CHOP

4/5 Stars

1750 Sargent Ave. at Century St.

Pre-visit 
The restaurant only takes reservations to fill 20% of the restaurant for any given time.  Because we only decided to go there on Wednesday, they didn't have enough room for us to make a reservation in the dining room.

The Service
We walked into the restaurant through the heavy wood door.  The second door was opened for us by the hostess and we were greeted by the hostesses at the front desk. Although we did not have a reservation, we were able to get into the dining room without a wait (at 6:30 approximately).

The dining room is very open, but despite this fact the volume is still very low.  This is due to the carpeted floors, padded walls, and soft furniture.  It also worked out that although we were seated in an area beside two group tables, they were not seated until after we were ready to leave.

The service in the restaurant was great.  Our server was not over the top, and the manager was discrete when checking in.  Also, the server did not offer too much information but was willing to answer any questions, and she was there whenever there were plates to be cleared or drinks to be refilled.

   Appetizers:
House Salad - 1/4 iceberg lettuce head topped with a blackberry port vinaigrette.  Also, the plate has carrot, cucumber, and tomato so that you can 'make your own salad'.
French Onion Soup - a standard with a twist.  Instead of the standard Gruyere cheese they use Asiago to finish the dish.
Table bread - a miniature loaf of brown rye bread, served with whipped butter.

    Entrees:
Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi - the fish was well cooked but slightly fishy tasting, but it was helped along by the crusting which was delicious (although I'm predisposed to like it because of my love for macadamia nuts).  The fish was served on a portion of garlic mashed potatoes that are slightly green because they have wasabi mixed into them - but not enough to be too spicy.  The potatoes and fish are surrounded by spinach leaves and red pepper.  The best way to eat this dish is to have a little bit of everything on your fork at once.  Overall the dish was tasty, but I would be inclined to order something else - perhaps salmon - next time.
New York Strip (medium rare) - aged 28 days.  I'm not sure what exactly they do differently than other restaurants, but it had a unique taste which was still very good.  Their steaks are available with the option of scalloped potatoes, a wild rice pilaf, or french fries.  The fries were quite good, and it was great to see that this restaurant hasn't succumbed to the fad of 'shoe string' fries.  Overall this was a refreshing dish because the vegetables served with the steak were cooked beats and grilled zucchini.

   Drinks:
Beer - the selection of beers on tap was nothing too exciting or unique.
Smashed Grape martini - the martini for white wine drinkers, for sure, because that's what it tastes like.

   Desserts:
The selection of desserts was, again, unimpressive and nothing particularly original.  That being said, we were full from the rest of the food and drink.  Alternately, they had a great selection of different ports and dessert wines, which some restaurants don't seem to have a lot of.