Bites Nearby: Steak and Sounds of the 80s and 90s at Stephen's on State

When you dine at , you will hear music—literally. The restaurant offers typical steak house menu items and live music which was a surprise. It’s a popular local hangout and had a casual neighborhood vibe to it. My dining partner had been through the drill with me before so we opted not to order appetizers or salads and jump straight into entrees (since we both chose heavier options).

Her lobster ravioli with aurora sauce was excellent. The ravioli were quite large and filled with sweet and succulent lobster meat. The aurora sauce was a creamy tomato sauce which was rich and a great counterpart to the filled pasta. These were so good that I could see my friend cutting tiny bites out of each ravioli to savor the dish for as long as possible.

My 18 ounce prime ribeye originally came with mashed potatoes and green beans but our server allowed me to sub in sautéed spinach (yay!). The steak was enormous (I felt like a Flinstone) and cooked a little beyond medium rare but delicious nonetheless. The meat was simply grilled and served (with a slightly doctored up) au jus which allowed the natural flavors to speak for themselves. They were offering a special that night which featured a ribeye with gorgonzola, mushrooms and more but I chose the regular version because I think it’s a shame to mask the wonderful flavor of prime beef with other ingredients. The mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy (definitely real potatoes and not out of the box) and the sautéed spinach was lovingly sautéed with plenty of garlic and olive oil. This entrée of protein, starch and vegetable was exemplary.

The menu includes numerous other pasta options including penne alla vodka with prosciutto and peas and steak house staples like iceberg wedge salad, filet mignon and strip steak. Some out of the box menu items include the prime beef egg rolls and Stephen’s salad.

We couldn’t resist the allure of the dessert menu and ordered the Xango. This enormous plate of fried cheese cake (wrapped in phyllo dough then fried, not batter fried), sliced bananas, chocolate ice cream and whipped cream was a gut bomb to say the least. It was decadent and tasty but not for the faint of heart. My friend and I shared this dessert and could not finish it. The fried cheese cake was a delightful combination of flavors and textures and the chocolate and banana paired well as always.

I had a Sonoma Pinot Noir with my dinner which was quite drinkable and food-friendly. The wine list offers plenty of wines by the glass which is always nice and there are bottles to fit every price range from Napa Valley and beyond.

The décor is upscale steakhouse--plenty of wood, rich earth tones and thick white cloth napkins. The cozy booths allow for more intimate conversation although the tables are spaced enough that you never feel as though your neighbor can listen in on your conversation.

The service is friendly and enthusiastic. Our server answered all of our questions and checked in on us often to see how we were doing and to continually fill our water glasses.

A talented singer took the stage behind us as we were digging into our dessert and it was nice to hear live versions of the Top 40 pop songs I knew by heart. My favorite thing about dinner though was watching the couple cutting a rug in front of the stage, laughing and twirling about on the impromptu dance floor without a care in the world.