Port Orange Steakhouse

Dunlawton & Nova (Publix/Kmart Center) 756-2660

The Port Orange Steakhouse was a surprise. We found out it is a small chain of restaurants with one in Ormond Beach and one in New Smyrna Beach as well. This is a busy place with lots of people coming and going.

We had only a 10-minute wait to be seated, but later the wait was over 1/2-hour long. Generally when people are willing to wait a long time just to be seated the food is good, and that was the case here.

The menu was advertised as surf and turf, but there were not many seafood selections. There were ample beef and rib choices as well as chicken. My Ceasar Salad had excellent dressing but the lettuce was slightly warm and the texture felt almost wilted, a seasonal problem probably. We were brought freshly warmed French Bread with butter which was good.

After an additional 20 minute wait the food arrived. I had the 8 oz Prime Rib and my partner had Cajun Chicken Florentine Pizza which was on the appetizer menu, as were her Burgundy Mushrooms. The Pizza was on a large tortilla and was quite tasty. Her mushrooms were excellent as well. The 8 Oz cut of prime rib was generous. I opted for steamed broccoli rather than a baked potato, which was great.

Decor is different in the two main areas. Casual dining in the dining room with mostly booths set in little private like areas. The bar area where we sat was set up like a sports bar with 10 televisions all around. There was a noticable after work crowd there and lots of locals that meet up there often. At times it got noisy as they laughed and had a good time. If you want quiet, choose the dining room. If you want hustle bustle and life, go for the bar side. We also noticed lots of families with young children and large parties of people.

Since the Steakhouse is in a large mall, there was ample parking. Restrooms were outstanding.