Would you describe this as a gamier meat or a gamier flavor?īill: It's.you know, if you like lamb, you're gonna love this. Taryn: Chef Billy Rodgers says customers who enjoy lamb will likely enjoy mutton, too. It's just seasoned with salt and popped into the broiler for each side to brown, allowing the natural sugars in the meat to caramelize.Īnd about how many orders of these mutton chops do you guys do in a day or a week?īill Rodgers: In a day, maybe 70, 80. Taryn: Each mutton chop is made up of a sheep's loins, tenderloins, and belly flap and weighs about a pound and a half. And so when they come, they try it, you know, and say, 'OK, that's great.' And, 'I can't even believe the size of it,' when it's put in front of them. Why do you think the mutton chop in particular, though, became so synonymous with this restaurant?īonnie Jenkins: Well, I think that people also like to try something that's unique and that it's become a signature dish here, 'cause you don't see it on every menu. In 1935, the chophouse had served its 1 millionth mutton chop. So mutton fell out of favor, but Keens continued serving it and built a reputation as one of the only places to make the plate and do it well. It's said that American soldiers ate mutton chops often during World War II but had grown tired of the meat and its musky flavor upon returning to the US. Mutton chops used to be a popular meal in American restaurants in the 1800s, inspired by menus at English chophouses in Europe. The restaurant became a meeting place for actors, playwrights, and publishers and the go-to spot for a quality mutton chop. Keens English Chophouse originally spawned from the Lambs Club, a theater group dating back to the 1870s that still exists today. So, let's go ahead inside and learn a little bit more about this historic chophouse. And three, they have 90,000 pipes on the ceiling, but we'll get to that later. Two, they make these legendary mutton chops, which is this aged cut of lamb. One, they're one of the oldest restaurants in New York. Taryn: We're in Midtown today, just a few blocks away from the Empire State Building, and we knew we had to head to Keens Steakhouse for a few reasons. I said, 'It's big, you might wanna share it.' He said, 'No way.' And he devoured it. This is Keens Steakhouse, and it's been standing here since 1885.Ĭustomer: I brought my nephew, and he had the mutton chop. People seek it out instead for a dish of aged lamb called the mutton chop. This century-old restaurant is full of fresh beef, but its most famous plate isn't steak. But few can say they've served the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, and Babe Ruth. Taryn Varricchio: New York is home to plenty of notable steakhouses.

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Mutton chops 1800s