Donovan's does things in a BIG way. The steaks are big, wine glasses are big, the shrimp cocktail is big, the salad is big, the French fries are big…you get the ideas. And yes, the prices are big too.

But that's why you go to Donovan's. You don't go for dinner every night of the week and you may go for a business meal or a family special occasion. But the bottom line is that you will receive top-notch service and some very good food at this classic, fine dining steakhouse. All steaks are USDA prime beef, which is hard to even buy nowadays.

We began our anticipated meal with their Giant Shrimp Cocktail ($21). Four-chilled jumbo Mexican white gulf shrimp are served on a bed of greens with homemade cocktail sauce. This may not sound fancy and it isn't but it was very good.

I'm not always a Norwegian Smoked Salmon ($17) fan but Donovan's version is a winner with the traditional capers, red onions, mixed greens and toast points.

And the Chop House Salad ($12) can be shared. We're already talking about a lot of food. This salad contains mixed greens tossed with tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, bacon, and hearts of palm, bell peppers and julienne carrots.

Now comes the steak. Their most tender cut is the Prime Filet. We ordered the 8 oz. serving ($44) although there are three different sizes. The steak was tender and tasty and comes with 2 sides, a vegetable and a potato of your choice.

But we had to sample the Giant Onion Rings ($12), which are fried white onions served with ketchup. Again BIG!

I'll stop here because I'm sure I've gotten my message across. And don't even get me started on the Prime Rib Friday night special. With the holidays around the corner, possibly that would be a time to splurge on a fun, BIG meal.

Donovan's Steak and Chop House 4340 La Jolla Village Drive   La Jolla, CA 92122 (858) 450-6666 Dinner Only: Monday--Saturday