Located on Beaver Street in the Wall Street area, Delmonico’s is a historic institution established in 1837. Unlike other landmark restaurants in The City, Delmonico’s is not a dilapidated tourist trap just cruising on its reputation. The service is old school professionalism, not a stuffy boys club, and the food and wine menus are contemporary yet classic. The overall experience — one of pure enjoyment — is achieved through excellent food and attentive service.

The main attraction was the Delmonico steak. Except for Kobe beef, I had never tasted beef that had better integration of marbled fat and lean meat than Delmonico’s signature 22-ounce boneless rib eye from Meyer farm in Montana. The perfect steak, it was not the least bit stringy, just juicy all around. The meat stands on its own — as good steaks should — without any sauce and is accompanied by finely crisped onion rings. It’s a really wonderful feeling to be so excited about a dining experience that you want to share it with as many people as possible. July’s been a good month. I can’t eat steak every day, but for special occasions and for any steak lover, I would not send them anywhere else but Delmonico’s.