The Best Vegetable Dishes at Philadelphia Steakhouses
In the land of cheesesteaks and steakhouses, beef reigns supreme in Philadelphia. But that doesn’t mean the city doesn’t share the love with vegetables. Indeed, Philly’s prime steakhouses serve some of the most wholly original veggie-centric dishes anywhere, enough to satisfy a vegetarian, provide a tasty side dish or constitute a meal in and of themselves. When those cravings for greens and produce set in, here are Philadelphia’s best steakhouse vegetable dishes.
Chops Restaurant & Bar: The burgers, seafood and prime steaks get a lot of the spotlight at this stylish, modern steakhouse, but vegetables shine bright as well. The dinner menu is especially adept at showcasing seasonal ingredients at their brightest, and nowhere is this more evident than salads strewn with tomato vinaigrette and roasted shallots, or a Tuscan kale rendition with grape tomatoes, oranges, goat cheese and roasted peanut vinaigrette. At lunch, swing by for the roasted vegetable panini, which goes above and beyond the call of sandwich duty by smearing luscious avocado mayonnaise on a medley of mushrooms, red peppers, caramelized onions and mozzarella.
Ocean Prime: In spite of what the name of the restaurant might suggest, it’s not all seafood and fish at Ocean Prime. You might be delighted to discover, in fact, that this upscale go-to serves some of the most exciting meat- and seafood-free preparations in Philadelphia. Start with the goat cheese ravioli with golden oak mushrooms, or white truffle caviar deviled eggs for a little pomp and circumstance. There’s even a vegetable sushi roll with crispy asparagus, avocado, daikon radish, mango and sesame lime vinaigrette. For salads, your best bet is the Ocean Prime house salad, which combines romaine and field greens with tart Granny Smith apples, goat cheese, walnuts and sherry-mustard vinaigrette. Later on, accent your entrees with sides like smoked Gouda tater tots, jalapeño au gratin and black truffle mac & cheese.
Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse: As evidenced by dishes like grilled octopus with pork sausage and Philly cheesesteak spring rolls, this neoteric Italian steakhouse is filled with ingenuity and surprises. The same creativity extends to its vegetable preparations as well, like salt-roasted beets with radicchio, arugula, olives, blood orange and Chianti vinaigrette. Or a bowlful of toasty farro with shaved cauliflower, avocado, peas, pappadews and Parmigiano. For something heartier, there are plenty of options as well. Like hand-rolled potato gnocchi with organic mushrooms, basil and white truffle oil, and heirloom vegetable flatbreads with butter beans, lentils, garbanzo beans and turmeric yogurt.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House: You can make a meal of the side dishes alone at this ritzy fixture, and you’ll likely be tempted to with options like these. Classic steakhouse accompaniments provide the inspiration for re-invention, as is the case with plates like creamed corn with blistered shishito peppers, creamed spinach with smoked bacon, egg and sharp cheddar cheese sauce, Brussels sprouts with lemon butter and caramelized onions, and potatoes with melted fontina, chives and shaved truffle, which is basically the loaded baked potato of your dreams.
Barclay Prime: While meat is king on Barclay Prime’s main dinner menu, steaks take a side role to smaller plates on the happy hour menu. During this time, from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., diners can indulge in vegetal snacks like steamed edamame with truffle salt, toasted Marcona almonds, crispy potato straws, Caesar salad, marinated olives and masterful cheese plates, all for bargain prices. Don’t miss the discount wine pours or interesting cocktails, like The Crony, with Jim Beam rye, tobacco-infused vermouth and sorghum syrup.
Top Cut: You gotta go to Top Cut for Philadelphia’s top salads, which exhibit such flavor and vibrancy that they hold their own against the meatiest entrees. Take the crisp butter lettuce salad, for instance, which heaps breakfast radishes, Persian cucumbers, candied pecans and julienned pears on a bed of fresh lettuce with a drizzle of sherry vinaigrette. Even the Caesar salad gets a makeover, with romaine hearts grilled before they’re plated to achieve smoky depth and a deeper savory quality. It’s the perfect compliment to garlic croutons, Parmesan crisps and white anchovy. Round it all out with decadent side dishes like Brussels sprouts with bacon-soy vinaigrette, ginger-honey-glazed baby carrots, beer-battered Vidalia onion rings or potato mousseline.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House: All day long, this nationally lauded institution features thoughtful takes on vegetable cookery in different forms. During happy hour, that means crispy zucchini fries with sea salt and Romano cheese, while lunchtime selections include a peppery Caesar salad and onion soup au gratin. Come dinner, the restaurant always features a rotating vegetarian plate, filled with a selection of seasonal vegetable options in different preparations. Don’t forget the sides like fire-roasted corn, Brussels sprouts with honey butter, grilled asparagus with hollandaise and sweet potato casserole.