Long before the dining room fills for dinner, the work at Sear Steakhouse & Lounge at the Harbor in Rockwall has already been underway for hours.
Steaks are inspected and cut by hand, live lobsters are broken down, stocks simmer, sauces take shape, and ingredients are transformed through a process Executive Chef Marcus Moehler has spent 15 years refining.
Some of that preparation will be obvious when a plate reaches the table, but much of it won't, as Sear’s no-waste kitchen finds creative uses for many by-products of the cooking process.
“Everything that we use, we try to use it purposefully and reintroduce it into some type of ingredient for our menu,” Moehler says.
According to the USDA, 1.33 billion pounds of food are thrown away in the US each year. However, you won’t see that type of waste at Sear. Fat trimmed from steaks is rendered into tallow and eventually becomes part of the process for cooking another steak. Other trimmings could spend hours braising before becoming one of the restaurant’s beef fritters. Even the onion peels have somewhere to go.
It is part of Sear’s commitment to operating as a scratch, no-waste kitchen—a philosophy that requires more time and labor, but one Moehler says has followed him throughout his 15-year culinary career.
“We treat the kitchen like we were cooking at our home,” Moehler says. “Our philosophy is to use every single thing that we have here to repurpose it and not throw anything away. Also, if you're a businessperson, throwing product in the trash equals throwing money in the trash.”
After braising the short rib for three and a half hours, Moehler even saves the braising liquid, blending it into the sauce served with the finished dish.
“Everything that we have is made in-house, carefully handcrafted,” Assistant General Manager Charli McIlrath says. “All of our steaks are cut by Chef Marcus.”
The restaurant’s menu showcases the made-from-scratch approach, with dishes ranging from its signature Prime Delmonico to Chilean sea bass and rosemary-pistachio-crusted lamb chops. But for Moehler, the finished plate begins with sourcing.
Sear’s beef is wet aged for at least 30 days, a process Moehler says helps tenderize the meat and develop its flavor. He favors high heat to create a strong sear, while brown sugar in the restaurant’s seasoning helps develop the char and crust.
Moehler says something as simple as broccolini can tell the story of how it was grown. He looks for vibrant color, crunch, and stems with fibers that break down properly.
“Great cuts of meat,” says J.R. Wheeler in a Google review of the restaurant. “I got the 16 ounce signature cut, [my] wife got the chef special NY strip with shrimp, fork tender, best side of broccolini I have ever tasted.”
Some dishes are so labor intensive that when they sell out, they are simply gone for the evening.
Though many of the menu items are staples at Sear, Chef Moehler says he regularly experiments with specials based on seasonal ingredients or something interesting a supplier has available.
“Creating is easily the most fun part of the job,” he says.
While cocktails are often recommended as an aperitif alongside appetizers, McIlrath says Sear servers guide guests toward wine with dinner. McIlrath personally tastes wines before bringing them into the restaurant, considering how the bottle fits in with the items on the menu.
“I then train the servers on which wines we can pair with lighter fish dishes or heavier short rib, lamb, steaks,” McIlrath says. “And then we guide the guest experience from there.”
Because Sear is a steakhouse, its wine list leans toward reds, particularly the bold, fruit-forward California Cabernets its clientele often requests. However, the selection also includes lighter Italian and French wines and options designed for seafood and more delicate dishes.
Understanding elements such as tannins allows the staff to help guests choose a wine that complements rather than competes with dinner.
“If you're having our Chilean sea bass, you're not going to want anything with high tannins because high tannins are something that requires fat on your flavor profile to round it out,” McIlrath says.
A ribeye or New York strip, however, can provide exactly that richness.
Sear’s cocktails follow the kitchen’s emphasis on freshness. The restaurant changes its cocktail program seasonally, with recipes created in-house. Fresh juices are pressed in small quantities, helping maintain quality while reducing waste. Even wine left open for a few days can move from the bar to the kitchen, where Moehler incorporates it into sauces and other dishes.
That collaboration helps make dinner at Sear less about ordering individual items and more about creating an experience from the first drink to the final course. That mentality, coupled with the white-glove service provided by staff, makes dinner at Sear stand apart from other steakhouses.
Servers train for at least three months, learning table settings, service standards, and the details of the food, cocktail, and wine menus. Because Sear staff personally call reservations beforehand to learn whether guests are celebrating something special, guests often arrive to find a handwritten card from Moehler and McIlrath waiting at their table for birthdays and anniversaries.
At the end of the meal, Chef may also send a complimentary dessert presented with a message written in Sear’s house-made strawberry sauce.
“My favorite part of the job is creating great guest experiences,” McIlrath adds. “Seeing people's faces as they leave the restaurant, knowing that we went above and beyond for their service and they had an amazing experience.”
To make a reservation at Sear Steakhouse, call 469.314.1103 or visit www.SearSteakhouseAndLounge.com