Delmonico’s

For nearly a century, from the early 1830s until the 1920s, Delmonico’s was the place for New York City’s rich and famous to eat and be seen. Often credited with the introduction of French haute cuisine to Americans, the restaurant was founded by John Delmonico, a sea captain from Ticino in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, who settled in New York in 1825 and opened a wine shop near the Battery. In 1828 he opened a café, Delmonico & Brother (John’s brother Peter, a pastry cook, had emigrated to work with him) at 23 William Street; the menu offered pastries, confections, tea, coffee, chocolate, and liqueurs. In 1831 the Delmonicos hired a French chef, who prepared potages, ragoûts, and other hot dishes; thus, Delmonico’s became one of the city’s first “restaurants” in the true sense of the word—an eating house where one went to be “restored” with rich broth and other sustaining fare. A year later the Delmonicos’ nephew Lorenzo (destined to lead the family business into its golden age) joined them, followed by three more nephews brought over from Switzerland.