Worcester Restaurant Week was upon us, and we checked out the many menus posted, deciding on the One Eleven Chop House. This is one of the finer restaurants in the area, and I've had some positive dining experiences here. Restaurant week usually provides a Prix Fixe three course dinner menu, with all participating restaurants, targeting that price point. This year the price was $28.22, though numerous restaurants offered premium options for an incrementally higher price.
Service is typically excellent at this restaurant, and though it was busy on this Saturday night, service was excellent throughout the meal. Restaurant week dinners were priced from $28.22 to $35.22 here not including Tax and Gratuity. Diners can choose 1 item from each course.
APPETIZER COURSE
* TOMATO BISQUE
* BANG BANG SHRIMP
* BACON & BLUE CHEESE CROSTINI
FIRST COURSE
* MIXED GREENS SALAD
* CAESAR SALAD
ENTRÉE COURSE
* STUFFED JUMBO SHRIMP $28.22: FOUR SCALLOP STUFFED SUPER JUMBO SHRIMP, ACCENTED BY BASIL OIL AND RED PEPPER OIL, SERVED WITH YUKON GOLD MASHED POTATO
* BRAISED BONELESS SHORT RIB $35.22: SERVED WITH A CREAMY PARMESAN, ROASTED RED PEPPER AND BABY SPINACH RISOTTO, WITH A SPICY SOUR CREAM
* MAPLE CHIPOTLE BERKSHIRE PORK CHOP $35.22: 16 OZ. GRILLED AND ROASTED WITH MAPLE CHIPOTLE BARBECUE SAUCE. SERVED WITH SMOKED GOUDA GRITS, AND GREEN BEANS SAUTÉED WITH BACON
* 10 OZ. CAB SIRLOIN STEAK $35.22: CHILI LIME RUBBED SIRLOIN OVER ROASTED IDAHO POTATOES AND OYSTER MUSHROOMS TOPPED WITH A TOMATO AND CORN SALSA
For our appetizers, I selected the Bang Bang Shrimp, my co-diner ordered the Crostini. Bang! I won the appetizer round, my shrimp was delicious, nicely prepared with a good kick, but not too spicey. It was also a large appetizer, which became important as the meal continued. The Crostini was described as fair, and the bacon was thick cut, and difficult to cut with a butter knife, the diner noted it was a difficult appetizer to eat, and not especially appealing.
We both ordered the Caesar Salad, with bacon (turned out to be an extra $1.50 for the bacon). The bacon was warm and tasty. The salad was underdressed and dry, lacking flavor. We both agreed this was a weakly executed dish.
We had a glass of wine with dinner, I had a cab, my co-diner had a merlot. Her wine was very warm, too warm. She let it sit for a while to cool off. I suggested she return it, she said it would be fine.
For dinners we selected the Stuffed Shrimp and the Cab Sirloin Steak. The steak was ordered medium/medium rare as the One Eleven Chophouse says they can cook between grades, which would be impressive if they could deliver on that statement.
My co-diner was disappointed in the shrimp, she said there was insufficient stuffing and the shrimp was dry. Her whipped potatoes were very good, they seem to be great at potatoes here! My steak was a disaster, way too salty, overcooked, and tough. 90% remained uneaten, but the potatoes were delicious and thus became my entree. Our waitress asked if we liked our entrees, we politely provided feedback and the manager came over to apologize and ask if I'd like a different dinner, he said they could get it out very quickly. But I was full, having eaten the shrimp, salad, bacon, and potatoes, so I declined He probably should have offered a discount or gift certificate of some type, that would have been appreciated, as almost the entirety of the steak was untouched.
The check arrived, just under $120 with tip. I've had some good meals here, and some experiences with issues. It's challenging for restaurants to deliver consistent results, though I posted a 5th consecutive 5 star review for Anya's last weekend. This One Eleven visit warrants 2 stars, as only the Bang Bang shrimp was worth the trip. read more