At ‘sexiest’ Morton’s, have your ribeye with garlic rice
Peter Shankman was hungry. It was August 2011 and the author and entrepreneur was in the middle of a long day, having caught a 7 a.m. flight to Florida to make it to a three-hour meeting, and then rushing back to the airport to catch his 4:30 p.m. flight back to Newark.
His stomach rumbling, Shankman’s head was filled with visions of steak. He loves steak. He especially loves Morton’s The Steakhouse. “I’ve developed an affinity for Morton’s Steakhouses, and if I’m doing business in a city which has one, I’ll try to schedule a dinner there if I can,” Shankman wrote on his blog Shankman.com.
Before takeoff, Shankman tweeted—jokingly, he later said—and tagged the steakhouse: “Hey @Mortons— can you meet me at Newark Airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. :)”
Two and a half hours later, Shankman got off the plane. At the airport, he was surprised by a tuxedo-clad man who handed him a Morton’s bag. Inside was a 24-oz Porterhouse steak, Colossal Shrimp, potatoes, Morton’s famous onion bread, napkins, and silverware.
Shankman was “floored,” he wrote. What impressed him even more was the fact that the closest Morton’s to the airport was in Hackensack, New Jersey, almost 38 kilometers away, and Morton’s made it all happen in less than three hours.
He called it “the greatest customer service story ever told.”
From Chicago to Manila
It’s this steakhouse, and hopefully this level of customer service, that is now in the country—at Uptown Eastgate in BGC—thanks to The Bistro Group, whose growing portfolio of restaurants in the Philippines includes Denny’s, Italianni’s, TGI Fridays, Texas Roadhouse, and many others.
“They have the best quality and consistently great food from source to plate, genuine hospitality, and a solid reputation for over four decades,” said Jean Paul Manuud, president of The Bistro Group. It opened on Dec. 1.
“A big part of my job is finding partners who we can trust with our brand,” said Jarrett W. Ingram, vice president for international and licensing of Landry’s, the company behind Morton’s The Steakhouse.
By happenstance, when Ingram was vacationing in Boracay with his family 10 years ago, they had eaten at Italianni’s, which is run by The Bistro Group.
“We loved it. So when they approached, and I recognized that, I knew they were great operators. And as I got to know them … they’re unbelievable people. You want a partner that’s gonna add value to who you are and I think Bistro will do that. I think Morton’s is better because we’re partners with Bistro.”
Morton’s was founded in Chicago in 1978 and has since grown to having over 65 restaurants, mostly in the United States, but also in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mexico City, Tokyo, Toronto, Singapore, Taipei, and now Manila.
“We found that the sales of some of the steakhouses were exceptional … So to me, that meant the market was ready for it. I think the Philippines is exploding, and it’s a good time to get in on it,” said Ingram.
“After the pandemic, it’s like people realized that life is so short. There’s really more appreciation for good food now. The younger people, before their priorities were gadgets, but now, they’re really willing to spend on food,” Lisa Ronquillo, chief marketing officer of The Bistro Group, said.
Steaks and more
Morton’s doesn’t just promise steak—it promises “The Best Steak Anywhere.” It serves only the finest USDA-certified Prime steaks—New York strip, filet mignon, ribeye.
Ingram said, “You have to try the Cajun ribeye, which has a proprietary 48-hour marination process that I guarantee nobody else does.”
They also have Wagyu filet, tomahawk ribeye, dry-aged rib eye, and rack of lamb.
Enjoy them with different butters and sauces—bearnaise, black truffle butter, whipped horseradish, and more. And you can also have them with enhancements—Oscar-style, with bacon-wrapped scallops, lobster tail, or jumbo grilled shrimp.
“Of course, the steaks are good. Our sides are remarkable, our desserts are unbelievable, our appetizers will blow you away,” said Ingram.
They had to go through 15 onion loaves before they landed on the perfect one—an effort that paid off because their onion bread really is fantastic, it’s so good you’d have to stop yourself from finishing the entire thing to leave room for the steak.
Even people who aren’t big meat eaters will find lots to enjoy at Morton’s The Steakhouse, Ingram said. “Killer sea bass, killer salmon. The Chicken Christopher is unbelievable. Our dynamite oysters are spectacular. Our lobster mac and cheese, get out of town. Parmesan truffle fries.”
Sides—and garlic rice
So what’s his Morton’s order? “At this location, I’ll get the seafood tower because it has everything… I’d definitely get the bacon steak. It’s life-changing. I’d probably get the lobster cocktail because why the hell not? I get the lobster bisque because it’s spectacular. I would get the Cajun ribeye, and probably a tomahawk, just because people are so impressed with tomahawks. But I’d eat the ribeye. And I’d get Parmesan truffle fries, and then the au gratin potatoes and onion rings. For dessert, the salted apple caramel cheesecake, because it is unbelievable, and the molten chocolate cake.”
At Morton’s, the sides aren’t an afterthought (you have more than 15 to choose from). And in the Philippines, they have added garlic rice to the menu—and it’s damn good garlic rice.
Josh Boutwood, The Bistro Group’s corporate executive chef, said, “For us in the Philippines, rice is life. No argument, right? There had to be rice—plain rice for the purists, and we have garlic rice, with confit garlic, fried garlic, and it’s sautéed in garlic oil. That’s a proper garlic rice.”
Ingram is also proud of their wine selection—over 300 to choose from. “We have a French sommelier and we have the biggest wine list of any restaurant in the Philippines.”
And diners can enjoy this inside a beautiful and elegant restaurant that Ingram said is “the sexiest Morton’s we’ve ever built in the whole world.”
Private rooms
The 200-seater resto also has private rooms for groups of 6 or 12.
Ingram also calls the bar at this Morton’s “the coolest bar of any Morton’s by far.” Apart from the impressive wine and spirits selection, they’ve got some great cocktails, including the Gold Fashioned, Morton’s Lemon Drop, Raspberry Apple Martini, and Original State Street Manhattan, which has a piece of prime New York strip as a garnish.
Ronquillo said, “If you want to hang out by the bar, we also have a bar bites menu,” which includes burgers, potato chips, onion rings, sandwiches, and more.
Morton’s is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. for dinner.
From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., they have Power Hour, during which some cocktails are P350—amazing prices, especially for BGC. You also get 20-percent off selected beer and wines by the glass.
“I think we offer a sophisticated dining experience from start to finish,” said Ingram. And by that he means “things that you can’t get anywhere else, quality of ingredients, and service that anticipates your needs.”
Morton’s The Steakhouse is at Uptown East Gate Uptown 11th Ave. corner 36th St. Taguig. Make reservations through mortons.com.ph or call tel. no. 09171449415. Walk-ins are welcome.
