With plates on its head, a three-tiered device the size of a toddler quietly buzzes and radiates green and violet lights as the food makes a flashy entrance.
That’s one of the interesting features at dPlace, a new steakhouse restaurant at Amerige Heights Town Center taking over the old Souplantation building.
The dining establishment gives its customers the best of – not two – but three worlds with its Italian, American and Korean dishes on the menu.
Seats along the perimeter and center of the eatery assure a comfortable meal with their brown cushions and wooden backrests. The diner’s interior carries an expensive look with pastel gray walls and wooden furniture, which perfectly embodies the delicacy of the place and its food.
The menu contains many different types of foods, including starters, diverse soups, salads, rice bowls, steak, pasta, the signature dish and sides can be chosen from.
Among the available options for starters, customers recommend the fried calamari ($18) and the beef tartare ($18) as their favorites.
Of the many food choices, recommended entrees include the house salad ($15), pork belly chop steak ($32), Pescatore ($16) and Frutti Di Mare ($18) as pasta entrees. Moreover, the OC Galbi ($50) is a representative dish at dPlace.
During one recent visit, fried calamari ($18), beef tartare ($18), Pescatore, Frutti Di Mare and OC Galbi were ordered.
The fried calamari came out with a white cream-based sauce, and the crunch on the crispy squid definitely proved the dish to be of better taste and quality than that of Olive Garden, which is sold at $12.99. The seafood provided at dPlace was fresher and came in larger portions, almost enough to be labeled as an entree.
The beef tartare that came out soon after carried a very rich, fresh taste and was easily chewable. Served with fried tortilla chips and arugula with cheese, the slightly frozen beef contained all the tenderness and savoriness of the raw meat to prove itself as one of the night’s best dishes.
With little of a wait, Pescatore, a pasta with fresh seafood and a classic tomato-based sauce, and Frutti Di Mare, a pasta with fresh seafood and a cream sauce, were served, topped with optional parmesan cheese. Ordering both together is recommended, as some customers prefer marinara pasta and some cream pasta.
The main dishes took about half an hour to serve, while appetizers took ten or so minutes, and this was definitely not a long wait compared to other family restaurants.
Coming last, but definitely not the least appetizing item, was the restaurant’s signature dish: the OC Galbi. Visitors can select the non-marinated version for those who may not like the sweet and salty soy sauce. Though it’s the most expensive choice at $50, the dish won’t disappoint visitors with its rich flavors, as the cuisine’s main aliment.
When served, the aroma of the meat immediately entices the orderer. The beef rib steak came on a big plate the size of a frisbee with three sides served separately: ssamjang, a traditional sweet and spicy Korean red paste sauce, pickled celery and horseradish. Alongside the sliced meat on the dish lay a rib bone, seasoned sesame leaves and a salad with a vinegar-based dressing.
Upon bite, the hidden juices of the meat gush out, and its tender texture unveils. Eating too many pieces, however, can overwhelm diners who are not fans of greasy and oily foods.
Nevertheless, the provided side menus, along with the seasoned sesame leaves, prove to be the perfect combination to even out the flavors on the plate.
In essence, this restaurant surely is a great option for families, friends and couples looking for tasty, rich foods that come with immense depths of flavor. The seats in the restaurant have been filled since its opening day, Oct. 21, 2022, and this has yet to cease. Although the prices may seem higher than most family diners such as Olive Garden and Il Palco, the tastes of the foods most definitely overpower the expenses that come with them. With prom and graduation near the end of this semester, perhaps this will become “dPlace” for Sunny Hills students to visit.
