I have been invited to DelMonico's restaurant

Be honest, and tell him.

If he judges you, then fuck him.

If he suggests somewhere more affordable and tries to accommodate you, then it's worth going on the date.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

Especially on a first date.

If the person ends up being someone you really like, lying about yourself could really turn him off.

Just be honest. About EVERYTHING.

God, in Flyoverstan City you hardly even meet anyone who can afford a good restaurant. And they’d love it because they’re all mostly OBESE.

Do you have elegance?

I hope you have elegance.

If you ain't got elegance,

You can never, ever carry it off.

r4 - um

Money can't buy you class.

Elegance is learned, my friend.

I am considering going but I need to pay in cash.

R1 and R2 give good advice. Tell him. You have nothing to lose because if he dumps you over it you just saved yourself a ton of drama and negativity.

If he invited you on the date, why are you paying for anything?

Or just say: Can we do something simpler?

Not a New Yorker, but looking at the menu it does seem somewhat high end for a date of someone (who it sounds like) you don't know well.

Even if he were paying I don't know how great I'd feel about being taken out to a $150-$200 meal (assuming you drink) for a run of the mill date.

R1 & R10 are right. Suggest somewhere more low key.

Have you considered using nature's credit card?

#9 is right: if you're invited to dinner then the inviter pays. Unless it's established up front that you're 'going dutch'. If confused, it is acceptable to ask, "Your treat?".

Why not suggest something more in your budget like Golden Corral?

I suggested Semma.

R14 Or Wendy's.

Can't you leave an hour earlier and turn a couple of tricks on the way to your date?

Not these days r9 and r13.

Delmonicos for a first date should ring alarm bells. He’s being a show off. I would suggest someplace else or don’t go.

I would go if the date is paying.

When did gays start dating?

OP, bottoms don’t pay.

That sounds like an asshole’s first date. Is he a CEO? Most people wouldn’t waste the money on a first date that might go poorly.

Even if he’s paying, it’s a bizarre choice for a first date.

Yeah, he should have chosen White Castle.

Tell him that the choice is out of reach for you. He could be a dine and dash asshole

[quote] I would go if the date is paying.

Even if I got asked out on a date with someone offering to pay for everything, I would still feel bad.

Personally, I would feel obligated to at least drop the tip or something.

I could never - and I mean never - go out with someone and make them pay for everything.

I wouldn't even do that with friends, much less with someone I don't even know.

It's just tacky.

Is Groupon still a going concern? Check there.

Another alternative is to go, tell your date that you had an enormous lunch, and order the smallest and cheapest thing on the menu - an appetizer and a glass of house wine, for instance, or a cup of soup. The trick to this is to eat a little something at home before you go out. Otherwise you're going to feel bitter that you've just spent $40 and are utterly ravenous.

He sounds gross, OP.

Totally disagree r28. That is the most awkward thing to have dinner with someone who barely orders anything. I would be pissed if someone pulled that if we had plans to go out for a nice dinner together. I would much rather they tell me they didn’t want to go there and suggest something else.

Delmonico’s is for business lunches paid on expense accounts.

Maybe, r30, but isn't it also awkward to invite someone you hardly know to a very high-end restaurant without consulting them as to their preference. I think normally that date invitation would go, "I'd love to have dinner with you. Do you have a favorite cuisine, or a favorite restaurant?"

Or, "I'd love to take you to my favorite restaurant, Delmonico's. You'd be my guest, of course".

As long as the lady is paying, why not take the vicuña?

You know what you can do with your vicuña ...

This is a Big Red Flag. He's clueless and presumptuous. A high-end place for a first date is absurd.

Note: I once actually did go on a first date with someone I'd texted with for several weeks who turned out to be a CEO of a major tech company. He "invited" me to dinner at a high-end, but not ultra high-end restaurant that happened to be one of my favorites (Restaurant LuLu in SF, sadly it closed). He spent the 30 minutes talking about his power and implied wealth until it became clear that I wasn't going to fuck him right after. He was also physically unattractive. He suddenly asked the waiter to split the check, paid his half, and left. I got to polish off 2/3 of the bottle of wine as I enjoyed the rest of my meal. The cute waiter was a scream -- he figured out it was a failed blind date and bought me dessert and a double espresso. It was one of the best evenings in a long time. He helped me download Scruff on my phone, among others. I was newly single after 26 years and these phone apps were fairly new technology at the time.

I wonder if OKCupid even exists anymore?

Keep trying, OP! Had some adventures for a few years. Dating became a full time job until I got bored. And then I hooked up with a guy randomly on a beach In Mexico. We've been married for 6 years. An unpretentious guy, more my speed.

What if the date sucks, op?

I'll tell you what. There is nothing worse than shelling out BIG BUCKS for an evening that you would like to be over very quickly.

It would suck to waste all that money on a dinner with a person that you might never see again.

First dates should be casual and quick.

If you hit it off, then you can arrange something longer and better.

If you don't, then you can both get out of there and not waste each others' time, and more importantly... MONEY.

OP, this could be your one chance, do you have anything you can pawn?

I took Aaron Carter to Ma Maison and he stole my wallet..

Do they have a drive-through?

You have to go to see the shows and close the town in a whirl!

R35 To paraphrase an old saying, “Why pay for the bull when you can get the semen for free?” If that date wanted sex, he could have hooked-up using an app. Maybe he needed to puff himself up to get it up.

R33 wins.

OP, do you have any idea what in the world made this ridiculous flosser think you wanted to go to Delmonico's?

He invites, he pays.

However, just in case you want to be prepared to go dutch:

Looking at the current menu, you could get the campanelle pasta ($36) and add a salad if you want to go crazy ($26). Skip a drink or get a Coke. Or you could add a glass of wine or a cocktail for around $25. (Ridiculous, but it is what it is.) You can order a perfectly respectable combination + tip for about $75-$100.

It's a lot for a first date, but it's not cutting off a testicle. It's an historic restaurant, and if it's not someplace you would go by yourself, why not look at it as a chance to treat yourself and live a little. Can you cut back on takeout or other junk spending to finance it?

Relevant questions:

1) How old and/or broke ARE you?

2) How cute is this guy?

You people talking about ordering conservatively to keep down the bill - I dont understand. The check will be picked up by the invitee, or if not, the check will be SPLIT. Do you really go on a date and start adding up and bickering about who ate what? Then refuse the invitation. Sheesh. Cheap miserable bastards.

The check doesn't have to be split.

Bring cash to pay for your portion.

If that doesn't work for them, too bad! That's all you have. And there's your answer: No second date.

Refuse the invitation, refuse an opportunity. DL has too many people sitting at home already.

[quot]This is a Big Red Flag. He's clueless and presumptuous. A high-end place for a first date is absurd.

WOW, some of you bitches are low class trash and talk like you have never been on a real date before. You know, if OP was a woman instead of a gay man, everyone would basically expect her to not only go, but they would trash the date for being cheep if he suggested some tacky low budget restaurant. They would be celebrating finding a good man with a good job not screaming about red flags.

That said, just asking someone to go out to dinner is not necessarily an invite to a free meal. That's very, very old school. The geriatric crowd are the only ones who still think like that.

Unless they phrase it like R23 said above. "I'd love to take you to my favorite restaurant, Delmonico's. You'd be my guest, of course". Or "I would to take you to ______ restaurant, my treat."

If he did not make it sound that way and you want to still go out but cant afford that. You could say "you know I really want to check that place out some time, but right now my budge is kind of tight, I know a great place not too far from here and the prices are more moderate, would you be up for doing that instead?"

Ok dear. and be sure to calculate your portion of the 14% tip (be sure to low ball it) based on your portion of the check. Ride the subway to the date. When he suggests sharing a cab uptown, tell him you prefer to walk or take the subway.

I’m with R12, OP. Just get out the hairy checkbook.

This thread is like watching a bunch of blind people try to coach a baseball team.

Does he work down in the financial district? That might be the main reason he suggested it. Iv been there, not much around except tall office buildings and very few residential ones. The food was really good if you decide to go. Very old school but it's just reopened / remolded last year. It's the oldest steak house in America. Started by Italians, even though it's not an Italian restaurant. A lot of history of famous patrons. They also invented the Delmonico Cut, which is basically a Rib Eye steak.

He could be a grifter and as the meal winds down he excuses himself to go to the men's room and does a dine and dash out the door leaving you with the bill.

Easy way to fist that R53, meet at his place first. Make sure he lives there.

Now we’re on pre dinner fisting r54!

I have questions:

Is this a blind date? Or, have you already met before? Is he aware you're not on equal terms when it comes to finances?

If this is a first time meeting, then it's a solid NO.

If he's aware you're poorer than he is, and you know for a fact he's the real deal (a dude with money/a good job) then it's a maybe as long as he's definitely paying.

If in doubt, then don't.

[quote]If he's aware you're poorer than he is, and you know for a fact he's the real deal (a dude with money/a good job)

Then work that pussy for all it's worth.

Rich guys in NYC don't grow on trees — and they won't be interested in your broke ass for too much longer.

OP, may I suggest....

To start, order the Kumamoto Oysters + Osetra Caviar. (28 + 40)

Also order the Seafood Plateau to share with him. (69 + 50)

Then I'd suggest the Wedge Salad and the Maine Crab Cake. (28 + 37)

For your entree, order the Risotto (43), the Wagyu Côte de Boeuf (255), and the Lobster Newberg (at Market Price, of course (approx. 65)).

Be sure to get a side of Sautéed Wild Mushrooms and the Pommes Purée. (18 + 15)

Don't forget the Delmonico’s Martini (25). Three of those (for you) should suffice.

And to finish your meal, order the Delmonico’s Original Baked Alaska. (24)

Before tax, your meal should come out to about $750. With tax, that's about $815. A 25% gratuity will be about $205.

Bringing your grand total (your share only) to approximately $1020.

The most important part is to BE SURE to put the bill on that big mouth CUNT R48's credit card.

She's SOOOOO high and mighty, and can naturally afford to pay for you. Hopefully, that will make her SHUT HER FAT TRAP, and never speak again.

We should be so lucky.

If this was a movie the audience wid be on your side...And if he understands ur predicament theyd love him too. Dont be ashamed. U can say it with humour.

This why we need to back to strict tops and bottoms. Since most of us (if we're being honest) are one or the other.

It was so much easier.

Tops pay, are older and not as hot. Bottoms don't pay, are younger and cuter.

It's the way nature intended.

[quote]R47 Refuse the invitation, refuse an opportunity. DL has too many people sitting at home already.

I would tell him I resent his manipulations to guilt me into sex on a first date. He is obviously hoping to have to pick up the check out of necessity - in exchange for which you will be ravished in his car in the underground parking garage. Don’t fall for it!

Your date is a sick, sick man and you don’t have to put up with his obvious, and sordid, games.

My Dad taught me to never eat out with anyone unless I could afford to pay for the meal and to leave a generous tip: he was a Union man. I'm grateful to him, since I've been stuck paying for my date's meal before.

[quote]they would trash the date for being cheep

What a bird-brain!

Just say you’d prefer another restaurant. It can’t be that hard.

I went to Delmonico's for one of those restaurant week meals. But it turned out it was not available that day. I was with friends and we made the best of it ordering only drinks and appetizers. We survived. The drinks were excellent,

[quote] If he judges you, then fuck him

Fuck him RIGHT in the Delmonico’s!

You call the guy and say, in your charming way, "I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind but could we maybe go someplace other than Delmonico's?"

He'll then possibly say something like, "You don't like DelMonico's?" And you can say, no, it's all right, but I was thinking about this little place I think you'd like..."

He might even say, "Don't worry about it, I'm paying." Then you can protest and he can insist. One of you will get your way on that one.

Or, he might just say, "Sure, where would you rather go?"

OP, I think you're too worried about this. He's not in charge,just because he asked you out. You need to speak up. Just do it nicely and it shouldn't be a problem, unless he's an unreasonable person, in which case it's good to know that before you go any further. But most people aren't.

Are you a fucking Frau, op?

No, then sack up. Say the last time you ate there you were unwell after though it was a fabulous place.

If he presses for detail say you had EXPLOSIVE shits for hours after. That should solve your date dilemma.

R68 Why lie?

Besides, his date will know he's lying, and that's not a great way to start out.

Anyone telling OP to lie, use a credit card, or order a tiny meal and then nickel and dime him over the bill is not giving good advice.

If OP potentially wants a future with this guy, and it sounds like he might otherwise he wouldn't care so much, he should just be honest about his situation and let the guy show his true character up front.

Can you pivot this to just meeting for a drink at the bar there? You could tell him you’d be more comfortable with that.

Have we even established that the date is somehow dead set on going to Delmonico's? (The M isn't capitalized, btw, I just looked it up.)

OP, we're on 71 replies, what have you decided to do?

Why not just meet at a bar for drinks and appetizers?

Wouldn't that be cheaper and faster (in case you want to bail from the date)?

Having an expensive, two hour meal with a stranger you may or may not be into, seems ridiculous.

Isn't it kind of shitty when someone has asked you out to dinner, to say you want to meet at the bar for a drink?

If it’s a first date, you definitely don’t want to be stuck with a long meal.

(Back when I dated, I could often tell within the first few minutes if it was a bad match.)

OP- Delmonico's?

Are you posting from 1904?

R75 Yeah, that's exactly what it sounds like--I only want to meet for a drink, because I might want to bail.

We don't even know how well OP knows this person.

OP seems to have left the chat, btw.

OP, is this guy HOT?

Can you take him behind the dumpster& just blow him? Make sure you swallow too (if he's good looking).

He screwed up royally by inviting you to this restaurant without knowing you and revealed himself to be out of common sense. OP, your discomfort is entirely reasonable. Now you'd be a fool to go along with it considering how you feel. At this point I'd tell him, "Hey, I was thinking about our plans and I think I'd rather start with coffee or a drink if that's OK with you" and have a favorite place of yours in mind to suggest to him. See how he responds. If he's anything but totally easy about it, run.

OP went on the date and was never heard from again.

[quote]R73 Why not just meet at a bar for drinks and appetizers?

Or in a men’s room somewhere?

I can tell you that whatever sync there was in the beginning, the other guy has already broken.

Hi, op?

This is X.

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cancel our date at Delmonico's.

Something suddenly came up.

I'll be in touch.

OP went on the date, felt pressured to go back to the guys place since he picked up the check, and is now in the guys freezer. I do hope OP ordered more than a salad.

I'm the OP and haven't gone on the date yet. It's tomorrow. And yes he works down there and we met once at a friend's party (seems nice), this is our first actual date. He suggested it offhandedly, I don't think trying to be snobby, but looking at the menu, it's way out of my price range. I haven't said anything yet and no, I am not chopped up in anyone's freezer.

Actually, OP has inherited over 1 million from dead relatives and can afford it. OP just can't decide which caftan to wear.

R85 So...have we given you any ideas? Have you come closer to a decision?

r86, this isn't the White Lotus thread.

Just make a joke of it and say you’d like to go somewhere a bit more casual

"Hey, do you mind if we go somewhere a bit more casual?"

Sounds perfect to me, R89.

iTs NoT rOcKeT sCiEnCe, Op

Thanks, all. We're going someplace more casual. Anyone been to Txikito, in Chelsea?

R92 You don't share much, do you?

R52 it’s really just called lower Manhattan. And there is plenty of residential in the immediate area. And the restaurant is for boors—it’s not very good.

Bring a cockroach and sneak it into the salad. Works every time.

[quote]Fuck him RIGHT in the Delmonico’s!

If people are paying those kinds of prices, they're all getting fucked in the Delmonico's.

r93, huh?

R97 After all these people replied, many giving you advice, this was the entire response.

[quote] Thanks, all. We're going someplace more casual. Anyone been to Txikito, in Chelsea?

No story of what happened, why/how he changed his mind. Why he wanted to go to Delmonico's in the first place, etc.

Why even make a thread, it doesn't sound as if it was needed.

Thanks for wasting our time, OP.

I hope you have a lovely casual Mexican meal and shit all over his sheets.

How unfortunate. We were so looking forward to OP's Presentation of the Coupons (all for other restaurants, and expired)

And that's it, apparently.

[quote] Thanks, all. We're going someplace more casual. Anyone been to Txikito, in Chelsea?

Sorry, op.

I heard they were closed down due to a rat infestation.

You'll have to contact him and arrange to meet somewhere else.

The date has yet to happen. What more detail do you want?!?

R103 You started a thread having a problem. Presumably, you wanted advice. Advice was given. You then basically posted, "problem solved" and never said how you got him to change his mind, whether you had to admit you were too poor to go to Delmonicos, nothing. And you still don't get it.

Forget it, never mind.

Hmm, Txikito was closed. We went to Guy Fieri's Flavortown. Anyone heard of it?

R104. Just block the OP troll. Then you can see all of the awful, rambling, mind-numbing nonsense it also posts. Its like the mind of a schizophrenic.

R105 Like OP could afford Flavortown.

R106 Oh, God, you're right. Blah-de-blah-de-blah.

Isn't Flavortown Fugo Fieri's version of Chik-fil-A meets Burger King?

I suppose if the conversation drifts you can always watch something on the TV.

Yes, they put on Wheel of Fortune for us. I got a Banana Pudding Shake for dessert.

R99 it’s Basque tapas, not Mexican. Txikito is a fantastic place for a date. The food is excellent. A perennial top 50 in NYC dining ( I’m a regular ).

R110. Sad...

So, will there be a second date?

European rules.

If someone invites you to some thing, it means he is acting as host. It's his treat.

If he *invited* you to dinner, his treat. (You could always invite him to drinks after dinner.)

If, however, this was some mutual agreement to share a dinner, you're shit out of luck. Explain that you're not big on steaks and suggest something more modest

[Delmonico's menu from April, 1899}

[quote] So, will there be a second date?

The op's date blocked his phone number.

He doesn't do POOR.

[quote]I have been invited to DelMonico's restaurant

Is OP posting from the Gilded Age?

sounds delicious r58.

Exorbitantly expensive, of course.

But some high end restaurants sell bottles of wine that cost hundreds and thousands!

R114 American rules in 2025, dates split checks unless the inviter says it is on them. And for a first date that is a red flag .

if a bill comes up to 700 dollars per person, I got it. It would hurt me to get it but I got it for a one time thing. 7 grand? 15 k?

Nope.

Don't got it.

As R53 said, I got dined and dashed on a date, in 2012 or so.

I could cover up to 700 USD in an emergency but if a grifter ordered a 6 thousand dollar bottle of wine and dashed, I would be fucked.

Some high end restaurants dont even price their expensive wines, "if ya hafta ask"

Be careful, OP. For all you know, he could be an EST.

R114 I love old menus.

I wonder how they had so many items in stock, though. Just the birds: chicken, squab, reed birds, plover, red head duck, mallard duck, snipe, ruddy duck, canvasback duck...and the fish of all kinds. They didn't even have refrigeration, did they? (But also, who provided all these birds, and the types of fish, regularly?) And the varieties of fruits and vegetables and meats.

look they have steaks from South Dakota!

Plovers are now an endangered species.

Just go. Live large for a change. Borrow 50 bucks from 4 friends to help cover your half. Who cares?

R126 needs to read the thread.

R114 Pigeon with Peas cost $1.00.

Does any restaurant serve pigeon anymore?

As I said at r61, this is date rape just waiting to happen.

Wonder what pigeon tastes like...?

Was there a lot of food poisoning in those days?

^^^taste like chicken^^^

What kind of pigeon? Is it brown, white, or gray?

Sharon Stone always gets stuck paying everyone’s dinner bill and she’s SICK OF IT.

Pigeon is just more mature squab.

R128 The internets say you can still find pigeon served and specifically mention those that might feature French, British, Egyptian, and Chinese cuisine.

There's a chef from a Michelin star restaurant in Norwich (UK) who has a video on youtube showing how they make a dish they serve using the entire pigeon.

I found an Egyptian restaurant in my neck of the woods (Southern California) that has pigeon on their menu. They call it "Hamam Mahshy. This article is old, but they still feature it as one of their popular items and it now goes for $37.99

I still don't get how they had so much stuff on hand all the time so that it could go on a menu. Did they have people shooting game birds all the time, and delivering them to the restaurant? From the seashore, the rivers, the countryside? How long did they keep them around? What if no one wanted any plover for a couple days? Did they throw them out and get more. I mean this was 1899, in a city.

R134 Thanks for that info.

I’ll take wedge salad, filet mignon rare to medium rare, puréed potatoes, and wild mushrooms.

Plot twist: OP is a hetero woman

Tell him that the last time you ate there you got the runs.

R135 Reddit has a sub with old menus, especially of this era in NYC, and it’s fascinating how many more meat and marine items people used to eat.

So it’s possible these things were not as exotic as we might think and easily gotten from city vendors. Though it does not explain how they stored them, which might be what you meant. I often wonder how the same about diners of today

R98 I’m getting Danny Boooooon flashbacks

R138 Maybe she squirts.

R128 sure. I’ve had it in Italy many times. Similar to quail.

If more people ate pigeon then restaurants could pay the homeless to catch and deliver them. The cities would get cleaned up and the homeless could afford a pack of cigarettes or something.

Pigeons aren't easy to catch. Watch every kid and demented person in the park try it.

Maybe a butterfly net - -

If you catch a pigeon, check to make sure no wire or plastic has got caught in its feet.

R144 it’s free range farm pigeon…not fresh off the sidewalk.

So they SAY!

Well at least in Milano, we enjoy a well-dressed and cultured pigeon on the plate.

I wonder if from the street, the pigeons can be advertised as Free Range.

They DID get to wander freely!

[quote]I wonder how they had so many items in stock, though. They didn't even have refrigeration, did they?

Even the Romans have a form of refrigeration Sherlock, they used snow from the mountains. NYC back then had ice delivered in big blocks.

The dumbness on DL should never cease to amaze me. So far, it hasn’t.

Hey, everyone - just got back from bagging some pigeons downtown!

[italic]Who’s buyin’??

Couldn't get a reservation at the Harmonia Gardens, we see.

R127 I don't have time to read these threads, hon. I skim, throw some cuntitude and move on. Are you new to DL, my dear? That's how it works. It's not an exercise in thorough reading when you are deep into the sippypoos.

R152 Yes, I know that. They had ice, and sawdust and blankets to keep it from melting, I believe. But not modern refrigeration. Despite the existence of ice delivery, they didn't have freezers.

They couldn't freeze meat or fish at a restaurant--they could keep it on ice. But for how long? Maybe you don't own a refrigerator, but the fact is, you can't leave meat and fish just refrigerated for more than a few days. You can't leave vegetables in the icebox for long, either.

They didn't have frozen vegetables then. They had canned--maybe the restaurant partly used canned fruits and vegetables, or even oysters. Canned oysters were very big at that time.

But for the most part--they had to have all these items in stock, fresh, daily, since they are on the menu. Most modern restaurants will not have this sheer number and variety of items. It would be impractical.

Call me stupid if you want to. One of us is.

*Yes, they could buy all this stuff daily at the various big markets, but if no one ordered the item--Saddleback duck, whatever--they would have had to throw it out after a few days, and buy more. Doesn't seem economical or practical.

*By the way, fish loses flavor after more than one day (or less) under refrigeration.

R158/159 *Give it a rest.

Delmonico's? Does that old rat-trap still even exist?

[quote]Did they have people shooting game birds all the time, and delivering them to the restaurant?

Yes. Back then there were a lot more migratory game birds, and a lot more people shooting them (which is why there aren't as many around now).

I love the scene in Deception where Claude Rains improvises a restaurant meal for Bette Davis and Paul Henreid, hitting on woodcock as the perfect main course. Like you could just walk into a restaurant and expect them to have woodcock.

Question on reddit:

Old hotel menus were enormous. Did their kitchens really offer all those options every day?

Over on r/vintagemenus you can see old (pre-WWII) menus that seem to list just about every kind of dish you can think of. Hotels especially. I find it hard to believe their kitchens could provide so many different foods, especially since freezers were not available (in the 19th Century) for convenience. Everything was made fresh and from scratch.

Were the menus merely possible offerings from the kitchen? “I’ll have the clam chowder.” “Sorry, we don’t have that today.” That way they would only have to print one menu.

[quote] The cities would get cleaned up and the homeless could afford a pack of cigarettes or something.

OP might even be able to afford Delmonico's. He could show up with 20 pigeons and barter.

[quote] Most modern restaurants will not have this sheer number and variety of items.

Poster has never been to a Cheesecake Factory.

I was thinking of good restaurants that serve dishes comparable to the old Delmonico's.

Delmonico’s IS the Cheesecake Factory!

After several moves over 98 years or so, Delmonico's closed 1923 during Prohibition.

This restaurant is a facsimile.

The Tucci family have been behind 2-3 versions of Delmonico's since 1981.

When the civil war starts and the food supply is interrupted fat whores on DL will kill to eat pigeon.

They will kill pigeon to eat. FIFY

It has been over a week. What happened to OP and his Delmonico's date?

OP should have let his date pick up the tab at Delmonico's, then on their second date, reciprocated by taking the guy to Del Taco.

It has been over a week since OP began his thread. I wonder how his date went?

OP is drugged and bound in an ancient, forgotten basement far below Delmonico's. His date turned out to be their overnight security guard, who lives on site.

Now OP does, too.

This thread didn't disappoint. 😎

They will part ways in three months, after several late summer night, sweaty and torrid frottage sessions, and the unfortunate Negroni Sbagliato spill onto the custom made Mitchell Gold + Bob William tan leather sofa. They will part sadly, friendly and resigned, and OP will sigh, "We'll always have Delmonico's."

I once saw a guy with a big ass net, long handle, capture some pigeons in one fell swoop from Tompkins Square park (NYC). He ran to his car, flung the net and pigeons into the back seat ---and took off like a shot.

It was early morning and I thought, wtf!

Free-range indeed.

[quote]Call me stupid if you want to. One of us is.

Yes you are stupid. You never heard of an ice box? You dont need a walk in freeze to keep things cold. People been doing it for thousands of years. And NYC was the busiest city in America back then, you could get ice delivered daily even just a poor resident. I am sure fine restaurants got more than just one block at a time. Big blocks like that last several days.

R177, probably Santeria

Remember, game birds are hung for a few days before they're eaten. And oysters used to be shipped by the barrel to the Midwest via train.

OP here. Thanks for all the advice. The switch of venue was non-dramatic; I just asked if we could meet closer to my place and said I'd heart Txitiko was good and he said sure. Dinner was good. Had a nice time. But there were no sparks. Split the check. Each went our separate ways after dinner.

This thread is the perfect example of why I’ve been here for 30 fucking years.

It’s the only place in the world where other people besides me AUTOMATICALLY start singing “Elegance” at the mere mention of Delmonico’s. But shame on the person who ascribed it to Dolly Levi, when it’s…you know…Barnaby & Cornelius. As per line two of the song.

Mea culpa, R182. In my defense, I initially thought this was going to be a gag thread written from Irene or Minnie's POV.

OP @r181, glad to hear you had a nice evening without breaking the bank.

Txikito!

And it’s better than good, it’s great.

[quote] Dinner was good. Had a nice time. But there were no sparks.

Told you so.

Now imagine if you had spent over $100 for dinner.

It would have been a total waste of money.

90% of first dates are usually last dates.

What makes you think he didn’t spend over $100 for dinne?

surely there is a zero missing.

There were probably no sparks because OP's suitor could tell from the subtext of his venue change that he's a POOR. And good riddance, I say; OP doesn't need a pretentious asshole yuppie in his life.

R178 You couldn't FREEZE things using ice, chowderhead.

These restaurants and hotels that had these these menus had no freezers. And they weren't always in the big cities.

Ice. yeah, it could keep something for a very little while, and not with the consistent temps of refrigeration. Before refrigerators people shopped semi-daily, they canned vegetables and fruits.

I was just wondering a place like Demonico's kept so many varieties of meat and fowl and fish on hand for daily consumption in a restaurant, because not everyone is going to order those things every hour or every day. That's just the curiosity of any intelligent person. Other people just say, "They had ice" and don't think it through. I'm interested in history, the history of food consumption, a lot of things. Not just easy answers. If you think that's "stupid", then maybe you're stupid.

Food poisoning was so common in those days it was known as "summer complaint." You'd get a little nausea and diarrhea and the doctor would prescribe an emetic. That's what Lizzie Borden's parents were diagnosed with the day before they were killed.

Just order a side salad with a glass of water.

Not everything on the menu was available everyday. And things not consumed one day were repurposed the next. Roast meats became cold meats the next day. They had a cold room. They had huge kitchens with many specialists.

Cold rooms were insulated and lined with zinc or tile, packed with large blocks of natural ice harvested in winter and delivered from ice houses. One block was 200–300 pounds and could last a few days when in a room with many blocks. Temperatures could be maintained around 2°C to 7°C (36°F–44°F). The addition of ammonia-compressor systems by the 1910s could keep cold rooms reliably around 0°C to 4°C.

Has Delmonico's gone vegan yet?

Some of you have no idea how long meat and produce is kept in cold storage before it is shipped to your grocery store. That steak you bought today wasn’t frolicking as a happy cow last week

Fun fact: Cambridge Mass was a center of the ice business. They used to carve up blocks of ice straight from the frozen-over Charles River.

R4, r183 I was actually hoping it was. And I wish the stuffed whale was still there.

R195 What about in 1899?

Ask them if they got any good steaks.

I've been do Delmonicos once in my lifetime and that was almost 30 years ago. It was on the company's tab as my boss, the CEO was paying. I remember the prices back then were outlandish, but I just checked their current menu prices and good God. A wedge of iceberg lettuce, the cheapest lettuce there is, with a few sprinkles of various things is $28.00. A simple Caesar salad is $26.00.

OP my suggestion to you when someone invites you to a restaurant that is out of your price range is to simply chuckle and say "you'd better be paying because if I was a billionaire I wouldn't spend that kind of money on restaurant food". He can either say "of course I'm paying" or "well then let's find something not so expensive". That way you're not outright saying "look, I can not afford that". It just says you have standards where money is concerned.

It’s not even about the cost. It’s a crap restaurant.

They didn't go.

We don't know why. The end.

Txikito has much better food in any case.

OP presumably wouldn’t be able to eat much if he expected to safely bottom for dessert.

R203 In any case...they didn't go to Txikito.

[quote] OP presumably wouldn’t be able to eat much if he expected to safely bottom for dessert.

Eat at Txikito and he won't have to worry about that.

OP will have the runs, which will clean him right out.

R205 they did. R306 it ain’t comida mexicana.

Yeah okay. So sorry.

OP's account of the evening was fascinating.

The main restaurant in Dodge City, Ks. on Gunsmoke was Delmonico's. I still laugh every time I watch it and Festus says "I'll meet you at Delmonico's, I'm hungry for one of their big steaks". Once someone revealed those huge steaks cost .65.

What's an extremely expensive steakhouse in New York that is actually worth the money?

La Tête d’Or

Do they have Outback Steakhouse in New York. It's Australian.

Thank you, r211. I'd like to try a fancy steakhouse the next time I'm visiting.

I found it too chic but not a rip off. This is because luxury steak is not my go to for luxury dining. I like steak from my brothers barbecue, or from a casual brasserie. L'onglet du boucher. flank steak. 2 steaks per cow, must be served seared and rare or bleu. At only 2cm it's fine and should cost 30-50 bucks with frites and sauce.

[quote] La Tête d’Or

Tits of Gold?

R200, if someone said that to me, I wouldn't date them anyway. You sound just like my mother, who has never once in her entire life wasted an opportunity to complain about the price of food.

[quote]It would have been a total waste of money.

Er, waste of money? You do realize people go to that restaurant for the food, reputation and ambiance right? 99% are not there on dates.

R216, I felt that way about r214!

Back in the 80s there was a steak house in Manhattan called Cattleman Palace. I went there once with a work associate. It was like something out of 1800s Colorado. Red velvet wallpaper, big clunky furniture. The food was great and plentiful and when they presented you with the check they also presented each man at the table a humongous cigar. The food was much better than Delmonico's.

Things haven't been the same since the Sizzler in Forest Hills Queens lost its lease and closed.

R218 how does "I found it too chic but not a rip off" translate into complaining about the cost of food.

R212 right on the edge of Chelsea, on 6th Ave.

OP is Cornelius Hackle.

OP saving up her nickels for the Automat!

[quote] when they presented you with the check they also presented each man at the table a humongous cigar. The food was much better than Delmonico's.

Sorry, anyone who is "impressed" with being handed a cigar with their bill is a simpleton and most likely does not understand how tacky that was even in the 80's. 1880s would be a lot different. If that kind of gross old world charm impresses you, then lets bring back Spittoons and chewing tobacco.

On a date to Delmonico's? First date and he asked you? Then he's picking up the whole tab.

That's the sort of establishment you take a special someone for a milestone event, like a 10th wedding anniversary, or a 40th birthday. Screw that. Nobody should be expected to drop a couple of hundred dollars for a dinner date.

[quote] Sorry, anyone who is "impressed" with being handed a cigar with their bill is a simpleton and most likely does not understand how tacky that was even in the 80's

Look Jazzbo, I never said I was impressed by it. I just reported what they did. When you're noting a particular decade you DO NOT put an apostrophe before the s. The 1980s did not possess anything. Even us simpletons know that. Do better.

We simpletons!

Even I know that.

R227, if you posted it, you were impressed by it. Who cares about restaurants that are long gone unless you were impressed by them.

I am incredibly curious about the fare at Umberto's Clam House, which was the 1970s setting for a grisly gangland murder.

Clams, Rose.

If you want to spend a lot of money for no reason on a steak dinner, take a plane to Los Angeles, go to Saddleback Lodge in Calabasas, and order the 1lb. Bone-in Rib-eye, then fly back to NY.

There is no money in the world that would get a sane NYer to travel to Calabasas for anything, much less food.

I meant Saddle Peak Lodge, btw.

Still a NO.

R235 Didn't someone ask where in NYC they could find a really expensive steak house that lived up to its reputation--and that they wanted to go there?

Why would you want to go to a really expensive restaurant, in the first place? I would have just asked where you could get the best steak. If it happens to be reasonably priced, um, what's wrong with that?

My post was a comment on needlessly spending money for a good steak. Sorry it went over your head.

Oh, I understood. It was just a poor effort on your part. Weak commentary.

Assholes have entered the thread. Another fun thread ruined.

Okay, Mr. Superior.

Girls, Girls, you are both over priced showy steak houses!

And while I live in LA and have been to DelMonico's, I never even heard of Saddle Peak Lodge. Quick reviews on TripAdvisor talk about food poising and high prices. Just because it's a rustic setting does not make it any better.

I suspect the only reason it's there is because locals are too lazy to leave Malibu or Calabasas to go to a real steak house.

[quote] And while I live in LA and have been to DelMonico's, I never even heard of Saddle Peak Lodge. Quick reviews on TripAdvisor talk about food poising and high prices. Just because it's a rustic setting does not make it any better.

[quote] I suspect the only reason it's there is because locals are too lazy to leave Malibu or Calabasas to go to a real steak house.

You have never heard of a restaurant and have never been to it, you don't know who goes to it, but you have opinions on it, and them ("lazy") anyway.

Please give us more speculation about places you've never eaten at and the people who go you think go there and why.

*who you think go there and why.

Saddle Peak Lodge isn't a steak house, it's a restaurant known for serving unusual meats as well as beef--venison, elk, types of wild duck, etc. As well as the beautiful setting in the Santa Monica Mountains, and the lodge-like architecture. It was seen on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm a long time ago. It was popular with celebs, then, maybe it no longer is. I have no idea. It's a destination restaurant.

Oh, well excuse me! It was seen on a TV show, that must mean it's really good. Next you are going to tell me that someone who's on the show The Apprentice is going to make a great President.

A nightmare for the sensibility of taste - Review

If only the food and experience was a magical as the setting - Review

Food Poisoning (Do Not Go) - Review

It’s not what was, keep on giving it a chance. Not anymore. - Review

Beyond Horrible Easter Brunch - Review

Overpriced for mediocre food and underperformed establishment as far as customer service. - Review

Overpriced and Underserved! - Review

Historic decor but insane prices for the not-so-great food and wine - Review

Nobu prices for fast food -- best avoided - Review

Horrible Management & Swarm of Wasps - Review

If you're going, of course you'll Put on Your Sunday Clothes there's lots of world out there...

We'll see the shows

At Delmonico's

And we'll close the town in a whirl

And we won't come home until we've kissed a girl!

OP, you should text him with a link to this thread.

No one gives a fuck about saddle blah blah blah.

R244 I wasn't recommending the place. My comment was meant as--if your goal is to spend a lot of money on a steak, you might as well fly across the country, eat a steak, and fly home, if you really want to waste your money. I could have said any other restaurant. Thanks for your obsessive interest, though.