HIGH STEAKS PRICEY RUTH'S CHRIS DELIVERS EXCELLENT FOOD AND SERVICE.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

Is it daring, even brave, for a major, upscale, prime steakhouse chain to open in a low-visibility location in a suburban shopping mall?

The decision makers at Ruth's Chris Steak House evidently think not, because they officially unveiled their new Woodland Hills restaurant earlier this week in the Westfield Shoppingtown Promenade around the back of the sprawling shopping center (near the rear entrance to Macy's Men's Store).

Of course, this is the same center that holds a busy P.F. Chang's, Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Ruby's, Maggiano's Little Italy and other eating outlets.

But none of them come close to the prices charged at Ruth's Chris.

Patrons at the new dinner house should expect to pay a minimum of $50 per person for a full steak meal here.

That's if you do a certain amount of sharing and don't order wine by the bottle.

At our first visit, our party of two had one martini, a soup, a salad, two different steaks, one baked potato and brought our own bottle of wine. The bill before tax ($9.04) and tip ($17.41) were added totaled $109.55.

At an ensuing visit, a bottle of wine and a dessert were purchased, bringing the total up to $150. Although there was one small mishap the first time, generally the experiences could be termed very impressive, with top marks for service in extremely comfortable and well-appointed surroundings.

The entire Ruth's Chris staff seems to greet you as you're ushered through the dining rooms to a table. Every single one not intent at servicing a table smiles and utters a friendly greeting as you pass by.

After being seated one time, I decided to doff my sports coat, partly because I couldn't see any other male diners wearing jackets and partly because I felt a tad warm in it.

As I started to take it off, the waiter asked if he could help. He carefully removed it and hung it on the back of my chair.

A nice, unexpected gesture, I thought.

Ask for extra salad dressing, or a different type of dressing, and you get it, pronto.

All red wines, whether brought or bought, are decanted here. Some might say its a needless courtesy if the wine is relatively young, but the waiter will tell you that it's not done only to catch sediment, but helps ``to open the wine up.'' Sounds plausible to me.

One way or the other, it unquestionably suggests that this restaurant gives more service than its competitors.

As for the food, steak fanciers will have to admit that whether it's a New York, a filet mignon, a cowboy ribeye, a 40-ounce porterhouse (a combination of the first two served to two persons) or a T-bone, all the steaks here possess the requisite thickness, juice and flavor along with varying degrees of tenderness and texture, according to the cut.

The regular-size steaks are ticketed here from $28 to $34 each, and they arrive solo and unadorned in dramatically sizzling butter speckled with tiny bits of parsley.

Ruth's Chris offers seven choices of potato sides ($5.95 each) - we were very happy with both the baked 1-pounder and an au gratin presentation of creamed potatoes topped with melted sharp cheddar cheese. And for $1 more, hash browns.

Vegetable accompaniments number 10. They include nine at $5.95 and the one we picked, crunchy asparagus spears in hollandaise sauce, at $6.95.

Of the numerous starter options, the hefty, refreshing iceberg wedge ($5.25) doused with a crumbled bleu cheese dressing, and a dark, almost earthy, Louisiana seafood gumbo ($6.25) get my vote.

Incidentally, the iceberg wedge turns up large enough to share.

There's also a pretty good lobster bisque ($7.95), very rich and creamy.

Non-steak diners can order chicken, salmon, ahi tuna, lobster tail, Maine lobster and a veggie dish of portobello on garlic mashers with asparagus, broccoli and tomatoes.

And a marinated veal chop served with sweet and hot peppers and a trio of surf and turf plates round out the regular menu entree possibilities.

If you can find room for dessert, the well-executed, warm Granny apple crumb tart sporting a streusel crust ($5.95) comes forth sizable enough for sharing.

And at this point of the evening, if you can find someone at your table to share the sizable total on the check, you're in luck, and perhaps Ruth's Chris is, too, probably having nurtured one or two more devotees.

RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE

Food: Three and one half stars. Wine: Two and one half stars. Service: Four stars.

Where: Westfield Shoppingtown Promenade, 6100 Topanga Boulevard at Oxnard Street. (Owensmouth Avenue entrance at rear next to Macy's.)

Hours: Open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. nightly, to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Recommended items: Steaks (filets, New York strip, ribeye, porterhouse for two, T-bone, cowboy ribeye), baked or au gratin potato, asparagus hollandaise.

How much: Starters from $5.25 to $18, a la carte entrees from $19 to $57, potato and vegetable sides $6 and $7 each, desserts $4 and $6 each.

Wine list: Twenty-two page list of everything from everyday stuff to the five first growths of Bordeaux. But prices are high. Be prepared to pay in the low $40s and up for anything decent. Recommended with steaks: Montes Alpha cabernet sauvignon 1997 for $44.

Reservations: Usually necessary. Call [phone].

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(1 -- 2) All red wines from Ruth's Chris Steak Houses's extensive list undergo a decanting procedure.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News