Meat That Makes You Salivate…

My mind flashed chophouse. Any restaurant that has got chop in its name, is enough to make me salivate. So when I came across a restaurant simply called Chop in Richmond, BC near its airport, I couldn’t help pulling into its parking lot. And was I ever glad that I did.

A classy, low key chophouse done in muted colors with a long bar, a wine cellar on display in a glass case that rose to the ceiling and best of all, a fab menu with all the classics that made choosing my appys and mains a toughie. Unless you’re a vegetarian, I find it tough to choose between slow roasted prime rib with rock salt, cracked pepper, fresh rosemary & thyme served with either horseradish & au jus. Or a smoked rib eye steak with all the fixings.

Also, what made my visit fun was sitting down with Chop’s National Beverage Coordinator and sommelier Brandon Drew in one of their private dining rooms and having a chat about his career, wine and food. “I’ve had great mentors here and great opportunity in that I’ve moved all the chain of command from bar manager to being the Beverage Director for all 16 Chop locations. “

What was last night’s dinner? Ramen. Had it home delivered and it was delicious. Richmond has some of the best Asian restaurants in the world and you’d be a fool to not order from them.
Favorite music? I like 90’s rock.

Favorite drink? A negroni. Perfect cocktail in terms of balance between sweet and bitter.

Favorite thing about living in Richmond? The diversity in terms of the food scene. Just incredible fresh fish coming right off the dock, nice Italian food and like I mentioned before, some of the best Asian restaurants in the world.

What’s your favorite restaurant in Richmond? You mean besides the Chop? Brandon said with a laugh. I really like this Japanese place where I ordered that ramen takeout from, it’s called G-Men Ramen, excellent Japanese food.

What makes a good chophouse? A combination of quality staff and quality meats. Very proud of the quality cuts of meat that we serve here.

Any wine, meal or trip on your bucket list? I’d love to go back to Italy. I only had two days in Florence and I could easily spend a month there.

Any brush with celebrity? My mom was Leslie Nielsen’s personal makeup artist when he was in Canada. Very funny, nice guy. Never without his whoopee cushion.

Final thoughts? Lighten up when it come to wine. Drink what you enjoy and don’t take it so seriously.