Wichita and Kansas steakhouses add sizzle to your fall

When the weather starts to turn colder, few things warm the soul – and the stomach – like a rare steak paired with a glass of red wine.

And few things smell better than the aroma of cooking beef wafting through frigid air.

Good thing we live in cattle country.

Fall is a perfect time to eat steak, and Kansas is the perfect place to eat it.

The following is a guide to some locally-owned steakhouses in and around Wichita that will help take the chill out of the changing season.

Wichita

Scotch & Sirloin, 5325 E. Kellogg, 316-685-8701, www.scotchandsirloin.net: This longtime Wichita steakhouse has a 1970s supper club feel and has been in operation since 1968. Over the years, it’s become well-known for its dim lighting and deep leather booths, and it’s the designated go-to spot for business lunches and dinners. In 2014, Wichita’s Issa brothers, who also own YaYa’s Eurobistro, Larkspur and Hereford House, took over the Scotch, and Mike Issa has turned it into a spot for fine-wine drinking, too. The Scotch serves Sterling Silver beef, and its menu boasts prime rib, rib-eye, filet mignon, Kansas City strip, Chateaubriand and more.

“The bone-in rib-eye, all 28 to 32 ounces of it from Scotch and Sirloin, has to be one of the most majestic steaks I have ever tasted,” said local steak fan Mike Levand. “Perfect char coming in at medium rare. Without a doubt, superb perfection.” Details: Open daily for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 4 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays

Chester’s Chophouse, 1550 N. Webb, 316-201-1300, www.chesterschophouse.com: Arguably Wichita’s most luxurious restaurant, Chester’s Chophouse opened in the summer of 2005. A project of businessman Wink Hartman and chef Bobby Lane, the restaurant is decorated with leather and wood, has a gorgeous patio and serves a menu with many gourmet entrees and a steak section that lists a USDA prime New York strip, a USDA prime bone-in rib-eye steak, a center-cut filet mignon, strip steak, surf and turf and more.

“Nothing else is even close here,” said Chester’s fan Bill Ramsey. “Don’t get me wrong – lots of places around here serve a great steak. But for an elite steak, you go to Chester’s.” Details: Hours are 4:30 to 10 p.m. Mondays though Saturdays and 4:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays.

Siena Tuscan Steakhouse, 104 S. Broadway, 316-440-5300, www.sienawichita.com: The restaurant in downtown Wichita’s boutique hotel, The Ambassador, is upscale and boasts a Tuscan-themed menu created by in-demand chef Jeremy Wade. It also serves several cuts of beef that come from Creekstone Farms in Arkansas City. Choices include a center-cut beef filet, a rib-eye, a prime Kansas City strip, a Vegas strip steak and a bone-in veal chop. Details: Hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays, 6:30 to 11 p.m. Saturdays and 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays.

Hangar One, 5925 W. Kellogg, 316-941-4900, www.hangaronesteakhouse.com: This aviation-themed restaurant opened in 2009 and includes an upstairs bar with views of the Wichita Eisenhower National Airport runways. Its steaks are hand-cut and aged 21 days, and the menu includes rib-eyes, strips, filets and a sirloin. Details: Hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.

Greystone Steak and Seafood, 9719 E. 21st St., 316-295-2636, www.greystonewichita.com: This just-opened, high-end restaurant offers prime rib, bone-in filet, rib-eye, strip and prime sirloin steaks along with several seafood dishes. Open 5 to 10 p.m. daily

Also: Wichita has several much-loved chain steak places, including Texas Roadhouse, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, Longhorn Steakhouse, Outback Steakhouse and Logan’s Roadhouse.

Andover

Hereford House, 1400 Terradyne, 316-733-7800, www.herefordhouse-wichita.com: The Issa brothers also opened Hereford House, a spinoff of the longtime Kansas City favorite, in 2010 at Andover’s Terradyne Country Club. The restaurant, however, is open to the public and has a luxurious bar with an even more luxurious dining room with views of the golf course. Like at the Scotch, Mike Issa has put a focus on fine wine at Hereford House. The menu offers Kansas City strip, rib-eye, bone-in rib-eye, prime rib, steak Oscar, filet mignon and more. Details: Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Mondays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays for a brunch buffet.

Sedgwick

Cy’s Hoof and Horn, 425 N. Commercial Ave., 316-772-5329, www.facebook.com/pages/Cys-Hoof-Horn/117465494937756: Cy’s is an old-fashioned Kansas steakhouse with a horned head of cattle decorating the wood-paneled walls and a menu that includes not only KC strip, rib-eye and filet mignon but also chicken gizzards, chicken-fried steak, catfish, burgers and mountain oysters. Details: Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to midnight Wednesdays and Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

El Dorado

Real Deal Cafe, 2595 SE U.S. 54, 316-322-7325, www.eldoradolivestock.com/cafe.htm: This restaurant, which operates inside the El Dorado Livestock Auction building, is open only Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays but is said, by people in the know, to serve outstanding steaks. Open since 2008, it offers a menu that includes char-grilled Kansas City strip, rib-eye and filet, all available after 4 p.m., plus burgers, chicken-fried steak, pork fritter, mountain oysters and more. Details: Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays and 4 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Cottonwood Falls

Grand Central Grill, 215 Broadway, 620-273-6763, www.grandcentralhotel.com: This restaurant, inside the Grand Central Hotel in one of the Flint Hills’ most scenic towns, has wood-paneled walls, a brick floor and a menu that includes a Sterling Silver sirloin, rib-eye, KC strip and tenderloin. Details: Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Sedan

Bucks BBQ and Steakhouse, 1898 U.S. 166, 620-725-5025, www.facebook.com/BucksBBQSedanKS: This small-town restaurant serves sandwiches, burgers, brisket and steak dinners consisting of rib-eye or filet plus Texas toast, baked potato and salad. Details: Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Zenda

Lumber Yard Steakhouse, 311 N. Main, 620-243-6000, www.onlinezenda.net: Zenda’s steakhouse gets high marks for its service and steaks – prime rib, flatiron, T-bone and more. Details: Open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays for lunch and 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays.

Russell

Meridy’s Restaurant & Lounge, 1220 S. Fossil St., 785-483-4300: This restaurant serves small-town favorites like chicken livers and chicken gizzards plus a menu of steaks including a rib-eye, a Kansas City strip and a T-bone. It even serves a breakfast rib-eye. Details: Hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays.

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Wichita and Kansas steakhouses add sizzle to your fall."