Remember when dining out wasn’t just about snapping Insta-worthy pics of your #cleaneating plate? There was a time, a glorious time, when carbs roamed free and sauce was king!
Today, we’re mourning the loss of 15 beloved old-school dishes that have mysteriously disappeared from menus. And, just to add a little spice, we’re also celebrating the demise of 5 others that deserved to be banished forever.
1. Chicken A La King
Once the crown jewel of fancy dinner parties and upscale restaurants. This creamy concoction of diced chicken, mushrooms, and bell peppers in a rich sauce was served over toast points, rice, or puff pastry shells.
The dish rose to fame in the 1950s but gradually disappeared as nouvelle cuisine took over restaurant kitchens in the 1980s.
2. Steak Diane
The tableside theater of Steak Diane was half the experience! Thin-pounded beef tenderloin flambéed dramatically with cognac right before your eyes, creating a spectacle of dancing flames and enticing aromas.
Insurance costs and fire regulations gradually extinguished this showy preparation technique, taking with it one of dining’s most memorable performances.
3. Beef Wellington Individual Portions
Mini Beef Wellingtons were the pinnacle of fine dining in the 1960s. Tender beef filet coated with pâté and duxelles, then wrapped in flaky puff pastry and baked to golden perfection.
Labor costs and changing dining preferences pushed this labor-intensive dish into retirement. Now it mostly appears as a special occasion centerpiece rather than individual servings.
4. Cherries Jubilee
Another casualty of tableside service, Cherries Jubilee brought dessert drama to your table. Sweet cherries simmered in sugar syrup, flambéed with brandy, then spooned over vanilla ice cream.
The sizzle and spectacle made this a dinner finale worth waiting for. Modern restaurants rarely offer this fiery finish, preferring pre-prepared desserts that don’t require special training.
5. Crab Louie Salad
The “King of Salads” reigned supreme on West Coast menus for decades. Dungeness crabmeat arranged atop crisp iceberg lettuce with hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, and cucumber, dressed with a distinctive pink Louie dressing.
Rising seafood costs and the shift toward more creative salads pushed this classic into retirement at many establishments.
6. Lobster Thermidor
Pure luxury on a plate! Lobster meat removed from the shell, mixed with a rich egg yolk and brandy-spiked béchamel sauce, then returned to the shell and browned under a broiler.
Few restaurants today want to tackle this labor-intensive preparation. The heavy sauce has also fallen out of favor as diners prefer simpler preparations that showcase the lobster’s natural flavor.
7. Chicken Cordon Bleu
A dinner party sensation of the 1960s that jumped to restaurant menus. Chicken breast pounded thin, layered with ham and Swiss cheese, rolled, breaded, and fried to golden perfection.
The dish became a victim of its own popularity. Mass-produced frozen versions tarnished its gourmet reputation, relegating it mostly to banquet menus and cafeterias.
8. Oysters Rockefeller
Created at Antoine’s in New Orleans in 1899, this appetizer was so rich it was named after America’s wealthiest man. Fresh oysters topped with a secret green herb sauce, breadcrumbs, and butter, then baked or broiled.
While still found in some traditional seafood restaurants, this labor-intensive starter has largely disappeared from modern menus.
9. Welsh Rarebit
A sophisticated twist on cheese toast that was once a staple in fine dining establishments. Sharp cheddar cheese sauce enhanced with mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and beer, poured over toast and broiled until bubbly.
This comforting dish gradually disappeared as American tastes shifted toward Italian and French cuisine in the mid-20th century.
10. Chateaubriand For Two
The ultimate date night splurge! A thick center-cut beef tenderloin roasted to perfection and carved tableside. Typically served with béarnaise sauce and château potatoes, this dish epitomized special occasion dining.
High beef prices and the decline of tableside service pushed this romantic classic off most menus by the 1990s.
11. Duck A L’Orange
The showstopper of French-American fine dining in the 1960s. Roasted duck with crispy skin served with a caramelized orange sauce that balanced sweet, bitter, and savory notes perfectly.
As nouvelle cuisine emerged and tastes shifted toward lighter fare, this classic gradually disappeared from all but the most traditional French restaurants.
12. Baked Alaska
The magical dessert that defied physics! Ice cream encased in sponge cake and topped with meringue, then briefly baked so the meringue browns while the ice cream stays frozen.
Often flambéed tableside for extra drama. The decline of pastry chefs in restaurants and the complexity of preparation has made this showstopper increasingly rare.
13. Sole Meunière
The dish that made Julia Child fall in love with French cuisine! Delicate Dover sole dredged in flour, pan-fried in butter, and finished with lemon juice, parsley, and more butter.
Overfishing of Dover sole and the shift toward health-conscious dining has made this simple yet perfect dish increasingly scarce on American menus.
14. Clams Casino
A swanky appetizer from the Prohibition era. Fresh clams on the half-shell topped with a mixture of bell peppers, bacon, butter, and breadcrumbs, then baked until the tops are crispy and golden.
Named after the Casino at Narragansett Pier in Rhode Island where it was created. Now mostly found only in old-school Italian restaurants and traditional steakhouses.
15. Veal Oscar
Named after Sweden’s King Oscar II who loved this combination. Tender veal cutlets topped with crabmeat, asparagus spears, and béarnaise sauce – the height of luxury dining in the 1960s.
Concerns about veal production practices combined with the dish’s rich profile have made it increasingly rare on modern menus.
16. Ambrosia Salad
Good riddance to this technicolor nightmare! Canned mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, coconut, mini marshmallows, and maraschino cherries suspended in whipped cream or sour cream.
A staple of 1950s buffets and potlucks that thankfully faded away. Modern diners prefer fresh fruit without the artificial colors and marshmallow intrusion.
17. Jellied Consommé
A cold soup that looks like savory Jell-O – no wonder it disappeared! Beef broth clarified with egg whites, then chilled until set into a wobbling mass.
Often molded into decorative shapes and garnished with vegetables. This fussy, gelatinous starter from the aspic-obsessed mid-century era deserves its retirement.
18. Chicken Kiev
Butter bombs that ruined countless shirts! Chicken breasts pounded flat, wrapped around herb butter, breaded, and deep-fried. Cutting into one released a scalding stream of melted butter across the table.
The dish became a frozen food staple, destroying its upscale reputation. Most modern diners prefer chicken dishes that won’t cause third-degree burns.
19. Beef Stroganoff With Canned Soup
The 1950s version bears little resemblance to the Russian original. Ground beef mixed with canned cream of mushroom soup, served over egg noodles with a dollop of sour cream.
This sodium-laden, gloopy interpretation became a dinner party cliché. Thankfully, restaurants that still serve Stroganoff now use real ingredients instead of opening cans.
20. Rumaki
The cocktail party appetizer that deserved extinction. Water chestnuts and chicken livers wrapped in bacon, marinated in soy sauce and brown sugar, then broiled.
Created as fake Polynesian cuisine during the tiki craze, this odd flavor combination thankfully disappeared as American palates became more sophisticated. The texture contrast between crunchy water chestnuts and mushy liver was particularly unpleasant.