Stake a claim at Donovan's Steak & Ale

MALONE — Less than two years since it opened, Donovan's Steak & Ale in Malone has moved to bigger, better quarters.

Donovan's purchased and renovated the former Jammers Restaurant, Route 11 on the east side of Malone that had been idle for some time. Before that, it was an A&W eatery.

You wouldn't think that a move from one side of town to the other would be a big deal in a relatively small village. But on a Tuesday night exactly three weeks after opening at the new location, the parking lot of the beautiful new building on the east side of town was just about filled to capacity.

Uh-oh, we thought. Should have made reservations.

But fear not, we were able to make our way to the bar, through two dining rooms, down a few steps, nicely placed away from the crowd of customers. This gave us a chance to check out the tasteful remodeling job done by owners Donovan and Dana Reyome. Dark walnut plank floors. Dark maroon-colored walls. Tasteful furnishings. Windows in the bar and lower dining room that face a large deck out back in a wooded setting.

It was crunch time at the restaurant and they were getting slammed. Waitresses were lined up at the service area as the 50-something gentlemanly bartender made drinks as fast as the wait staff shouted them out. Once he got caught up it was our turn. A couple of nice wines-by-the glass including a Coastal Cellars Pinot Noir from California, a boutique beer and a top shelf mixed drink got our night under way.

Over drinks we looked over the menu. It has evolved a bit since they introduced their fine dining restaurant to Malone in 2008, keeping old favorites and introducing some soon-to-be new favorites. In the words of one of my foodie friends gathered with me, "I'd take one of everything on the menu..."

And who wouldn't? Potato-crusted Atlantic salmon. Peppered yellowfin tuna. Herbed sea bass.

Dry aged New York strip steak. Grilled Delmonico steak. Slow-roasted prime rib au jus.

Classics like shrimp scampi. Chicken Oscar. Pork osso buco.

Strawberry Gorgonzola salad with red onions and balsamic syrup sounded interesting, too.

But let's get started with appetizers. Crab cakes ($9.99), two very generous and tasty patties of crab meat held together with mayo and seasoned bread crumbs, were served with a zippy cucumber salad and a spicy red pepper remoulade. Maybe a little heavy on the breading-to-crab ratio, but nonetheless a noteworthy starter.

Steamed clams ($9.99) were exceptional, plump and juicy native littlenecks (not those shriveled up things that come from China) steamed in Vermont's Magic Hat # 9 beer. It probably didn't make any difference what the clams were steamed in — they were the stars of the show: the right size, the right quality, steamed until just opened.

The broth underneath, a combination of the juice of the clams, the beer, some garlic and some herbs, was irresistibly mop-uppable with the crusty ciabatta rolls from a basket on the table.

A nice touch with the rolls: flavored butter, chive flavored the night we were there.

It was a cool, rainy evening and French onion soup ($5.99) seemed the thing to do. So we did it.

One of my guests, a Malone-ite who'd been to Donovan's recently, raved about the onion soup days before we arrived at the restaurant. It was pretty spectacular, I must admit, a large crock loaded with cooked-down caramelized onions, a hearty beef stock enhanced with wine of some sort (or perhaps Brandy?) to give it great depth of flavor. There was no skimping with the melted Gruyere cheese on top either.

The same guy was panning their lobster bisque ($6.99), saying it was too sweet the last time he had it.

Well it wasn't this time. It was thick and creamy and lobstery, that traditional pale orange color zigzagged with lines of chive-Marsala cream for flavor and eye appeal. Actually, we couldn't taste any Marsala at all. Maybe it was the Marsala that sweetened it the previous time.

After carrying it down three steps on a large tray and having it slosh around a bit, our waitress commented, "I'm not sure it looks as pretty as it did when I picked it up in the kitchen." But we wouldn't have known the difference if she hadn't said anything.

Salads were very good, served on chilled plates, mixed greens with the usual assortment of vegetables. Croutons from a box detracted slightly. Two of their dressings are made in-house, balsamic vinaigrette and Thousand Island. We tried them both and they were excellent.

There are 17 entrees to choose from with something for everyone, and a manageable number for the kitchen to prepare effectively.

Sea bass is one of my favorites. Their herbed sea bass ($24.99) was presented in a large rimmed bowl. The perfectly cooked sea bass was perched (get it? — PERCHed) atop a "relish" of roasted grape tomatoes, red pepper, zucchini and capers. The relish completely covered a bacon-cheddar polenta cake at the bottom of the dish. Lots of flavors going on here.

Their grilled filet of beef ($24.99) is cut to a hefty 10-ounce portion (most restaurants offer a 6- or 8-ounce portion). It's served with roasted garlic whipped potatoes (the best we've had in some time), clever thin-sliced "haystack" fried onions and a delicious red wine sauce that I could have downed with a straw.

Unfortunately, we ordered the tenderloin cooked rare and it came out medium — maybe even a little more than medium — as it cooled down on the plate. I really feel there's no excuse for that. We might personally overcook a steak on our backyard grill, but in a restaurant where they do it umpteen times a week, it should come out right every time.

Peppered yellowfin tuna ($19.99), another seafood favorite of ours, is served with a "firecracker" sauce and herb-roasted potatoes. It looked amazing when it arrived, but alas, dashed expectations arrived as well.

It was smothered with a mildly spicy Cajun-like cream sauce. Maybe it was the heat of the sauce, but the tuna that we specifically requested — "Rare-just a hint of sear"— arrived darn near well done. The sauce didn't work well with the delicate flavor of the tuna (maybe serving it under the tuna would be a better idea?). And the roasted potatoes were merely three slices of ho-hum potatoes, more a plate filler than a bona fide vegetable.

However, it was pork osso buco ($19.99) that stole the show. How can you beat a shank of pork slow cooked for hours in Lake Placid Brewery's dark Ubu ale and beef stock with tomatoes, onions, carrots and garlic?

This was totally yummy and paired perfectly with their roasted garlic mashed potatoes. Three gigantic onion rings on top could have been a little crisper, but that's a minor point. All in all, this braise was a winner.

Desserts, our waitress confessed, all come from one of their restaurant suppliers.

There's some really good stuff out there these days, so we decided to give them a try and we weren't disappointed.

New York-style cheesecake was tall and dense, just fine all by itself. A topping of caramel on another wedge was a nice addition. Chocolate cheesecake had a similar consistency, and very chocolate-y. Peanut butter pie was thick and sweet and rich.

Portions were more than necessary, well worth the price of $5.99 each.

Dinner for four came to $157 before tip, but included tax. Our wine added to the total for the night.

A word about their wine selection. They've got a treasure chest of great wines at fair prices. We had a bottle of Guenoc Petite Syrah priced in the low $20s that was a real find. And we totally enjoyed a Smith and Hook Cabernet ($36) from the Central Coast region of California that's producing some very noteworthy wines.

Presentation and serving of the wine, however, is not what we'd expect from a restaurant of this caliber.

We retired to the bar after dinner and got to meet owners Donovan and Dana Reyome, two hard-working people dedicated to making their restaurant a success. They told us that business has tripled since their move to the new location, an increase that they weren't expecting and weren't ready for.

They've added close to a dozen employees who are still theoretically "in training" and getting used to the restaurant's systems. Also, head chef Dan McFarland had the night off; the first night in many weeks after putting untold hours into the move.

Once things settle down, we're sure the little glitches and jitters we experienced at Donovan's Steak & Ale will be ironed out. It will be a restaurant that will attract fans of well-prepared fine food from many miles around — the restaurant that we remember from our visit at the previous location.

By the way, it was Donovan's dad who was our bartender. If you have the chance to meet him, ask him to do a few magic tricks for you. And ask him to show you how he can extract a cork from inside a wine bottle without using any tools...

You can contact restaurant reviewer Walter Siebel via e-mail: wsiebel@wdt.net.

Donovan's Steak & Ale

3853 Route 11

Malone, N.Y

1 (518) 521-3027

Malone's fine dining restaurant has moved to bigger and better quarters on the other side of town.

HOURS: Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner

APPETIZER PICKS: Crab cakes served with cucumber salad and spicy remoulade; Littleneck clams steamed in Magic Hat #9 beer

SOUP PICKS: French onion, Lobster bisque

ENTRÉE PICKS: Herbed sea bass; Pork osso buco

DESSERT PICK: Cheesecake

RATING: 3-1/2 FORKS

SEE NEW DIGS — D2