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Some of the best-loved American dishes were invented in hotel dining rooms and old restaurants. Boston gave us Parker House rolls, Boston cream pie, Locke-Ober's Lobster Savannah and the chowder of the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in the country; New York gave us the Delmonico steak, Lobster Newburg, eggs Benedict and the Waldorf salad; New Orleans gave us Oysters Rockefeller, eggs Sardou and Bananas Foster; and Chicago gave us the brownie. Here they are, with the story of where each came from, written for a home kitchen.
Some of these dining rooms are gone: Locke-Ober closed in 2012, Durgin-Park in 2019, and the Toll House Inn burned in 1984. Others, like the Union Oyster House, the Omni Parker House, Delmonico's, Antoine's, Arnaud's, Brennan's and the Palmer House, still serve their famous dishes. Where an origin story is disputed, we say so. More: New England seafood, lobster recipes and Cajun and Southern recipes.
Soft, buttery folded dinner rolls from Boston's Parker House hotel, brushed with butter before and after baking. Makes about 20.
The Massachusetts state dessert, first served at Boston's Parker House in 1856: two tender sponge layers filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with a glossy chocolate glaze. Serves 10.
The Boston restaurant classic from the Parker House: thick fillets of young cod baked with white wine and butter under golden buttered bread crumbs, with lemon. Serves 4.
The signature dish of Boston's Locke-Ober: lobster meat in a creamy sherry sauce with mushrooms and green pepper, piled back into the shell under Parmesan and baked until golden. Serves 2.
A simple, rich New England lobster stew of lobster meat warmed in butter and sherry, then gently heated in milk and cream, as served at Boston's Locke-Ober, where it was John F. Kennedy's favorite. Serves 4.
Creamy New England clam chowder with tender clams, potatoes, onion, celery and smoky bacon, lightly thickened and finished with milk and cream. Serves 6.
How to shuck fresh oysters safely and serve them on the half shell over ice with lemon, a shallot mignonette and cocktail sauce. Serves 4 (2 dozen oysters).
Old New England baked pudding of cornmeal, milk and molasses, warmly spiced and slow-baked until dark and creamy, served warm with vanilla ice cream the way Durgin-Park did. Serves 8.
The chocolate chip cookie as it was born in 1938 at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts: a buttery brown sugar cookie loaded with chocolate and walnuts. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen.
Shucked whole-belly clams soaked in evaporated milk, dredged in a corn flour and flour mix and fried crisp and golden. A New England clam shack favorite. Serves 4.
The Rhode Island classic: littleneck clams on the half shell topped with crisp bacon, sweet peppers, garlic and buttery crumbs, broiled until golden. Makes 24, serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer.
The steak that made New York's Delmonico's famous: a thick boneless ribeye seared hard in a hot skillet, finished with garlic herb butter. Serves 2.
Delmonico's 1876 classic: tender lobster in a silky sherry cream sauce thickened with egg yolks, spooned over toast points with a dusting of paprika. Serves 4.
The New York brunch classic: toasted English muffins, warm Canadian bacon and soft poached eggs under silky lemon hollandaise. Serves 4.
The salad of New York's Waldorf hotel: crisp apples, celery, red grapes and toasted walnuts in a light lemon mayonnaise dressing, served on lettuce. Serves 4.
The 1950s New York dining-room classic: beef tenderloin medallions seared and finished in a pan sauce of shallots, mushrooms, cognac, mustard, Worcestershire and cream. Serves 2.
Classic Chicken Divan made the quick way: tender broccoli and cooked chicken under a creamy broccoli sauce, sharp Cheddar and a buttery bread crumb topping, baked hot and bubbly in 15 minutes. Serves 6.
Sandra's all-time favorite: layers of vanilla ice cream and homemade lemon curd frozen in a pie crust, then covered with meringue and browned in a 500°F oven.
Oysters on the half shell topped with a rich green herb and spinach butter and golden bread crumbs, baked until bubbling. The New Orleans classic. Serves 4.
The classic New Orleans appetizer made famous at Arnaud's as Shrimp Arnaud: chilled boiled shrimp in a zesty red Creole mustard and paprika remoulade over crisp lettuce. Serves 6.
The New Orleans brunch classic from Antoine's: poached eggs on warm artichoke bottoms over creamed spinach, finished with hollandaise. Serves 4.
The flaming New Orleans dessert created at Brennan's in 1951: bananas caramelized in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, flamed with rum and spooned over vanilla ice cream. Serves 4.
Chicago's own: big shrimp baked with sherry under a thick, garlicky butter and bread crumb crust, created at De Jonghe's Hotel and Restaurant. Serves 4.
The brownie as Chicago's Palmer House hotel has made it since the 1890s: dense and fudgy, topped with walnuts and a shiny apricot glaze. Makes 24.
A classic tableside-style Caesar salad: garlic oil, fresh croutons, a coddled egg, lemon, Worcestershire and anchovies, tossed with Romaine, blue cheese and Parmesan.
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