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|  | Food & Wine Restaurant Review Christopher’s Seafood & Steak House Address: 110 W. Broadway, SLC, UT
Phone: 519-8515
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11:30am–3pm, 4:30–10pm
Fri 11:30am–3pm, 4:30–11pm
Sat 4:30–11pm, Sun 4–9pm
All major-credit cards accepted,
Handicap accessible (except restrooms) Meat is Man-Food. Or so I’ve been told. Take any slab, grill it until it’s nicely charred and place it with some form of that popular tuber, the potato. You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone with an XY chromosome to decline such an offering. How many prospective mates have uttered, “I’m a meat & potatoes kinda guy?” One hub of carnivorous pleasure is Christopher’s Seafood and Steak House. Located in downtown’s Peery Hotel, it’s a stone’s throw from the Rose Wagner Theater, Capitol Theater, and Club Naked. So you can get some serious sustenance whatever your activity of choice may be.
Grilling/charring meats has been around since the advent of fire. It’s a hunter’s prize, associated with the feeling of “that’s right, I’ve just proved my masculinity. Now pass the potatoes” (note last summer’s family barbecue). So, it’s ironic that such primitive food is housed in such high brow settings (with the exception of the Wagon Master). The dining room is expansive with paneled walls in shades of vanilla and tobacco, elegant light fixtures, and a blazing fireplace against the west wall. For such a power lunch-like setting, my dining party and I seemed to make it on a night that everyone had a family reunion—modern day men bringing their tribes to the meat. The space obviously accommodates large parties, including a private room for special events. Conversations echoed through the walls as did the shrieking of a child or two.
Appetizers include oysters on the half shell, crab-stuffed mushrooms and Cajun chicken fingers ($5.99) which were nicely crunchy, if slightly overcooked and with no trace of “Cajun” seasoning. The signature clam chowder is worth a try with a thick creamy broth and tender clams. Domestic labels dominate the wine list and, helpfully, each variety includes a brief synopsis of which dishes suit it best. Sadly, only a few of the bottles were available by the glass, leaving few options for moderate solo drinkers. Note to self: bring large group and drink plentifully.
Service was attentive this evening and helpful in deciphering the beguiling steakhouse lexicon. I chose a Kansas City Sirloin ($21.99) and ordered it black and blue (charred on the outside and fairly rare on the interior). The result was delicious combined with the delightfully crispy roasted red potatoes. The menu also includes chicken entrees, pork chops, a few pasta dishes, and selection of seafood (it is in the name after all) including cioppino ($21.99). A tomato-based stew of shellfish, tender fish, and wine, served in this case, atop a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, it was a pleasant surprise for its quality and also in that I turned out to be the meat-and-potatoes man that evening.
Additional vegetable sides (suited for meat, apologies to my Cioppino-loving companion) such as asparagus hollandaise and sautéed mushrooms are available at an additional cost. Caramelized onions ($3.25) were satisfactory—soft and golden, pooled in a reduction of meat stock. The creamed spinach ($4.25) showcased excellent freshness of the vegetable with every vibrant bite. However, the “creamed” aspect of the dish was ill-conceived as the beautiful spinach seemed to bide its time in warm cream apparently poured straight from the carton and haphazardly sprinkled with parmesan.
As the large parties left, things quieted down. The warm fireplace and remnants of the gargantuan chocolate decadence cake were welcome endnotes to the meal. As contradictory as Christopher’s may seem, the ambience and quality of meat make it worth giving a nod to the ancestors (distant and near) who made savoring charred meats in such elegant environments possible. Here’s to the Meat-and-Potatoes Man. | | |
