1 bottle red wine, 1 cocktail, 4 beers, 3 desserts, 4 coffees)
Noise level: low
Chance of walking in: medium.
