Who’s Hungry?!? Hey fellow food lovers! My name is Doug, and I am Long Island’s Professional Fat Guy! Here on Long Island, there are tons of hobbies you can get involved in. My wife Jessica and I love to go out and try new restaurants. There are so many places to choose from with a vast variety of themes, scenes and authentic cuisines. We are here to tell you about our favorite spot we visit each month.
This month’s selection is Chops Steakhouse, located at 38 W Main St, Patchogue, NY 11772. Voted Long Island’s Best Steakhouse 2 years in a row made this a must try experience. We called and made a reservation as we were advised by friends. We were also advised that parking can be difficult at times, but they partner with a company called Check Valet that will transport us from our car to the front door and back. Upon arriving at the front of the restaurant, there were red velvet ropes guiding us to the entrance. Once inside we were greeted by General Manager and part owner JP Gunderson. He then escorted us to our table that had a small plaque already placed on it with our names. Curious if this was customary practice, I looked around at the other tables and saw there were plaques placed on almost all of them. The décor of the restaurant was awesome, it followed a 1920’s prohibition theme that brought you back in time. The rose bar built beautifully with antique pieces spread amongst the large variety of high-end spirits.
The dinner menu was exactly what you would want from a specialty restaurant. A few selections of each category, but something to satisfy everyone’s pallet. My wife and I always over order because we want to try everything! The waiter came over and introduced himself, told us the night’s specials and took our drink order while leaving us to decide on our food selections. I started with a Blanton’s Smoked Old Fashion and my wife tried a house cocktail called Sazerac. My old fashion was brought to me in a glass case and smoked table side. The taste was perfect, learning later that they use a different syrup and that really made a difference. My wife’s cocktail was a unique and refreshing experience according to her, which was surprising as it is a rye-based cocktail, and she generally prefers tequila’s.
We placed our order for the following appetizers: A Chopped Wedge Salad, Baby Lamb Chops, Thick Cut Bacon and Broiled Seafood Appetizer. The chopped salad came out first and the ingredients were fresh and perfectly proportioned. There was definitely enough there to share amongst 3-4 people. The Lamb chops and thick cut bacon were next, Lamb chops were prepared medium rare just as requested and full of flavor. The thick cut bacon was perfectly cooked and paired with a delicious homemade steak sauce. The Seafood Sampler was presented so well it could have been on a poster, every piece glistening and the taste was top notch! The Oysters Rockefeller were superb! The creaminess of the spinach I think puts it over the top. Of course, we did not finish all of these because we wanted to save room for the main course. We decided on the Porterhouse steak for two topped with bone marrow butter, sharing sides of creamed spinach, mashed sweet potatoes and grilled asparagus. Wanting to pair our meal with another drink, we decided to take advantage of their spirits selection. I got Rip Van Winkle 10 year with a single cube and my wife got Don Julio 1942 with a single cube. The steak came out sliced and was plated by our server along with a helping of each side. It was easy to see how they won steakhouse of the year. The steak cooked perfectly combined with the flavor of the bone marrow butter was next level delicious! The creamed spinach was creamy and a must order after the Oyster Rockefeller. The mashed sweet potatoes were fluffy and full of flavor, while the asparagus was fresh and tasty. We had a lot of leftovers after this meal but still needed to try dessert. Their signature dessert is the kitchen sink and it literally comes in a miniature sink! We saw another table order it and though it looked great, we knew we would never finish it. Instead, we shared the Italian cheesecake. I am such a huge fan of this as it is completely different from your NY style cheesecake, definitely give it a shot. We complimented it with a couple of espresso martinis and asked for the bill. Having dined out at many restaurants the bill was nothing that was not expected for this level of cuisine and service. It was very fairly priced. JP came up to us one last time to thank us for coming. He had stopped at our table along with every other table in the dining room several times to make sure everyone was enjoying their experience. We left there full, happy and completely satisfied. We rate it a perfect 5 out of 5 and will definitely be back. If you go there, tell them Doug and Jess sent you.
Until next time, Bon Appetit!
