While visiting Kingman I was in the mood for a steak and heard good things about Kingman Chophouse. I arrived at 8 PM on a Friday night and took a seat at the bar. Feel laid back atmosphere with a rustic feel. I was quickly served and preserved an old fashioned who was decent but lacking in presentation. Served with a straw and a non muddled maraschino cherry... consider investing in Lido cherries and maybe serving on a toothpick
For my first course, I ordered a half dozen oysters. They were about as good as I could expect from a place in the middle of the desert. Frozen and thawed, they were fresh enough though. I was, however, disappointed, but the cocktail sauce was obviously from a bottle. Cocktail sauce is so easy to make... serve your oysters with horseradish and home made cocktail sauce... it goes a long way!
Next I had the clam chowder. I am doubtful it was homemade, and tasted like it was from a can. Not bad but not good either.
This was followed by a Caesar salad. Very average. Obviously store bought dressing... and WAY too much of it. Consider tossing your Caesar salad in a homemade dressing (again very easy to make!). The dressing is either Ken's steakhouse or newsman's own. Decent size serving with fresh lettuce and some shredded cheese. Very mediocre.
Then on to the main course, a NY strip. I wanted the bone in strip but they were out. Steak had nice grill marks, but no crust. Cutting into. It is a high-quality piece of meat and nice cooked medium just as I ordered. Biting into it, however, the flavor is lacking. It's a boring steak, just kind of bland and meh. Not inedible by any means but it made me regret not just going to a local burger joint. It's a shame because it is a reasonably good cut of meat, but it needs to be seared with a nice crust and seasoned properly. I've never put A1 sauce on a steak in my life but I found myself wishing I had some because this was so flavorless.
The service was great and the bartender was super nice. I did not get bread service... not sure if that is a thing here.
Feedback:
- make your own sauces and dressings!!! This is a no brainer, guys. It's a little more effort but it goes a long way. Cocktail sauce is cheap and easy to make, and horseradish is cheap and keeps for a long time. Invest in that. A table side Caesar salad would also be a nice touch
- make your own soups. Maybe the clam chowder was made in the house and I'm wrong. If that's the case, then get a different recipe.
- train your staff on the craft of steak preparation. Learn to sear to a crust. Season it properly. All you need is salt and pepper, but portions and quantities matter. Grill marks aren't enough. You need to seer it in a super hot salamander or other oven.
You're taking the time to hand, cut your steaks in the house, but you are doing them an injustice by serving this way. You could up your game and make this place upscale and amazing. I get it, this is a blue collar type restaurant, but a few small upgrades could really make a difference. . read more