In a never quest to find somewhere new to eat, we decided upon Big Rock Chophouse in Birmingham. Located in the previous Eton Street Station, the restaurant has an old-world charm that is very inviting.
The first, and only complaint about this restaurant is the fact it is valet only. They have zero parking on site and valet is a whopping $7. You can park on Eton Street, or down a side street which is fine for summer, but in winter would make for a chilly and icy walk.
When your establishment does not provide parking, valet should be complementary.
Omar dropped me at the door to find some seats at the bar while he embarked on his quest for parking.
For about 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, the place was fairly slow. A quiet hum filled the restaurant and the bar area was pretty empty. I was concerned that this was not a good sign. I grabbed a couple seats at the bar and settled in to wait for Omar, who was most likely in for a long walk. Allie, a very attentive bartender quickly came over to take my order. I inquired if they had Omar’s favorite new Gin, The Botanist, but alas they did not. He would have to settle for Tanqueray in his martini, with his standard 3 anchovy stuffed olives. Trying to stick to a lighter beverage, I opted for my go to Tito’s and soda, with a splash of cranberry and a hint of lime.
Omar had his heart set on oysters. Now loyal followers, you know I will not eat what I can only describe as the snot of the sea, so Omar was going to have to be on his own. We decided to split a few small plates and a salad. We started with Tuna Tartare, a lightly seasoned tuna, with sesame seeds, avocado puree, and topped with pea shoots. Served with crispy wonton. The tuna was flavorful, just the right amount of sesame oil and other seasoning, but still did not compare to my first attempt at raw tuna at Season’s 52. We have not yet found a comparable tartare.
Following the tuna and oysters, we ordered the steak tips. Generous and tender, full of peppery flavor, and cooked to a nice rare temperature. Accompanied by horse radish aioli, zip sauce and a siracha aioli, the tips were amazingly delicious.
To end our meal, ironically, as Alanis Morrisette would incorrectly state, more correctly a wee bit backwards, we split a Maurice Salad. You don’t see Maurice on a menu very often, and we all know it just can’t compare to Hudson’s, with a popover and cup of beer cheese soup, but a nice change of pace nonetheless. The salad did not disappoint. Big Rock took the time to split the salad for us, making two beautiful plates of dressed lettuce, generous amounts of turkey, ham and swiss and those tasty little Gherkins. A perfect end to a perfect meal. As we split everything, we didn’t feel we overindulged, but felt satiated and ready to bring on the rest of the evening, instead of falling into a food coma.
Our experience in the bar, from wait staff, to food choices, to attention, our experience was great and we will most definitely go back. Next time, though, we will hit their Happy Hour, with a totally different small bites menu, Monday-Friday from 4 to 7 pm. Stay tuned and we will let you know how the Happy Hour compares.