Myron's Prime Steak House low on pretension, high on rib eye

Yee haw, another steak house for San Antonio!

Please excuse the outburst; reviewers, you understand, are frequently looking for the next new thing, and steak just ain't it. Nevertheless, if the Tuesday night crowd at Myron's Prime Steakhouse in the Alon Town Centre is typical, there's clearly a constant market for burly beef in the Alamo City. We might also note that, though proprietor Bill Been's operation has nominally ridden into town from New Braunfels, much of the personable Mr. Been's steakhouse experience has been rustled up in San Antonio — starting, if we remember correctly, at Old San Francisco Steakhouse some 35 years ago. Carpetbagger he's not.

The look of San Antonio iteration, in addition, could hardly be more different from the 1924 cinema that houses the restaurant in New Braunfels. There it's cozy and historic; here, it's sleek and cool. The menu, nevertheless, remains the same, adding a degree of comfort for those who dislike change — not to mention sleek and cool.

Attempting to wrangle the most variety out of a steak-centric selection, we began with seafood-stuffed mushrooms and wasabi-seared tuna. Though some of us (guess who) found the mostly crab filling to be a little pasty (there was also a tiny shrimp on top), the flavor was good, cheesy and peppery, the portion substantial. Generosity also characterized the still-quivering tuna, resplendent on its streaking of honey mustard, and accompanied by lethal wasabi and pickled ginger. (More ginger, less superfluous julienne of carrot and celery, we say.)

Sticker shock does begin with the entrées, but the extensive and well-selected wine list is calibrated to appeal to both cautious spenders and splurgers. We could easily have spent less than the $56 we shelled out for the 2007 Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre Veronese, an utterly seductive wine made in part from a percentage of dried grapes. It's probably exaggerating to suggest that it almost goes with an iceberg wedge anointed with real ranch dressing, but at least there's no O.K. Corral confrontation.

If hardly suggesting thrills and chills, the mixed grill is nevertheless a reviewer's delight. Or curse, as the case may be. The stuffed tomato will surprise nobody; this being January, size is its major virtue. The petite filet was indeed tender but a sauce wouldn't have hurt — that or a bacon wrap. The chicken may not merit ordering separately in game hen form, but in context it was fine. And the trio of jumbo shrimp, surprisingly, was extremely good. We're even tempted to use the word succulent.

Three racklets of tiny riblets, the bones interlaced as if in prayer, made up the lamb plate. We've snarked about mint jelly in the past so won't do that this time — though it does seem fair to mention that the plate looks almost penitential in its plainness, something a little au jus with fresh or dried mint would help correct. The lonely lamb, for its part, is extremely good even without sauce or jelly, however, and a portion survived nicely to serve as lunch another day when mustard was its mate.