Fine dining in Arlington, TX at Mercury Chophouse – Arlington means white tablecloths, live piano on select evenings, a business-casual dress code, a glass-front wine wall and an à la carte menu with steaks from the 6 oz Center-Cut Filet Mignon at $62 to the 27 oz Wagyu Long Bone Ribeye at $210, on the ninth floor at 2221 E Lamar Blvd.
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What fine dining means at Mercury
Fine dining is a phrase that gets attached to any restaurant with dim lights. At Mercury it means specific things, and it is fair to list them plainly. White tablecloths and linen napkins on every table. Leather chairs and tufted booths. Crystal chandeliers. A grand piano by the windows, played on select evenings. A wine list that reaches Opus One. A dress code that is enforced. A menu priced for a long dinner rather than a quick one.
It also means what it is not. There is no published tasting menu; the menu is à la carte. A jacket and tie are not required. The restaurant is independently owned, founded by Jim Ross, a Marine Corps veteran and former Arlington police officer who went on to practice law in the city, and it describes itself as the first premier steakhouse in Arlington.
The evening, from the elevator to the table
You park free at the Brookhollow Two tower on E Lamar Blvd, in the garage or the outdoor lot, and ride the elevator to the ninth floor. The doors at Suite 910 open onto the glass-front wine wall, and the host takes you past it into a dining room built along a curved wall of floor-to-ceiling windows over the Entertainment District.
Warm bread with garlic butter arrives. From there the pace is yours. A starter such as the Filet Mignon Cigars, $17, or the Land & Sea Sampler at $26 per person, which brings calamari, a filet cigar, a crab cake and the MCA shrimp cocktail together. Then the steak. Then, if you have the room, dessert and a port from the after-dinner list. Nobody is turning the table.
What dinner costs
Fine dining should be honest about price, so here is the band, taken from the current dinner menu.
| Course | Range | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Starters | $17 to $34 | Chophouse Calamari $17, Crab Cakes $24, Wagyu & Black Truffle Ravioli $34 |
| Soups and salads | $8 to $18 | Soup du Jour cup $8, Caesar $16, Wedge $18 |
| Steaks and chops | $59 to $210 | Double-Bone Pork Chop $59, Hand-Cut Ribeye $75, Dry-Aged 36 oz Porterhouse $175 |
| Seafood | $44 to $57 | Crab Cakes $44, Cedar Plank Salmon $48, Seared Sea Bass $57 |
| Chophouse classics | $29 to $42 | Grilled Chicken Pasta $29, Chicken Saltimbocca $42 |
| Shareable sides | $11 to $18 | Hand-Cut Fries $11, Whipped Potatoes $14, Grilled Asparagus $18 |
| Desserts | $15 to $17 | Crème Brûlée $15, Key Lime Pie $16, Italian Cream Cake $17 |
A 20% gratuity is added for parties of six or more, and composed entrées carry a $25 split plate fee. The prices page builds out sample dinners.
The wine wall and what is behind it
The wine wall behind the hostess stand is glass-fronted, and the bar sits directly behind it. The list behind them is deep in Pinot Noir, from Ken Wright’s Willamette bottling at $78 up to $279, and in West Coast red blends from Roth Heritage at $78 to Opus One 2022 at $686, with The Prisoner at $85, Cain Five at $248 and Quintessa at $525 between. International reds cover Bordeaux, Barolo, Brunello, Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Amarone, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Mendoza Malbec, from $77 to a 1999 Musar at $379.
Wines are poured by the glass and by the bottle. The wine page goes into pairings by cut.
The dress code, in practice
The code is business casual, and it is applied. Gentlemen: long pants, tailored trousers or unripped jeans, with collared shirts and sports coats encouraged. Graphic T-shirts, baseball caps, beanies, athletic wear, hoodies and sweatpants are prohibited, and flip-flops and slides are too casual. A cowboy hat or a fashionable hat is welcome on the way in and comes off at the table. Ladies: refined attire, stylish separates or a tasteful dress; jeans without rips are fine; yoga pants, loungewear and flip-flops are not.
Management reserves the right to refuse entry or service for non-adherence, which is the part that makes the room feel the way it does. The dress code page has the full wording.
Fine dining at lunch
The same room serves lunch Monday through Friday from 11 AM, with the district in daylight through the windows. The lunch menu keeps the white linen and drops the price: Center-Cut Filet Mignon 6 oz $54, Wagyu London Broil $65, Crab & Shrimp Louie $24, Chicken Fried Steak with rye whiskey cream gravy $24. The business lunch page covers timing for a working table.
Book a Table
Reserve on the ninth floor at Mercury Chophouse – Arlington. Choose a date and time below, or call 817-381-1157.
Reserve on OpenTable Request a Private Event
Open Monday to Thursday 11 AM to 9 PM, Friday 11 AM to 10 PM, Saturday 4 PM to 10 PM. Closed Sunday. 2221 E Lamar Blvd, Suite 910, Arlington, TX 76006.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a jacket for fine dining at Mercury Chophouse?
No. Jacket and tie are not required. The dress code is business casual: a collared shirt with tailored trousers or unripped jeans is enough, and a sports coat is encouraged but optional. What is not allowed is athletic wear, hoodies, graphic T-shirts, baseball caps and flip-flops.
How much should I budget per person for dinner?
A 6 oz Center-Cut Filet Mignon is $62, a shared side runs $11 to $18, and desserts are $15 to $17, so a three-course dinner lands around $100 per person before drinks, tax and gratuity. The Wagyu cuts, at $105 and $210, push that considerably higher.
Is there a tasting menu or prix fixe option?
No tasting menu is published; dinner is ordered à la carte from the menu. For groups in the Boardroom, private dining menus can be tailored to the party and are quoted with the proposal. Ask when you submit a private dining request if a set menu is what you want.
Who owns Mercury Chophouse?
Jim Ross, who founded the restaurant. He is from Detroit, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, moved to Arlington in 1983, served as an Arlington police officer, left in 1996 for law school and founded the Jim Ross Law Group in the city. He also owns Hearsay – Arlington, the seafood restaurant inside Choctaw Stadium.
Is Mercury Chophouse quiet enough for a real conversation?
It is a white-linen dining room with a grand piano rather than a sports bar, and the TVs are at the bar, not over the tables. The tufted booths are set back from the windows for guests who want a longer, lower-key dinner. Live piano plays on select evenings; ask when booking if that matters.