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My fifth excursion to this fine steak house took
place on 2/27/2002. I brought a friend who is a
bit of a stranger to the Worcester dining scene,
and she was very pleasantly surprised by the
wonderful dining experience she had that evening.
We started off with portobello mushroom fritters,
one of my favorite appetizers from their regular
menu. I noticed they are also offering a sushi
sampler as an appetizer - perhaps a response to
the popularity of the nearby Zipango sushi bar?
Following that, we both ordered the house
salad. For the uninitiated, the Chop House house
salad is a wedge of iceberg lettuce dressed in a
bleu cheese sauce - truly rich and hearty bleu
cheese, not the watered down store bought
variety.
I was a little torn about what to choose for my
meal; while I was in the mood for the old standby
of the "Mixed Grill" (a little bit of everything -
filet, duck, and tips), I wanted to try something
that was unique in their regularly changing
signature menu.
There was a slightly disappointing lack of
creativity in the signature dishes - ingredients
were certainly well chosen, but no combinations
looked particularly intriguing or inspiring. I
settled on the veal and spinach fettucine dish in
a mornay sauce with portobello mushrooms.
Every time I've been to The Chop House, the
service was phenomenal, and this latest visit was
no exception. Two courteous, nonintrusive yet
attentive waiters took care of our meal, and were
quick to respond to our every request, including
changes in wine orders. Plates were brought to the
table and removed at the right moments, crumbs
were cleaned from the table, and our water glasses
were always full.
I chose a very fine glass of 2000 Marco Campanale
Pinot Grigio to go with my veal dinner, and my
friend remarked on how wonderful it was to be able
to order a glass of champagne with her dinner.
High marks to the Chop House for their astounding
wine selection, as always.
I ended my meal with Creme Brulee mixed with
Raspberries and a glass of Fonseca port. Sadly,
the Creme was burnt instead of caramelized, and
had a terrible taste of carbon black instead of
sugar. The Creme itself was still chill in the
middle instead of just below room temperature. The
port was a perfect complement to this dessert
though, and the meal would have ended wonderfully
had this one part been executed better. As it is,
it hurt the overall score of the restaurant a bit
more than usual because of the disappointment at
the end.
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