There have been a lot of tales passed down about Delmonico’s Restaurant in lower Manhattan over its 182 years. But some of the stories about this historic dining establishment are more myth than truth.
One example: It’s widely credited as the city’s oldest still-open eatery, serving diners since 1837. Not exactly. That honor goes to Fraunces Tavern, also in lower Manhattan, which debuted in 1762 to serve food and ale to colonists.
To get a taste of Delmonico’s history, The Post spoke to Joanne O’Connor, a 65-year-old Kips Bay resident who worked at Delmonico’s from 1982-90 and has taken it upon herself to become the restaurant’s archivist, putting on rotating monthly displays in the lobby.
Here’s what we found out.
TRUE OR FALSE? Delmonico’s has been at its current 56 Beaver St. location since the restaurant opened in 1827.
FALSE. It’s correct that the Delmonico’s patriarchs — Swiss brothers John (Giovanni) and Peter (Pietro) Delmonico, along with nephew Lorenzo — started their empire in 1827. But at the time, it was just a pastry cafe (which also sold Havana cigars) at nearby 23 William St. The current location, at Beaver and William streets, opened in 1837, when the New York Sun wrote that it was a place “not merely to dine at, but to talk about, to take foreigners to, places to be proud of, which make the city attractive the world over.”
TRUE OR FALSE? Abraham Lincoln ate here.
TRUE. The 16th president often stayed — and dined — at a 14th Street Delmonico’s when he visited the city to meet with his secretary of the Navy, Gen. John A. Dix, and abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher. “Potatoes gratin was Abraham Lincoln’s favorite dish,” says O’Connor. In 1865, after Lincoln was assassinated, his funeral procession passed by the current Delmonico’s location, which was shrouded in mourning.
TRUE OR FALSE? Diamond Jim Brady — a Gilded Age businessman and frequent patron of Delmonico’s — routinely gorged himself at the restaurant’s lunch hour, scarfing down oysters, clams, lobsters, crabs and orange juice.
FALSE. Although Diamond Jim was famous for his gluttony, that wasn’t the case at Delmonico’s, according to author Lately Thomas’ 1967 book “Delmonico’s: A Century of Splendor.” Server Oscar Tschirky, who waited on Brady many times there, never saw him eat more than an appetizer of 12 oysters, an entree of filet mignon and a green vegetable, plus a slice of apple pie or watermelon — whatever was in season — for dessert. “If he was a great eater, he must have done his stuffing elsewhere,” according to Tschirky’s account.
TRUE OR FALSE? Women couldn’t enter Delmonico’s unless accompanied by a man.
TRUE. That was the policy until April 20, 1868, when Delmonico’s hosted a women’s-only luncheon held by the club Sorosis — a professional women’s organization. The group got its own dining room and a prix-fixe menu priced at $1 per person. Not only did Sorosis use Delmonico’s as a meeting place for years after, but this meal set a precedent for the establishment of women’s professional clubs across the nation.
TRUE OR FALSE? Delmonico’s is responsible for bringing avocados to New York City.
TRUE. You can indeed thank Delmonico’s for what’s become a favorite topping for overpriced toast. In 1895, journalist Richard Harding Davis traveled to South America and ate his first one in Caracas. “So intrigued was he with their buttery, musky flavor that he brought a basketful back to New York,” according to Thomas’ book. He then took them to Delmonico’s, where a chef tasted one and loved it. From that point, avocados — “then called the ‘alligator pear,’ ” says O’Connor — were regularly shipped to the restaurants.
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