PAGE E-10 THE NOMADIC NIBBLER

For nine years, one of the best restaurants in Birmingham — and metro Detroit,

for that matter — has succeeded despite not being in that city’s posh downtown area. Rather, Big Rock Chop House has held steady on the city’s east side, in a former train station that feels as much like a funhouse as a great place to eat, drink and, well, be merry.

Each of the six sectors within Norm and Bonnie LaPage’s ivy-covered, castlelike structure play its respective theme and style to the hilt. First, as you pull up to the entrance — where it’s not uncom-mon to find Maseratis, Lamborghinis and Fer-raris parked — you’ll see one of the area’s best outdoor dining spots. It’s accessible via a private dining space that’s like a wooden Florida sunroom.

The main dining room is a cross between a steak-house, a Montana-style hunting lodge, an airplane hangar and a nightclub — in that order from bot-tom to top. The room from eye level has the kind of furniture and booths found in clubby steak joint. Then, look a little bit higher to discover elk and moose heads, lamps with animal-hide shades, a wood-carved bear and a flying buffalo suspended in midair. The ceiling is curved as though a Concorde 747 could park itself in the place, while LCD lights are embedded on the sides, illuminating it with the kind of purple and red glow normally reserved for discotheques. And somehow, it all comes together.

Next to the bar is another dining room, this one fashioned like a train’s dining car. Just down a few stairs is a corridor that used to be a tunnel for passengers to go to the other side of the railroad tracks to board the train; it now is a stretched-out, private room with a long table. And perched

upstairs is the Got Rocks lounge, an intimate cock-tail bar that’s decked out with cushy couches, a humidor, a list of great martinis, low lights and the feeling that Frank, Dino and Sammy could just stroll in after a gig.

No matter where you sit, though, the food you’re served is top notch. Commanding the kitchen is chef Jeff Rose, who used his experience at Tribute and Iridescence to come up with a menu that’s part unadulterated steakhouse and part refined American bistro.

The presentation is as spot-on as the fresh-ness; the oriental seared tuna appetizer ($14.95), for example, puts lightly seared tuna slices atop noodles and colors it with wasabi and ponzu, while the chilled lobster salad ($24.95) gets color and flavor from avocado, blood orange wedges and a half Maine lobster.

Then there’s a simplis-tic side found in a few starters, such as the fried calamari ($9.95), served in strips, with a tomato-caper-lemon sauce, and

tender Cajun steak bites ($9.95) that come with a spicy dipping sauce — an au jus with bite, if you will. The beefsteak tomato salad ($8.95) has plump tomato and sweet onion slices alternating in layers, then garnished with blue cheese (or fresh mozzarel-la for an extra $2.95) and a simple vinaigrette.

The meats are aplenty, from an 8-ounce filet ($28.95) to a porterhouse that’s three times bigger ($34.95) and the longtime favorite, the 12-ounce buffa-lo strip ($32.95). But steak lovers get the best value from the house specialty, the 14-ounce Big Rock bone-in filet mignon (mar-ket price; ours was $40).

We asked for it medium well, and it couldn’t have been made any better. The pan sauce may be a bit saltier than what you’re used to, but it can easily be tempered with a forkful of the accompanying Cheddar-garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed Swiss chard. It’s a great dish to follow the onion and ale soup ($5.95), Big Rock’s version of French onion soup that uses its house flatbread — also served in the com-plimentary bread basket — in place of croutons.

Also of note are the grilled duck breast ($28.95), with a honey-citrus glaze topping the sliced meat, and the seared salmon ($25.95), served atop gnocchi and dressed with a chunky chimichurri. But for seri-ous gourmets, look no further than the short ribs ($32.95). The 24 ounces of braised goodness falls right off the bone and melts in the mouth as eas-ily as chocolate mousse, with a dark pan sauce that’s great for mopping up with the mashed pota-toes. And everything’s delivered to the table by a professional staff that puts service above sass.

One notable facet of Big Rock that isn’t as obvi-ous as its décor is pastry chef Tanya Fallon, who, after logging time at Forté

and the Ritz-Carlton, has proven herself one of the finest in her field. Her des-sert menu exemplifies that, with items such as a mini, lattice-adorned blueberry cobbler with lemon curd ice cream ($7.95); a rocky road ice cream sandwich platter ($7.95) with chocolate ice cream full of coarse — not chunky — pieces of nuts and chocolate chips stuffed into a chocolate crust, adorned with a delicate marshmallow coating and served sliced into triangu-lar wedges; and homemade sorbets ($3.95).

We picked the chocolate parfait ($7.95), which arrived in a tall Irish cof-fee glass and was full of Irish cream-soaked choco-late cake pieces, chocolate

custard, whipped cream and cookie crumbs. Call it a tall glass of decadence. And Fallon gets major kudos for going past the usual vanilla crème brûlée by making hers butter-scotch ($7.95).

While there’s an impres-sive wine list, don’t over-look the seven great beers that are made in house by brewmaster Dan Rogers — among them, the Big Rock White that’s spiced with coriander and orange peel; the double-fermented and sugar-sweetened Belgian-style Tripel; and the ultra-dark Russian Imperial Stout.

It could be said that Big Rock was made to be everything to everyone, from the young clubbers

who like their martinis extra colorful to older customers who appreciate the nostalgic nature of the revamped train station. Even wedding parties have a place here, as a new fix-ture — a state-of-the-art banquet facility called The Reserve — was built next to the main building. And somehow, with so many elements at play here, it’s not a mixed bag by any means. The food’s great, the atmosphere is appeal-ing, it’s big, and it rocks.

To prevent restau-rants from giving special service, The Oakland Press dining reviewer is anonymous. Each review is generally based on a single visit.

BIG ROCK CHOP HOUSEDistinct, multifaceted ambience is as

appealing as stylish, hearty menuBIG ROCK

CHOP HOUSE245 S. Eton St., Birmingham

(248) 647-7774★★★★

HOURS: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Tue.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Wed.-Thu.; 11 a.m.- midnight Fri.; noon-mid-night Sat.; closed Sun.

PRICES: Appetizers $3.95-$18.95; soups and salads $5.95-$24.95; entrees $21.95-$34.95, plus mar-ket priced steaks and fish;

CREDIT CARDS: All majorLIQUOR: Full bar, with

microbrewed beers, extensive wine list and separate martini lounge

NONSMOKING: 10 percent in main area; Got Rocks lounge allows 100 percent smoking, including cigars

PARKING: Attached lot with valet

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: YesRESERVATIONS:

Recommended★★★★ Outstanding★★★ Very good★★ Good

The Oakland Press/VAUGHN GURGANIAN

Grilled duck breast with honey-citrus glaze and vegetables (clockwise from bottom), homebrewed beer and blueberry cobbler with lemon curd ice cream are featured at Big Rock Chop House in Birmingham.

FRIDAY AUGUST 18 2006