Savannah Chop House

This place was awesome, I stopped into 24 hr before heading to event at St. Regis down the street, thinking I was just gonna have a drink at the bar. Ended up having 2 drinks and dinner, app and desert, Mark the Bartender was AWESOME !!!!  Food WAS SUPER great !!! I will drive all the way from N OC to eat here again !!!!

'Had a gift card from a former client & being that the Savannah Chop House is literally just down the street, we ventured here for the evening.
Store Front - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savannah-chop-house-laguna-niguel-2?select=m7Ftpgeeq3nUKAX3Ow56aQ#MceWOY3_i5Iq8YmBZ-HGvA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>

In all honesty, I wasn't too sure what to expect from the wide array of mixed reviews but life's an adventure, "So explore!..." 'And I'm glad I did.

I'm not one for "dressing up" to go to dinner... "Comfort & casual" is my motto. My friend looked @ me, "Are you going to wear that t-shirt?... 'And you might want to put shoes on." So, off came the slippers & replaced my "Hawaiian Punch" t-shirt with a nice dress t-shirt. (i.e - No stains) After all, I'm not here to impress the staff or fellow Savannah patrons... I'm here for the food & a good time.

Can't say I had a "good" time, I had a fantastic time!...
'Great food, good company, and stellar service.

Danielle: Our waitress was great, answered all our questions, made a few suggestions, and made sure that we were doing fine. In between her and the other workers, great service.

This is what we ordered:
* Carmelized Apple Martini - Solid pour; delicious
* Blood Orange Margarita - STRONG, so soft pours here; tasted more like a grapefruit rather than a blood orange margarita
Libations @ Sunset - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savannah-chop-house-laguna-niguel-2?select=m7Ftpgeeq3nUKAX3Ow56aQ#Gs3jS1_tmzPGEvQOY8TxIg">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
* Savannah Sampler (Fried Calamari, Shrimp Scampi, and Artichokes) - Great; tasty
Photo - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savannah-chop-house-laguna-niguel-2?select=m7Ftpgeeq3nUKAX3Ow56aQ#6VQ_3yOYvmtMkgTuSbrXmA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
* 10 oz Apple Smoked Prime Rib (Med Rare) - Very good; tender; cooked perfectly; very little smoke flavor
* 14 oz Apple Smoked Prime Rib (Med Rare) - Very good; tender; cooked perfectly; very little smoke flavor
Photo - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savannah-chop-house-laguna-niguel-2?select=m7Ftpgeeq3nUKAX3Ow56aQ#fDCb1OcQALrEYZ2StOOgsw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
* Banana Fosters (Bananas Foster Cinnamon ice cream with warm bourbon flame bananas, candied pecans) - Delicious; the only downside was that I had to share it
* Godiva White Chocolate Martini - Great!; if it's not made w/Godiva, it's not a Chocolate Martini; don't settle for cheap imitations
* Cappuccino - Very good; froth covered in a cinnamon-sugar blend
Photo - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savannah-chop-house-laguna-niguel-2?select=MceWOY3_i5Iq8YmBZ-HGvA#eJhD1w1KqT0iysi9fsO4Ow">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Grand Total: $120 (+ tip)

'And did I mention the view from their outdoor seating area?...
Photo - <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savannah-chop-house-laguna-niguel-2?select=m7Ftpgeeq3nUKAX3Ow56aQ#oEMyMZuy2QnG9mPnzCGeUQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>

So, you remember that gift card that I mentioned earlier in the review?... 'Upon checking out, there were "complications" with said gift card. Bottom line, the Savannah Chophouse Manager, Melissa, handled it like a "Boss." You know that kind of amazing, above & beyond service you "hear" about or see on the Food Network?... It was just like that, amazing. Melissa, class-act, the real deal... I'm sold, FFL. (Fan fo' Life) Impressed? 'Completely... 'Even now, as I write this review.

I am by no means a "rich" cat in the materialistic sense of the word, BUT I am very selective about where I spend my money... 'Here, you will have no reservations on whether it was "worth it" or not, definitely worth it. I'll be returning soon, in fact, probably within the next couple of weeks. (Check out their website, Happy Hour & Tapas Tuesdays sound great!)
Official website: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.savannahchophouse.net%2Findex.shtml&s=de6be6727a6dbdb9abff0dea52b395f31e4f420d5b2d1d3b068729546d8ef6c7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.savannahchoph…</a>

My name is DJ Park and I support this restaurant.
Melissa, mahalo nui loa!

- Big Aloha!

Food: 4+
Ambiance: 4- ('Not a fan of high-brow attitudes & snobbery... 'But you gotta figure @ a place like this, comes w/the territory.)
Service: 5++
Value: 5

We have been meaning to come down to Savannah Chop House for the longest time now. The first time we had heard of the place was because of the Golden Foodie Awards where they received a few nominations. It looks like they're up for more again this year so we'll see how that goes. Because we were doing pretty much a day trip in more southern areas of California that day (had driven to Carlsbad in the morning), I suggested that we finally pay this acclaimed place a visit. An early dinner was in order.

There are definitely different types of ambiance you can choose from. The moment you walk into the restaurant, you enter a dimly lit "steakhouse" feel with an expansive center bar. We were encouraged to sit outside in the patio with a view of the water - excellent choice. It was cool outside and with plenty of lighting for great pictures. We started off with some bread and light butter before an amuse bouche came out (not typical). This was just one scallop from their regular menu item Day Boat Scallops Brulee ($25.95 - U10, potatoes corn hash, basil emulsion), and it was the perfect starter. I wouldn't have thought myself to brulee a scallop but when you really think about it, the natural sweetness of the seafood makes sense with some crunchy burnt sugar on top. The sweet potato corn hash brought it over onto another level of goodness too. For drinks, we opted for Skinny Cocktails ($10) of Grapefruit Zero (Finlandia grapefruit vodka, fresh squeezed ruby red grapefruit, agave nectar, and a splash of 7-Up) and Asian Mojito (Snow Maiden sake, fresh mint, splash of lime, splash of lemon, and splash of orange), both of which were very delightful and packed heavy citrus flavors.

Our beautiful starters were a specially made Beet & Heirloom Tomato Salad and the Dungeness Crab Cakes ($13.50 - with organic poblano-caper remoulade). The salad had beets, heirloom tomatoes, a sweet balsamic reduction, smoked paprika olive oil, edible flowers, basil in chiffonade form, thinly sliced shallots, and overall tangy but savory flavor. We both really enjoyed this, and the combination of the vinegar with oil was good enough for me to sop my bread in it. The crab cakes were generous in the amount of actual crab in them which I don't always see in restaurants. These came alongside a succotash combo of sorts that provoked a comfort food feel while remaining fresh and bright on the tongue.

The entrees were calling out to us ever so loudly by then because the starters were just teasing at the main attraction. He opted for the Blackened Ahi Tuna ($25.95 - with saffron risotto cake and ginger shiitake gravy) and I for the Filet Stroganoff ($19.50 - with filet tips, mushrooms, papardelle pasta, and a brandy dijon sauce). The presentation of the tuna was actually almost a turn-off because the tuna looked as if sliced against the grain; the spinach was also unattractive in look. However, you can't judge a dish by its appearance which held true in this case because the tuna plate was delicious. The tuna was just perfectly soft and ahi-tangy, easily slicing off in pieces as our forks penetrated the flesh. The risotto cake was a very excellent touch especially by managing to stay crunchy on the outside but gooey on the inside. The gravy was also very thick and strong in umami. As for the stroganoff, papardelle is my favorite pasta, and this was noticeably housemade. Love at first bite eh? The filet tips were tender and doused in a palette-opening dijon that maintained the balance between creamy-heavy and mustard-light. We declared that we absolutely had to return.