l Restaurant Reviews - 111 Chop House, Worcester, Massachusetts

111 Chop House

111 Shrewsbury Street
Worcester, Massachusetts
508-799-4111

Atmosphere:
Modern Deco
9
Variety8
Quality8
Service10
Portions9
Overall8

TOTAL

52

Great

Review:
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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