New York has a lot of great white-tablecloth steakhouses. Gus’s Chop House—a new restaurant opening in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Carroll Gardens—doesn’t necessarily want to be one of them.
Rather, the co-owners Chris McDade and James O’Brien (the pair behind the Southern and Italian joint Popina), want Gus’s to be a more low-key spot for locals, with food ranging from your standard steakhouse fare to lighter fish and vegetables. Taking inspiration from casual bistros and old-school European chophouses, Gus’s is aiming to be the place where you can stop in for steak frites at the bar or celebrate a festive occasion with something a bit more special.
Pork shoulder
“Our neighbors became such a source of support during Covid,” McDade told New York magazine’s Grub Street. “We wanted to do a restaurant that would continue to give back.”
The menu at Gus’s is mostly a spin on classics. Appetizers include leeks à la wedge (prepared in the style of that steakhouse standby: the wedge salad) and hash browns with trout roe. Chops run the gamut from leg of lamb to a pork porterhouse to more classic steaks—Grub Street reported that Gus’s will serve three cuts of prime dry-aged beef and a rotating bar steak. A roasted chicken with French-onion jus is plated with both the head and feet on the bird, while a grilled trout with herbs is offered as a slightly lighter option. And of course, you can pair all of those dishes with sides, including fries with aioli and a vegetable pave of eggplant, tomato and zucchini.
The main dining room Teddy Wolff
The cocktails lean classic, too (gin martinis, Manhattans and Negronis all feature), but O’Brien has had fun with the wine list. Here the focus is on bottles from the U.S., France, Italy and Spain. A shorter list features a curated selection of wines all under $100, while the full menu includes 300 labels, including some from sought-after and rare producers.
“The entire idea behind the beverage program is to create a place for people to drink and drink often,” O’Brien told Robb Report via email. “We will have wines for special occasions as well as wines for every day drinking. We would love to be known as that neighborhood restaurant with a destination beverage program worth traveling for.”
Both the food and the drinks can be enjoyed in the cozy dining room, with its refurbished wooden chairs, custom mahogany tables and fireplace, or you can post up at the 11-seat cherry-wood bar. If you opt for the latter, make sure to ask for one of Gus’s off-menu, limited-quantity burgers—the steak’s favorite (sometimes-not-so) little sister.
Gus’s Chop House opens August 31, serving dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.
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