When is National Oysters Rockefeller Day?
Tuesday January 10thOn January 10th, National Oyster Rockefeller Day honors a dish so rich that only one man's name was recognized at the time. According to the chef who so skillfully created popular dishes in the French Quarter, at least, that's the truth.
Jules Alciatore, a celebrated kitchen of Antoine's, created a dish for baked oysters on the half shell with sauce and bread crumbs that would earn the name Oysters Rockefeller in 1889. "I know of no other word rich enough for their riches," Alciatore himself confessed.
While some restaurants offer similar dishes, only Antoine Alciatore (founded by Antoine Alciatore, Jules Alciatore's father in 1840) serves the original Oysters Rockefeller, although other restaurants serve similar dishes. Alciatore brought the dish to his grave, according to Food Network's Alton Brown, who also told us on Good Eats that the dish was even on his grave. Some people have attempted to determine the finer ingredients with no success. Only Antoine's and the Alciatore families have the authentic dish.
Antoine's dish has withstanded time and has earned the respect of culinary critics, having served over 3.5 million orders of Oysters Rockefeller and counting. Each order has been numbered since 1889. Customers of Oysters Rockefeller are given a special number identifying their place in the company's history.
