Since I really haven’t been exposed to the best quality meat in the dining hall at Syracuse University, I decided that I needed a steak to “add some meat to my bones.”  What better place to go than Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse in Syracuse, NY?

The name of the restaurant alone sounded appealing because it pairs two types of foods that I love most: Italian food and steak.

After about a fifteen minute car-ride to the restaurant, my friends and I arrived at the much-publicized and known restaurant. While the University does a lot of advertising for the restaurant itself, the popularity of Delmonico’s is spreading through word-of-mouth. Almost any Syracuse-native student here will recognize and be able to speak about the restaurant.

The exterior of Delmonico’s resembles other Americanized-Italian restaurants such as Olive Garden, which can be pretty tacky considering the restaurant is in central New York and the building itself tries to resemble Italian architecture. Regardless, there was loud, boisterous Italian music from inside that could be heard from the parking lot.

At first notice, the interior of the restaurant was very professional-looking.  The walls surrounding the eating area were covered in beautiful pictures of Italy and sketches of famous Italian actors, politicians, athletes, and characters from movies and television.

All of the waiters and waitresses were well-kempt and organized; they seemed personable and friendly. We gave our names to the hostess and were told that there was an hour wait to be seated. I was hoping that the steak was worth an hour wait.

However, after almost no-time, we were seated at a booth near the bar and were happily greeted by our waitress. She, like all of the other waiters and waitresses we observed on our way inside the restaurant, was talkative and amicable, and the atmosphere was comfortable and relaxing. After seeing the sketch of Tony Soprano (I, too, call New Jersey home), I felt very comfortable.

After being served a hot basket of bread and a side-dish of marinara sauce for dipping, which was delicious, we were ready to order. Though there were many options on the menu that looked tasty and ideal, such as the Filet Marsala, Filet Mignon, and the New York Strip Sirloin, I ordered the New England clam chowder for an appetizer and the Sliced Sirloin Steak cooked medium-well for an entrée. Coincidentally, my friends ordered the same meal; however, their steaks were to be cooked well-done and rare, respectively. The sides offered included hot peppers, mushrooms and onions, grilled onions, and sautéed mushrooms.

For a Saturday night at 6 PM, the restaurant was really hopping. The waiters and waitresses struggled to fight through crowds to deliver food to their tables, and there was quite the commotion going on in the bar area.

We were quickly served our chowder and drinks, and a side plate of crackers. Though the waitress was friendly, I thought she was overbearing. Each time she brought us a plate of food, she would always initiate a conversation. Though I valued her attention, I wanted to continue a conversation with my friends, not necessarily make small-talk with the waitress.

Nonetheless, the chowder was delicious. It turns out that a restaurant in central New York can make a pretty mean chowder. The bits of clams were tender and juicy, and the potatoes were hot and tasty. Also, the restaurant added small bits of cilantro to it. This was an unexpected twist of chowder fate, as I never had tasted clam chowder with various herbs. Though different, the chowder seemed exotic, and I loved the added features.

Both of my friends agreed that the chowder was definitely different than anything they had before. It was called New England-style, and while it incorporated the overall texture and taste of New England, there were added features that made it that much better.

Following a brief wait, we were served our steaks. The one pound of steak that sat in front of me seemed overwhelming. There was a light cabernet mushroom sauce on top of it, and clumps of garlic mashed potatoes that surrounded it. Since I had been meat-deprived for the better part of two months, I dug right in.

But once I tasted the steak, I really was not impressed. The steak, though cooked medium-well, was tough, and did not ooze of the tasty juices that a good steak does. Subsequently, I tasted my friends’ steaks, and their orders seemed off as well. The well-done steak was extremely tough, even more-so than a normal well-done order, and the rare steak was tough as well.

Though I finished all one pound of the steak, it was not a great meal. The mushroom sauce, though, definitely helped squelch the tough-tasting steak, and there combination together was somewhat enjoyable. The garlic mashed potatoes were very tasty, though. For a $13.99 steak and a $4.49 bowl of clam chowder, my meal was alright.

The quality and zest of the chowder offset the overall taste and experience of the steak, so I left the restaurant feeling lukewarm about my entire experience at Delmonico’s. With other locations in Albany, Rochester, and Utica, I’m sure there will be other opportunities for me to visit and eat at Delmonico’s. However, I’m not so sure I would. I doubt I would recommend this restaurant to anyone else, as my experience there was anything but I anticipated.

Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse
(with other locations in Albany, Rochester, and Utica, NY)
2950 Erie Blvd East
Syracuse, NY 13224
(315) 445-1111
Mon.-Thurs. 4 PM-10:30 PM
Fri. 4 PM-11:30 PM
Sat. 1 PM-11:30 PM
Sun. 12 PM-10 PM