Buffalo Chophouse — Restaurant in Buffalo

We came here as a group of 8 on a Friday night while visiting town, based off the reviews. When we arrived, Valet took the cars and we were seated quickly. The restaurant required a deposit for holding the table as we called ahead, it was $60 per head, so $480 total. No problem, I was excited.

Our server was very kind to us and the kids, striking conversation and not ignoring my 4 year old's incessant questions as I do at times, which I appreciated. During the meal, she was not as attentive as I am used to at fine dining establishments iE asking if everything is to our liking, refilling drinks before they run dry, etc, but I am from Texas, so maybe I am used to Southern Hospitality. I do not fault the waitress for this.

I started with the french onion soup, which was good. Presentation was very nice. The calamari we got was decent, not amazing but not horrible.

For the main courses, we got a few filets, the half chicken, the salmon, the steak and frites, and I got the 32oz ribeye. I added the lobster oscar and also truffle butter to my steak. We got creamed corn and spinach, mac and cheese with and without lobster, mashed potatoes and french fries for the sides.

The food came out relatively quickly which was nice. To start, the sides were good. Not out of this world, but definitely better than expected. My standard for steakhouses now is Steak 48. The sides here were 2 levels below steak 48, which is respectable.

However, the steaks themselves were not good. Half of them were cooked to temp (med rare-medium). Mine was ordered Medium but came out more rare than any medium I have seen, but I chalked it up to being bone in and also a very thick cut steak. I started by eating the lobster on top, which was rubbery and mediocre, but did not taste horrid. I would not pay the $30 or so for it again though. The steak when I bit into it, I tasted char and nothing else. No salt, no seasoning, no flavor. I took 2 small bites of my steak, and decided it was not for me. My mother in law felt the half chicken tasted old and chewy, and the salmon was very very fishy. The 3 people at the table who got filets felt that their meat was fine, again, nothing close to out of this world. Maybe at the level of say Outback steakhouse on a Tuesday.

I raised my concern about the steak to the waitress, who asked if I wanted something else. At this point, with the steak having cost $83, I did not want to experiment with anything and said I would just have the sides. She said she would get the manager. He came over and offered me to try their 4 sauces to see if it would make the steak edible or palpable to me. I okayed the sauces as I felt bad. Big mistake. Each of the 4 sauces I tried was worse than the last, with the final one in the plate of 4 making me gag and almost throw up. I asked them to take the steak back.

When I got the bill, the steak was still on it in full. I asked why this was and the waitress told me that because I ate the lobster and also cut into the steak they would charge me for the whole thing. I told her I am fine with paying for the lobster as well as the truffle butter. But, without psychic powers, how would I know the steak itself was not up to par, or rather, burnt with no flavor, without cutting into it? I did not eat a substantial amount of the 32 oz steak. If they weighed it, it would not weigh less than 28 oz at most. She told me she would get the manager. After 5 minutes, she came back and told me the manager would take $50 off the bill of the steak as a courtesy to us. I accepted because I did not want to argue, however, I did not eat 40% of the steak, which is what 33/83 equates to. I was a bit surprised that they did not just comp the steak and charge for the lobster and butter which was liked and consumed.

If you do decide to go here, (don't), I would recommend brushing up on your psychic abilities so you can determine if a dish will be horrid before tasting/cutting it. This way, you will not have the issue I had. Or, better yet, do not go here, and instead go to...

Wife and myself went for a anniversary dinner. Upon arriving, we were greeted and seated weather quick with our reservations.. nice chairs. Dining set for 2. Hostess was rather nice. Employees were dressed appropriately, very nice building. Very nice atmosphere.. amazing wine list! However, It took 20 mins for me to end up with a drink other than the immediate water that was poured, We tried several things on the menu, Started with the simplest of things.. the bread.. Our bread came hard and stale, though still soft in the middle. I probably could have drove a nail with it... On to the soups.. lobster bisque and a French onion soup.. both soups came to our table cold to the touch. Eventhough the bowls were hot?. And cheese melted? Still confused on this 1?? And I mean cold. Not warm. Cold... OK move on.. its no big deal because this is a 5 star restaurant and it will be better... Well unfortunately not... Followed by the colossal shrimp. Although they were in fact in the colossal size category, they were farm raised and represented it in the taste... like nothing... So chalk that as a 25$ for 3 loss... The crab cakes were some of the best 1s I've ever had.. those were amazing! Now for dinner. 2 filets and shirt ribs.. my wife says the filet was really good., I tried it and it was good but there was no flavor or seasoning on the steak? Weird... So with my shrt ribs I was offered mashed potatoes.. and root vegetables.. cool. Wife can have my mashed potatoes and il take her loaded baked potato.. perfect... Again.. NOT... my mashed potatoes were no doubt Instant potatoes , as you can not replicate or duplicate that taste. As soon as I mentioned it.. my wife tried her "loaded potato" also filled with instant mash.. and a mix of chives and bacon,.. we had our food packed up at this point amd were ready to leave for the night. But before we go I ask for a 30$ cake for 2.. packed to go... after asking for the bill. That was 320$ after included tip, I waited for 15 mins for the bill to be collected from the table at the chance I got to ask about the cake to go again... Waitress returned with the stuff boxed, bagged and ready to go... we walked from the restaurant to our hotel. .7 miles away. When we got to the room my wife opened the cake to find the frosting and top of the cake ruined and stuck to the lid... ?? Nothing else in her bag but her precious cake.. Again.. another apology from me insued.. I tried to take her out and do something nice for us and I ended up apologizing about 8xs through out the dinner.... With that type of place I expect everything to be top notch.. and it was so very far from it.. I would not recommend this place nor would I make a special trip to go back, it is a 6/10 at best. And if I had known or it wouldn't have been my wife and I's anniversary, and also a packed friday night. I probably would have made a scene... but im not about to embarrass my wife and upset her more then she already was... we were very disappointed in the...

This was our first experience at the Chop House. As a party of six, we went there to celebrate someone's special event. First, the Good: Valet parking was quick, polite and efficient; walked in and the place was very busy but we were greeted immediately by the host staff, who took our overcoats to a coat room in exchange for coat room tickets. Because we had reservations we were led upstairs in a few moments and seated at the table. Our waiter appeared soon after and introduced himself while another filled the water goblets. Our waiter did ask if any of our party preferred something other than water (i.e., mineral water, etc.), and then took drink orders and reviewed the wine list. He was polite, patient and seemed knowledgeable about the menu (which quite frankly is not that extensive). Water glasses were kept filled throughout the evening, and our waiter paid us a lot of attention. Now for the disappointing: While giving the impression of an upscale dining experience (dress code, and so on), it turned out to be not so. Playing it safe I chose to wear a sport coat with dress shirt and trousers. Looking around I realized I was somewhat overdressed, with most other patrons wearing everything from t-shirts to shirts and blouses, to the occasional but few sport or suit coats. We could have been at Applebees. Clearly whatever dress code they may have is not enforced. Now for the food. Since this is the "Chop House", the menu is limited to beef steaks, lamb chops, crab legs and the odd chicken dish; salads and accompanying dishes (potatoes, cooked vegetables) are all a la carte; a $60 steak can be matched to a $15 salad and $12 green beans (note that the potatoes and vegetables are served family style and are enough for a few people). Just be aware that the cost of your meal will climb rapidly. My wife and I do prepare steak and lamb at home, so to be different, decided to try the braised short ribs (which actually came with potatoes and cooked vegetables included, and was one of the least costly entrees on the menu). While the short ribs were certainly tasty, they weren't any better than any we've prepared at home. Same for the potatoes and vegetables. At $40 I was expecting something else. My younger daughters boyfriend ordered the crab legs ($90), and upon arrival they appeared to be a fairly ordinary dish of crab legs. Another ordered the lamb chops which were well-cooked but appeared to be from the shoulder, and were primarily bone (I think they were $75?). While all the food was "good", I'm not convinced it was really worth the prices given that the ambiance of the place was less than expected given all the t-shirts and rapper outfits complete with sports jerseys. Not what I would expect from what is supposedly one of Buffalo's more upscale...