The High-End Cuts of Chloe's Chop House

A slice of life (and beef) at Bellaire's new steakhouse

Northern Michigan is famous for its wide variety of dining destinations, from burgers and fries to supper-club style excess to farm-to-table fine dining. Earlier this year, Chef Taylor Sutherland and his brother Hunter looked at the restaurant landscape and realized it was lacking something significant: A true steakhouse experience, where all the cuts of meat and sides are priced a la carte so patrons can customize the exact level of carnivorous decadence they desire.

In May, that realization manifested in the new Chloe’s Chop House in downtown Bellaire.

“My brother and I have always really loved food, and there’s really no good steakhouses around,” Taylor says, and prior to opening the restaurant, he did a lot of research to make sure they were going to deliver on that intention. “We went down to Prime & Proper in Detroit, the Chop House in Grand Rapids, Ruth’s Chris … we enjoy that service experience, and we decided to try to bring that Detroit or Chicago style restaurant up [here].”

Executive Cuts

Prior to Chloe’s, Taylor worked alongside his brother at the Weathervane in Charlevoix and Shanty Creek Resort. Several years ago, he set out on his own to open the Corner Bistro in downtown Bellaire, which is only about 500 feet south of Chloe’s on Bridge Street.

His time spent cooking for the local crowd has certainly helped. “I’ve been in business in Bellaire for six years now, and you get to know a lot of the people that like to go out and eat, and we see quite a few of them here at the Chop House.”

The Chop House’s style is a bit of a departure compared to other places Up North. “[There’s been] a little bit of education, absolutely,” Taylor says in reference to the steakhouse-style menu, but adds that it’s appealing to patrons for special occasion dining or just for date night. “I think a lot of people are happy that a nicer option is available in the area.”

Even though some steakhouse menus can feel like they’ve been set in amber in a lot of places, Chloe’s infuses some fun and creativity into their offerings. The menu goes beyond just the standard NY strip, T-bone, and loaded baked potatoes to include a Tomahawk ribeye and even the rare Japanese A5 Wagyu beef.

“I’m a big proponent of buying the best product from the best places, and I’ve been in the business long enough to know who has the best of what, and we use ’em,” Taylor says. The famously rich, heavily-marbled wagyu beef is served as a generous six-ounce portion, delivered and sliced tableside by the chef (often Hunter) so diners can see the delicately buttery beef tremble as it’s portioned.

That creativity also extends to how they treat the Delmonico ribeye, which has quickly become one of their most popular dishes.

“Our philosophy is that there’s three areas where you can improve your meat. There’s where you buy it from, the grade of the meat, and then the preparation. We actually cold-smoke our ribeyes, where it’s raw but still absorbing smoke flavor, which is a very unique preparation,” Taylor says. “To be able to get that smoky flavor and still get a medium-rare steak is impressive. It’s one of the most flavorful steaks I’ve ever had.”

How meat is finished is also important, so of course, Chloe’s has a special process for that, too. Most steakhouses will cook with gas-fired griddles or wood-fueled grills. In the kitchen at Chloe’s, they combine the two, loading charcoal and compressed wood onto a gas grill to add some more smokiness and “that true kind of grill flavor,” Taylor says. “Having a 100 percent charcoal grill is a bit tough to keep even heat on, so we got our grill in, and I was like, ‘hey, why don’t we just throw some charcoal on?’”

Even the candles at the table have a little something extra to them, because they aren’t just for ambiance. The Tomahawk ribeye and the Porterhouse both come topped with a candle made of rendered Wagyu beef tallow that slowly melts as it burns down. “You’re gonna get some really rich, deep flavors on that tallow as it melts,” Taylor says, adding that “it doesn’t take away like slapping an A1 sauce on something would.”

Composed Plates

If those monster cuts aren’t your preference, Chloe’s also has some more traditionally composed entrees like braised pork shank, seared halibut, or even mac ’n’ cheese topped with lobster tail or smoked brisket.

“We understand that we’re in a smaller town and we want to be approachable, so we did some smaller cuts for your everyday [diner],” Taylor says. “I’d say we sell more composed plates than we do our executive cuts.”

One other thing that Chloe’s sells a lot more than your traditional steakhouse? Breakfast items. They’re open for brunch six days a week, putting lobster Benedicts, French toast, and biscuits and gravy out next to lamb burgers, BLTs, and Oysters Rockefeller.

“That’s something I’ve wanted to do at my other location for a lot of years,” Taylor says. “When we got into this larger building, I realized we have space enough to be open more often. We want to be here whenever people get hungry. And I think personally, an upscale breakfast is another rare find. I figured, let’s offer some nicer options for breakfast as well.”

As for the eponymous Chloe, that’s not just the restaurant’s name for sake of alliteration—Chloe is Taylor’s three-year-old daughter, who’s already getting her feet wet (literally) in the restaurant business.

“She’s already put in some time helping me out in the kitchen,” Taylor says, noting that “she’s gotta stand on a bucket to reach the dish machine.”

Chloe isn’t quite old enough to have a favorite dish on the steakhouse side of the menu, but “she’s an adventurous eater,” Taylor says, noting that “she’s digging the waffles in the morning.” Might not be too long before she moves up to Wagyu.

Find Chloe’s Chop House at 213 N Bridge St. in Bellaire. (231) 350-8986; chloeschophouse.com

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