River Stone Chop-house in Suffolk is in a class by itself

SUFFOLK

Suffolk’s Harbour View area houses plenty of shops, entertainment and dining. One that stands out from the rest is River Stone Chophouse. It is in a class by itself.

A stone, two-story, lodgelike building offers patio seating, a spacious raw bar and lounge, an understated, elegant dining room and banquet rooms upstairs.

A concise menu offers quality seafood and steaks, as well as pork, chicken and lamb, offering something for every palate.

Lists of craft beer, cigars, and wine – 150 bottles strong – demonstrate the owners’ commitment to fine dining excellence. Attentive yet unobtrusive staff further affirm River Stone’s stature for service.

Couples Brian and Teresa Mullins and Sam and Cindy McGann make up M&M Hospitality Group. They opened River Stone in 2008, two years after making a name for the group with Vintage Tavern. Chef Pete Evans earned high accolades at his previous posts. Sam McGann is also the chef owner of the acclaimed Blue Point in Duck, N.C.

We selected the Chophouse Clam Bake ($12) from the “Raw Bar” offerings. Fourteen littlenecks were nestled among 1-inch cylinders of corn on the cob, with spicy sausage morsels and red potatoes basking in Old Bay wine butter with fresh thyme sprigs. The dish was a bountiful bowl of goodness. Sopping the broth with hearty bread made it twice as nice.

From the five appetizers, we were drawn to Point Judith “Salt & Pepper” Calamari ($12). We enjoyed the well-seasoned, lightly fried tentacles and rings with cherry pepper relish.

With “chophouse” in the restaurant’s name, it appeared clear that a steak, preferably with a bone, was a must. All steaks are Hereford beef and a la carte. The “signature” 22-ounce, bone-in ribeye is the only cut that is dry-aged for 28 days. It was served to our liking, a true medium-rare, “warm red center,” and was tender, juicy and flavorful.

Grilled Scottish salmon ($26) had a beautiful sear with a moist inside and arrived rare as requested. It was fatty as our server described, and fabulous with piquant olive-lemon relish. It came atop an Italian tomato and bread salad, full of summer pride.

The restaurant offers homemade ice cream ($6) for dessert. Peach lacked peak-of-ripeness flavor. The buttermilk version scored on flavor. But neither screamed “fresh.” They were removed from our bill.

River Stone is well-suited for business and for fans of fine food and service, particularly when price is not of much concern.

Tammy Jaxtheimer, flavor@pilotonline.com