Donovan's Steak and Chop House

Donovan's Steak and Chop House is not a place for people on a tight budget. Two appetizers, three entrees, one side dish, and two desserts at Donovan's resulted in an average check of $60 per person, not including beverages, tax or tip. The cheapest half-bottle of red wine on the menu is $30.

Meat lovers rejoice. There's a restaurant for you, and it's called Donovan's Steak and Chop House. Let's get this out of the way--the filet mignon, which comes in various sizes (or medallions), is probably the best I have ever tasted. Dinners at Donovan's come with seasonal vegetable and a potato. We tried the 10 oz with blue cheese ($46). Knowing now how this filet tastes, I'd absolutely pass on the blue cheese next time and enjoy the prime beef just naked. If meat isn't your preference, I can highly recommend the shrimp scampi. Or you can create a combination! Even though dinners here come complete and side orders to share are not a necessity like at other steak houses, we tried the sauteed mushrooms ($6), and we were happy we did.

We tried two appetizers at Donovan's. The Fried Calamari ($9) pieces were small, but not chewy or overcooked. The Bacon Wrapped Scallops ($12) were overcooked and dry, and were wrapped in bacon that was undercooked.

Dessert descriptions on the menu are nonexistent, so we asked our server to describe them. They were nice, but uninspired. For this type of restaurant, desserts were reasonable priced at $7 to $8.

Service at Donovan's is a team effort, and they were all pleasant. While the service was excellent from certain perspectives (my beverage glass never fully emptied), in other areas the service was strangely lacking (for example, unused wine glasses not removed; bread taken, but not butter plate). Hardly a condemnation, but noticeable.

I've given Donovan's a high rating, because when it comes to what's most important, they do it very well--beef. Aside from that, I wasn't as impressed as my companions were. After all, I started out disappointed, since prime rib is not a regular menu item and wasn't available on a Saturday night.

_{All prices and offerings are subject to change without notice. 06/07}