Slimmed-Down Houston’s Steaks Its Claim in Irvine

“I feel as if I’m stepping into a giant copper pot,” said my friend as we entered Houston’s restaurant at Park Place. The Irvine location is the first Orange County branch of this national chain, and the fourth in the Southland.

My friend’s copper pot fantasy notwithstanding, I’d describe the atmosphere at Houston’s as ‘90s steakhouse with an edge. This is a handsome, masculine room, all dark wood, roughly hewn stone and gleaming metal. The aforementioned copper is employed in a wide strip running around the perimeter of the restaurant, just below the ceiling, which is beamed in a ski chalet manner. The annoyingly narrow booths frame tables made of rich, grainy wood.

When I ate at the Houston’s in Century City a few years back, it couldn’t have been called a steakhouse; I was mostly impressed by the sourdough-crust pizza and a Thai-inspired shrimp pasta. But you won’t find either of them at this location. The Houston’s chain recently scaled back its menu considerably, and the current choices are limited to burgers, salads and meats cooked on an oak grill, all pretty good.

Houston’s has a long, snazzy bar--the perfect watering hole for Irvine’s young professionals--but misses by offering so little in the munchies department. The lone appetizer is a “Chicago style” spinach and artichoke dip, with the texture of something that’s seen the inside of a food processor, served with a basket of over-salted tortilla strips.

Houston’s is doing something right, though. Enter at peak hours and you’ll always find a wait (they hand you a buzzer, which goes off when your table is ready). One reason for Houston’s success is the eager, energetic service, which is not constrained by the usual territorialism of waiters. One evening, a total of eight came by our table at one time or another, each executing a different task. This means you never want for attention during a meal, and you never hear the dreaded words “I’ll get your waiter.”

But the kitchen needs to perform as efficiently. At lunch one day, I ordered a plain hickory burger medium rare and got a well-done patty smothered with cheese. The waiter apologetically whisked it away, and soon a smiling manager came over with a fatter, juicier burger and the assurance that this time, the sandwich was absolutely done right. He was so nice, in fact, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the second burger was medium well.

Then there is the salt issue. Vegetables and French fries are indiscriminately doused with the stuff, making one wonder if the cooks ever bother to taste their dishes. At the same lunch where I had the burger, a guest ordered a vegetarian platter with broccoli, couscous salad, brown rice and black beans, which came to the table inedibly salty. To the restaurant’s credit, the management, distressed by the overcooked hamburger and overly salted vegetables, refused to give us a check and picked up the entire lunch. A representative told us, “We want to make sure you come back.”

Well, I probably will. Houston’s does use first-rate ingredients, and when the kitchen is up to speed, the food’s very likable. The burgers taste terrific, thanks to lean, flavorful meat grilled over oak. Don’t order the gluey, super-dense vegetarian burger (made from oat bran and brown rice) unless your principles oblige you to. Much better is that hickory burger, made with two thick slabs of Canadian bacon and a homemade hickory sauce.

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There are 10 main courses, offered with a choice of iron skillet beans, fries, cole slaw or an eccentrically lemony couscous salad. I strongly recommend paying $3.75 for the optional house Caesar (served with entrees only). This is simply a great salad: crisp, hand-broken greens, well-oiled croutons, the right amount of Parmesan, a stand-up dressing with plenty of egg in it and two nice anchovies laid out across the top.

“Los Angeles’ Best Pork Chop” may be an immodest name, but the chop--triple-thick, pink in the center and thoroughly delicious--makes an impression. Don’t worry about that pink color, by the way. The chop isn’t underdone; it’s just been cured like a ham. An unusual side dish accompanies the pork chop: potatoes mashed with cabbage and green onions.

Both the baby back ribs and the barbecued chicken are tender and juicy with a fragrant finish on the palate from oak wood smoking. The filet mignon is certified Angus beef, paired with a creditable version of creamed spinach. The seared ahi tuna steak is doused with an Asian-inspired vinaigrette and served with couscous salad. Aged Angus prime rib, a generous slab, is one of the best pieces of meat in the city.

The dessert end of the menu is scarcely larger than the appetizer list, but the three offered are very good. The huge Key lime pie is an eggy, sharply lime-flavored custard in a rough-and-tumble graham flour crust. The five-nut brownie, a big square encrusted with pecans, hazelnuts, peanuts, cashews and almonds, has the finesse of a flourless chocolate cake but is at least twice as rich. The apple walnut cobbler consists of hot apples and halved walnuts in a burnished caramel sauce, all on a buttery crust.

All three are available with good French vanilla ice cream or real whipped cream. You’ll leave Houston’s with sweet memories.

Houston’s is high-end moderate. Burgers and sandwiches are $6.95 to $7.45. Salads are $7.25 to $10.95. Entrees are $9.95 to $18.95. Desserts are $5.75.

* HOUSTON’S

* 2991 Michelson Drive, Irvine.

* (714) 833-0977.

* Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.

* American Express, MasterCard and Visa.