Another steakhouse? Don't yawn yet. Sizzling Steak 954 is not your typical meat market. It's the first South Florida venture for restaurateur Stephen Starr, whose culinary empire includes Buddakan and Morimoto in Philadelphia and New York City.

Starr, who compares dining out to ''attending a theater production,'' has found the right stage for his hip, 240-seat restaurant -- the extravagant, W, the destination of the moment in Fort Lauderdale and the latest luxury resort on the beach. The atmosphere is South Beach chic without the pretensions or bad service. The staff here is excellent, well-trained and as gorgeous as the clientele.

French designers aimed for a less clubby, more ''female-friendly'' look with tropical lime green and vibrant blues and a mesmerizing 15-foot tank of luminescent jellyfish. There's a separate bar and lounge area, a second dining room and a garden terrace with an ocean view. It's drawing overflow crowds and the din gets pretty loud; if you want quiet conversation, sit outside or eat early.

Beyond the sizzle, Steak 954 presents fine cuisine by Jason Smith, most recently sous chef to Govind Armstrong at Table 8 in Miami Beach. Smith focuses on top quality, well-sourced ingredients without a lot of fuss. And it's not all about the beef.

We started with plump, cool oysters from both coasts served on a block of ice. Even more refreshing was a bracing ceviche of Maine lobster and Alaskan King crab in mixed citrus juices with paper-thin red onions, peppers and jalapeños offset by the sour-sweetness of pickled, julienne-cut coconut and ginger.

Diced bigeye tuna is mixed with a kicky chipotle aioli, topped with shredded iceberg lettuce and fois gras-smeared taco shells and served with pickled jalapeños and avocado salad -- intriguing to sample but not a dish I'd order again.

Kobe sliders on mini brioche buns, on the other hand, are addictive -- one stacked with a slice of roma tomato and pickled shallots, the other with the earthy flavors of caramelized onions and Gruyère cheese.

Starr brings his signature $100 Kobe, foie gras and black truffle cheese steak (forget the Cheez Whiz) and a $245, 36-ounce Kobe porterhouse that would easily feed two or three.

Then there are the 28-day aged cuts of beef that are broiled at 1,700 degrees. Smith says he tried hundreds of steaks before settling on richly marbled rib-eyes from New York's Gachot & Gachot (called the Prada of beef). The meat is buttery tender, well-trimmed, cooked medium-rare as we requested, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. The dry-aged New York strip is good but not as memorable. The 16-ounce bone-in filet is ultra tender and lean, with a little fat at the bone that gives it that lush flavor.

Back to the surf, we loved the 2 ½-pound, poached Maine lobster, removed from its shell so it's easy to savor each bite of the sweet, succulent meat. A whole, pan-roasted branzino is moist and flaky, filleted and butterflied, served with just the tail on.

Family-style sides include a homey bowl of creamed spinach with a hint of nutmeg and seven types of potatoes, including a decadent truffle potato gratin and hash brown soufflé. Don't tell your mom you spent $9 for tater tots.

Not surprisingly, Steak 954 offers an extensive, expensive international wine list -- though there are several fine bottles in the $30-$50 range -- with nearly 20 choices by the glass, including a lovely dessert option of Inniskillin Riesling ice wine.

Desserts are a sweet success thanks to pastry chef T'ai Chopping, whose resumé includes Lespinasse in New York and the Hostellerie Berard in Provence. Her repertoire here includes a fun sticky toffee pudding, delicate baked Alaska with prosecco and a luscious pineapple soufflé with sambuca ice cream.

This is a dining experience that's worth an encore.

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