And a Hooker of Hollandaise: Sex, drugs and the creation of Eggs Benedict

Failed book pitches part 1.

I was, a few years ago, planning to write a whole book on the history of Eggs Benedict but the below bit is as far as I got on the pitch. I cannot remember, now, where the sex and drugs were supposed to fit.

Or why I wanted to write about Eggs Benedict.

There are a few different people who claim to be the original creator of Eggs Benedict. One of the possibles is Delmonico’s, located in New York City’s Financial District. Many credit Delmonico’s, which first opened in 1827, to be the first fine dining restaurant in America. Supposedly, Delmonico’s created the dish for Mr. and Mrs. LeGrand Benedict in the 1860s when they requested something new and not on the menu. One of Delmonico’s former chefs also published a recipe named eggs à la Benedick in 1894.

I have eaten dinner at Delmonico’s but not breakfast.

Another famous New York City location is also credited as being the possible place where Eggs Benedict was first created. Retired Wall Street stock broker Lemuel Benedict told The New Yorker in 1942 that he ordered the first Eggs Benedict in the Waldorf-Astoria in 1894 to help his hangover. His order consisted of buttered toast, bacon, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce. The maître d’hôtel at the Waldorf-Astoria, who had also previously worked at Delmonico’s, later changed the toast to English muffins and the bacon to its Canadian varietal.

Where do you rank Eggs B on your list of favorite breakfasts? Above or below Chilaquiles? Biscuits and gravy? An açai bowl?

What is your preferred Benny protein under the egg?

Mine is crab.