JD H.
Yelp
If you are a person that can behind a good steak (a really good steak), this place is worth putting on your bucket list.
My review is in comparison to Manny's Steakhouse right around the corner from 801. This is not a plug for one over the other but I have had experience as a Manny's loyalist for over 20 years. Both 801 and Manny's give you a very clubby, dark-wood masculine experience. Walking into either will have you bracing for a really good time. But once in, the experiences begin to diverge. Where Manny's is "in-your-face" with shock and awe of portion size, visual display, 801 is more restrained and composed. Neither is better, just different.
Where Manny's celebrates a single heritage bred steer ("Buster") with a large portrait of him at the check-in desk replete with large, dangling bowling ball gonads, 801 takes a less singular focus and litters the walls with all kinds of great steer and beef related images, paintings and photos of famous breeds, venues that are steer focused, and historical tidbits. The welcome photo above 801's check-in is that of "Earl Marshall". The image is smaller than Buster but nonetheless, equally impressive when you realize that he is the father of all Angus breed steer. Literally, his genes have been responsible for every great steer in history, including Buster. Pretty cool as you get set to tuck in to bit of red meat history on a plate.
The next thing that impressed me was the 801 bar. Tall, central, mirrored with a very large selection of brown liquor, it almost moved me to tears. Manny's is much more a dark, brooding almost speak-easy type of feel whereas 801 is much more open and feels very social surrounded by perimeter booths for some privacy while dining. Both bars have great appeal for different reasons and the drink lists and prices are similar. But when it comes to the actual drinks, my nod has to go to Manny's. Having had a house Manhattan at both, the one at Manny's is served up whereas the 801 version is iced and dilutes pretty quickly within a short time which was disappointing when you are spending more than $15 for a drink.
The 801 salads we sampled were fairly average, almost unforgettable. One of my favorite salads is a sliced tomato and onion with blue cheese. 801's version of this was not huge, they used small Campari tomatoes cut up making them more bite-size manageable, and there were some strings of thin-sliced red onion. It definitely had the look of a composed salad arranged with a delicate hand. As opposed to the Manny's thick sliced beefsteak tomatoes and white sweet onions, there is no comparison. Where 801 goes for delicate composition, Manny's goes for the shock value of a huge, bold presentation on a plate. When I go to a steakhouse, I am going really to eat boldly and eat well. Manny's version simply looks and tastes better in this sort of venue.
Since this place is really about the steaks, I like that 801 has a pretty serious aging program involving both wet and dry techniques. 801 has a buyer that purchases prime steaks to meet its needs, plus, this location purchases American A5 Wagyu from a local MN farm. Manny's markets that its steaks only come from a single line of heritage breed that can all be traced back to Buster's loins. That is a cool bit of history and honestly, the steaks are similar in quality and taste at both. But if I'm being honest, we had a steak at 801 that was slightly over (not really bad but it was over) and they had run out of prime rib. Those are really nit-picky factors but I'm in a steakhouse shelling out a lot of money so the steak temperature should be perfect and you really should not be running out of meat. I have not had either occur to me in 2 decades at Manny's so the nod here has to go to Manny's albeit it was not by a large margin.
801 definitely gets the win for bread and sides. The house sourdough at 801 is crusty soft and full of flavor served alongside soft butter. Better than most San Francisco sourdoughs and hard to stop eating. Compared to Manny's raisin pumpernickel, there is no comparison for my taste profile. 801 would win this hands-down every time. The fries (fried in beef tallow) are like McDonalds, and the green veggies are simple. I prefer this to Manny's use of heavy creams, sauces and the like on their sides. Similar to salads, 801's restraint and more delicate handling of the sides works much better than Manny's over the top portion size and heaviness.
In the end, because I go to a steakhouse really for great steaks, in my opinion 801 Chophouse is just a small notch (very small) below Manny's but not disappointing in the least. I will definitely be going back again.