Last Thursday night, we found ourselves craving steak – so we headed to Vero Prime, the chophouse on 21st Street.
Arriving around 7:30, our party of three was ushered past several empty booths to a rather cramped table in the rear. “Any chance we could have a booth?” my husband asked. No, regrettably they are all reserved, was the reply. Well, so be it.
Vero Prime has the right atmosphere for a steak house – dark and hushed, black ceilings, burnt sienna walls, a lot of brick. Everything about it says steak. And as we perused the menu, we were thinking steak, steak, steak.
After taking our drink order, a basket of warm pretzel bread and dinner rolls appeared on the table.
On this visit, two of us ordered the evening’s specials. I opted for the 14-ounce prime rib ($34), and our companion went for the steak tidbits ($24) served with whipped potato. My husband, though, stuck with an old favorite – the prime dry-aged New York strip ($48).
Before getting to these, however, we started with appetizers.
On this visit, I began with the house salad ($7), my husband ordered a wedge salad ($7) and our companion opted for the French onion soup ($7).
My salad was an array of greens with goat cheese, candied walnuts, onion and tomato in a tomato balsamic vinaigrette dressing. My husband’s romaine wedge salad had creamy blue cheese dressing, and chunks of double-smoked bacon. The onion soup was an excellent rendition of this classic French dish.
While we were enjoying our first course, the manager stopped by the table.
“We have a really good bone-in ribeye,” he said. “It’s one I recommend to all out guests.” So my husband switched from the New York strip to the ribeye (also $48).
It turned out to be a very good decision. The ribeye, prepared Pittsburgh style (seared on the outside and rare on the inside), turned out to be a luscious, juicy piece of steak. My medium-rare prime rib also was tender and flavorful.
But the surprise of the night was the steak tidbits, pieces of seared steak arrayed around mashed potatoes and topped with a wonderful mushroom and onion au poivre sauce. Who would have guessed the lowest-priced steak dish on the menu would turn out to be one of the best?
On previous visits, we also have enjoyed dishes other than steak here. My husband particularly liked the pan-seared calves liver, and I had one of the best pot roasts I have had anywhere.
A big plus for Vero Prime is you also get a choice of two steakhouse sides with your entrée at no additional charge. On this visit, I had the mushrooms and the mashed sweet potatoes, and my husband had the deconstructed baked potato (excellent) and the lemon garlic spinach.
Check the price of the sides and salads at the big city steakhouses, where a single veggie can run into the teens, and you quickly realize that what you are getting here is quite a bargain.
We were way too full on this most recent visit for dessert, but we previously have enjoyed the bread pudding and the caramel cheesecake.
Vero Prime has an impressive selection of wines that are very well priced. Dinner for two with a modest bottle of wine could range from $90 to $150 before tip.
Whether you are in the mood for steak, or wind up ordering something else, Vero Prime is delivering tastes and dining deals that are hard to beat.
Our only quibble would be to note that during our visit, anywhere from two to five of those comfy booths were open at all times – and as we walked past them on the way out, two remained empty. Would have been nice.
I welcome your comments, and encourage you to send feedback to me at tina@verobeach32963.com.
The reviewer dines anonymously at restaurants at the expense of Vero Beach 32963.