First bite: Trying Prime & Providence in West Des Moines

I was invited to book a table at Prime & Providence's soft opening this week.

Driving the news: It's the latest in the metro's recent steakhouse craze, joining other pricey peers like Ruth's Chris and Oak Park .

The vibe: The restaurant's inspiration is " fancy, not formal ," co-owner and chef Dominic Iannarelli told Axios last month.

• There's a custom-made hearth and almost everything is cooked via fire, including the veggies.

What to try: The restaurant dubs itself as "Purveyors of Land & Sea," offering an oyster bar, shellfish towers, coal-fired steaks and family-style sides.

• Its reserve menu has a 48-ounce porterhouse ($115), a Johnny Highball cocktail ($58) and some $500+ bottles of wines.

On my plate: I ordered sea scallops ($48) from the regular menu and shared sides of the grilled broccolini ($16) and mashed potatoes ($15) with my hubby.

• We started with a beet salad ($19) and the house focaccia bread ($5).

My thought bubble: The sea scallops were in an exquisite lemon fondue and had a buttery smoothness that made my mouth swoon.

• The salad and sides were lovely, but skip the bread, which tasted like stale corncake.

Stop by: Monday is the official opening. Cocktail hour starts at 3pm daily; dinner from 5pm-10pm.

• 595 S. 60th St in WDM

Editor's note: This story first appeared in Axios Des Moines .