New steakhouse featuring bone marrow luges to open at Easton
The new steakhouse Cut 132 will open at the Aloft Hotel at Easton Town Center in January.
At 4188 Brighton Rose Way, the restaurant will be on the ground floor of the Aloft Hotel across from Restoration Hardware, in one of Easton's newest districts.
The concept is from Virginia-based Thompson Hospitality Group. Founded in 1992, the company is Black-owned and calls itself the nation's largest minority-owned food-service company. The company serves historically Black colleges and has restaurants in Maryland, Virginia, South Florida and Washington D.C.
As one of its newest restaurant concepts, Cut 132 will be a "traditional, great American steakhouse" with a contemporary feel in its atmosphere and menu, said Michael Katigbak, vice president of marketing for Thompson Hospitality.
"Cut will feel like a vibrant, lively environment with a sexy touch to it, where you can come to see and be seen, have an exceptional meal, have world-class service and ultimately have a wonderful experience," Katigbak said.
While several Easton restaurants such as McCormick & Schmick's serve steaks, Cut 132 will be the center's only traditional steakhouse after Smith & Wollensky leaves Easton in January for Downtown.
Cut 132 will seat 254 customers and include a patio, indoor-outdoor bar and garage doors.
The menu will include charcuterie boards; wet and dry-aged beef with handmade sauces and toppings; and sides like truffle mac and cheese with seasoned breadcrumbs and fried-twice hand-cut fries. The menu will also incorporate seasonal ingredients.
One specialty will be the steakhouse's bone marrow dish. Once finished, the dish can be paired with Makers Mark bourbon that a server can pour down the bone acting as a luge to coat the liquor in beef fat.
"It's just a lively little touch that guests can enjoy, while people in the restaurant are sort of wondering like, 'Oh, what's happening over at that table?' " said Katigbak. "How can we take what are sort of expected items in a steakhouse and turn them a little bit on their head?"
The restaurant will also offer cocktails including a smoked old-fashioned and variations of margaritas, martinis and other standards.
"There's a lot of craft involved," said Alex Berentzen, senior vice president of retail operations for Thompson Hospitality. "Our chef is also a blacksmith. So he's crafted his own knife that he cooks with that he will also sell."
Berentzen said by the end of this year, Thompson Hospitality will operate 68 restaurants in 16 concepts, and nearly 100 restaurants by the end of 2023, including two more restaurants expected in the Columbus area. The company operates a wide range of concepts that could come to the Columbus market including by-the-slice pizzeria, gourmet burger spot and fast-casual seafood restaurant.
One of Thompson Hospitality's concepts is Hen Quarter, which had a location in Dublin owned by franchisee Jordan Hospitality before it closed in March. (A lawsuit was later filed against Hen Quarter in federal court by former workers over unpaid wages.) A Hen Quarter location remains in Alexandria, Virginia.
Dublin restaurants:Song Lan Restaurant expected to open this month in former Hen Quarter space
Berentzen said Cut 132 is currently hiring.
Hours will be Mondays through Thursdays, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
tmoorman@dispatch.com
@TaijuanNichole
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New steakhouse Cut 132 to open at Easton hotel this winter
