The Once-Popular Steak Cut That Restaurants Stopped Serving

When you're in your grocery store's meat department searching for the best cut of steak for a fancy dinner, there's one you're unlikely to find. That is the Delmonico steak, and you may not have even heard of it before. You're unlikely to find it in a butcher window, and even less likely to find it on steakhouse menus since the mid-1900s. Surprisingly, however, it was an incredibly popular and sought-after steak for nearly a century, all thanks to one restaurant.

In 1827, a restaurant named Delmonico's opened in New York. Over the next few decades, the restaurant relocated, expanded, and gained a shining reputation. By the time the Civil War ended, it was widely renowned for specialty dishes, even serving the very first Eggs Benedict. Perhaps its most famous offering, though, was the Delmonico steak. Described as buttery, fatty, and mouthwateringly sumptuous, this steak could be ordered a la carte, which was a fairly new concept compared to other eateries of the era. This wasn't just a steak, it was the steak. Other restaurants began serving it, and Delmonico's opened new locations, all offering this craveable cut of beef.

But by around the 1950s, the steak had virtually vanished from menus. Delmonico's restaurant had closed in 1923, and later iterations changed hands several times while still serving the signature steak. Other restaurants, though, just didn't favor the cut as much, instead serving steaks you probably know well today like the ribeye or New York strip.

This steak was so wildly popular that you'd think we know all about it. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. Supposedly, it was an amazing cut of steak to serve rare, medium rare, or medium due to its heavy marbling and was one to two inches thick. But the debate about which part of a cow it comes from rages on. Some claim it's a bone-in ribeye, while others say it's a thick-cut strip steak. Some define it as a boneless ribeye, while others argue it's simply a club steak. Chefs from the 1862 Delmonico's restaurant authored recipes stating it was a sirloin, which you would think puts this mystery to bed. Not so, as the definition of sirloin has also changed over the last century. Perhaps the best argument is that it's a boneless top-loin steak, but even that can't be proven definitively.

Part of this confusion stems from the fact that Delmonico became a slang term for "the best." It was the supreme restaurant in all of New York for many decades after all. Diners would ask for Delmonico from other restaurants, which simply meant they wanted the house's most highly-regarded offering. A Delmonico steak was generally the freshest, most marbled, best-quality cut on hand. So, when looking for one of these beauties, you should probably stick with a boneless top loin for the most authenticity, but you should definitely expect the best cut a butcher can offer.

The ambiguity of the dish may actually be part of its downfall. The rise of other specific cuts, such as the bone-in ribeye, porterhouse, and filet mignon, meant that a steak with no solid definition was less desirable. It can also be a difficult cut of steak to cook due to its high fat content. Combine with these factors the closure of the original Delmonico's restaurant and later lawsuits over the name "Delmonico," and we can at least guess why this steak hasn't regained favor.

Luckily, if you want to try this blast from the past, it is possible. A few butchers still make a Delmonico upon request, and it might not even be all that expensive. If you have a local butcher and manage to spot this steak for sale, you should ask where the cut is from so you have an idea of whether it's an "authentic" Delmonico or just the best steak in the house. If it's got a bone in it, it's probably not authentic, but that doesn't mean it won't taste amazing.

This isn't a cut you should marinate before cooking. It's so well-marbled it only needs simple spices. Searing the outside to a nice crust before cooking on a lower heat to your preferred doneness is the best method. But if you want to try the real deal, the Delmonico's restaurant reopened in 2023, complete with steak on the menu.