Taryn Varricchio: Down in Manhattan's bustling
Financial District stands one of the city's
most iconic culinary landmarks.
This is Delmonico's,
and it's been standing here since 1837.
The steak house is not only
one of the longest-running restaurants in New York,
it's one of the locations that possibly
invented eggs Benedict.
Alex Trebek: This fancy egg dish is said
to have been created at Delmonico's in the 1800s;
even then, hollandaise sauce was used.
Contestant: What is eggs Benedict?
Alex: Yes.
Narrator: But its fame goes far beyond one dish.
Customer: If you Wikipedia "fine dining,"
this is what should show up.
Taryn: We're just a few blocks away from Delmonico's,
where the restaurant is still operating
in its original location from the 1800s.
Talk to the people who work in this area
or the tons of tourists who seek it out,
and they'll tell you this place
is a true New York landmark.
So, let's go ahead inside to learn a little bit more
about this historic steak house
and how the original eggs Benedict recipe came to be.
Before Delmonico's became Delmonico's Steak House,
it was a small shop run by two brothers
who sold pastries, coffee, and chocolate.
With enough success, the Delmonico brothers bought
a plot of land in Lower Manhattan in 1837
and opened what is now considered
the first fine-dining restaurant in the country.
Delmonico's is older than some of New York City's
most notable landmarks, including the Brooklyn Bridge,
Statue of Liberty, and Central Park.
And, obviously, Delmonico's is really old.
180 years old.
Billy Oliva: 180 years.
Taryn: So, how does that history
and it being here still today,
how does that play into being an icon of New York?
Billy: It's pretty cool, 180 years.
I don't know how many restaurants, you know,
can say they're even, you know, close to that.
Absolutely, it is a history destination.
Every day there's usually one or two tour groups
outside of the front door,
and they're explaining the history of Delmonico's.
John: I've been coming to Delmonico's probably 20 years.
Whenever I'm downtown, if I have a choice of where
I'm eating, what better place can I go to?
Taryn: The restaurant was revolutionary,
and among the first in the US
to introduce gloved waiters, white-clothed tables,
and an à la carte menu.
Oscar: Obviously, the name is such a historical name
that people expect something fabulous.
And when they do come here,
I don't think anyone is ever sold short.
Taryn: Today, executive chef Billy Oliva leads the kitchen
in preserving Delmonico's original recipes.
Billy: OK, so we're going to plate our eggs Benedict,
so, very easy, our brioche.
Taryn: And how was this original recipe created?
Like, how did this come together?
Billy: So, the Delmonico brothers
had a lot of regular customers.
And they were notorious
for naming dishes after their customers.
So, Mr. and Mrs. LeGrand Benedict used to come
all the time, and they told the Delmonicos
that they were bored of the menu.
The Delmonico brothers said,
OK, we're gonna make you something new.
And it was eggs Benedict that they created,
was for Mr. and Mrs. LeGrand Benedict.
Taryn: And did they like it?
I presume they loved it.
Billy: 'Cause it's around 180-some-odd years still, so.
Taryn: I know I've had it a few times.
Not here, but other places. It's that popular.
Billy: It's good hangover food.
Taryn: Yeah, oh, yeah.
There are a couple of stories of how
eggs Benedict came to be.
Some say businessman Lemuel Benedict created the dish
while looking for a cure to his hangover
at the Waldorf Astoria hotel's breakfast buffet in 1894.
But Delmonico's says it started with the LeGrands
in the 1860s, immortalized in a cookbook in 1894.
The restaurant makes more than 100 orders
of the original eggs Benedict a week,
a plate that's been popularized by countless
American diners and restaurants around the world.
The Delmonico's recipe calls for two poached eggs,
toasted brioche, and charred Black Forest ham.
Oliva whisks together melted butter, vinegar,
and Worcestershire sauce to make the dish's
signature hollandaise sauce.
Taryn: Is that caviar?
Billy: A little caviar is gonna go on top.
Taryn: Truffle and caviar, casually.
Egg yolk!
[gasps] Oh, my gosh!
Did that happen with yours? Billy: Yeah, it did.
Taryn: You didn't even react, you're used to it.
You've eaten this so many times.
That truffle hits you in the face.
This stands out, by far, against every other
eggs Benedict I've had.
Obviously, it has elements that other eggs Benedict don't,
but this is also the original with a little bit of...
Billy: With a little bit of...
flair. Taryn: Flair, yeah.
Delmonico's flair.
Delmonico's is the birthplace
to a couple other American classics,
like the Baked Alaska, named to celebrate
the US's purchase of the 49th state,
and the legendary Delmonico's steak.
Billy: Yeah, we probably sell 150 to 200 a day.
Taryn: Of Delmonico's steak?
Billy: Yeah. Taryn: Oh, man!
Billy: Like, it's double what we sell of everything else.
Taryn: The restaurant's reputation
has earned it visits from some of the biggest names
in politics, TV, and film.
- Look, we're going to Delmonico's for supper,
won't you join us?
- Delmonico's, obviously one of the greatest
restaurants in the world.
- Delmonico's.
Oscar: You never know who you could find here.
You could have the governor here on one day,
and then you could have Scorsese here on another day.
So it's a place where you never know
who's gonna be sitting next to you.
Taryn: What kind of celebrities have sitten,
potentially, where we are sitting?
Billy: Wow!
Well, I know definitely we've had Whoopi Goldberg.
Matter of fact, last night Sean Penn was here.
A lot of history has passed through here.
Even people, Tesla is another one. You know,
some people come in, and they'll ask, where did Tesla sit?
Abe Lincoln was here.
Taryn: The list goes on.
Billy: Yeah, there's so many people.
Taryn: To this day, Delmonico's is considered
an old-world New York destination,
guaranteeing a historic tour of fine cuisine
to the hundreds of locals and tourists
who walk through its doors.
John: It's the type of place that you go to
and you feel the history.
There are so many steak houses,
and while lot of them are good,
they're all very the same.
This place is different.
It has character that a lot of the other ones don't have.