Opening: Okeechobee Steakhouse sister restaurant debuts in Jupiter

West Palm Beach’s iconic Okeechobee Steakhouse recently welcomed a new sister steakhouse in suburban Jupiter. Lewis Steakhouse made its debut on Indiantown Road.

It’s the first time the Okeechobee family has opened a steakhouse in nearly 75 years, says third-generation owner Ralph Lewis.

“We’ve opened a few other restaurants, but this is the first venture into another steakhouse. It’s exciting for my family and for myself,” he says.

Lewis Steakhouse, which will serve dinner and happy hour nightly, has transformed the former Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant space in the Chasewood Plaza, located on the corner of Central Boulevard.

“We did a complete renovation, gutted out the space. It has a really nice, upscale look inside. The ceiling is beautiful and there’s a beautiful, underlit bar that really pops,” Lewis says of the 150-seat steakhouse.

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The Jupiter area is special to his family, says Lewis.

“We look forward to being in Jupiter. We’re locals. My family has roots here since the 1950s. My mother and maternal grandparents moved to Jupiter in 1957,” he says.

What's on the menu at Lewis Steakhouse in Jupiter?

Diners can expect a menu that’s focused on prime meats with prices similar to those of Okeechobee Steakhouse, he says. Lewis Steakhouse’s steak prices start at $49.99 for a 10-ounce, trademarked Palm Beach sirloin, and they are served with a choice of potato and a house salad.

Expect steakhouse-appropriate appetizers including a colossal shrimp cocktail ($23.99), char-grilled oysters with apple-wood bacon and garlic-chile butter ($17.99) and crispy calamari with chile-lime aioli and cilantro ($17.99).

Those who prefer fish and seafood will find entrée options that include miso Chilean sea bass with togarashi spice, baby bok choy and miso broth ($46.99) and butter-poached shrimp served with roasted cream corn, garlic butter and teardrop peppers ($39.99).

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It wouldn’t be a steakhouse without steakhouse sides. At Lewis, they include steamed and roasted veggie options, creamed spinach ($11.99), lobster mac and cheese ($22.99), fingerling potatoes pan roasted in duck fat with capers and tarragon ($8.99) among other dishes.

And diners can expect a generous range of classic steak add-ons, from béarnaise sauce ($5.99) to au poivre ($10.99) to Oscar-style ($15.99).

But Okeechobee regulars may notice a few different offerings on the Lewis Steakhouse menu. For instance, there’s a “beef flight for two” that features a sliced, 27-ounce dry-aged, bone-in rib-eye steak as well as a Japanese A5 Wagyu striploin, bone marrow, a Wagyu beef cheek marmalade, garlic crostini and pickled vegetables ($210.99 for two). It makes quite a presentation at the table, says Lewis.

Heading the Lewis Steakhouse kitchen is Okeechobee veteran executive chef Jamie Steinbrecher, who enters his 14th year with the brand. Steinbrecher also serves as culinary director for the Okeechobee Steakhouse family of food-and-dining concepts, which include the iconic steakhouse, Okeechobee Prime Barbecue, Okeechobee Prime Meat Market, Okeechobee Prime Seafood and Steak and other related ventures in the works.

A new partnership

The new steakhouse breaks fresh ground in important ways for the Lewis family. Ralph Lewis has teamed up with three longtime Okeechobee Steakhouse managers — Christina Wishart, Kyle Blake and Luis Fernandez — to bring Lewis Steakhouse to life.

“It’s been a fabulous experience, and I’m excited for them,” Lewis says of the partnership with the three longtime employees. “I’ve told them, ‘Once we open here, you’re not working for me but we are business partners.’”

Lewis says he has other similar partnership projects on the horizon. He also has instituted new benefits for his steakhouses’ kitchen and back-of-the-house employees: quarterly bonuses and a week of paid vacation in addition to dental and health insurance.

“I want them to not have to worry about paying their bills when they are working for us,” says Lewis. “We want our employees to benefit from working for us.”

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Lewis Steakhouse

Opens 4 p.m. Friday

Located at 6390 W. Indiantown Road (at Central Boulevard), Jupiter, 561-277-9188, LewisSteakhouse.com

Hours: Open at 4 p.m. daily for happy hour (4 to 6 p.m.) and dinner (4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, to 9 p.m. Sunday)

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter restaurants: Okeechobee Steakhouse sister eatery opens