Draper Brothers Chophouse pays homage to an 1800s-era meat house in Madison in a beautifully designed space best known for housing the Blue Marlin.
The menu may appear small at first glance, but it contains a wide array of items, including seafood and pasta dishes. From the appetizers list I tried the charcuterie (market price: $38), which was fine. There was no description of what cheeses or meats we would get, nor did the server tell us. My favorite part was the fig jam.
Now let’s get to the steaks. I hate to say that I was disappointed with my selections, and if you end up ordering a steak, make sure to hold the accompanying sauce.
For example, the 16 oz. New York strip ($56) is completely lost in the sherry sauce, which is so overpowering in sherry/sour flavor that it masks the beef.
Similarly, the 8 oz. filet mignon ($56) is in a sweeter raspberry sauce that doesn’t complement the steak at all, but at least you can avoid it since it’s off to the side.
Meanwhile, my 20-oz. bone-in ribeye ($82) was overcooked, sadly, as I ordered medium rare but received well done. At least the red wine demi-glace was beefy in taste and didn’t completely ruin the meat, but I could have done without it.
On a positive note, the scallops ($48) was the best dish I had, which may be sad to say at a steakhouse. The diced pancetta added a nice saltiness to couple with the fresh-tasting scallops.
All the steaks come a la carte, and you can add enhancements such as lump lobster ($30) or sides that are large enough for 2-3 people. I had the coconut lime risotto ($15), which had a powerful coconut flavor that eventually grew on me.
Despite my dislike of the steaks, I may return to have a drink at the bar, as Draper Brothers has a nice cocktail list.
- The Old Havana ($14) was a strong drink, with the dark rum prevalent.
- The Heartbreaker ($13) was refreshing, a nice combo of gin and prosecco that’s garnished with black pepper.
- The New York Sour ($14) combined bourbon and cabernet but was quite tart from the lemon juice.
Draper Brothers Chophouse is open for dinner Monday-Saturday.
***
See more photos in our Draper Brothers Chophouse Flickr album.
Tags: downtown, steakhouse
