He returned to France in 1860 for a short time, where he arranged balls for the court of Napoleon III at the Tuileries Palace, but then came back to New York to work at what was then a fashionable location, "Maison Dorée". In 1862, Lorenzo Delmonico hired him for Delmonico's Restaurant, and it was there that Ranhofer made his real fame, though others say that he made the fame of the restaurant as well. At that time, Delmonico's was considered the finest restaurant in the United States. He was the chef at Delmonico's until his retirement in 1896, except for a short break from 1876 and 1879 when he owned the "Hotel American" at Enghien-les-Bains.