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Corner Chophouse Credit: Matt Keller Lehman<\/p>\nCorner Chophouse Credit: Matt Keller Lehman<\/p>\n
When Corner Chophouse announced it would move into the old Park Avenue Tavern\/Dexter\u2019s space in Hannibal Square, I kept hearing, \u201cDoes Winter Park really need another high-end steakhouse?\u201d I don\u2019t know; does Orlando need another taqueria? Or pizzeria? Noodle house? Sushi joint? It struck me as the sort of question uttered in a city uncomfortable in its own skin, perhaps even one with an inferiority complex, not a large urban center with an established culinary identity. Maybe that\u2019s because more isn\u2019t less when it comes to restaurants; rather, more is more. So, yes, give me more taquerias and pizzerias. Give me more noodle houses and sushi joints. And, sure, give me more high-end steakhouses, even if it\u2019s rare you\u2019ll find me in one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Corner Chophouse, however, is no ordinary high-end steakhouse. This is one by Indigo Road Hospitality Group, makers of many a concept, including venerable Charleston institution Oak Steakhouse. It\u2019s run by four-time James Beard Award nominee Steve Palmer, who chose to create a whole new concept just for this prominent corner in Hannibal Square.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That said, more than a few followers slid into my DMs to sound their disappointment when the chophouse first opened: \u201cSaddest ribeye I\u2019ve seen in quite some time. This for $85\u201d; \u201cJust a sad mess of a presentation\u201d; \u201cService was bad and food wasn\u2019t much better\u201d; \u201cSteaks overcooked, sides meh, I miss Dexter\u2019s.\u201d Some accompanied their pleasantries with photos of dreadful-looking cuts of steak. The fact the messages came from people whose opinions I respect only served to lower, significantly, my expectations. So when the good lady and I entered the Prohibition Era-styled chophouse on a Friday night and were seated in a dimly lit overflow room, we expected the worst.<\/p>\n
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Corner Chophouse Credit: Matt Keller Lehman<\/p>\n
But we couldn\u2019t find fault with the steak tartare ($19), revealed to us once a smoke-filled dome was lifted off the plate. Black garlic lent the raw beef its bite; gossamer potato chips lent the crisp. Then we ate a lovely, and pricey, bluefin tuna crudo ($24) elegantly dressed with radishes, buttery Castelvetrano olives and sherry vinegar served on a classy, irregular round plate. We began to wonder when our opinions would sour. Would it be after a service of milk bread served with Maldon-salted Plugr\u00e0 butter ($8)? Nope.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When our server said that they were inexplicably out of the 20-ounce dry-aged bone-in ribeye ($150) I had my eye on, along with the 28-ounce cowboy ribeye ($160) and the 12-ounce wagyu strip ($120), that left me just four steaks to choose from. The 32-ounce porterhouse was suggested \u2014 all $240 worth \u2014 but I settled for a less riche $84 16-ounce prime ribeye. The medium-rare slab couldn\u2019t have been fired better. Unlike the slabs in the photos sent to me, it looked every bit the $84 steak I thought it wouldn\u2019t be. Along with a marrow bone ($9) and a side of asparagus ($15) coated in a mustardy sauce gribiche and crispy potato, this was a steak dinner as good as any I\u2019ve enjoyed. <\/p>\n
A massive, wonderfully marbled pork chop ($46) was just as juicy, served over potato pav\u00e9 set in a rich soubise with apples. Apart from the sticker shock, the lack of steak options and the wine glasses not cleared after cocktails were ordered, we left impressed \u2014 and a bit puzzled.<\/p>\n
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Corner Chophouse Credit: Matt Keller Lehman<\/p>\n
I mean, this was hardly the subpar meal we anticipated. Surely the reckoning would come on a subsequent visit. But there, at the lively bar, the pal and I wolfed down a beautifully presented plate of squash and pumpkin ravioli ($22) in a sage brown butter as well as a couple of large stone crabs ($15) before digging into the dry-aged, bone-in ribeye ($150) I desired on my previous visit. <\/p>\n
Again, it was perfectly grilled, and every nutty slice was paired with a bite of pancetta-flecked creamed spinach ($12), a complimentary offering courtesy of our gracious barkeep. I also witnessed a first: the making of a vodka martini with 13 blue-cheese-stuffed olives. Not quite as ridiculous was the size of the chocolate cake ($16) and the brown butter spiced apple cake ($14) with brown butter cream cheese icing, caramelized apples and candied pecans. Both solid, both superb.<\/p>\n
As I picked through leftovers a couple of days later, I noticed a couple of things: No. 1, the pork chop was significantly raw in one section, and No. 2, I had received another DM about Corner Chophouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey must have gotten it together because I haven\u2019t heard any major complaints in the last couple of weeks. I mean, you\u2019d think so given the company that runs it,\u201d said the Instagram message.<\/p>\n
It appears so, even if Corner Chophouse is a bit rough around the edges.<\/p>\n
(Corner Chophouse, 558 W. New England Ave., Winter Park; 321-972-2383; cornerchophouse.com<\/a>; $$$$)<\/p>\n Orlando\u2019s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.<\/p>\n