About This Book

A Lavish Seventeen-Course Meal that Launched a New Age of American Dining

In 1851, fifteen wealthy New Yorkers wanted to show a group of Philadelphia friends just how impressive a meal could be and took them to Delmonico’s, New York’s finest restaurant. They asked Lorenzo Delmonico to “astonish our Quaker City friends with the sumptuousness of our feast,” and assured him that money was no object, as the honor of New York was at stake. They were treated to a magnificent banquet, enjoyed by all. However, not to be outdone, the Philadelphia men invited the New Yorkers to a meal prepared by James W. Parkinson in their city. In what became known as the “Thousand Dollar Dinner,” Parkinson successfully rose to the challenge, creating a seventeen-course extravaganza featuring fresh salmon, baked rockfish, braised pigeon, turtle steaks, spring lamb, out-of-season fruits and vegetables, and desserts, all paired with rare wines and liquors. Midway through the twelve-hour meal, the New Yorkers declared Philadelphia the winner of their competition, and at several times stood in ovation to acknowledge the chef ‘s mastery. In The Thousand Dollar Dinner: America’s First Great Cookery Challenge, research historian Becky Libourel Diamond presents the entire seventeen-course meal, course by course, explaining each dish and its history. A gastronomic turning point, Parkinson’s luxurious meal helped launch the era of grand banquets of the gilded age and established a new level of American culinary arts to rival those of Europe.

Becky Libourel Diamond is a journalist and research historian who specializes in reconstructing eighteenth- and nineteenth-century American recipes. She is the author of Mrs. Goodfellow: The Story of America’s First Cooking School.

Praise for The Thousand Dollar Dinner:

“Drenched in Champagne and Cognac, The Thousand Dollar Dinner is a delicious taste of our country’s first restaurant revolution. An equally light and luxurious read, this book will leave every food fanatic and history buff hungry for more.”—Maureen Petrosky, author of The Wine Club and NBC Today Show Lifestyle Expert

“From the first chapter to the last, The Thousand Dollar Dinner captivates readers with a sumptuous feast that would top any modern-day event. In this well-researched book, Diamond shows how American cuisine was sophisticated, elegant, and show stopping.”—Walter Staib, proprietor of City Tavern and Emmy Award–winning host of PBS’s A Taste of History

“A mouthwatering tale of one luxurious 1851 dinner.”—Entertainment Weekly

“One of the most deliciously over-the-top dinners ever served in America.”—Wall Street Journal

“Diamond dishes out more than the menu of this remarkable meal, deconstructing each course with details of the class mores, cultural habits, and food preferences of elite nineteenth-century Americans.”—Publishers Weekly