Charred, seared or wood-fired, beef served any way you like at new Turlock steakhouse
Turlock’s new independently owned steakhouse is open and ready to serve up steaks just how you like them, and then some.
Cuts Steakhouse, the new upscale restaurant from business partners Jerry Powell and Devin Hill, opened mid-July in the heart of downtown on Main Street. The eatery moved into the former Hauck’s Grill spot, and Powell and Hill extensively renovated the interior to give it a rich ambiance with dark wood, leather seating and black table cloths.
This is Powell’s fourth food-and-drinks establishment in Turlock. He also owns and Hill serves as general manager for the popular downtown nightspots The Udder Place and Cru, as well as Katana sushi restaurant (formerly Sushi Garden II) on Monte Vista Avenue.
Powell, who works in commercial real estate, said Cuts compliments his stable of businesses and offers Turlock diners something different. The city has a few corporate steakhouse restaurants, like Sizzlers and Applebee’s, but few locally owned options.
“It’s about diversification. We’ve got a country bar (the Udder Place), we’ve got a nightclub with Cru, then have Katana which is sushi. Now we’ve got a steakhouse,” Powell said. “The idea for a steakhouse was for something a little more upscale and something that Turlock needed.”
Powell and Hill took their time remodeling the interior, which includes brick, dark wainscotting and ultra high-backed leather booths. They had initially hoped to open in early summer, but pandemic-related construction and supply delays pushed it back until July 15. The restaurant is still waiting on its imported outdoor patio furniture, which should arrive sometime this week.
Simple menu, many preparations at new Turlock spot
The restaurant is currently open Tuesdays to Saturdays for dinner, and Fridays and Saturdays for lunch. The menu, Hill said, has been left intentionally simple to allow for the best quality possible. The staff butchers all of its meat in-house, including all of the steaks and uses the trimmings for its fresh ground beef.
“We did that for quality and simplicity. We didn’t want people to get overwhelmed,” he said. “No one wants to read paragraphs on their food while ordering.”
That means you’ll only find three steaks — an 8-ounce filet mignon, a 14-ounce rib eye and a 12-ounce New York strip — on the regular menu (which run $35 to $48). Hill said instead of offering a long roster of steak cuts, the restaurant is focusing on preparation. So you have three options for cooking your steaks: wood-fired, charbroiled or pan-seared.
To layer on the richness you can also add one of three compound butter options on top: black truffle, bone marrow or herb (an $8 up charge). Having tried the bone-marrow butter, it’s a worthy indulgence for those wanting to splurge.
“The different preparations means you can come back, have the same steak but a totally different experience,” Hill said.
If beef isn’t your thing, they also serve salmon, pork steaks and shanks, rack of lamb and more (ranging in price from $28 to $40). The rest of the menu has an assortment of hamburgers (with that in-house ground beef), sandwiches and salads. Hill said as much as possible is made in-house, including its sauces and butters, and the meats are never frozen.
Cuts Steakhouse bar offers craft specialty cocktails
Powell said the restaurant tries to source locally as much as possible, using Modesto’s Niccolau Farms for its cheese and Turlock’s FreshPoint for other products. They also plan to have regular specials, from tomahawk steaks to wagyu beef.
A good steak always demands a good drink, so the restaurant features a full bar with an assortment of craft specialty cocktails. Front-of-house manager and bartender Christian Diep has created an egg-white topped whiskey sour which is as pretty as it is tasty. The restaurant carries some 30 mostly California wines to pair with your meal as well.
While Cuts is only open two days a week for lunch now, Powell said once labor and other issues clear from the pandemic he expects to serve lunch and dinner all open days. The bar currently opens at 2 p.m. daily and stays open into late-night on weekends, past dinner service.
Powell and Hill said reception to the new restaurant, which can seat about 150 inside, has been great so far, and they suggest diners make reservations through their website using the booking service resy.com.
“We hope to bring a whole new element to downtown Turlock,” Hill said. “We’re fine-dining, but feel like a neighborhood restaurant.”
Cuts, at 142 W Main St. in Turlock, is open for dinner 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday for lunch. For more information visit www.cuts-steakhouse.com.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
