A voluptuous young woman greets patrons with a welcoming smile at the door of Satoro Restaurant & Lounge. Step inside, and the place is as sultry as the hostess -- clubby and urban with soft lighting, white leather seats and warm orange accents.

Satoro, which opened three months ago in downtown Hollywood, has all the trappings of an upscale night spot -- it's open to 2 a.m., has a ladies night (Fridays), live music outside Fridays and Saturdays and a cozy, contemporary lounge. But it also happens to be a very good restaurant with an experienced executive chef.

Alex Dziurzynski, former top toque at Fort Lauderdale's Jackson's Steakhouse and Fish, has created an appealing Mediterranean menu with dishes like paella, lamb and couscous, roast chicken with risotto and sweet Greek yogurt. Everything's house-made, from a warm loaf of French bread to cheese cake baklava.

The place looks expensive, but owners Peter Santana, Vincenzo Losoreli and Jonathan Tovar have kept prices moderate, with options like flatbreads, gourmet burgers, fish sandwiches -- even a great steak for $22.

Our server made us feel like we were ordering a fine vintage instead of a $25 tempranillo-cab blend, bringing us an extra set of glasses so the stiff wine could loosen up.

Satoro offers a tapas menu at the bar that you can order from no matter where you're seated, but our otherwise excellent waiter neglected to mention it. Next time, we'll try the meatballs poached in roasted garlic broth or the olive and cheese plate.

Still, we did enjoy several delightful starters including a soul-satisfying oxtail soup with a dark, rich stock that brimmed with tender pieces of beef and was crowned with a slice of crusty bread topped with melted manchego cheese. Thin, crisp, wood-fired Florentine flatbread was topped with baby spinach, smoky capicola ham, a velvety mix of mozzarella, Romano and fontina cheeses and slivers of sun-dried tomatoes drizzled with garlic sauce.

Another hit were the plump, pan-seared diver scallops, which sit atop crisp cakes of rice on a plate swirled with a zippy green pea purée with a hint of Serrano ham.

Meat dominates the dozen entree choices, taking advantage of Dziurzynski's years at Jackson's. His juicy, charbroiled Delmonico steak was cooked to perfection, rosy-centered medium rare and buttery tender, with homey mashed potatoes on the side spiked with rosemary and garnished with a homemade potato chip.

As for the surf, there's an excellent Florida grouper, moist and flavorful, wrapped in Serrano ham and wood-fired. It's plated with a fluffy artichoke couscous and a charred tomato coulis.

We did have a few disappointments. The squash tortellini was too thick and chewy, and we would have loved more of the fragrant brown butter sage sauce. The paella, with clams, octopus, scallops, shrimp, slivers of chorizo and roasted red peppers, isn't likely to please traditionalists. Lovely saffron rice soaked up the juices, but the shrimp were chewy.

Sides were terrific, including artichoke hearts in a manchego cream sauce. And our risotto lover was thrilled with Satoro's creamy but firm rendition, studded with chopped tomatoes.

House-made desserts are as light and refreshing as sweet Greek yogurt with fresh berries or as decadent as tiramisu with almond coffee liqueur. But don't miss their incredible cheesecake, made with goat cheese, a little mascarpone and cream on a scrumptious, cinnamony baklava crust.

If that isn't seductive enough, the night is young at Satoro.