The Wood-Fired Chophouse of Palm Canyon
Dinner
The Butcher’s Fire
Fire, salt and lineage — the coals we cook over, the room where we age and break every cut by hand, and the three generations who taught us how.
Fire · Salt · Lineage
Lebanese by Name.
Mediterranean by Spirit.
Chophouse to the Bone.
My grandfather raised cattle and kept a grocery store with an old-fashioned sawdust-floor butcher shop, whole sides of meat hanging in the coolers. My father, Kaiser Morcus, broke porterhouse for Gerald Ford across his meat counter in Vail, Colorado. I was raised in their shops. In 1992 my father and I opened this house together, and put his name on it. Every cut is aged and broken by hand in our own room. The weight, the farm, the grade, the aging and the coals are printed beside each one.
— Lee Morcus
The Ranch Standard
Ranch- and breed-specific, one source. Pasture-raised livestock and poultry, without added hormones, antibiotics or other growth promotants.
The Water Standard
Fresh and pristine seafood, wild or responsibly raised, sourced to Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidance. The day’s fish is noted nightly.
The Family Table
We cook for the middle of the table. Choose a centerpiece and surround it. The mezze goes down the way Sito set it.
The Ice · The Embers · The Mezze
To Begin
The center of the table, the way Sito set it. Items marked ◈ are made to pass.
The First Pour
Palm Canyon Dr. Martini 24 · The Williams 27 · Midnight Manhattan Project 24 · Kaiser Grille Medjool Date Old Fashioned 23 · Palm Canyon Spritz 18 · Sunshade No. 1 ○ 14 · KG Private Label, the glass 13
From the Ice
Wagyu Carpaccio
30Shaved raw American Wagyu · black garlic · crisp capers · 24-month Parmigiano-Reggiano · lemon · first-press olive oil.
● plated for one · Mishima Reserve Ultra Grade · BMS 8–9
The Jumbo Gulf Shrimp Cocktail
three 24 · six 45 · nine 66Jumbo Gulf shrimp · charred-tomato horseradish cocktail sauce · tahini, lemon, green-herb toum · charred lemon.
● plated for one, or a ritual for the table
The Flash Fry
Golden and crisp, straight from the basket — made to pass
Coconut Shrimp
three 24 · six 45 · nine 66Pineapple, mango & roasted corn salsa · kale, jicama, green apple & cabbage coleslaw · hot honey drizzle.
Fritto Misto
32Calamari · bay shrimp · shredded carrots · zucchini · artichoke hearts · green beans — dusted and flash-fried · rémoulade · horseradish, roasted-tomato cocktail sauces. ◈
Calamari Steak Strips — Flash-Fried
24Roasted red pepper & cocktail sauces. ◈
Parmesan-Breaded Zucchini Sticks
19Labneh bi toum — garlic, mint, lemon and yogurt sauce. V · ◈
The Butcher’s Grind — Tartare
The finest fresh trim, hand ground through the antique grinder — cut and dressed to order, never before
Scallop, Apple & Citrus Tartare
32Diver scallop · green apple · celery leaf · Meyer lemon · first-press olive oil · trout roe. ●
Prime Beef Steak Tartare
32Hand ground from our antique grinder · caper · shallot · Dijon · cured egg yolk · grilled sourdough. ● or ◈
Baba Ghanoush — Charred Eggplant Tartare
24Wood-roasted eggplant · tomato · tahini · herbs · garlic · lemon · wood-oven markouk flatbread. V · ●
Bluefin Toro Tuna Tartare
49Sashimi grade · wasabi · tobiko · Japanese cucumber · avocado · wakame seaweed salad · mango · sake, soy and ginger reduction.
Pacific bluefin tuna toro · wild, FAD-free California · ●
The Ember Mezze
Off the coals, onto the middle of the table
Ember Bread Service
15Wood-fired sourdough · warm markouk flatbread · labneh · roasted date butter · za’atar · olive oil · sea salt. ◈
Medjool Dates — Wood-Roasted
three 18 · six 32Walnut, gorgonzola & mascarpone-stuffed · bacon-wrapped · arugula & fennel salad · aged balsamic. N · ◈
Charred Octopus, Lentils & White Beans
29Spanish octopus over the coals · red and green lentils · gigante beans · merguez sausage · sumac preserved-lemon vinaigrette · Calabrian chili rouille · grilled sourdough. ●
Dungeness Crab Cakes
two 28 · four 49 · six 73Rémoulade · spinach and wood-roasted tomato salad · sumac-lemon vinaigrette. ● or ◈
The Way the Family Begins Every Meal
Sito’s Spread
38Eggplant baba ghanoush from the embers · labneh · olives · whipped feta · muhammara · hummus crowned with brown-butter pine nuts · beet hummus · house pickles · saj flatbread.
◈ for the table · V · N
Almond Wood · 750°
The Dome
The best in the desert — reputation earned since 1992. The same almond-wood-fired dome that blisters the saj and the markouk.
Flatbreads & Pizza
Lahm Bi Ajeen — Lamb & Pine Nut
23Spiced Colorado lamb · pine nuts · yogurt · mint · Aleppo. N
Rustica
26Sweet sausage · roasted mushrooms · roasted red peppers · caramelized red onions · mozzarella · taleggio · aged Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Margherita
22Bufala mozzarella · aged Parmigiano-Reggiano · fresh basil · San Marzano · heirloom tomatoes · sauce.
The Parma ✦
27Prosciutto di San Daniele riserva · sweet figs · cambozola · fennel & arugula salad · aged balsamic.
The Simple Margherita
20Fior di latte · San Marzano · basil, sauceless.
Vesuviana
27Sauce · bufala mozzarella · broccoletti rapini · sausage · mozzarella · asiago · aged Parmigiano-Reggiano · red chili flakes.
Funghi
24Roasted seasonal mushrooms · sauce · taleggio · thyme · mozzarella · aged Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Via Bologna
29Bufala mozzarella · mortadella di Bologna · centered burrata · hot honey drizzle · crushed black pepper · pistachios. N
Parmigiana di Melanzane
24Sauce · eggplant · mozzarella · aged Parmigiano-Reggiano · fresh basil. V
Soups, Salads & the Table
The Garden & the Coals
From the garden and the fire, with sauces, crowns and the sides the room was built on.
Traditional & Heritage
The Chophouse Caesar
18 / 32Romaine hearts · white anchovy · 24-month Parmigiano-Reggiano · sourdough croutons · the dressing. ● or ◈
Charred Carrots & Labneh
23Coal-roasted desert carrots · whipped labneh · feta · Medjool date · pistachio dukkah · lavender honey · mint. V · GF · N · ◈
The Chopped House Wedge
18 / 32Iceberg · Shaft’s blue · applewood bacon lardons · heirloom tomato · sumac, citrus and blue-cheese dressing. ● or ◈
Fattoush of the Desert
18 / 32Heirloom tomato · cucumber · radish · sumac · pomegranate · shattered saj · za’atar · lemon vinaigrette. Vg · ● or ◈
Tomato & Burrata
26Seasonal tomatoes · basil · first-press olive oil · aged balsamic · Himalayan pink salt. ●
Mediterranean Chopped
19 / 36Greens · spinach · radicchio · artichoke · hearts of palm · cucumber · tomato · chickpea · feta · olive · avocado · sumac-citrus vinaigrette. V · GF · ● or ◈
French Onion Soup Gratinée, Under the Crust
17Roasted bone and oxtail stock · Gruyère · Emmental · grilled sourdough crouton · wood-oven baked. ●
Sito’s Minced Tabbouleh
18 / 32Romaine · mint · parsley · heirloom tomatoes · cracked bulgur · lemon · Ruby Red grapefruit vinaigrette. Vg · ● or ◈
Split Pea Soup
13Our traditional favorite · merguez sausage. ●
Za’atar-Roasted Beets, Grapefruit & Feta
23Warm beets · greens · radicchio · Ruby Red grapefruit · Lebanese feta · pistachio · herbs · lemon-sumac vinaigrette. V · GF · N · ●
Lobster Bisque
21Sherry · crème fraîche · sweet lobster meat. ●
For the Block — Sauces, Crusts & Crowns
Classic Béarnaise
6Bone Marrow
12Bone-Marrow, Shallot & Merlot Maître d’ Butter
6King Crab Oscar
39Alaskan king crab · charred asparagus · béarnaise.
Toum
6Lobster Tail
6 oz 45Butter-poached · almond-wood-oven roasted.
Mint-Sumac Chimichurri
6Wood-Grilled Jumbo Gulf Shrimp or Scampi Style
16Two shrimp.
The Chophouse Steak Sauce
6Blackening Spice Crust
6Traditional Bordelaise, with Marrow
8Tellicherry & Madagascar Green-Peppercorn au Poivre
9Chophouse Classics
Brown-Butter Whipped Potato
14Yukon Gold · cream · butter. V · GF
Add bone marrow, shallot jam + 8 · 30g Kaluga caviar + 95 · shaved black truffle + 38
Fire-Charred Broccolini, Rapini & Calabrian Chili
16Vg · GF
Cavatelli Pasta Gratin, Four Cheese
18Add butter-poached Maine lobster + 24.
Grilled Asparagus, Toum, Béarnaise
16V · GF
Puréed Orange & Garnet Yams
15Pomegranate · dates. Vg · GF
Oyster & Maitake Mushrooms, Garlic & Thyme
16Vg · GF
Creamed Spinach
16Charred Brussels Sprouts
16Pork lardons · date · pomegranate.
Sautéed Spinach
17Garlic · lemon · pine nuts · first-press olive oil. V · GF · N
Blistered Long Beans, Sumac & Almond Chermoula
16Vg · GF · N
Tallow Frites
13Belgian method, three times cooked · rosemary · sea salt.
Tallow Frites, Parmesan & Truffle
16From the Mediterranean
The Centerpiece of the Table
The Levantine coast meets the desert fire — whole, on the bone, presented at the table.
Whole Fish · Over Embers
Whole Turbot, Tableside
110 / 198Roasted on the bone · brown-butter baste · lemon beurre blanc & caper · the king of the flatfish.
Mediterranean · 800–1000 g for one / 1500–2000 g for two · oak & lump-charcoal embers · ● or ◈
The Lebanese Fisherman’s Dish
Branzino — Samkeh Harra
57 / 103Branzino stuffed with cilantro, garlic and preserved lemon, finished in samkeh harra — the fiery walnut-and-chili-tahini sauce of the Tripoli shore — with toasted pine nuts, pomegranate and Lebanese bird’s-eye chili.
Mediterranean · 600–800 g for one / 1200–1500 g for two · oak & lump-charcoal embers · N · ● or ◈
From the Dock — Beyond the Block
Hokkaido Scallops & Saffron
69Seared on the brass · saffron · preserved lemon · brown butter · sweet-pea & roasted-red-pepper coulis · sautéed spinach. ●
Bluefin Tuna “Chop,” Baharat Crust
79Thick-cut toro steak · seven-spice & Tellicherry crust · pomegranate, harissa, mirin-soy lacquer · roasted eggplant with lemon and tahini · sumac onion · pine-nut brown butter.
Wild, FAD-free California · seared black-and-blue · N
Norwegian Halibut, Miso-Date Glaze
64Ginger, honey and arak broth · blistered long beans · over the coals. ●
Bluefin Tuna “Chop,” Furikake, Togarashi Crust
79Rare · sake, soy and ginger reduction · oak-grilled asparagus. ●
Norwegian Halibut, Yellow Curry
64Ginger · lemongrass · coconut-milk reduction · brown-butter potato purée · sautéed spinach · almond-roasted pineapple, mango & roasted-corn salsa. ●
Wood-Grilled Pacific Swordfish, Salmoriglio
58Loin cut over coals · lemon, garlic, oregano and olive oil · charred broccolini with chili flake. ●
Oak-Grilled Ora King Salmon
49Charred lemon · wood-grilled asparagus · mango, mint, pomegranate, tomato, shallot, cucumber and red-onion salsa. ●
Wood-Grilled Swordfish, Pomegranate & Sumac
58Pomegranate-sumac glaze · sautéed spinach. ●
Ora King Salmon Piccata
49Sautéed · sweet butter · lemon · French capers · grilled asparagus · chardonnay butter sauce. ●
Butter-Poached Lobster Tail
6 oz 45 · 8 oz 59 · 16 oz 118Almond-wood-oven finished · drawn brown butter · charred lemon. ● or ◈
From the Block
The Lineage Cuts
Three generations of Morcus butchers, from a Colorado meat counter to the fires of Palm Canyon, have broken beef by hand. These are the cuts they break for their own family — not steaks, but centerpieces.
The Favorite Cut of the Family
The Porterhouse
The cut Kaiser broke for Gerald Ford across his Vail, Colorado meat counter — the buttery tenderloin on one side, the deep, textured strip on the other, cut the traditional way with the full three-inch tail left on. Carved off the bone for your table and passed.
USDA Prime · Brandt Beef, Imperial Valley, California · Holstein · 42-day dry-aged minimum · broken by hand in our own room
For Two — The Double Porter · 40 oz
189
The classic shared porterhouse, tableside.
For Four — The Feast · 80 oz
Two Double Porters — two temperatures, two finishes side by side.
Every shared porterhouse includes brown-butter whipped potato and a choice of two sides from the embers: asparagus · creamed corn · long beans · charred carrots.
Four Signature Finishes
Choose one with any porterhouse, included
The Wood Block
Carved on the block · classic béarnaise — the pure expression.
Au Poivre
Cracked-Tellicherry peppercorn crust · cognac and Madagascar green-peppercorn sauce au poivre.
Marrow & Ember
Ember-roasted bone-marrow, shallot maître d’ butter · ember-roasted shallot jam.
The Arak Flame
Sito’s seven-spice baste · sumac onion · anise, Aleppo brown butter with pine nuts — flamed with arak tableside.
The Showpiece of the Case
The Tomahawk Rib Chop
40 oz · 199The ribeye riding the end of a long, frenched bone. Presented tableside for two, with brown-butter whipped potato, two sides from the embers and three sauces.
Brandt Beef, California · Holstein · USDA Prime · 42-day dry-aged in-house · ◈ for two
Surf & Turf — For Two
The Coals & the Coast — Bone-In Strip & Lobster Tail
17922 oz bone-in NY strip seared over lump charcoal · 12 oz Maine lobster tail roasted in the almond-wood oven · preserved-lemon and Aleppo brown butter · toum · charred lemon.
The Marble & the Pearl — Wagyu Coulotte & Saffron Jumbo Prawns
179American Wagyu coulotte · jumbo prawns in saffron-harissa butter · sea-urchin hollandaise · caviar · charred scallion · date-arak glaze.
Every Cut Broken In-House
The Block — Chops & Steaks
Weights are pre-cook; provenance and grade are confirmed nightly. Medium rare is the butcher’s suggestion.
Prime Chops — The Morcus Signatures
Bone-In Filet Mignon
94Center barrel-cut tenderloin left on the bone · classic béarnaise.
18 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 35-day wet-aged
Cowboy Bone-In Rib Chop
97Marbled and deep · roasted bone-marrow butter · ember-roasted shallot jam.
22 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 42-day dry-aged
Bone-In Chop House Strip
89Dry-age concentration · roasted bone-marrow butter · ember-roasted shallot jam.
22 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 42-day dry-aged
The Single Porterhouse — The Butcher’s Cut
93Three-inch tail on · choose one signature finish, included.
24 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 42-day dry-aged
Prime Steaks
Filet Mignon
67Center-cut · classic béarnaise.
8 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 28-day wet-aged
Filet Mignon, the Grand Cut
87The full center-cut head of the barrel filet · classic béarnaise.
12 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 28-day wet-aged
New York Strip
79Firm · mineral · roasted bone-marrow butter · ember-roasted shallot jam.
14 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 42-day dry-aged
Ribeye
82Marbled · juicy · roasted bone-marrow butter · ember-roasted shallot jam.
16 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 42-day dry-aged
Butcher Cuts
Varies daily — a full expression of the butcher craft
Bavette Steak Frites
62Sliced against the grain · merlot & roasted-shallot maître d’ butter · tallow frites.
12 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 35-day wet-aged
American Wagyu Teres Major
64The butcher’s secret · sumac-mint chimichurri. Medium rare or medium-rare-plus only.
10 oz · Mishima Reserve Ultra Grade · BMS 8–9 · 35-day wet-aged
Denver Steak
57Tender shoulder cut · merlot & roasted-shallot maître d’ butter.
12 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 35-day wet-aged
The Rib Cap, Rolled & Tied
84The spinalis · roasted bone-marrow butter · ember-roasted shallot jam.
10 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 35-day wet- or 42-day dry-aged
American Wagyu Coulotte
78Top sirloin cap · bold, beefy, textured and marbled · togarashi salt.
12 oz · Mishima Reserve Ultra Grade · BMS 8–9 · 35-day wet-aged
The Family Table — For Four
The Double Porter & the Whole Fish
with turbot 341 · with daurade 269 · with branzino 252The 40 oz Double Porter carved and passed · any signature-chop finish · whole fish from the embers, presented whole before you · the table’s potato & two ember sides, included.
Sharing Cuts — The Big Board
Châteaubriand
167Top of the tenderloin · clean trim · wood-roasted · béarnaise & Madagascar green-peppercorn au poivre · whipped Yukon Gold potatoes · charred asparagus.
20 oz · Brandt Beef · USDA Prime · 35-day wet-aged · ◈ for two
The Rest of the Whole Animal
Chops, Veal, Lamb, Pork & the Rotisserie
Bone-in chops and birds turned slowly over almond and oak.
The Chops
Kurobuta Pork Tomahawk
59Honey-arak herb brine · grilled stone-fruit reduction · lavender honey.
16 oz · Kurobuta · oak & lump charcoal · ●
Veal Chop, Oak-Grilled
78Rosemary-scented coals · seasonal mushrooms · fig-Madeira wine reduction.
16 oz · milk-fed veal · ●
Short Rib with Lebanese Spice, “Off the Bone”
54Slow-braised beef · Château Musar red and Madeira wine · warm spice · dried plum and apricot · almonds · whipped potatoes. N · ●
Double-Cut Colorado Lamb Rack Chops
half 84 · full 149Garlic, citrus, olive oil and herbs · Dijon, pistachio, za’atar and sourdough crust · date & pomegranate port-wine reduction. N · ● or ◈
Veal Chop Milanese
78Herb-sourdough crust · sautéed and crisped · lemon · arugula-fennel salad · aged Parmigiano-Reggiano.
16 oz · milk-fed veal · ●
From the Rotisserie & the Coals
Rotisserie Duck à l’Orange Brûlée
54 / 97Bitter-orange, black-pepper and cherry glaze · brûléed crisp · white beans cooked in duck fat · bitter-orange & cherry Madeira reduction.
Half bird for one / whole bird for two · Sonoma County · ● or ◈
Mary’s Airline Chicken Piccata
39Almond-wood-oven finished · lemon · French capers · chardonnay butter sauce · charred broccolini. ●
Mary’s Chicken, al Tawook
37 / 69Almond-wood rotisserie · yogurt, citrus & seven-spice marinade · roasted-garlic toum · sumac onion.
Half bird for one / whole bird for two · Mary’s Organic · ● or ◈
Chicken Marsala
39Almond-wood-oven finished · oyster and maitake mushrooms · Marsala-Medjool date sauce · brown-butter whipped potato. ●
Butcher & Sea
Paella & Pasta
Fresh pasta, the whole-animal economy and the day’s catch — nothing wasted.
One Pan · One Fire · The Whole Table
Today’s Fish & Saffron Paella
79Toasted Spanish Bomba rice with saffron-fennel fumet drawn from the day’s fish · the catch’s trim · prawns · Bilbao chorizo · charred lemon — fired in the wood oven and shared family-style.
The day’s catch, noted nightly · ◈ made to share
The Pasta Board
Half orders: short rib 24 · al forno 24 · frutti di mare 32 · merguez cavatelli 24 · lobster bucatini 39
Pappardelle Bolognese al Forno
36Prime beef, veal and pork ragù with sausage · mozzarella · aged Parmigiano-Reggiano · blistered in the wood-fired oven. ● or ◈
Fettuccine Alfredo
31 / 59Finished at the table · aged Parmigiano-Reggiano · butter · cracked pepper. ● or ◈
Bronze-Die Rigatoni & Short Rib
36Braised short rib · tomato · pecorino — the family Sunday dish, refined. ● or ◈
Lobster Bucatini
62Maine lobster · tomato · garlic · chile · white wine. ●
Lamb Merguez Cavatelli
36Spiced lamb · tomato · mint · pecorino. ●
Frutti di Mare, Paccheri, Bottarga & Preserved Lemon
49Mussels · clams · calamari · shrimp · the day’s fish trim · garlic · chili flake · white wine · shaved bottarga · preserved lemon · fresh paccheri · toasted sourdough crumb. ● or ◈