Dallas Chop House - Menu Tasting

After rescheduling over and over again, we finally made it to Dallas Chop House for a media visit! I would get so excited each time it was happening and then we'd have to reschedule. haha. But finally we were there! I had been there once before, years ago, for Restaurant Week. Loved it. Excited to see what was in store for the night. And just a tip: you can park for free in the Comerica Bank Tower garage, the restaurant validates your parking! Woot!

Dallas Chop House
1717 Main St., Suite 100
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 736-7300
www.dallaschophouse.com
Price: $$$$+

We arrived on a Saturday at 6PM. The dining room was still pretty empty. It filled by 7PM or so. We were seated in a nice booth, which was great because not only did I have a background for all my photos, I wouldn't be bothering other diners with my flashes and lights.

Our waiter, Michael, who was fantastic the entire night btw, came by to talk about drinks. They have their wines and cocktails on an iPad and you can scroll through and see the descriptions and information on that drink.

My husband got the Hot Headed Colonel (bourbon barrel aged for 30 days, Benadictine floated with Peychaud's bitters, fresh lemon oil and mint) $12~ Such a pretty color. My husband loved it. He was bracing himself for the alcohol bite, but it never came. It was super smooth.

I got the Meadow Mule (Bombay Sapphire, St. Germain, apple juice, fresh cucumber, ginger beer) $12~ He also wanted to try this so I ordered it. It was also very good. Light, refreshing, and you can taste the cucumber and ginger. I didn't get much apple, but I guess it more so sweetened the drink.

We met the chef, Chef Triptow, soon after arrival. He's the brains behind DCH and the Dallas Fish Market menus, which we had a fantastic dinner at earlier this year. We're excited to see what he's got planned for us tonight.

We were also served an Amuse: Tomato, pesto, goat cheese mousse, balsamic reduction. And some bubbly. :P The bite was yummy. I especially loved the pesto.

Then we were brought some Popovers (with honey rosemary butter). I always though popovers are fun. Don't you think so? That honey rosemary butter is amazing.

So Michael informed us that the chef was just going to send out a tasting of what he wanted us to try. Sounds good! I love surprises. :)

Steak Tartare (black truffle, green onion, cornichons, capers, quail egg) $18~ What an amazing starter. 

First of all, it's gorgeous! The contrasting colors between the steak and the bright green onions and quail egg. I like the presentation on the wood board. The tartare was fresh, flavorful, and paired perfectly with the slightly salted housemade chips. One of my favorite dishes of the night.

Lump Crab Cake (oyster mayo, cilantro pesto, fennel-jalapeno marmalade) $18~ 

Also delicious. The crab cake was filled with lump crab. The oyster mayo was interesting, you can definitely taste the brininess of the oyster but wasn't overwhelming. The winning touch was that fennel jalapeno marmalade on top. It MADE the dish. A little spicy, a little sweet, it was perfect with the crab.

New England Clam Chowder (little neck clams, smoked bacon, Yukon potatoes) $11~ 

This was round 2, I hadn't expected this round, I thought we were moving to entrees. Because we ate ALL of the first 2 dishes, I was already getting full! haha. We had a similar, if not same, chowder at the Dallas Fish Market, and this is just as good. I like the consistency... a real chowder. And it was not lacking any substance either. Lots of clams, bacon and potatoes throughout.

DCH Wedge (blue cheese, crumbled bacon, marinated cherry tomato, TX pecans) $12~ 

My husband was just saying he wanted the wedge, so they totally read his mind. Two wedges, one for each of us. Doesn't look like a lot but it was really filling me up! But gotta eat your veggies, right?

Intermezzo: Blueberry Ginger Sorbet (with fruity pebbles). 

We had a little break before entrees. The waiter brought this with no explanations so we were trying to guess what was in it. It was sublime. My husband guessed raspberries because it was a little tart. And I guessed anise was in it... and maybe cayenne, cuz it had a nice bite of heat to it. But alas, we were both wrong. The heat was from ginger, and it was blueberry. The pairing with the crunchy fruity pebbles was quite genius. All the flavors and textures worked so well together.

Seared Southwest Salmon (spanish chorizo, roasted corn, poblano peppers, marble potatoes, jalapeno butter) $28~ They split the salmon for us so we had mini platings for each of us. The salmon was perfectly pink in the middle. And the blend of the chorizo, corn, and peppers together was great. A little too much potatoes imo, but they were cooked well.

Himalayan Salt Dry Aged Reserve Steak - Ribeye (18 oz, dry aged 21 days) $50~ 

Yes!!! The steak was what I was waiting for! It IS the "Chop House" after all. I was a little surprised they didn't ask us what temp we wanted it cooked. So what we got was more of a med well... I usually prefer med rare. But... I have to say that because it was dry aged so well with the Himalayan salt, it was still very tender. AND I loved the edge crust from the dry aging... slightly crisp. The ribeye was simply seasoned because the meat itself had so much flavor. You can taste the quality of the steak. I think if it had been med rare it would've been that much more delicious.

Crawfish Maque Choux (crawfish, sauteed corn, red bell peppers, roasted poblano, garlic, cream) $12~ This thing packs a punch! Between the spices and poblano and cream, it's got so much flavor, and definitely some heat. I didn't really see it pairing with the steak though. The flavors overwhelmed the steak a little. I think a bowl of rice would've been perfect with this. hehe.

Loaded Twice Baked Potato (TX sharp cheddar, smoked bacon, green onion, crisp potato threads) $10~ Now this was a perfect pairing with the steak. The potato was nice and creamy with the melted cheese on top. The crispy potato threads added a nice crunch.

We were stuffed! We had to take some of the entrees to go. (And you know what... I used the leftover crawfish to make fried rice the next day. Superb!! :P) But we were told there's still dessert. Of course. Luckily it was only one item. haha.

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart. 

Beautiful! Loved the flow of the chocolate swipe on the dish. I kept thinking of that song "I whip my hair back and forth", hahahha. Do you see it? :P The chocolate mousse? cream? ganache? filling was my favorite part. Rich, dark, and smooth. I wish the crust was thinner so we'd have more of the filling. Which is crazy cuz the crust is usually my favorite part of a pie or tart. A great end to an amazing meal.

Thank you, Dallas Chop House and Chef Triptow for a wonderful dinner. Also thanks to Michael, our waiter, and Demetrius, the manager (who actually served us too) for the fantastic service. We felt so welcomed to be there. And hopefully we'll be back soon. :) 

I do have to note that we weren't aware we had to pay for our alcohol. Usually at media visits, everything is on the house. I have no problem paying for the alcohol though... it would just be nice to have a heads up that it was going to be a charge up front. Cuz for someone like me, who can barely get through half a cocktail, I wouldn't have ordered it just to try it in this instance. 

They do have Social Hour M-Sat from 3-7PM which is pretty awesome. Who has happy hour on the weekends anymore, right?

*The meal was comped but all opinions are my own. Plus, always tip your wait staff even if you get a free meal!*

Quality of Food: 

Service: 

Ambiance: 

Value: (comped; except for cocktails)

Overall Experience: 

~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~