When did fine dining originate in the United States? Chances are it was 1837 when the famous New York restaurant Delmonico’s opened at Beaver and William Streets in the Financial District. The restaurant itself claims to be the “first fine dining establishment” in the country but more importantly other writers and experts agree with that description of the famous steakhouse that’s still open today. Some even describe it as New York’s first restaurant since the dining options in the city before its advent were mostly coffeehouses and taverns with no real menu or dining options for diners (although they did serve food so it really comes down to how you define a restaurant – but the idea was that Delmonico’s was the first place with an a la carte menu).
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Eating at Delmonico's. NYC. One of the best steakhouses and a legendary restaurant
In any case Delmonico’s was a huge departure from what New York dining scene was all about at the time. It offered luxury in the form of things like a private dining room and a huge wine cellar and was generally opulent with its dining room setup of tablecloths flowers and leather chairs. It was a taste of Paris across the Atlantic with French recipes and new ingredients like eggplant and artichoke a departure from the British-inspired food that dominated at the time.
Like much of New York Delmonico’s was a product of immigration. It was opened by the Delmonico brothers a Swiss couple one of whom (John) ran a wine shop in New York and Peter a successful pastry chef and candy maker in Switzerland. With considerable savings they opened a café-patisserie in 1827 focusing on European specialties. A success that expanded to a dining room with French chefs in 1930—though not called Delmonico’s this could be seen as the founding of the restaurant (or at least a precursor to it). In the 1830s the brothers’ cousin Lorenzo emigrated to New York to help them (he would later build Delmonico’s to its iconic status) and the brothers purchased a farm in Williamsburg Brooklyn (then a village) to supply the restaurant.
Eventually in 1837 Delmonico's opened at the William Street location a monumental three-story palace. Under Lorenzo's management Delmonico's opened at other locations in Lower Manhattan attracting members of the city's high society.
