Metro Pulse/Restaruant Rover/Chops Grill

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Chops Grill
1612 Downtown West Blvd.
531-2467

by Ally Carte

Somewhere along the line I became an adventurous eater. It certainly wasn't at Mama Carte's table, piled high as it was with lots of easy-to-prepare meals designed for the busy, working woman. While there is nothing wrong with tuna noodle casserole (with the potato chip crumbles, please) or hamburger mac, there's nothing especially right with them, either. It certainly won't score many points on the taste-meter. Filling? Yes. Quick and reliable? Yes and yes. Taste-bud-tingling? No.

This sea change certainly didn't occur during my college days, which were filled with Kraft Mac 'n' Cheese (still a last minute, gosh-I'm-starving favorite, I'll admit), Ramen noodles, and uninspiring cafeteria cuisine. Maybe there is only so much cheap and bland one can take, as if you have only a certain allotment that you can eat in one lifetime before your mouth rebels and insists that you give it something exciting to do. But empirical evidence would suggest that this isn't the case, that what most people want is safe dining, where all of the dishes come sanitized for your protection.

Perhaps as I've gotten older and a little less willing to put myself at all kinds of physical risk pursuing a thrill, my sense of taste has stepped into the breach. Now, there is nothing more exciting than finding a new combination of flavors that play off of each other in unusual ways, wallowing in the languid odor of fresh vanilla beans or the sharp, soapy bite of cilantro. Nothing is more heart-pounding and adrenaline-inducing than that first bite of a habanero salsa. While being willing to try almost any dish once has its risks—botulism being the most severe, I suspect—it is safer statistically than driving to work each morning and umpteen times more exciting.

Which is why I don't think I'll ever be the world's (or, hell, even Metro Pulse's) best restaurant reviewer. Most eateries' stock-in-trade is middle-of-the-road cuisine; food that is filling, cheap and inoffensive in order to appeal to the largest segment of people with disposable incomes. Exciting, adventurous places come along as frequently as sour cherry season and are gone again just as quickly.

Chop's Grill, now housed in what was the old Litton's Kingston Pike location across the parking lot from the Downtown West movie theaters, is a perfectly fine place. From the outside it looks like a deep South diner, with art deco lines and a couple of incongruous palm trees. The diner theme continues inside, with shiny chrome accents, black vinyl booths, and mustardy yellow walls. All safe choices, all well carried out.

And the same can be said of the menu. Here you'll find standard favorites like burgers made with a half-pound of fresh chuck—including the "Thunder Road," a grilled meat patty cover in pimento cheese, sautéed onions, and jalapenos ($7.99)—a half-dozen salad options, which include the ubiquitous Cobb, Mexican, and Oriental varieties, and a handful of sandwiches, like the Cajun chicken wrap ($7.99), which is filled with grilled chicken, rice pilaf, pepperonatta, Jack and cheddar cheese, and fresh cilantro.

Of course, the place is called "Chops," which has certain meat-like connotations. And the range of offerings don't disappoint a carnivore, ranging from a 6-ounce petite filet ($14.99) to pork chops ($7.99) to grilled chicken tender pasta ($9.99). And with each entree comes a choice of a couple of sides, which range from the standard, like a baked potato, to the more interesting, like turnip and collard greens with Balsamic vinegar.

On the night we dined, post-matinee of Memento, we started off with an order of cheese toast ($3.99), half a French loaf sliced and coated in garlic-y, buttery spread and topped with Jack, cheddar and parmesan. While it was a good idea in theory, this offering could have spent more time under the broiler, which would have turned these thick, almost gummy slices a lovely, crunchy brown. Ah, well.

Better were the main courses, BBQ ribs ($8.99 half slab/$14.99 full slab) for him and the crabcakes ($9.99) for me. The tender Japanese crumb coating on the outside of the vaguely crabby patties added a delicate layer to the dish, and the slices of softly sautéed sweet bell pepper slices that topped these two generous cakes provided a needed punch. The ribs were tender, gently pulling from the bone with a tiny bit of gentle dental encouragement. Of the sides, the crisp broccoli with herb butter fared better than the nondescript sweet potato casserole or the sugary cinnamon apples.

Really, there's nothing especially bad that can be said about Chops Grill. Indeed, the next time Mama Carte comes into town, this is where I shall take her. While nothing I ate even once made my jaded tastebuds break their slumber, Chops Grill's fare is inoffensive, filling and just fine. Thrilling? Adventurous? No. But it gets the job done.