Epicurean Bills of Fare from Delmonico’s during the 1800s

Epicurean Bills of Fare I thought you might want to see a couple of Bills of Fare (for August!) from the Epicurean and Delmonico’s. They are extravagant.

Epicurean, 1894, 1920: The Epicurean. A Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art. Including… a Selection of Interesting Bills of Fare of Delmonico’s

But not anywhere nearly as extravagant as this chicken recipe that I’m going to show you, the recipe for (and the image of) Epicurean Bastion A L’Americaine.

Yes, we have this cookbook. You can see it here: https://www.vintagecookbook.com/product/epicurean-1894-1920/

Epicurean, 1894, 1920: The Epicurean. A Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies on the Culinary Art. Including… a Selection of Interesting Bills of Fare of Delmonico’s, from 1862 to 1894, Making a Franco-American Culinary Encyclopedia. Written by Charles Ranhofer, chef at New York’s Delmonico’s Restaurant from 1862 to 1876 and 1879 to 1896. Originally self-published in 1894, listed as Charles Ranhofer, Publisher, New York. This 1920 edition was copyrighted by Rose Ranhofer, Charles’s wife, and Published by John Willy, The Hotel Monthly Press, Chicago, in 1920.

In the 1820s, the Delmonicos opened their Manhattan restaurant, bringing European-style fine dining to America. Not until Charles Ranhofer arrived in Delmonico’s kitchen in the 1860s, however, did Delmonico’s become a world-famous establishment, attracting fine chefs from all over Europe. Boasting a guest list that included Charles Louis Napoleon, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Queen Victoria, Walter Scott and Lillian Russell, Delmonico’s quickly established itself as the place to be seen among affluent Manhattanites and visitors to New York. First published in 1894 (almost 20 years before that classic culinary bible, Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire), The Epicurean is a massive compendium of menus, techniques, terminology and recipes. The bills of fare are listed monthly. The bills of fare are fit for kings and queens. See our Recipe category for some examples!