“It’s just so classically American to have a big steak and a hearty potato side,” says Jenah Bosch, co-owner and general manager of Southside Steakhouse in Rutland. “It calls back to comfort for people, like a family gathering where we’re having this big, hearty dinner. It’s just so ingrained in our culture to eat meat and potatoes.”

Today, red meat, especially beef, connotes something different. Doctors tell you to minimize your intake, making beef an entrée non grata to some. Others may eschew beef because of cows’ impact on climate change through their normal bodily function. Still others may push to support Vermont producers and to celebrate the state’s connection to the land by eating as locally as possible. For the most part (but not entirely), sourcing enough beef for all Vermont’s beef-serving restaurants is a difficult task for its farmers.

Yet Southside Steakhouse thrives as a Rutland institution, as modern American dining.

“The restaurant has been here as Southside Steakhouse for about 10 years,” says Jenah. “Prior to that, it was a restaurant called South Station owned by Wally Sabotka.” He sold the restaurant, and the new owners didn’t have a good run. Wally took it back and reopened as Southside Steakhouse.

Wally retired four years ago, and Mark Williams, a seasoned restaurateur, and Chef Patrick Norton became the owners. Early in 2025, Jenah, who had been a part-time server, then bartender, bar manager, and general manager for more than seven years, became a co-owner.

Along with a modern American menu comes a modern American aesthetic.

Over the years, the restaurant has modernized its menu, but beef still plays a huge role in its ethos. “Our best-selling dish of all time is actually our burger,” Jenah says. “Some of its success is its price point.”

Although the burger does represent a lower-cost beef option, it doesn’t skimp on quality. “It’s made from Vermont Wagyu,” says Pat, which is sourced from Spring Rock Farms in Springfield. Vermont Wagyu is also served as rib eye. It’s big (20 to 22 ounces), expensive (currently $160), and can serve two people, or, Pat says, “one hungry man.”

If you don’t want a full-on steak meal, you can have your beef in bits. For example, Southside Steakhouse offers Prime Rib Egg Rolls, the Asian classic with an American twist, and Steakhouse Poutine, to which you can add prime rib. You can also order the SS Steakbomb, a sandwich made with prime rib, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and provolone and served with fries.

And if steak isn’t your thing, you can choose a non-beef entrée, meals in which Southside Steakhouse has the opportunity to offer the best of Vermont farms. The pork chop, for example, is served with Vermont Spätzle’s gluten-free take on the German pasta. Vegetables come from Evening Song Farm in Shrewsbury. If you don’t think pork is really the other white meat, Southside Steakhouse offers Chicken Parmesan served over linguine and a variety of fish dishes.

Along with a modern American menu comes a modern American aesthetic. The restaurant’s ceilings are high, the lighting is warm, the chairs are the color of caramel, and the banquettes are a soothing pattern in black and tan. The walls resemble pewter and are adorned with photos of old Rutland.

The wine wall, the restaurant’s visually stunning reimagining of the wine cellar, could be billed as a tourist attraction itself. Behind glass, the display seems like a museum piece, but, like the restaurant’s vibe, it makes that elegant aspect of the dining experience more accessible.

The Southside Steakhouse vibe can be explained in one scenario that plays out every Friday night. Jenah recounts that around 6:15, three women come for dinner. They sit at the same table and ask for the same server. They may not make it to their table quickly, though. Southside Steakhouse, for the most part, belongs to Rutland and its residents. It’s a place that these three women, the dozens of other happy diners, some of them friends and neighbors, can come to meet, eat, and cure their cabin fever.

Whether you’re simply celebrating a night out with filet mignon or fish, prime rib or pork, or you’re in from Ripton, Ryegate, or Reading, Southside Steakhouse is yours to enjoy along with the people who already make it their culinary home away from home.

southsidesteakhouse.com

COCKTAIL AND APPETIZER

Maple Chai Old-Fashioned—Made with locally distilled Killington Maple Cask Bourbon and Vermont maple syrup infused with chai tea

Basket of House-made Bread—Made fresh daily by our in-house baker

STARTERS

French Onion Soup and Caesar Salad

ENTRÉE AND WINE

Hanger Steak—melt-in-your-mouth cut of prime beef, balsamic caramelized onions, and Middlebury Blue mashed potatoes

Erath Resplendent Pinot Noir

Dessert and digestif

Steakhouse Éclair—big enough to share or eat for a few days

Nutty Vermonter—freshly brewed coffee, Smugglers’ Notch Maple Cream Liqueur, Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur, and Cabot Whipped Cream