The Great Steak Out: CHOPS Chicago Steakhouse

 CHOPS Chicago Steakhouse in Greenbelt 5 likes to give the impression of being very Chicago, very Bugsy Malone. They have red bricks in the columns (that obviously came with the space). Hues are dark red, brown, mahogany. There are booths instead of just tables.

But their real specialty is in steaks.

Dry aged Porterhouse Steak

They are one of the few restaurants in the country that offer dry aged steak. Dry aging is very difficult and even multi-awarded and internationally recognized chef Tonyboy Escalante admits he only uses wet aging at Antonio's (whose steaks are to die for, by the way). Cru at The Marriott introduced dry aged steaks for a while but eventually had to take them out of the menu, as customers would question the crustier texture on the beef instead of appreciate it. (Have yet to visit again though to see if they have returned it to the menu.)

The dry aged Porterhouse, photo above, was in fact quite satisfactory. The kitchen knows what it's doing. The chops are adequately proportioned and beautifully seasoned. Plus I'm biased in favor of USDA certified steaks.

Don't look for Grade 9 Japanese Wagyu here. This is not the place for melt in your mouth steak although they do have Snake River Farms (American Wagyu) and Kitayama (Filipino Wagyu).  At Chops, they want you to chew. That's not a bad thing! It's the American way!

Tomahawk Steak: Prime Angus Bone In Rib Eye

If you ask, the servers will show you the various kinds of steak they offer in the raw so you can appreciate (or not) the marbling. The great thing about this restaurant is they give you a lot of choices - from the not so pricey to pricey to very pricey. They want everyone to appreciate steaks!

This serves true for vegetarians too. They have a this mean Portobello burger (photo below). 

Portobello Mushroom Burger

In fact, more than the steaks (I'm still in love with Mamou), my favorites on the menu were the burger and the porkchop.

On my first visit, I had the most amazing pork chop EVER. It is a kurobuta chop that is so juicy and so flavorful, it was simply excellent.

This photo does not give this Kurobuta pork justice.

On my second visit, I was blown away by this GIANT Triple Bypass burger.

The Triple Bypass Burger

Not for the faint of heart. Angus beef burger topped with ANOTHER Angus beef burger. Topped with Angus beef tips. Topped with bacon. TOPPED WITH FOIE GRAS. Just kill me now why don't you.

It was really good, too. When you prick your fork into the beef, the juice will ooze out. And you when you spread the foie gras over the burger - hwaw, iikot mata mo.

The sides and the salads aren't amazing. They are extras in the movie, after all. But you don't come here for the mac n cheese or the salads - duh, the name is Chops, remember?

But you have to cap the night (or lunch) with these chocolate sticks. Remember the famous words in the Godfather: Drop the gun, take the Cannoli.

Cannoli

CHOPS Chicago Steakhouse. 
More photos on my Facebook page HERE

4/F Greenbelt 5, Legazpi St Legazpi Village, Makati (02) 945-8088

Menu on Munchpunch. (Shout out to whoever created Munchpunch - I love your site!)