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| - he Charcoal Room at Santa Fe Station is where we come when we want more of an upscale steakhouse without breaking the bank. Since it's not far from the house, we usually try to get up here every other month or so. The meals and service are always outstanding.
The restaurant is tucked away in a corner of the casino not far from where the front doors used to be before the casino underwent many of its makeovers. You might not expect a local's casino such as this to have a fine dining establishment, but the Charcoal Room has survived when many of the other eateries that aren't in the food court have come and gone. One complaint is that the dress code has gone down somewhat over the past few years. It used to be business/dressy, but it seems that we see a lot more people in here dressed in shorts and t-shirts. However, they're usually seated toward the front doors or the bar area, so the good seating in the back is a bit more refined and romantic (except for the TV over the fireplace).
Although it has seldom been busy when we've gone, reservations would be recommended on Friday and Saturday nights. Request a table or booth in the back of the restaurant to avoid the noise of the bar and the flow of people coming and going. When arriving, we've never had to wait more than a minute or two until the hostess took us back to our table. Once seated, the waiter stops by the table promptly to introduce himself and take your drink order. They have a large selection of wine, so if you're planning on having wine with the dinner and aren't sure what to order, don't hesitate to ask the waiter or sommelier. They'll listen to your wine preferences and recommend a few wines that will pair well with your planned meal. They don't push the most expensive wine or the one with the biggest profit margin. We've found some good wines that we normally wouldn't have picked out.
We always begin our meal with a starter and can heartily recommend the stuffed Portobello mushrooms, crab cakes, bacon wrapped shrimp, or the bacon wrapped scallops. We usually choose the scallops and they're always perfectly cooked. Since this is a steakhouse, we don't change our order that much on each visit. I usually have the pan-seared ribeye and Brenda gets either the petite or full size filet mignon depending on her appetite. The steaks are always cooked to what you order. We don't have to order our steak rare to get one that is medium rare like some establishments. Dining is a la carte, so your sides are additional. The grilled asparagus, baked potato and garlic mashed potatoes are all tasty. They don't have the garlic mashed potatoes on the menu, but the chef will usually whip some up for you.
During the meal, the wait staff checks on you often enough to make sure you don't need anything else, but they're not intrusive. They are staffed well enough so it doesn't take more than a slightly raised finger or nod of the head to bring the waiter to the table. Every time we've been there, the head chef has always made the rounds of the dining room to personally ensure that everyone's meal met to their satisfaction. Instead of cheap Styrofoam, any leftovers are placed in disposable plastic containers and given to you in a nice red Charcoal Room bag.
Just writing this review makes me want to give our host a call to set up reservations for another meal here.
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