Last Saturday we took an old friend of ours to dinner at Chamberlains Steak and Chop House. Our friend is something of a Gourmet (but not a Gourmand). He loves good food (but not too much of it), and he has eaten at all of the three star restaurants in Paris, France (except for the few restaurants that were added to the list recently). As you may know, getting three stars from Guide Michelin (or even one) is nearly impossible. However, we had been to Chamberlains Steak and Chop House a number of times and we knew that the steaks and everything else at Chamberlains was simply fantastic.

I ordered one of their current specials, a 10 ounce marinated Filet Mignon (medium) covered with crumbled blue cheese mush, with just the right amount of pepper, and for the side I picked garlic mashed potato, and a Vine Ripened Tomato with shaved red onion & blue cheese dressing. My wife ordered Sea Bass with Sautéed Spinach with garlic & olive oil, and Lobster & Shrimp Salad with hearts of palm. Our friend ordered 40 day aged rib eye and a baked potato and a type of side salad I don't remember. We washed it down with an expensive fine wine (grade 90 something, price way above a hundred something). We also had dessert, coffee and I had a shot of liquor I don't remember the name of. I should add that we requested the wine room which is a semi private room in which the walls are stacked with all kinds of different wines from all over the world. When all was said and done the bill was nearly $300.


About Chamberlains Steak and Chop House

Once when we had dinner at an exquisite restaurant in Marseille in France, the chef came out to talk to us, and he told us that the best steaks in the world comes from two places, Texas and Kansas. He told us in French and English all about the wonderful Texas steaks. I already knew, of course, that if you want a really fantastic steak, an upscale Steak House in Texas is where you should go.

"Chamberlains Steak and Chop House" is located on Belt Line Road in Addison which is a municipality which is essentially an extension of Dallas. Chamberlains is sometimes featured as one of the Nations top restaurants in various publications and it is one of the ten best steak houses in Dallas in my opinion. The steaks they serve are flavorful, tender, cooked to perfection, and always of top quality. They also serve seafood, lobster, and many other kinds of dishes and everything on their menu is excellent.

They have free parking, complimentary valet parking, they take reservations, they offer private dining rooms, conference equipment, microphones, and as mentioned they have a wine room. They have a sizable bar with anything that you can wish for including 18 brands of cigars.

I can add that chef Chamberlains (the owner) awards include

"One of America's Top Tables," from Gourmet
"One of America's Top Restaurants," from Zagat Guide
"Award of Excellence," from Wine Spectator (every year since 2000)
"Top 10 restaurants in DFW" by Gayot Survey

Ambiance

The décor is dark brown, oak wood, and beige and the tables are pre set with white table cloths, black napkins and wine glasses. The ambiance is both French and upscale Texas country style. The restaurant is in my opinion classy and somewhat luxurious but without being indulgent. It is quiet and Romantic and you never get the feeling that it is crowded even when it is. The wine room has only a few tables in it and it is quiet and spacious which gives you a semi private feeling. This is great place to have a good dinner with your family or have a romantic evening.


The menu

The menu features Roast Prime Rib Of Beef of various sizes, Filet Mignon of various sizes, Peppered Filet Mignon in peppercorn sauce, prime bone in Filet Mignon, 40 Day Aged Ribeye, Prime Bone in Ribeye, Prime NY Strip, T-Bone, Porterhouse, Veal Chop, Double Lamb Chops, Honey Glazed Pork Chops, Kobe Sirloin, Kobe Ribeye, Kobe NY Strip, Lobster Tail, Australian Lobster Tail, herb roasted chicken with wild mushrooms, and several see food dishes. They also have several kinds of salads. However, they also have a number of specials. The best venison I've ever eaten I ate here. The steaks vary in price from $24 to $69 (the Kobe stuff).

They have several kinds of appetizers ranging in price from $8 to $15. A few examples are, Shrimp & Grits with roasted pepper & Creole mustard, Lobster & Shrimp Bisque, Lump Crab Cake Victoria with southern pecan slaw, and Kobe Beef Pot Stickers with sesame soy glaze. The sides are quite special, a few examples are, Yukon Gold Au Gratin Potatoes, Idaho Baked Potato, Parmesan Truffle Grits, Vermont Cheddar Steak Fries, Creamed Corn with apple-wood bacon, and much more. You pay extra for the sides, from $5 to $9.

Their standard wine list contains hundreds of different kinds of bottles ranging in price from $25 to $350. I said "standard" because they offer other kinds of wines and champagnes as well depending on availability. The cheapest wine is a French Beaujolais, Louis Jadot, and the most expensive is Krug "Grand Cuvee", Reims Champagne. Other examples of expensive Champagne and wine are, Perrier Jouet, Fleur de Champagne, Cuvee Dom Perignon, Epernay, and Williams Selyem, Sonoma, Silver Oak, Alexander Valley.


The service

We have been at Chamberlains many times and each and every time the service has been impeccable. The waiters have always been in cheerful and attentive, very respectful and ready to jump to one and very one of your request. I have been to so many places where waiters are nosy, talk about stuff they don't know, or try to seem smart. That does not happen here. Chamberlains employ waiters who are intelligent, smart looking and who know what they are doing and how to interact with people. The waiters are also very well educated and they are experts on steaks, sea food, wine, and bar items. If I ask for my steak to be medium it comes out medium, if I ask for it to be medium rare it comes out medium rare. A mistake like that does not happen here.


My thoughts and opinions

Chamberlains is the perfect steak house if you want to have a really nice dinner or impress on somebody. You can bring children here, as we have done, but it is not really a restaurant for children. We ended up spending a good sum of money last time we came here. However, if you don't get very expensive wine and stay away from the most expensive items on the menu you can have a fantastic three course dinner for two under a hundred dollars. Chamberlains is not inexpensive but it is not exorbitantly expensive either. When you want something a little bit upscale then I can highly recommend Chamberlains Steak and Chop House.


Finally I would like to say thank you to Bruguru for adding this entry to the epinions data base.

Recommended: Yes

Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Filet Mignon, Peppered Filet Mignon, Porterhouse, Aged Ribeye,Vine Ripened Tomato with shaved red onion & blue cheese dressing
Best Suited For: Romantic Evening