Speaking Rock Entertainment gambles on new steakhouse restaurant

While the restaurant business remains one of the toughest industries, Speaking Rock Entertainment Center is taking a gamble on its newest addition, 1682 Steakhouse, tucked in a corner of the venue.

The steakhouse, which just opened, is tiny for now, an elegant bar with hanging light fixtures and four broad booths that can probably sit up to six or seven people. A temporary wall flanks the booths, hinting at a planned expansion in the near future.

A host stand, attentive service, and elegant wood-framed booths with cloth tablecloths and napkins indicate that the restaurant is designed for a fine-dining experience.

Having a steak lover for a husband, I decided to invite him to check out this new place in the Lower Valley. We’re already big fans of Catteman’s Steakhouse and Great American Steakburger, so this trip was definitely in our wheelhouse.

The menu, a laminated sheet on a ring, is diverse, offering salads, fry bread tacos, salmon and lobster rolls, and à la carte items, in addition to the main attraction: steaks. The steaks range from a 16-ounce ribeye for $46 to a 20-ounce ribeye for $50, and a 24-ounce T-bone for $56, and are grilled to order with a dab of your favorite specialty butter.

My husband ordered the 16-ounce ribeye with garlic and herb butter, and I ordered the beef fajitas ($32). We also ordered guacamole with chips as an appetizer ($12).

Elegant plating is a big part of this dining experience, starting with the guacamole served in a white bowl and surrounded by blue and regular tortilla chips on a square dish. The guacamole was light on the tomato, onion and jalapeno, but still tasty. A little more mixing would have helped blend in the salt better.

Both the steak and the fajitas are served on cast-iron plate sets. My husband appreciated the sizzling steak in the middle of his plate, but it made it cumbersome to enjoy the steak and then have to reach out to get to a steaming baked potato, served in its own cast-iron pan.

Tastewise, he found the steak cooked well, to his preference, seasoned well and really tender. I took a few bites of his steak and even the marbling and found it all super tasty. We were surprised to find out the steak comes with no side, so any sides, like the baked potato for $6, are charged a la carte.

My fajitas were quite the show: sizzling fajita strips with roasted red pepper slices, served with grilled long green onions, a toasted chile toreado in lime and soy sauce, and small bowls of guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream on the side.

The fajita strips and toppings were super filling and also flavorful, devoured in warm corn tortillas, six generously provided in a tortilla warmer.

The small size of the restaurant creates a cozy nook for an adult-only special date night or friends’ night out, with jazz music playing in the background, far from the sound of the slot machines.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday-Sunday. Keep in mind that on concert nights, it will take a good walk from the parking lots or streets through the slot machine areas and past the smoking area and by the North Bar by Spirit Garden to get to the restaurant, as some entrances will be impeded.