Big Rock Chophouse Birmingham MI Review – Pics, and menu info. Big Rock Chophouse is on the corner of Maple and Eton in the historic Birmingham Train Station.
When we first arrived, we found it was a bit difficult to park but that’s expected in Birmingham. There’s valet parking available as well. I’m just not a fan of valet so we found a place to park in the nearby neighborhood with a short walk to the restaurant.
I celebrated Birmingham Restaurant Week with a stop at the elegant Big Rock Chophouse located in the historic Birmingham Train Station.
The interior of Big Rock Chophouse Birmingham is quite modern and sophisticated. The lighting is dim and accented with colored lights. Big Rock Chophouse is a high-end steakhouse. Expect “typical Birmingham” grandeur and luxury to go a long with the expensive menu items. The prices were definitely made more palatable thanks to Birmingham Restaurant Week specials.
For Birmingham Restaurant Week, Big Rock Chophouse offers up a starter, main, and dessert course. The dinner pricing menu for this special is $30 per person (lunch is $15), and you get a few menu options to choose from. The portion sizes for restaurant week at Big Rock are a bit smaller so they can give you a nice sampling of what they offer at a decent price. I got a New York Strip steak plus a shrimp starter and a dessert for $30. Great value for a steakhouse of this caliber! (see pics for portion sizes served during Birmingham Restaurant Week)
The shrimp cocktail was excellent. There was no compromise on quality that’s for sure – I was served super large, meaty shrimp and the best cocktail sauce I’ve ever had that had the perfect combination of horseradish and a spicy kick. I don’t even like horseradish, but the balance was so perfect it tasted great. The steak was juicy, tender, seasoned perfectly, and cooked nicely. It was complimented beautifully with the chop sauce, which was a bit heavy but extremely tasty and enhanced the flavor of the steak. I’m not sure if I heard the server correctly, but when I ordered the steak he said “That’ll be cooked medium.” I was a bit surprised that I was at a steakhouse and he was telling me how the steak was going to be prepared. I said “Can I get it medium well?” Without responding, I saw him make a note on his pad so I figured it was ok.
I enjoyed the food and ambience at Big Rock Chophouse, but I somewhat felt like the experience was “decided” for me… e.g if you want to come here, best to valet; if you want steak, it will be cooked medium; and oh, by the way, no matter what size your party is, a 20% tip will be calculated after tax and added automatically to your bill balance. So, basically, ours was a party of two and it didn’t matter what our server did, he was getting 20%. I’m not sure if this was just a case of Big Rock Chophouse protocol or if these “rules” only applied during Restaurant Week.
Overall, I really enjoyed the food and appreciate the chef’s culinary expertise. But, if I’m looking for the overall experience, I’d probably opt for my two longstanding Metro Detroit steakhouse favorites – Rochester Chop House or Ruth’s Chris.
I also enjoyed the restaurant week concept. I think my husband and I will hit up another restaurant before it’s over. Birmingham does a great job posting all the restaurant week menus online so you can check them all out and decide where you want to go and what you’d like to try.
Big Rock Chophouse Birmingham Pics
Big Rock Chophouse Birmingham
245 South Eton Street
Birmingham, MI 48009
Phone – 248-647-7774
Big Rock Chop House Birmingham Hours
Lunch
Mon – Fri – 11:30a-4p
Sat – Noon-4p
Dinner
Mon – Thu – 4p-10p
Fri – Sat – 4p-11
(Bar open until 1a Fri-Sat)
Closed Sundays
For more info on Birmingham Restaurant Week participating restaurants: http://www.birminghamrestaurantweek.org/
For more info on Big Rock Chop House Birmingham, visit www.bigrockchophouse.com
