Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 279 - 274: Secret Menu

Yan Ling brought Yan Yan to Delmonico’s restaurant on Wall Street for dinner.

The restaurant was specifically requested by Yan Yan.

Many gourmet critics’ columns state that this restaurant opened in 1837.

However, the true history of the restaurant dates back another ten years earlier.

It was just that, when established in 1827, the restaurant was named Delmonico Brothers Restaurant.

This is a typical American restaurant and a story of American brothers who became wealthy by opening a restaurant.

Since they weren’t from a wealthy family, for a long time the restaurant was operating in rented spaces, and they had to relocate occasionally.

Compared to Keens Steakhouse—the "Pipe" steakhouse Yan Yan visited the first time she came to New York to find Qi Yi.

This time, Yan Yan chose Delmonico’s, which had a bit more of a story and knew better how to market itself.

The initial popularity of the restaurant stemmed from delicious food and celebrities.

For example, at the end of the 19th century, it was managed by the legendary chef Charles Ranhofer who invented Benedict Eggs.

And frequent customers of that era included Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln.

The restaurant was copied by others, and because ’Delmonico’ wasn’t a particularly rare name, they didn’t win the trademark lawsuit.

It was similar to if Yao Ming, the largest ribbon manufacturing company globally, sued a well-known ribbon company in Xiamen named after him; the support would not have been granted.

The boss was also named Yao Ming, and naming his company after himself wasn’t an infringement.

Delmonico’s has witnessed many significant moments in the history of New York.

But however important history is, it’s not as important as the food.

A so-called typical American restaurant, actually, has no distinct features.

Signature dish: steak.

Characteristic of the signature dish: large.

Just looking at the menu, Delmonico’s doesn’t differ much from the Pipe restaurant in terms of dishes.

Speaking of the "signature dish" steak, the ones here haven’t been as tasty as those from Keens Steakhouse, which has been focusing on steaks since 1885.

But if we were to talk about fame, Delmonico’s could probably outshine the Pipe restaurant by a block or two.

Just by looking at the menu provided by the restaurant, one cannot understand why this restaurant has become a favorite among Wall Street patrons.

Geographical location is certainly one key factor, yet steak restaurants near the New York Stock Exchange are not exactly rare.

The "good stuff" at this restaurant is not found on the menu.

These dishes not listed on the menu have a very dominant and fittingly Wall Street-esque name, called the Billionaire’s Secret Menu.

You don’t actually need to be a billionaire to order from this secret menu.

Inside the restaurant, whether it’s a waiter or the bar manager, anyone can easily and joyfully order from the secret menu.

Delmonico’s understanding of a billionaire’s diet can be summed up in four words: simple and crude.

Most real billionaires probably eat just about anything.

Yet, this restaurant perceives them as a group of people with so much money they need to eat gold.

It’s unclear if many billionaires really frequent this establishment, but the "impoverished masses" particularly hope to enjoy a taste of the billionaire lifestyle through the Billionaire’s Secret Menu.

Regardlees of its authenticity, since it’s food consumed by billionaires, the price is definitely not going to be cheap.

A slice of flatbread (which can be understood as a rectangular-shaped pizza) for 150 US Dollars. (note 1)

If dining also counts as a literal "cutting of flesh," ordering from the secret menu usually requires sacrificing a substantial amount of "flesh."

Of course, they aren’t literally asking for the sky.

After all, the toppings on this "pizza" include not just the usual suspects like black truffles, foie gras, beef, and lobster, but also 24K edible gold leaf.

It’s genuine gold laid on top, giving those who want to experience a billionaire’s life a strong sense of immersion.

Apart from the "gold-plated" pizza, there are also cookies adorned with real gold, "cheaply" priced at just 50 US Dollars each.

If 50 bucks still feels like too much of a pain, you could cut it down by fifteen.

For 35 US Dollars, you can get a milkshake that tastes just like ordinary chocolate or coffee.

How could such an ordinary milkshake make it onto the table of a billionaire?

Because it’s topped with a layer of 24K gold leaf, of course.

As a restaurant with a long history, the food here, including those on the menu, is certainly not bad.

After all, none of the chefs here are nobodies.

Yan Yan really likes the style of this restaurant and especially enjoys a sandwich from the secret menu that costs 100 US Dollars.

This sandwich doesn’t have gold leaf but is made with Swiss Scharfe Maxx and L’Etivaz cheese.

Yan Yan is a fan of these two types of hard cheese.

However, for a gourmet like Yan Yan, this restaurant isn’t the sort that she must rush to immediately after landing, where not eating means she can’t sleep.

If the food of this restaurant isn’t the reason Yan Yan must visit right after landing, then apart from Qi Yi, there would be no other reason for her to rush to Wall Street to dine.

To date, Yan Yan has never thought about breaking up with Qi Yi.

The reasons, when spoken aloud, are somewhat laughable.

Yan Yan just didn’t have the time to think.

Over the past few years, Yan Yan has barely managed to squeeze in some time to date Qi Yi.

During those brief moments together, there wasn’t even enough time to talk about love, let alone contemplate these extraneous issues.

When Yan Ling and her parents ask about Qi Yi’s mother, Yan Yan always innocently responds, "I’m not planning to marry Qi Yi right now, why should I worry about his mother? Do I look like I have the time for these trivial family matters?"

Lu Bingran and Yan Dabang were always hinting to Yan Yan not to be so naïve, suggesting that the wisdom of the older generation should still be heeded somewhat.

But Yan Yan was indeed too busy, and on the rare occasions her parents saw her, they couldn’t bear to spend their time talking about things that wouldn’t please her.

Knowing that Yan Ling would see Yan Yan during her trip to the United States, the couple asked Yan Ling to talk some sense into Yan Yan, who was not getting any younger and still unmarried.

Before Yan Yan arrived in the United States, Yan Ling had already "met" with Qi Yi once, and counting today’s meal, this was the second time Yan Ling saw Qi Yi within a week.

Qi Yi was originally supposed to pick up Yan Yan from the airport.

But Yan Yan firmly disagreed and specifically asked Qi Yi to wait for her and Yan Ling at the restaurant in advance.

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note 1:

The unit of both the US Dollar and the Australian Dollar is "Dollar," and many people like to vividly translate this word as "knife."