801 Chophouse — Restaurant in Clayton

Came here for the 1st time for a surprise 7 year anniversary. The service was great as well as the appetizers. We got the bone in strip medium rare and filet medium. Both came out very undercooked, we sent back the filet. As my bone in did have a lot of redness and the middle was not warm like a medium rare steak is supposed to be I just ate what I could and left the very rare pieces on my plate which sucked for me because when I go to a steak house I typically do not leave any scraps. When the manager came to talk with us we very nicely informed him everything is great, just wanted to let him know his steaks are coming out undercooked. He informed us they go by actual temperature so this is why it came out underdone and that was it.(hard to believe given the middle of my steak was cold maybe lukewarm at best to be nice & beat red there’s no way it could’ve even tested at 100 degrees it was not warm in the slightest) We were wondering why as we informed the waiter this was our first time here, why we weren’t told this in advance. We like fine dining at Ruth Chris, twisted tree steak house, & Napoli and would’ve much rather spent our anniversary at any of these options before 801. When this happens as a customer we’re just looking for a reason to come back and give the business another try but did not find one. We were told basically in short we ordered our steak at the wrong temperature and to be more careful next time. We’re not interested in taking a gamble a second time. At the end the waiter informed us he took care of our dessert soufflé when I looked at the bill it was discounted for an anniversary dessert. Again not looking for a discount, never mentioned or asked for anything to be taken off bill but if you’re gonna say “we took care of this for you” in exact words then to find out it’s for our anniversary seemed misleading/miss-worded like he was doing us a favor for the mistake. Not a huge deal, did not bother us just seemed disingenuous given the circumstances. Maybe we were too nice about it all in all but we were dissatisfied with this steakhouse with its price points being high for top notch food & service as the expectation. We got top notch service but not top notch steak. If I was the manager of a 5star steak house I would want my customers to be assured we can cook a steak to perfection as requested the first time it comes out nothing less. We would’ve been satisfied and given it another shot with something as small as a simple apology for the steak being undercooked and a personal invite to show off you guys can certainly cook a steak to perfection the first time nothing less. We’re very understanding mistakes happen and this isn’t the first undercooked steak we’ve received. I will say at a restaurant named above when the steak was undercooked, the waiter agreed and we received an entirely new cut of steak recooked instead of throwing the same piece back on that was cut into multiple pieces. That’s a representation of reassurance and excellence in a 5...

Pre-birthday dinner 😊 The evening begins before one even crosses the threshold. 801 Chophouse in Clayton, St. Louis, reveals its commitment to hospitality the moment the car rolls to a stop—valet at the ready, a smile as polished as the chrome on the curb.

Inside, the sense of occasion deepens. Andrew, the general manager, greets by name with the kind of warmth that turns formality into familiarity. The room—rich wood, warm lighting, and echoes of a 1920s New York supper club—feels both grand and intimate, as though it’s been waiting for your arrival. Bob, my server for the evening, is introduced and proves, over the next few hours, to be equal parts guide, storyteller, and quietly attentive orchestrator.

The first overture arrives in the form of a small, warm loaf of sourdough, its crust gently crackling, its butter impossibly soft. A simple pleasure, but an omen of good things to come—restraint is difficult, knowing what lies ahead.

Bob then unveils the evening’s performance piece: a silver tray of raw, glistening cuts of beef. His ten-minute recital of each—from marbled ribeyes to the understated filet—elevates this from mere menu consultation to an education in reverence for the craft. Decision-making becomes deliciously difficult.

To toast the evening’s pre-birthday celebration, I opt for a zero-proof 801 Chophouse Spritz—an effervescent, ginger-kissed refresher built on 1885 Giffard aperitif, lime, and club soda. It proves an ideal prelude to a jewel-like tuna tartare: ruby cubes of fish with creamy avocado, bright orange soy glaze, wasabi emulsion, and the crunch of sesame-laced wontons.

A cup of lobster bisque follows—velvety, rich, and perfumed with the essence of the sea, studded with tender lobster meat and paired with a toasted bread for just enough texture.

The main act: an 8-ounce petite filet, brushed with the house 801 rub and crowned with buttery chanterelles. Cooked to a precise medium—warm red heart, juices glistening—it’s accompanied by French green beans with bacon and caramelized onion, and mashed potatoes enriched with roasted garlic and Boursin cheese. A plate that manages to be both indulgent and impeccably restrained.

Dessert is a chocolate soufflé, risen with dramatic height and served with vanilla anglaise, chocolate sauce, and berry compote. A cup of coffee turns it into an unhurried finale. And then—an unprompted touch of charm: “Happy Birthday Paul” printed discreetly on the evening’s menu.

This is what separates a fine restaurant from a great one: a mastery not just of food and drink, but of experience. Here, hospitality is practiced with the same precision as the carving of a prime rib. From its origins in Des Moines to its Clayton outpost, 801 Chophouse has perfected the art of making each guest feel both celebrated and at home.

This is less a meal than a masterclass in graciousness—served rare, of course.

#customerexperience #finedining...

opentable website says 801 chophouse is good for anniversaries. we've always enjoyed their food and their service is usually good. after this last experience we will not be returning to 801 chophouse. it's bad enough that this coronavirus mess has everyone wanting to return to some degree of normalcy, but when you do have the opportunity to do something special you hope for a great experience. celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary we thought 801 chophouse or capital grill would be the perfect dinner date. unfortunately we elected to dine at 801 chophouse. our reservation was for 6:30 and we arrived at 6:25. we were seated right away and our server, bon, promptly visited us and took our drink order. within a few minutes we had our drinks and ordered an appetizer. the appetizer was brought to our table and within 10 minutes, we had our drinks and appetizer. that's where the service stopped. we waited 20 minutes and bon, our server, never returned to our table to check on our drinks or appetizer. after another 10-15 minutes my wife stopped another server and i asked him if he could bring us another drink. he said he would and after another 10 minutes waiting i had had enough. i told the hostess that i wanted to pay for the drinks and app and she brought the manager over. the manager was a very nice young lady and she apologized for the server's inattention, offering to personally take our order and attend to us. we declined since the evening was already made unspecial by the lackadaisical service we had. one hour watching other tables, seated after us, receiving their entrees was more than i was willing to overlook. the worst of this is that we were celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary, a celebration that only comes once in a lifetime, and that evening was ruined. it can't be recaptured, it is forever lost and will only be remembered as a horrible experience. not the way i wanted to remember our 50 anniversary. thank you 801 chophouse for that. on our way home we decided to stop at massa's and we were served by a delightful young lady, ashley, who made us feel special and was not even aware of what we were celebrating. i guess this proves that you don't have to spend money on overpriced food and subpar service to enjoy an...