LIKE MEAT? LOOK NO FURTHER : BEEF OR FOWL, STEAK JOYNT DOES IT WELL.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

It's like those wide ties that came back.

The new Steak Joynt in North Hollywood, brought to us by the people who own the popular Oyster House in Studio City, brings back the simple steak menu just like it was a quarter of a century ago.

And get this: even to the point of serving a good baked potato still wrapped in foil.

It also has a bar where people smoke up a storm, just like they used to, yet the adjacent dining room doesn't seem full of secondary smoke, so there must be a system to suck it up.

But the dark, wood-paneled walls and red vinyl booths of yesteryear's clubby steak houses don't emerge. Instead, adding to the nostalgia of a later era, the decor achieves a pleasant lightness, utilizing white latticework to produce that same look that was de rigueur 15 years ago at a couple of then-renowned French restaurants, La Serre and Fine Affair, both now gone.

There are chatty, veteran waitresses who may or may not call you ``honey'' but will certainly do everything they can to make you happy.

And they deliver thick, juicy, 21-day-aged steaks with a choice of baked potato or thick country fries plus contemporary-style grilled, flat-cut, crunchy fresh vegetables, usually consisting of squashes, zucchini, carrots and such.

And for an alternative to the beefy stuff, there's a terrific and tasty bargain of a chicken platter, actually a whole roasted bird ($12.95). Not one of those scrawny, little things, it could easily be big enough when divided to satisfy two normal appetites.

And the bonus is, it's cooked skillfully in the traditional way, resulting in superbly moist meat under a slightly crisped skin. Really enjoyable.

But this is a steak house, not a chicken house. And if I only had one steak to choose here, it would be the fullpound size, center-cut top sirloin ($14.95), a lovely, flavorful piece of meat that is so handsomely appetizing in looks, it's worthy of a food magazine cover.

And again, when you assess what's on your plate when it first arrives, you'll see there's a heck of a lot of meat to eat here.

You can enhance entree picks with an order of wine-sauced sauteed mushrooms ($6.95) or start your meal with a passable, old-fashioned soup du jour (lentil, navy bean and the like ($3.95 each).

Yet even though the entrees are so sizable, diners shouldn't eat here without trying - even if it means sharing one order - the crisp, fresh romaine lettuce salad ($3.95) tossed with a smashing Green Goddess dressing that reminds (in taste, not color) of the once-favored Tracton's version. In fact, I think I like this one better because it has crunchy onions in it.

It is so good that smart diners should consider doing what one astute dinner companion did one evening: Request an extra dish of the dressing and use it to flavor the baked potato.

The Joynt's biggest steak, a 20-ounce T-bone ($18.95) probably produces less edible meat because of the bone. And even though some people believe that the meat next to the bone is tastier, from all indications, the top sirloin and New York strip steaks here are more gratifying choices.

As for alternatives, there are a couple of well-turned-out fish items ($12.95 each), both grilled simply and served steak-style, one being salmon, the other halibut.

But if you're in a beefy mood, but want something less auspicious than a steak, you won't find a better beef dish at a better price anywhere than the 16-ounce charbroiled chopped sirloin steak ($8.95), nicely lean, nicely flavored without overwhelming seasoning or anything, and very satisfying.

Yet, if you think this is a great deal, think again.

There's that delightful whole-chicken dish bargain to consider.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Steak Joynt.

Where: 4354 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood.

When: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Sunday, for dinner from 5 to 11 p.m. nightly.

Recommended items: Sauteed mushrooms, Green Goddess salad, full-pound center-cut top sirloin steak, New York steak, full-pound chopped sirloin, grilled salmon, grilled halibut, whole roasted chicken, cheesecake.

How much: Starters from $4 to $9, entrees from $9 to $19, desserts $3 and $4 each. Full bar. All major credit cards.

Wine list: Small selection of 20 bottlings, five of which are house-labeled. No vintages listed. Only three wines priced over $20, one a pleasant J. Lohr Paso Robles cabernet sauvignon ($21, $5.50 a glass), a 1994. One would think there would be more than eight red wine choices with this predominantly steak menu. No Rhones. No zins. Corkage fee $5.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three Stars for food; Three Stars for service; One and One Half Stars for wine.

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Photo

Photo: Oyster House owners Rona and Herb Newman hope to draw a red-meat crowd to their new eatery, the Steak Joynt, where baked potatoes come the old-fashioned way, and even the chicken is good.

Gus Ruelas/Daily News