Prime rib and more that are worth the drive
After more than 20 years inside the kitchen at Harry J’s in Moscow Mills, owner Paul Blucker gets his enjoyment stepping away from the grill and into the dining room full of satisfied customers. “Another grill cook and I used to talk about reminding ourselves they’re enjoying their meal because of something we made,” he says. “It’s just the best to see families spending time together and couples out on dates over plates of food.”
Harry J’s Steakhouse serves plentiful portions of mouthwatering appetizers, sandwiches, steaks and seafood inside a former co-op store where farmers once bought grain and feed.
In 1998, Harry Seise opened Harry J’s in nearby Winfield. The popular restaurant needed a bigger footprint and moved into the old co-op store in Moscow Mills in 2000. Siblings Paul and Missy Blucker bought the business in 2022 and carry on the traditional steakhouse flavors and atmosphere locals have come to expect.
Paul and Missy are no strangers to Harry J’s. Harry hired Paul and Missy to work at the restaurant in Winfield with Paul working the deep-fryers and Missy making salads in the small restaurant.
“When we moved, we more or less doubled everything we had,” explains Missy. “We each just enjoyed it here and started working our way up — Paul more in the kitchen and me up front — and never looked back.”
The brother-and-sister duo had two decades of experience seeing what made Harry J’s so successful, so they didn’t change much when they took over. “It’s a steakhouse, so at its simplest, it’s great steaks cooked perfectly,” Paul says. “We could just do burgers all day long, but there’s just something about seeing an awesome, giant steak go out of the kitchen that you know is going to taste great.”
The restaurant is known for chicken on Thursday and seafood on Friday, but the real draw is on Saturday. “That’s our famous prime rib that people drive from pretty far away to eat and enjoy,” Missy says.
Huge roasts of marinated prime rib are rubbed with Montreal steak seasoning and loaded in the oven Saturday morning where they roast long enough to accommodate any temperature preference. The roasts are hand-cut into at least 18-ounce steaks and cooked over an open flame on the grill to your liking. Paul makes a homemade au jus glaze to go over the finished piece of meat.
“It’s a lot thicker than a typical au jus sauce; it makes sure it’s glistening on top,” he says. “It has a nice salty, powerful flavor with that Montreal seasoning that’s baked through and should just melt in your mouth.”
If you can’t make it on a Saturday, there are still plenty of options to satisfy your appetite. With 20 appetizers, you’ll surely find the perfect premeal bite to share. Popular options include the hand-battered chicken strips, onion straws with Paul’s creamy and spicy dipping sauce and the Potato Works, Harry J’s steak fries covered with melted cheddar and bacon bits served with sour cream.
If you’re stopping by for lunch or prefer a sandwich, Harry J’s has you covered. They offer their charbroiled, hand-pattied burgers from one-quarter pound to a monstrous one-pound double cheeseburger. The Buffalo chicken sandwich features Paul’s housemade hot sauce.
One standout sandwich is the Philly steak featuring thinly sliced rib-eye topped with mushrooms, peppers, onions and melted provolone on a buttery, toasted bun. Paul says their Philly is unique because all the ingredients are stacked, not mixed. “You get a lot more of the individual Philly flavors as opposed to a traditional Philly where everything is combined,” he says. “You can taste the individual peppers, mushrooms and onions in it as you eat.”
For a heartier appetite, there are plenty of steak, chicken and seafood options. Filet mignon, rib-eye, porterhouse, T-bone, strip, sirloin and flat iron steaks are all cooked to order to your perfect temperature and served with your choice of potato and soup, salad or vegetable. If you’re looking for surf instead of turf, the mahi-mahi is drizzled with housemade bearnaise sauce and the stuffed sole is filled with crabmeat.
In addition to their menu and traditional weekly specials, Paul runs daily specials depending on what’s available and how adventurous he or his cooks feel. “They come up with specials to help keep things fresh, so it keeps us on our toes and it’s not the same food every time,” he says.
A recent popular special is the chicken tacos. Two large flour tortillas are heated over the open flame giving them just a little bit of texture. Grilled and sliced chicken is placed inside the tortillas and is topped with lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar and housemade chipotle ranch. “I wanted families that are eating out to have an option if they didn’t necessarily want a big steak,” Paul says.
With a commitment to the original steakhouse menu paired with decor including license plates from across the world and signs from the old co-op store, Harry J’s Steakhouse is a meal you won’t soon forget.
“You can go get a steak at a chain restaurant in a strip mall, but it’s not going to be the same food and family atmosphere as here,” he says. “It’s like walking into an old-time store where everyone feels welcome and you’re treated like a regular.”
Harry J’s Steakhouse
Specialties: Appetizers including chicken strips, Buffalo shrimp and onion straws. Sandwiches including the Philly, Harry J Burger and Reuben. Entrees including prime rib, porterhouse, rib-eye, mahi-mahi and stuffed fillet of sole.
Price: Appetizers from $6.95 to $16.95. Sandwiches from $8.55 to $15.95. Entrees from $14.95 to $33.95.
Details: Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday. Cash, check and credit cards accepted. Smoking allowed at bar. Located at 300 Main St. in Moscow Mills. Contact at 636-366-9494 and on Facebook.