There are a lot of rumors out there about Delmonico’s, most of them started by Delmonico’s. Elizabeth Taylor, Marylin Monroe, and even Abraham Lincoln ate there. An early Delmonico’s chef invented eggs Benedict and baked Alaska. They were the first to bring avocados to New York. Allegedly. Some of these claims are verifiable; others, more dubious. If you go into this Fidi institution—which reopened in 2023 after a three-year hiatus—completely unaware of its past, you’ll still have a solid steakhouse meal. (Even as you wonder why someone is serving you baked Alaska in the 21st century.) But you’ll appreciate Delmonico’s a lot more if you buy into the lore. Delmonico’s is, in fact, the oldest steakhouse in New York. (Old Homestead slips into that spot sometimes, on a technicality. Homestead is the oldest continuously operating steakhouse in New York.) It has changed ownership, remodeled a couple times, and even burnt down once before reopening in 1837, at its current building on Beaver Street. But for decades, each new iteration still drew in the city’s glitterati. A huge painting depicting high society overlooks a refurbished dining room. It’s a scene from sometime vaguely in the past, when people could still smoke inside. Another, newer, portrait on the opposite wall mirrors the Delmonico’s of today. It’s notably more diverse, and there’s even a smartphone on the table, but no cigarettes—or vapes—in sight. These days, you’re unlikely to find Taylor Swift sitting under the high ceilings and brand new bubble chandeliers, spooning lobster newburg into her mouth. Instead, the dining room is a tableau of FiDi bankers, tourists, and, if you eat here after 9pm, a few May-December arrangements. Whether or not Delmonico’s is really responsible for America’s love affair with the avocado, their kitchen does enthusiastically embrace change. You’ll see things like yuzu honey vinaigrette, gochujang cocktail sauce, and Sichuan peppercorn incorporated into their menu: adjustments made to match evolving cosmopolitan tastes. These blend seamlessly into salad dressings and steak sauces, but an ideal meal here should still include the classics: crab cakes, lobster Newburg, the signature Delmonico's steak. That last one is non-negotiable. The rumors are true—Delmonico’s is back and better than ever. It’s been through brotherly feuds, avocado import taxes, and Wall Street crashes, but those Corinthian columns still beckon us in. We’re still here to trade dry jokes with their buttoned-down servers, eat our potatoes just the way Lincoln liked them, and maybe meet Mark Twain’s ghost in the pub room downstairs.