My husband and I were in a celebratory mood one weekend, and made a spontaneous decision to try the new Stark's Steakhouse in Santa Rosa. We arrived early on a Saturday night without reservations and were seated promptly, although at a table a little too near the kitchen to quiet or comfortable. (Reservations advised - duh!)

Everything on the menu is a la carte. We started with cocktails from the full bar and an appetizer (I HIGHLY recommend the potato skin appetizer, which comes with it's own cheese fondue for dipping!). We each had a salad (Hubby's spinach salad was far better than my traditional iceberg lettuce salad). We both ordered steaks: Hubby's rib-eye steak was HUGE, large enough to feed a family; while my extra-large filet mignon was so buttery-tender I could cut it with a spoon. The steaks were done to perfection and very, very tasty. Each steak order comes with a sauce of your choosing - we tried most of them, and our favorite was the red wine sauce. We also ordered two side dishes - sauteed mushrooms and creamed spinach. Everything was totally delicious. We were WAY too full to even consider dessert!

The service was often slow, but that wasn't a huge problem for us since we tend to take our time eating. The staff did seem to be paying a lot more attention to customers seated at centrally-located tables. We also overheard a lot of gossip and chatter between wait staff given where our table was located.

There was a bit of sticker shock when the bill came - well over $300 for the two of us - but I've got to admit it was one of the best steak dinners I've ever had, anywhere in the world.