Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1525828
CUT By Laurann Claridge. Photography Brian Kennedy. T h e r e 's n o denying it: H o u s t o n restaurateur B e n j a m i n Berg, founder of the hospitality group that bears his name, has a taste for steak. Or at least he recognizes that plenty of Texans do. Nearly 15 years ago, after his most recent stint with Smith & Wollensky, the Cornell Hospitality school grad opened his first restaurant here — the old-school steakhouse B&B Butchers & Restaurant — and gained an instant following. Earlier this year, he launched the industrial-chic Prime 131, a live-fire steak joint with Japanese flair inspired by the gritty Meatpacking District in Lower Manhattan. And now, over the summer, Berg and company premiered their most opulent steak- based concept yet: Turner's Cut in Autry Park. It appears Berg spared no expense, either. Setting Turner's Cut apart from the others is its sophisticated setting, created with collaborator Gail McCleese of the design firm Sensitori, which calls to mind the grand façades built during New York's Gilded Age. Enter through a sparkling Venetian glass awning to the foyer, where New Orleans artist Willie Birch's portrait of a chef and his trusty knife towers over the space. Inside the main dining room, white plaster-adorned walls and pearlized white leather channeled banquettes are punctuated with rich, dark hues. The room, expansive in both height and length, is magnified further by antiqued mirrors, while upstairs, dinner is served to the accompaniment of a baby grand piano. White-glove service, under the direction of COO Franck Savoy (son of renowned Michelin-starred French chef Guy Savoy), is as polished as it gets. Tableside options abound, from a martini cart designed to shake or stir your preferred tincture to a raw bar cart proffering oysters, lobster, king crab, and caviar selections and a carving cart for slicing bone-in prime rib. Then there are the made-to-order dishes finished at your table, from a Caesar salad with tender spears of baby gem lettuce and fresh anchovy ($18) to a truffle and wild mushroom risotto topped with a perfect egg and pea tendrils ($31; $45 with shaved Australian black truffles). Making all this possible in the back of the house are a trio of talents: senior corporate chef Eric Damidot, regional culinary director Pablo Peñalosa Nájera, and executive chef Chelsea Cummings. Further distinguishing Turner's Cut from your typical steakhouse are the composed dishes, as well as tasting menus with prix-fixe options (six courses, $195, nine courses, $275) that deftly showcase the skill of the kitchen. However, unlike other places, when you order a steak from the grill, you'll get more than a slab cooked to order on a naked sizzling plate. Turner's Cut is one of the largest purveyors of rare cuts of American and Japanese Kobe, wagyu, and A5 meats in the state, so you'll find such cuts as Kobe ribeye (4 ounces, $230), American Wagyu filet (8 ounces, $85), and prime dry-aged New York strip loin (14 ounces, $76), as well as USDA prime wet-aged cuts such as a bone-in filet (12 ounces, $81). A la carte starters include a OF SIZZLE TURNER'S THE Top: Sofia's Bubbly Punch at Turner's Cut. Salmon tart and kampachi crudo. 112