When Charlie Bucket stepped into the glass elevator in Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, he forgot his past troubles and looked towards the future. Step into the glass elevator upon arrival at Heritage Steakhouse in Santee, you might not walk out with a lifetime supply of chocolate (sorry!), but you will get something Santee has been short on for years: a dress-up-worthy dinner with a wow-worthy view and equally sublime cuts of steak.
Modeled after the iconic Art Deco steakhouses of New York and Chicago, Heritage pairs old-school glamour with a view of the surrounding mountains that only gets better as the sun goes down. While there may not be lickable wallpaper, you can certainly dive into executive chef Meredith Manee’s menu without fear of turning into a piece of fruit or being shrunk to the size of a thumb.
Manee describes her process of balancing the legacy of classic steakhouse vibes with a contemporary approach as a modo mio: “my way” in Italian. Every steakhouse has to offer items like shrimp cocktail, right? That’s fine, she says. She’ll just put her own twist on it. (And considering she’s worked at lauded kitchens like Four Seasons, Hotel del Coronado, and The Ritz-Carlton, expect the twists to be top-notch.)
“I’m going to do a different kind of court bouillon with it, where I put annatto seed in it and a little bit of ginger, so it makes the shrimp a brighter pink and has a little bit of sweetness to it,” she explains, drawing inspiration from Mexican coctel de camarón (shrimp cocktail). The wedge salad keeps its iceberg lettuce, blue cheese dressing, and bacon, but adds sunflower seeds and crispy shallots. Oysters Rockefeller still arrive warm on the half-shell, but with jalapeño hollandaise and lime-infused butter for a pop of acid and spice.
Sides follow suit. Mac ’n’ cheese swaps macaroni for cavatelli and uses sharp white cheddar, truffle cheese and butter, mushrooms, chives, and “crispy bits.” Even the requisite baked potato gets an upgrade. “We’re doing things that you would never do [at home] to elevate it,” she says. “This is not your mom’s twice-baked potato.”
The design team behind Heritage Steakhouse followed a similar ethos, drawing from palettes of black and gold à la a 1930s-era supper club or jazz lounge. The in-house design team, along with design consultant Nancy Robinson, created the 4,000-square-foot space from the ground up, selecting every individual element from glistening furnishings to a mirrored bar, as well as a custom large-format mural in the dining room. Manee calls the ambiance “sparkly and uplifting.” At the very least, it’s accessible, despite its location at Lantern Crest Resort Community. “We’re open to the public,” stresses Manee. One need not be a resident or even guest of a resident to stop by for a drink or steak.
And the steaks; oh the steaks! From a six-ounce Snake River Farms Wagyu flat iron aged a minimum of 28 days to a USDA Prime Tomahawk coming in at a whopping 36-ounces, there’s a steak for every appetite. Cuts will vary by availability, but it seems a safe bet that stalwarts like hand-cut filets and New York strips will stick around. Down the line, Heritage may introduce specials like Argentinian steak night or a Japanese-focused steak flight, but for those who can’t wait, there’s always dessert—sticky toffee pudding (of course), Death by Chocolate cake with pistachio gelato (a nod to Manee’s Italian roots), or homespun ice cream in flavors like banana pudding or pecan praline.
As far as the drinks go, expect an array of approachable to esoteric, with price points for most budgets. And if wine isn’t your thing, there’s always a Manhattan or martini with the same playful approach as Manee’s kitchen, except “the mixologist is the one doing the playing,” she laughs.
If you still think a steakhouse is a steakhouse is a steakhouse, remember this: Santee has been hungry for a splash of elegance for quite a while. Heritage Steakhouse plans to deliver. Like Charlie, you might just forget your troubles, at least for the length of dinner.
Heritage Steakhouse opens at 200 Lantern Crest Way in Santee on Friday, November 13. Initial operating hours are Sunday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. (subject to change).
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
