August 25, 2008
By: Ken Alan
kalan@aroundphilly.com
Many of this nation’s better steakhouses incorporate a particular gimmick, an attention-grabbing visual that is meant to set each site apart from its competition.
An example is Morton’s and its famed food cart, loaded up with Bronto-sized cuts of beef and that ubiquitous live lobster hoisted ceremoniously toward its prospective consumer. Ruth’s Chris, on the other hand, goes for flash, dropping a sputter of butter atop a sizzling steak as it is delivered to the table. And The Palm, of course, is known for all those cartoony caricatures of important moguls, celebrities and politicos lining its walls.
Chops co-owner, Alex Plotkin, knows all about that kind of stuff. Prior to the opening of his popular City Avenue steakery, the man could be found GM-ing at The Palm, his model-handsome self ever in the midst of all those hand-drawn eyes.
Lively and ebullient, Chops’ own niche is placed confidently within the quality of its food and its dedication toward stellar service.
The site was once a casual spot called Marabella’s, which had been done up in an “It Came from The Eighties” style of decoration. Its passing soon lured this fine steakhouse. Instead of a brassy, woody look that’s ever-present among so many traditional steakhouses though, Chops is contemporary instead of swanky. Its main back wall offers an interesting abstract fresco amid the black leather booths and light, earth-toned coloring of its two dining rooms.
Central and behind the host’s podium is a large glassed-in box of a wine room, showcasing the Wine Spectator-awarded selections to be found there.
Off to the left is the bar, as in THE BAR – one of the most popular to be found along the Main Line.
In the corporate hub of Bala Cynwyd, where office workers have the likes of Houlihan’s, TGI Friday’s and California Pizza Kitchen, why bother with those, when you can venture here? Singles and those ages 30 and up (and up) converse over massive martinis, each in a glass that brings to mind a velodrome in all that concave bliss. I’m way out of the pick-up game at this point in my life, though if I were still in it, Chops would undoubtedly be my playing field.
Plotkin & Company surely realized the potential of this locale when they found it. Though the restaurant is tucked inside the first floor of an office building, far from the avenue traffic, its small signs providing little to no visibility, no matter; Chops is doing just fine. Part of its success has to do with the fact that it is one of the few true steakhouses within this eastern edge of the Main Line, and the other, I’m pretty certain, is the Plotkin influence of luring his former city-ites.
And it’s Palm-good.
The velvety-thin beef carpaccio appetizer is gently flurried with fine Locatelli cheese; shrimp and vegetable tempura, their outer coverings crackling to expose tender interiors. And soon comes the Wedge, typical (blue cheese, bacon, Roma tomatoes) and titanic in its crunchy iceberg-ness.
One in our party orders the 16-ounce dry aged New York strip steak, another opts for an eight-ounce broiled filet mignon, and, I go for the 16-ouncer filet. Each cut of USDA prime beef is exceptional, perfectly cooked and lightly seasoned. It’s all truly excellent – not the best prime beef I’ve had this year in the ‘burbs thus far. That distinction goes to Fleming’s Prime in Radnor, though they are damn good and very close to Fleming’s in quality, nonetheless.
Desserts are compulsory at this point, a serviceable key lime pie, and a fluffy, oversized wedge of Duncan Hines chocolate cake gets ordered, though I’m too full to pay them much mind.
Only side dishes are off-kilter during this meal, something I’ve experienced before at Chops, and also, a comment that I hear occasionally from clients who share their experiences with me. Cream spinach is fine, though lacking the proper dusting of nutmeg. Whipped potatoes are starchy and flavorless.
Our server, a thin and dapper gentleman, with his butcher’s bib and a serious love of his profession, hits just about all his marks. Meanwhile, a manager I recognize from several years past (Bill), stops by twice with greetings, as he does with all other nearby tables.
I returned again to Chops just last week, this time, a solo visit - just me there with bartender David, while beyond, the dining room fairly bustling.
I have a credo about steakhouses: The sign of a good one is in the quality of its seafood.
And at Chops, I’ve always found theirs to be quite delicious. It’s a cool and sunny day, I feel no need to gorge on beef, so I order the grilled salmon, tender pieces surrounding a soft pile of fresh spinach, onions and shitake mushrooms in a light, citrusy sauce.
Unexpectedly, it is served with a side dish that David called “the Half-and-Half” – a huge mound of home fries coupled with house made kettle chips, as incongruous with such a light dish like salmon and spinach as it gets. Again, this side suffers from under-seasoning. So I clean my plate of salmon salad and leave the spuds barely touched.
As I am finishing up, I ask my bar keep if there is something about Chops that distinguishes itself from the other steakhouses in the area, “You know, the way Morton’s has its food cart, and The Palm does that thing with caricatures…”
David’s reply is succinct and honest. “No, we don’t do that here. We just focus on the product and the service. Without those, there’s really nothing else that matters.”
