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| - Johnny Delmonico's is a classy establishment just off the Capitol square. Their interior reminds me of when Sean Connery and Harrison Ford were on the zeppelin in the movie, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". I would describe it as streamlined, intimate, and modern in the sense of Art Deco. The booths I saw were private and warm and the sound levels very quiet.
Supper was superb. I sat at the bar and began with a Silver Gimlet, which was a mixed masterfully at the bar. Gin, simple syrup, lime juice, and the right touch of mint. Excellent.
Oysters Delmonico followed as an appetizer. What a great choice. A very rich presentation of 6 oysters topped with finely cut spinach, finely diced smoked bacon, hollandaise and breadcrumbs, then toasted until broiled. The center of the plate holds one-half a lemon wrapped in cheesecloth. They were very good and I would certainly get them again. While they were a touch heavy on the hollandaise, I thought they had the perfect amount of bacon. So often you get a, "more is better" philosophy with bacon but here the chef knows that is not true. I would certainly order these again, and feel a man could do quite well to just order 3 of these and call it a bachelor's dinner. Word of advice to the diner: use the lemon. I didn't on my first two and I regret it, as the oysters went from good to great with the addition of the lemon.
The main was a 10 ounce New York Strip seared right in between medium and medium-rare, precisely what I requested. Great job back in the kitchen. It was lightly seasoned and plenty juicy despite a being very lean. When I asked about the potato options for an accompaniment and what the best choice was, the bartender James told me that the french fries were shoestring fries and drizzled with white truffle oil. They were cooked nicely and they did not short anyone on the drizzling...the fries were richly earthy; in fact, too much so for me! However, if you're a lover of truffles go with them. You won't be sorry.
Service was pleasant, competent and attentive, but fairly insincere. I've experienced this with Food Fight's restaurants, but never with Lettuce Entertain You operations in Chicago. Something for management to think about. Still, I'll take attentive and insincere over the other way around any day of the week.
Finally, there were two other things about the menu I wanted to compliment. First, the steaks are a wide variety of weights and cuts. I've never seen a 10 ounce strip on a menu before but it was wonderful to see it and allowed me to order a generous appetizer for myself. Also, their dessert menu was original, exciting, and wide-ranging. It had a bit of everything, and when I see that level of creativity in what is normally a realm of same-old, same-old options, I'm excited. I'll sample the next time I am there.
Go for for it - I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for a good meal, and there is a wide range of fish and fowl options if steak isn't your thing.
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