A New Chop on the Block, Seared 1200 Chop House

Talk about big taste in a tiny restaurant, 1200 Chop House delivers some seriously good food to hungry carnivores with panache and class.

We have been to 1200 twice and each time was pleasant and unhurried despite the long line of diners waiting their turn at a table.  Both visits were mid-week and close to 6 p.m. and later than that and I'm sure you will have a bit of wait.  The staff does a remarkably good job in juggling the demands of many diners in a tiny space.



The wine pours by the glass are generous and not too pricey.  Nice enough to sip on while pondering the menu.  A bottle will be ordered later, I'm sure.

See, he does smile?  

We chose a shrimp in garlic sauce to share as our appetizer.  We thought they were plump and tasty.  The garlic sauce was not palate killing and the soft warm rolls made  The Mister very happy.    Do not get between this man and his bread.

We both had the house salad.  It was definitely a cut above the average salad.  There were dried cranberries, mixed fresh greens, goat cheese, toasted walnuts and a wonderfully made balsamic vinaigrette.  Speaking as the salad prep girl from years ago, I loved the discerning and judicious use of sweet/tart/crunchy/creamy in a lovely balance to the chilled greens.  I'd eat two helpings if I didn't already know what is coming next.

Our next course was the Porterhouse for two.  It is huge.  It is the best of both worlds in my steak nirvana, the filet on one side and the strip on the other.  A perfect marriage of tender and flavor.  We ordered it medium rare and it came just a tad under but that was swiftly corrected to our satisfaction.

It is a bit too pink for The Mister, but perfect for me.

The flavor of the steak was rich, meaty goodness.  We opted for the baked potatoes dressed with butter.  There were tomato halves topped with a finely chopped parsley and bread crumb topping.  A nice accompaniment to the hearty steak on the plate.  We also split a side of the sauteed spinach.  Something healthy of course.  It was sublime, tender, flavored with a deft hand with lemon and garlic.  

Sadly you can see we didn't like our steak.  My dilemma which furry one will get the bone??

We were joined by our lovely daughter after appetizers and the staff magically expanded our table to seat three!  Daughter ordered the steak au poivre and she claimed it very tasty, but she would like it rarer next time.  

It took a lot of arm twisting and promises to share, which we gladly did on dessert.

Served in mason jars with the freshest whipped cream I've tasted in a long time, we shared the dulce de leche dessert.  It was sublime with the perfect hint of caramel goodness in a delightful creamy bite.  

We have been back for a second visit and it was just as, forgive the pun, searingly good. Service was above par, steaks are sublime, salads and sides delicious.  Definitely worth many a visit. With pre-dinner glasses of wine (4), a fine bottle of wine, one appetizer, three dinners and one dessert plus tip was $220.00  A bit pricey, yes, but worth every hard earned cent.