wine – 2007 Carlisle Zinfandel Montafi Ranch

• 2007 Carlisle Zinfandel Montafi Ranch – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (5/23/2013)
  WIML91

  Tasted non blind at a wine dinner.

  Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of aspirin, pepper and berries. Flavors of currants, berries and plums. Medium to bright acidity, firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold. (91 points)
  

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wine – 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett

• 2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (5/21/2013)
  WIML90

  Tasted non blind with dinner. Opened and served immediately. Followed over roughly one hour.

  Light yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of petrol, kumquat and apricot. Flavors of light cherries, peaches, apricots and lime. Bright acidity, medium to full bodied. Drink or hold. (90 points)
  

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wine – 2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Pietro’s Ranch

• 2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Pietro’s Ranch – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (5/20/2013)
  WIML91

  Tasted non blind at a wine dinner.

  Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of aspirin, pepper, leather, berries and plums. Flavors of berries, raspberries and plums. Medium to bright acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold. (91 points)
  

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wine – 2010 Domaine Heresztyn Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes

• 2010 Domaine Heresztyn Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin (5/19/2013)
  WIML90

  Tasted non blind at a wine dinner.

  Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. nose of roses, berries, light white pepper and a hint of leather. Flavors of red berries, red raspberries and red cherries. Bright acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink with air or continue to hold. (90 points)
  

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food – Chop House Steak & Seafood – Pantego, Texas

Chop House Steak & Seafood
2230 W. Park Row, Suite A
Pantego, TX 76013
817.274.2600

Chop House Calamari

May 15, 2013

Chop House Steak & Seafood is Chef Kenny Mills latest restaurant venture in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex. Chef Mills has shifted gears slightly from his very popular, casual and inexpensive Chop House Burgers to focus on higher end steaks and seafood. Housed in the original Mimi’s location (old timer Arlington residents will remember) the Chop House offers up a nice selection of hand cut steaks with a tempting selection of appetizers to boot.

We popped in on a Wednesday evening with no reservation and were quickly greeted and seated at a table for four near the front entrance. Once drinks were ordered we quickly settled on the Wednesday Special for our evening which includes one appetizer, unlimited salad bar, two filet, one side dish and one dessert for the bargain basement price of $49.00. This is definitely recommended if you’re looking to be introduced to the restaurant at a budget friendly price.

We started the evening with the Crispy Calamari ($10.00) which was a good sized portion of nicely seasoned and fried calamari rings and strips unusually mixed with pepperocini and a side of chili sauce for dipping. This spicy starter was a nice take on traditional fried calamari, spicy and salty without being overwhelmingly so. This appetizer is recommended.

The Salad Bar (failed to note regular pricing) which is billed as a “Gourmet Salad Bar – 15 feet of seasonal mouth watering items” is a solid salad bar with some interesting offerings not typically seen on a salad bar but I did not find it to be “The evolution of the salad” as billed on the menu. It was instead a solid salad bar with enough fresh offerings to satisfy anybody desiring a salad while eating at a steak house.

Chop House Steak and Mashed Potatoes

My entree for the evening was the Filet ($24.00 for 8oz.). The steak was cooked perfectly to medium rare as ordered with a moist, warm center. Cooked over mesquite wood and perfectly finished with a very good quality finishing salt this steak was quite flavorful and is recommended. The side of Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes was serviceable albeit a bit uninspiring to the palate. I wouldn’t go out of my way to order the mashed potatoes.

We finished our meal with the Key Lime Pie ($6.00) which was a nice, refreshing finish to our meal. It was not a memorable dessert but then again Key Lime Pie rarely is more than a palate cleanser after a large meal.

Please note that all prices listed above are the regular menu prices.

Pace of service including the pace of food coming from the kitchen was good throughout the evening. The wait staff was friendly and generally around as needed during the meal without being overbearing or hovering.

Chop House has a mixed beverage permit and therefore does not allow BYOB. The wine list is rudimentary at best and not recommended. Stick to cocktails and beer is the recommendation here.

Chop House is open Monday through Thursday from 4:00PM until 10PM for dinner. They stay open an extra hour until 11PM on Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday. Reservations are accepted. Happy hour is from 4PM until 7PM if you’d like to pop in for a quick drink and maybe an appetizer. Attire is casual. Try to at least put on a collared shirt to dress it up a bit. Major credit cards are accepted. Free and ample parking is available in the strip center parking lot in front of the restaurant.

Chop House Steaks & Seafood: good steak and appetizer options for mid-cities diners.

The Red Wine Lovers Guide To Understanding French Wine Labels

Here is a nice article on the basics of decoding French wine labels written by Red Wine Lovers that I thought I’d share with my readers:

The Red Wine Lovers Guide To Understanding French Wine Labels.

wine – 2008 Bachey-Legros Santenay 1er Cru Clos Rousseau Vieilles Vignes

• 2008 Bachey-Legros Santenay 1er Cru Clos Rousseau Vieilles Vignes – France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Santenay 1er Cru (5/17/2013)
  WIML90

  Tasted non blind at a wine dinner.

  Garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of flowers, dust, berries and light notes of pepper. Flavors of berries, rapsberries and cranberries. Tangy acidity, medium tannin, medium to full bodied. Drunk now with some air or continue to hold. (90 points)

Posted from CellarTracker