Chops Restaurant and Bar

On the first day of Christmas blogging...  Well, actually several days ago, DCWB said to me, why not a nice meal.  Despite vows to eat in moderation this week (not forever, of course), I couldn't resist such an invitation.  We landed at Chops on City Line, a place described as "the Palm West for main line power brokers."  No power was broken (?), but decadent appetizers, steaks and drinks were consumed, which was enough for me.

The meal started with a Sidecar, straight up, sugar rim.  Why am I not drinking this more often?  A blend of cointreau, cognac and lemon juice, Chops' take on the drink was a little on the frou-frou/sweet side, but packed a great punch and seemed celebratory for the holiday.  The Chesapeake Bay oysters hit the spot, although for once I eschewed the mignonette in favor of DCWB's preference of splashing vodka, tabasco and horseradish on top.  Although I skipped the horseradish, the effect was still, well, awesome.  A somewhat typical wedge salad was next that could have been improved through the addition of bacon but then again, I'd be hard pressed to say when that's not the case.  My NY strip was done well (for medium rare, of course) and the Bearnaise sauce was the perfect addition.  DCWB's veal chop was tender and flavorful.  Somehow, we managed to resist the molten chocolate cake, but I'm confident it would have delivered the goods.  Our maitre d' was attentive and friendly and our server accommodated our requests and was never far away.  Although we were seated near the bar, the atmosphere was a bit bright for my clubby steakhouse preferences and yet I still managed to feel as decadent as the food suggested.  I'll embrace moderation tomorrow.

Chops is located on 401 City Line Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, Pa, http://www.chops.us/.