DINING: House of steaks, chops

The new Annapolis Towne Centre at Parole has been making headlines for all it has to offer.

The center, with trendy retailers, a Whole Foods store and many upscale condominiums, also has introduced the Annapolis area to a number of new restaurants.

The magnificent town-center site has changed the skyline of Annapolis forever, making some residents happy, others not so elated. You can’t miss it when traveling on Route 50.

One of the restaurant tenants getting a lot of buzz is the Chop House. Opened in early May, this upscale eatery lives up to its name, specializing in steaks and chops.

The Chop House delivers excellent service and pampers guests the whole evening.

A recommended lobster bisque ($8.95) provided a nice change from the area’s more common cream-of-crab soup. Velvety smooth, it was rich with lobster, fennel, leek and brandy flavors. A mound of chopped lobster meat added a bit of texture and decadence.

Bluepoint oysters ($12.95) on the half shell ranged from medium to small. The six bivalves definitely were fresh, but they lacked the flavor found in some other varieties available now, specifically the farm-raised Choptank Sweets of the Eastern Shore.

Other interesting starters include a smoked salmon sampler featuring hot, cold and pastrami-style smoked salmon with a wasabi panna cotta and flash-fried calamari with sauteed cherry and banana peppers.

The Chop House uses all prime beef, which is supposed to represent the top 2 percent of beef raised.

The beef line offers everything from filet to New York strip, including Kobe rib-eye, porterhouse, cowboy steak and a Kobe flank steak.

The roasted rack of farm-raised New Zealand venison ($35.95) was highly recommended, but it lost out to the beef Wellington ($34.95) because, as our waiter said, “You get it all.” The medium-rare filet was perfectly cooked and melt-in-your-mouth tender. The beef was topped with a rich foie gras and an earthy mushroom duxelle. There was just enough foie gras to add depth, but not enough to overpower the meat. The puff pastry looked a bit brown but did not taste burnt. A cabernet sauce provided a nice balance.

Surf and turf ($38.95) was a beef filet with a lobster-and-crab cake. The filet came topped with tiny onion strings and was a little overcooked, but there were no complaints. The crab cake was a little overcooked as well, but the abundance of lump crab and lobster made up for that.

Market price for top-of-the-line jumbo South African lobster tail was $79.95. Other seafood selections were salmon, tuna, scallops and Dover sole. Pastas include lobster ravioli with shrimp and scallops scampi and a beef tenderloin stroganoff over hand-cut pappardelle.

As is standard at most steakhouses, vegetables and potatoes are ordered separately. Cheddar au gratin potatoes ($7.95) burst with a sharp cheddar flavor. Layer upon layer of thinly sliced potatoes were perfectly firm but not undercooked.

Other side choices include a 1-pound baked potato or sweet potato, garlic smashed potatoes, french fries, macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach, wild mushrooms or grilled asparagus.

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