Tasty
Just returned from lunch at Delmonico's. The restaurant is known more for its historical significance than its culinary quality.
Opened in 1837, it was the first restaurant in the United States. Over the years, chefs at Delmonico's created dishes including Eggs Benedict and Baked Alaska. Celebrity diners include Presidents Jackson, Lincoln, and Buchanan, Generals John Dix and George Custer, authors Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Willa Cather, and capitalist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
Still located in its original building, the restaurant oozes traditional class and snobbery. Decorated in dark wood paneling and deep burgundies, it is terribly quiet, and one almost expects to see men in three-piece suits, smoking cigars and closing deals.
The food was solid. For me, the highlight of the meal was the beefsteak tomato, buffalo mozzarella, and roasted red pepper appetizer. The cheese was chewy and tangy, and the tomatoes were perfectly ripened. We also got many sides to go with the main course. The hashbrowns, while looking impressive, were somewhat lacking in flavor, while the creamed spinach was also bland. The creamed potatoes were good, but not great. Particularly disappointing was the asparagus, which was flavorless, too large and stringy, and overcooked. It was especially disappointing in light of the fantastic asparagus I got at Aquagrill on Tuesday.
The main course for me was, of course, pasta. That makes three firm lunches this week, and three pasta dishes. Restaurants would do well to find chefs who have a modicum of creativity and can come up with a vegetarian dish that isn't what everyone else in town is already doing.
Opened in 1837, it was the first restaurant in the United States. Over the years, chefs at Delmonico's created dishes including Eggs Benedict and Baked Alaska. Celebrity diners include Presidents Jackson, Lincoln, and Buchanan, Generals John Dix and George Custer, authors Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Willa Cather, and capitalist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
Still located in its original building, the restaurant oozes traditional class and snobbery. Decorated in dark wood paneling and deep burgundies, it is terribly quiet, and one almost expects to see men in three-piece suits, smoking cigars and closing deals.
The food was solid. For me, the highlight of the meal was the beefsteak tomato, buffalo mozzarella, and roasted red pepper appetizer. The cheese was chewy and tangy, and the tomatoes were perfectly ripened. We also got many sides to go with the main course. The hashbrowns, while looking impressive, were somewhat lacking in flavor, while the creamed spinach was also bland. The creamed potatoes were good, but not great. Particularly disappointing was the asparagus, which was flavorless, too large and stringy, and overcooked. It was especially disappointing in light of the fantastic asparagus I got at Aquagrill on Tuesday.
The main course for me was, of course, pasta. That makes three firm lunches this week, and three pasta dishes. Restaurants would do well to find chefs who have a modicum of creativity and can come up with a vegetarian dish that isn't what everyone else in town is already doing.
posted by N at 1:59 PM
1 Comments:
Or... perhaps those that only eat vegetables should show a little bit of their own creativity and try working in a piece of meat or something one day.
Hmmm... OR... what if the chef makes a spicy veggie torte, flambeed in vodka sauce??
Then I'm sure you'd eat it, right?
:-P
(No offense meant to be taken by any other vegetarians who happen to read this... only to BRY)
That being said, BRY--I thought you were only part R... and zero BY... what up with that, poser??!!
hee hee.
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