This Simple Salad Became A Delmonico's Steakhouse Signature

Delmonico's Steakhouse did not just pave the way for fine dining restaurants in America. It also helped pioneer the idea of "farm-to-table." Delmonico's opened in 1837 in New York, and the Delmonico brothers had purchased 220 acres of farmland to grow all the produce used in this now-nationally renowned steakhouse. Farm-to-table dining has become en vogue and so has Delmonico's Steakhouse's signature farm-fresh salad, the wedge salad. While wedge salad is seeing a major comeback as a starter salad at high-end restaurants across America, it has been a favorite at Delmonico's for nearly a century. 

The classic recipe is a crisp combination of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon with blue cheese dressing. But Delmonico's version has been updated as Oscar's wedge salad now features iceberg, heirloom tomato, red onion, Kikorangi blue cheese, prosciutto chips, and a yuzu honey vinaigrette, which costs $28 on the current dinner menu. While the first appearance of a wedge salad recipe dates back to a Southern cookbook published in 1916 by Marion Harris Neil, Delmonico's is credited with popularizing it as a steakhouse staple. Besides, it is Delmonico's novel farm-to-table strategy that inspired the wedge salad's first appearance on its menu in the 1930s under the ownership of Oscar Tucci. Tucci frequented local farmers markets for the freshest produce, sticking to the notion of farm-to-table dining. During one of those fateful trips, lettuce and tomatoes called Tucci's name, and he used them to create the first version of "Oscar's wedge salad."

A visit to Delmonico's Steakhouse is a bucket list experience that attracted the patronization of icons like Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, and Nikola Tesla. Oscar's wedge salad was no doubt a part of celebrity meals over the past decades. However, if you are not in New York, you can easily create a fine dining experience at home, starting with a homemade wedge salad. Our modern take on the classic wedge salad adds fried shallots, chives, tarragon, and a drizzle of olive oil to the classic lettuce, tomato, and bacon trio.

Furikake seasoning will bring an Asian upgrade to wedge salad, layering umami-packed flavor to complement the funky umami of blue cheese. Make a plant-based take on a wedge salad with the help of vegan tahini ranch dressing and coconut or carrot bacon. Of course, the salad's namesake shape is one of the most important factors of successful execution. Luckily, we have figured out an easy set of steps to ensure you cut a head of iceberg lettuce into the perfect wedge shape. While most types of salads consist of a bed of lettuce you can easily pierce with a fork, you might be daunted by how to attack a solid wedge of lettuce. The proper way to eat a wedge salad is similar to the way you would eat a steak. Start by piercing the wedge with your fork to secure it, then slice off the narrowest end and work your way back.