Restaurant Review: Chops Restaurant and Bar

Restaurant:

Address: 401 E. City Ave., Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Rating: (out of 5 stars): ★★★★
Style: Steakhouse
Food: Well executed steakhouse classics as well as tasty seafood
Atmosphere: White tablecloth dining room with old boys club feel
Parking: Huge lot
Service: Outstanding
Price Range: Expensive
Unique Features: Impressive wine list, entirely different lunch menu and pasta dishes.

Sometimes all I want to eat is a big juicy steak.  This feeling is even stronger after completing many hours of manual labor. While I may not be raising a barn or doing stonework, for me, heavy duty house cleaning fits the bill. I was beyond exhausted and in dire need of sustenance. I headed out for dinner at

The restaurant was virtually empty (first official game day of the NFL season) and I was seated in a comfortable booth with a white tablecloth and tea lights. The menu is typical of a steakhouse with oysters, shrimp cocktail, tomato salads and dry aged steaks among the offerings. I wanted to start off with oysters but they were sold out. I opted to have the crab cake appetizer with asian slaw instead. The crab cake was tasty. Wonderfully crisp and pan fried a deep golden brown color, the cake itself was brimming with sweet and succulent crab meat. Well seasoned and well proportioned, the crab cake did not require either of the two dipping sauces (cocktail sauce and some cucumbery/green goddess-esque dressing), but could be enjoyed on its own. The asian slaw consisted of julienned carrots and cabbage in a savory mayo spiked with soy sauce and possibly rice vinegar. It was refreshing and offered a nice contrast to the crab cake.

The iceberg wedge was quite sparse. Two small pyramids of iceberg lettuce were accompanied by two thick slices of cucumber and a few cherry tomatoes. The entire plate was covered with blue cheese dressing. The salad was delicious but I wished for something more. Other incarnations of the salad I have tried include crisp bacon bits or even just generous crumbles of blue cheese on top.

For my main course I had the 10-ounce dry aged New York Strip steak, a baked potato and ½ portion of creamed spinach. The steak was a fine piece of meat. Cut extra thick and charred slightly on the outside, the steak was cooked a perfect medium rare. The marbling throughout the meat added flavor and insured that each bite was wonderfully juicy.

The baked potato was quite large and decently cooked. Again, as it only came with a small dollop of sour cream, I wished for something more. I took the leftover butter from the bread service and added it to the potato along with the sour cream. A sprinkling of salt and pepper was the finishing touch. The completed baked potato went nicely with the steak.

The creamed spinach was a bit disappointing. All I could taste was cheese. While it looked appealing and was abundant in quantity, the dish was ultimately barely touched.

The service at Chops is outstanding. I was greeted immediately upon entering the dining room, seated quickly and my server was professional, poised and never missed a beat. Food came out quickly and efficiently and dirty plates were cleared right away and new silverware came with every course. A few different people serviced my table but my main server was the star of the group. The food was well executed but definitely on the simpler side. The focus at this steakhouse is classic dishes with 4 star service and they hit all the right notes.