Spencer Williams, Contributor

Some of you might have heard of the upscale restaurant situated next to Christopher's Jazz Bar on Trinidad Terrace in New Kingston. Few Jamaicans can afford the chance to dine there. The Gleaner-sponsored Kingston Restaurant Week, which comes around once a year, makes it possible for others to experience what lies within the apparent secrecy of its walls. The proprietors slash the food prices in half for the week, allowing the not-as-wealthy to splurge and spoil themselves without completely upsetting (well, almost) their bank balance.

Although the car park is squeezed behind the establishment, customers are met by the friendly staff and escorted through the back door, and the eerily organised kitchen, into the dining area. To be brutally honest, if I was new to the joint, or didn't get the recommendation from a friend, I'd be a little precarious about what I was letting myself in for. There has to be something that can be done about the parking lot. If you're sprucing up the interior, why not make similar efforts outside?

The success of Mac's is understood immediately, as the first faces you see upon entering are those of Mario Machado's wife and son. They say it takes an entire village to raise a child properly; well, it takes the whole family to run a restaurant efficiently.

Lycheetini - a must-have

Although cocktails cost a large chunk of change, you shouldn't miss out on sipping a lycheetini, or three, at the bar before being seated at your table. Take time to soak up and appreciate the tranquil atmosphere, watch the glamorous ladies of upper St Andrew and the suit-clad business men from nearby hotels enjoying the unobtrusive attention from their waiters, and you'll begin to wonder why this doesn't happen at every other 'eatery' in town!

The seating is set out in a way that can cater for an intimate dinner 'a deux', double dating with close friends, and larger groups of work colleagues or families. None of these encroach on each other, unless of course there happens to be a giggling set of women on a girls' night out! However, who can blame them when such fine wines have been flowing all night.

There is no doubt about it that Mac's Chop House is expensive, so consider this when selecting your meal. Don't even bother with salad, pasta or chocolate molten cakes. These are things you can easily make yourself at home. If you see snails in herb and garlic butter sauce, which might well come tucked into the caps of grilled white mushrooms, or crispy duck spring rolls, on the list of appetisers, then choose these. The succulent little molluscs are tasty and tender, unlike the rather rubbery ones I've had elsewhere on the island, and each morsel of freshly warmed bread that you use to mop up the juices simply explodes in your mouth. As for the duck, well it's a real treat to be eating a bird that is not on every establishment's menu!

The 'wallet worth'

To get your wallet's worth, I'd suggest ordering the beef steak, or veal, if it's on offer. These high-quality meats are shipped in from foreign, which is the reason you might get a shock when glancing through your bill. If you're going to splash out, then do it properly. Of course, you could go for the decadently creamy shrimp stuffed shrimp, which is about as rich as you'll be wishing you were when you do get the cheque!

I know you're not being served pan-fried foie gras followed by saffron risotto with shaved truffles and de-boned quails, though that would be very nice indeed. However, Mac's finale of flaming baked Alaska is so utterly delicious, with its silky-soft meringue encasing a thin layer of sponge cake and chunks of fresh fruit, atop a mound of vanilla ice cream. The service is practically flawless, that you'll truly 'get' why it is that people somehow manage to afford this dear chophouse.

Mac's Chop House, 24-26 Trinidad Terrace, New Kingston, Telephone: 960-6328 Open: Dinner Mondays-SaturdaysLook to Spend: About $6,000-$7,000 on three courses, not including drinks, tax or gratuity.