City Tavern

Location: Rivergate Shopping Center, 14192 Rivergate Pkwy., Steele Creek, N.C. (listed as Lake Wylie, S.C.)

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday (bar open until 2 a.m.), 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Breakfast and brunch served Saturday and Sunday only.

Phone: (704) 504-8888

Web site: www.city-tavern.com

Ambiance: Upscale, elegant, relaxed atmosphere

With a coupon from Shopsmart (an advertisement supplement published quarterly in McClatchy’s weeklies including the Lake Wylie Pilot) for buy one entree, get one half price at City Tavern, I couldn’t wait to try the new upscale restaurant in Steele Creek’s Rivergate Shopping Center.

It was a Friday evening, so I figured there’d be a wait. We parked behind the restaurant so as we walked to the front, we passed the tavern’s double-decker outdoor eating area. Inside, we were greeted by a friendly hostess who told us we’d have a 25-minute wait, smoking or non-smoking, and welcomed us to have a seat at the bar.

The bar boasts an extensive list of wines, top-shelf liquors and more than 12 martinis, which used to be my favorite before I outdid myself celebrating a friend’s birthday more than a year ago. Actually, we didn’t feel like imbibing; we were just hungry. So instead, we headed outside into the shopping center where children and parents were playing with the large water fountain, and there are plenty of shops to check out or just window shop. We visited the pottery place, Art Space Studio, where we learned some neat projects they offer, like glass fusing and mosaic tile photos.

After taking in the wonderful warm spring night, we headed back into the restaurant and took a seat in the foyer. And waited. There were empty tables, but perhaps not enough staff to accommodate. It gave us time to take in the decor with deep, rich purples and fancy lighting, such as the silver drop-ceiling over the bar where strategically placed holes that create a lighted pattern. There’s marble, tile and real table cloths. This is a fancy restaurant, yet diners are at home dressed to the max or casual.

We were seated in a booth about 30 minutes later, and our friendly waitress was quick, a pro with customer service. We decided to skip the starters ($4 to $8 including tuna, crab cakes, oysters, Cajun eggrolls, calamari, shrimp and chicken appetizers) and head straight into dinner. I knew my companion wanted steak, and I wanted a surf and turf. He ordered the biggest steak on the menu, a 14-ounce ribeye served with Parmesan mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus for $22. I decided to go for the mixed grill, a sampler of rack of lamb, filet mignon and grilled pork loin, served with Parmesan mashed potatoes and asparagus ($23) and add one cold water lobster tail for $9 (my companion decided to do the same). We ordered cocktails, and they are quite stiff ($7 for a Captain Morgan and Coke). We had plenty of time to chat as he ate his al a carte Caesar salad for $6, and requested a few more than one crouton. (FYI: There’s no bread on the table.) It was quite loud with clinks and clanks from the kitchen and dining area, but you could talk comfortably across the table.

His steak was cooked perfectly, although he said he would have enjoyed a sauce to go with it. My favorite part was the lobster, of course, succulent, warm and wonderfully seasoned. My filet was a perfect medium-rare, and the berry sauce on the pork chop was sweet and nice. The lamb, well, there were two rib bones that looked like a claw with a little piece of meat at the end, which was quite gamy. (Keep in mind, I’m not a big fan of lamb, but I wanted to try.) The potatoes and asparagus were OK, too.

Our meals were filling, so we ordered dessert to go — some sort of blueberry cheesecake and key lime pie to go ($7) each. (They were good and creamy.) As we were leaving at about 9 p.m., the band was coming in to set up.

Although City Tavern has a laid-back atmosphere, it isn’t a chicken fingers and fries kind of place. It has a bit more of a sophisticated menu. I’d like to go back for breakfast and brunch. The Crab Cakes Benedict — two poached eggs over Canadian bacon and capellini crab cakes topped with hollandaise sauce for $10 — sounds like a winner. I find it’s quicker to order a Benedict than make it myself from scratch. I’d also like to go back to enjoy the music and a martini, or just sit outside on the second floor and view the sunset.