Meat at Morton's shines on lighter summer menu

There is something about Morton's that always makes me want to shout "Ya-ba-dabba-doo!"

That something, of course, is meat - the centerpiece of the menu at the Chicago-based steakhouse. A plate with a huge slab of beef - especially cooked medium-rare - would make the cartoon caveman Fred Flintstone scream his catchphrase with excitement - though the dinosaur drumsticks he preferred are not on the menu.

Morton's, of course, would be a little fancy for ol'Fred. For those of us with a taste for fine dining, however, the restaurant is playing to its strengths as it expands in Asia.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the classic steakhouse is showing a capacity to surprise, with a new summer menu that celebrates lighter fare without losing the simple elegance that has made Morton's famous worldwide.

Seafood is making star turns at the chain's dining rooms in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macao and Singapore. Shrimp scampi capellini is the first pasta dish on the menu, joined by baked stuffed shrimp and mixed grills that include options from salmon to jumbo lump crabcake to a 6-ounce filet mignon.

New items begin in the appetizer selection: We big-eyed the tuna tacos before opting instead for tacos stuffed with short-rib steak. Proscuitto-wrapped mozarella was also a hit at our table, though the generous portions and the cheese load threatened to fill us up too early.

We focused on the meat of the matter when ordering entrees: The bone-in veal chop was an immediate favorite on the new menu. Our rave fave, however, was a Morton's signature cut: 550 grams of New York strip, perfectly grilled medium-rare to our order.

"We use the same closed-broiler system we use around the world," says the amiable general manager and maitre d' Francesco Brusa, "which gives us great consistency. Since the temperature is about 1,000 F, the meat cooks very quickly so there is no need to order ahead or pre-cook anything. All of our steaks are cooked-to-order."