There is only one word that could describe our recent dining experience at Halls Chophouse – perfect! In an era where great service and unbelievable food seems hard to find, at Halls Chophouse it is plentiful.
I must admit that I’m not a big red meat eater. Even though we’ve walked by Halls and have been intrigued, I haven’t had the desire to eat there. Let me say that those words are a thing of the past.
Invited by our friends Dean and Lisa for a birthday celebration, we were looking forward to trying it out. Let me just say that Halls Chophouse exceeded our expectations.
Upon our arrival we were quickly greeted by a gentleman who not only shook our hands, offered to take our coats and offered to put the flowers that I was carrying into water (they were a gift). He also mentioned that he was Billy Hall and if there was anything that he could do for us during the evening, we should not hesitate to ask.
Since we were a tad early for our dinner reservation we met our friends at the bar and enjoyed a beverage. Service there was stellar. Beverages were delivered promptly, glassware was sparkling, frosted if needed and the bartender was friendly, yet not intrusive. When we went to inquire about being seated (since we had passed our scheduled reservation time) we were told, “When you are ready, so are we. Take your time.”
Upon departing the bar and heading upstairs to the dining area, servers were quickly called to carry our drinks for us. A large bottle of sparkling water also ordered would be, “Taken upstairs for us”.
We were quickly poured water and greeted by our server, Kara (I’m sorry if I am spelling her name incorrectly as it could be Cara). She offered some suggestions and also told us the specials. Piping hot sourdough bread and creamy butter were quickly brought to the table. Any and everyone on duty that walked by were quick to say “Happy Birthday” to our friend, which was nice.
After some deliberation we landed on what we would order. The French onion soup was served hot, with a pile of melted cheese and crispy fried onion strings, the ½ chopped salad was a cool mix of great flavors with a crisp ring of chopped bacon encircling it. My “simple salad” was fresh, lightly dressed and topped with dates, goat cheese and halved grape tomatoes. We could not wait for our entrees to arrive.
Before you knew it our table was being cleared. The service style for lack of a better analogy could be described as “ants on a cookie”. People were all over the table, and then just as quickly, they were gone.
Dinner arrived, all at once as multiple food servers descended upon the table. My Maine Lobster was steaming hot and the size of my arm, the Cedar Planked Broiled Salmon was in fact served on the plank with an accompaniment of succulent tomato and cucumber yogurt sauce.
But the crowning event had to be the steaks. The Bone in Rib Eye and the (32 oz.) Bone in Porterhouse were a sight to behold. Not only beautiful, but they were cooked perfectly. As we ate our meal someone remarked, “Oak Steakhouse should be embarrassed.” We couldn’t agree more.
We ordered a few side dishes (since a half a cow wasn’t enough…), and the servers plated them for us, coming back frequently to see if we’d like anything else. This was simply a terrific team approach.
Upon leaving Mr. Hall was at the top of the stairs shaking everyone’s hand, wishing them Happy New Year and inviting everyone back. At the bottom of the stairs Billy Hall was doing the same. I even saw him hug a few people and again wished our friend Happy Birthday.
As we walked to our cars we could not get over what a “Wow” experience this had been, truly a cut above. I can’t wait to go back.
After dining at Hall's Chophouse we had the opportunity to sit down with the owners and the chef for an in depth interview. You can read more about what they had to say here.
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