Comfort is key at The Charcoal Room

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You probably won't notice the televisions flickering or patrons chatting at the next table. You might not even notice the staff as they quickly clear plates and refresh drinks.

The warm, comfortable surroundings of The Charcoal Room in Santa Fe Station are intended to put diners at ease from they moment they step foot inside the steakhouse.

Soft music fills the room. A 2,700-bottle wine selection is displayed in numerous floor-to-ceiling, open-glass cabinets which divide the dining room, leaving the bar on one side and tables tucked close to a fireplace on the other. Red lights cover the dark wood ceilings and sandstone accents brighten the walls.

"You want a steakhouse to be sexy and for everyone to feel comfortable," said Stacy Stagg, assistant general manager at Santa Fe Station.

The artwork on the walls are all impressions of fire done in soft tones that look almost floral.

"We wanted a steakhouse that wasn't intimidating to women," Stagg said.

The restaurant cost $2 million to build in 2003.

"The food and service is comparable with fine dining on the Strip," said restaurant manager George Gatewood.

"Locals expect just as much as tourists, maybe more," Stagg said. "We're waiting on people that do what we do. They expect the best and we cater to those expectations."

The menu, designed by chef Brian Baldwin, provides ample options. An appetizer selection includes stuffed portobello mushrooms with tenderloin, crab cakes and bacon-wrapped scallops.

Baldwin and his team prepare nightly specials of meat and fish as an addition to the set menu. Fresh fish is delivered daily. Salmon and swordfish are always available and can be broiled, blackened or sauteed.

There's plenty of beef for carnivorous customers. Among the choices are an 8- or 12-ounce filet, a porterhouse and a charcoal rib eye. All the meat is broiled over mesquite-infused charcoal.

The menu also offers apple-glazed pork chops, 14- and 21-ounce lamb chops and many chicken dishes.

"The chef is very creative with the specialties," Stagg said. "Even if you dine here three or four times a week, you can always get something new."

The a la carte menu includes sweet potatoes, spinach which can be sauteed, steamed or creamed, asparagus and potatoes au gratin. The dessert menu offers everything from a "mile-high" chocolate torte to old fashioned Wild Turkey bread pudding.

Live jazz is performed at the bar from 7 to 10 p.m. every Tuesday. The performer changes every week.

The Charcoal Room, located inside the Santa Fe Station, 4949 N. Rancho Drive, is open for dinner Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m.