Chops on Top

STUFFED ROASTED BEET: CHOPS CITY GRILL INTRODUCED SEVERAL NEW COURSES THAT SHOW HOW THE RESTAURANT STANDS OUT FROM TYPICAL STEAKHOUSES. PICTURED HERE, ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING NEW ADDITIONS TO THE SIDE ITEMS: THE STUFFED ROASTED BEET WITH CITRUS SOUR CREAM, FRESH BLACKBERRIES, CANDIED WALNUTS AND GINGER “FRIES”.

STUFFED ROASTED BEET: CHOPS CITY GRILL INTRODUCED SEVERAL NEW COURSES THAT SHOW HOW THE RESTAURANT STANDS OUT FROM TYPICAL STEAKHOUSES. PICTURED HERE, ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING NEW ADDITIONS TO THE SIDE ITEMS: THE STUFFED ROASTED BEET WITH CITRUS SOUR CREAM, FRESH BLACKBERRIES, CANDIED WALNUTS AND GINGER “FRIES”.

Like artists at their easels, the chefs at Chops City Grill have let their creativity loose, reimagining the restaurant’s menu to offer Southwest Florida incredibly flavorful and affordable surprises!

It’s the biggest makeover the menu has seen in five years, said Skip Quillen, who owns Chops City Grill on Fifth Avenue South and its sister restaurants within the Culinary Concepts restaurant group.

Diners will find affordable adaptations of top sirloin and Wagyu London broil, along with stuffed burgers and organic chicken. Raw bar items were revolutionized to present new sushi, and the selection of sides available has been upgraded to include roasted root vegetables with popcorn butter and an impressive stuffed roasted beet with citrus sour cream, fresh blackberries, candied walnuts and ginger “fries” to name a few of the new items at Chops City Grill.

“We’ve consciously added more affordable items on the menu and, at the same time, we’ve taken it up a notch in creativity as well with the goal to be, without a doubt, the best restaurant in Naples,” Quillen said.

Yes, for steakhouse traditionalists, Chops will always offer incredible in-house dry-aged cuts of beef with free sides such as a sea salt baked potato topped with a stack of the restaurant’s world famous onion rings. But those stalwarts now rub elbows with unexpected entrees such as the Short Rib Stroganoff with black pepper pappardelle and white truffle foam as well as inspired dishes like the Seared Top Sirloin entrée with ginger-corn nut crust and blackberry-cabernet sauce served with parsnip whipped potatoes and crunchy Dijon encrusted asparagus.

Since the restaurant opened in 1998, it’s made its mission to break the steakhouse mold and offer dinner guests a wider range of cuisine, more flavor profiles and to present dishes that visually command attention in the dining room.

CITY STYLE SALAD: ALONG WITH SEVERAL NEW CREATIONS, CHOPS CITY GRILL HAS REIMAGINED SOME OF ITS DISHES AS WELL, LIKE THE CITY STYLE SALAD: A “CHOPPED” WEDGE CLASSIC OF BABY ICEBERG, GREAT HILL BLUE CHEESE, APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON, BEEFSTEAK TOMATOES, CANDIED WALNUTS AND MICRO CRESS.

CITY STYLE SALAD: ALONG WITH SEVERAL NEW CREATIONS, CHOPS CITY GRILL HAS REIMAGINED SOME OF ITS DISHES AS WELL, LIKE THE CITY STYLE SALAD: A “CHOPPED” WEDGE CLASSIC OF BABY ICEBERG, GREAT HILL BLUE CHEESE, APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON, BEEFSTEAK TOMATOES, CANDIED WALNUTS AND MICRO CRESS.

“People eat with their eyes first, so we wanted to make food that had incredible flavor, but also gives them that ‘wow’ factor,” said Chris Metzler, corporate executive chef at Culinary Concepts. “It’s all about art, and creating that height, color and composition for each dish.”

The passion poured into the menu redesign and the effort it took is evident in the details.

Sauces, vegetables and sides were fawned over as much as main courses and raw bar items. Favorite dishes were revisited and adapted to the new style: creams and heavy beurre blancs were replaced with lighter, fresher flavors. Now, the Black Pepper Seared Tuna features a fresh blackberry-yuzu soy sauce and a very light fresh mixed vegetable stir fry.

“This is totally different than a typical steakhouse restaurant,” Quillen said. “We spent over four months designing the new menu, and loved every minute of it.”

While the dishes are temporary works of art and the quality is evident in every bite, new entrees start in the $22 to $25 range with dishes like the Cedar Plank Roasted Wild Salmon served blackened with a miso-mango sweet and sour sauce with sautéed greens, cauliflower smash and a green papaya-watercress salad.

Guests can still enjoy an in-house, dry-aged strip steak if they’re in the mood, but the new menu affords added flexibility for your wallet. Also, from time to time, specialty prime burgers will be showcased on the menu as well.

SUSHI COMBO: NEW SUSHI AND RAW BAR ITEMS OFFER EXCITING AND UNIQUE FLAVORS FOR DINERS. PICTURED HERE, THE SUSHI COMBO WITH TWO EACH OF MANGO-RED CRAB ROLL, SMOKED SALMON ROLL AND OUR BLT ROLL.

SUSHI COMBO: NEW SUSHI AND RAW BAR ITEMS OFFER EXCITING AND UNIQUE FLAVORS FOR DINERS. PICTURED HERE, THE SUSHI COMBO WITH TWO EACH OF
MANGO-RED CRAB ROLL, SMOKED SALMON ROLL AND OUR BLT ROLL.

Dipping toward lower price points is an unconventional move as new competitors opening steakhouses in the Naples area are opting for menu items with a much higher price tag, but offering the right blend of value and quality has always been key for Chops.

“We want low-cost alternatives for our guests, and we’re still the only steakhouse in town that offers free sides with our entrees,” Quillen said. “We’re trying to give more of a range in price and variety so that people can and will come back more often. “But above everything else, we just want to be the best.”

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