The Brooklyn Paper / Noelle D’Arrigo

The big apple-tini: The signature cocktail at Austin’s Steakhouse in Bay Ridge is a Red Delicious apple martini.

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While I get as excited as the next foodie at the mention of a new fusion cuisine or imported ingredient, sometimes, I’m just in the mood for a classic, great steak.

And when that happens again, I’ll return to Austin’s Steakhouse in Bay Ridge.

Sure, there are other steakhouses in Brooklyn — a certain legendary Williamsburg institution leaps to mind — but Austin’s dining room has a casual elegance where other beef emporiums stubbornly adhere to a rustic, testosterone-heavy ambiance.

With its cozy, clubby banquets; rich, homemade brownie sundae; and signature Red Delicious apple martinis, Austin’s is as perfect for a night out with the girls as it is for an anniversary dinner at one of their candlelit tables for two.

And while chef Fernando Pichardo — an alum of Manhattan’s Mercer Kitchen — also offers a selection of fresh seafood — diners pass by a lobster tank brimming with two to eight-pound crustaceans on their way to the dining room — my husband and I were in the mood for seriously satisfying steak, and Austin’s did not disappoint.

On a rainy Thursday night, I was grateful for the valet parking and was warm and dry when I slipped into a booth and sipped my sweetly sour — think Jolly Rancher candies — apple martini and waited for my date to arrive. Open since 2003, the restaurant has a following. The tables around me filled up with lively groups of young men and suited colleagues. (In the spring, patrons can enjoy happy hour in their outdoor cafe.)

A chat with my friendly, uniformed waiter filled me in on the recent visit to the restaurant by “Sopranos” star Lorraine Bracco, a.k.a. Dr. Melfi, who hosted a wine dinner there featuring her eponymous collection of vino. While Austin’s doesn’t carry Bracco wines, they do have a hefty list to choose from.

Austin’s offers a classic steakhouse menu, with an Italian accent — fried calamari and fresh, homemade mozzarella are appetizer options.

We started off “light” with an outrageous appetizer special we couldn’t resist: finger-sized slabs of fat-rich bacon with dipping sauces of bleu cheese, remoulade and fresh tomatoes.

While the bacon was finger-licking good and the dipping sauces are fun to taste and discuss, Austin’s also offers truly light appetizers, such as fish and salads with housemade dressings.

Pichardo’s crabcakes are as large as your palm. The generous, lightly fried discs were a sweet blend of Maryland and Dungeness crabmeats, brightened with a squeeze of lemon.

Pichardo explained that he’s a fan of the Dungeness crabmeat because of its consistent quality; now we’re fans of his enormous crabcakes, too.

Moving on to the main event, we opted for the “cowboy” steak — a rib eye on the bone — and a filet mignon.

The heaping slabs of beef arrived with nothing but a sprinkling of parsley and a good dousing in clarified butter. This restaurant is about the steak, and its narrow focus pays off.

The cowboy cut and the filet were tender, flavorful and generously sized.

Austin’s offers the usual vegetables as sides but has more than mastered the recipes. The creamed spinach is certainly on equal footing with that of Manhattan’s Palm steakhouses. Rich, thick and creamy, it’s dangerously addictive. The sweet, crispy, Herculean onion rings are equally habit-forming — but even more outrageously irresistible when dragged through the accompanying remoulade.

Chocoholics should pace themselves at Austin’s because the meal closes with an agonizing dilemma: whether to choose the warm brownie, studded with cherries and topped with ice cream, or the airy chocolate cake doused in whipped cream and drizzled in chocolate sauce. No matter which dessert you scarf down, they’re both worth the extra visit to the gym. (Note to those without a cocoa addiction: there are desserts for you, too.)

Austin’s owners — Leo Sanjurjo, his son Robert, and Cosmo Venerri — are not from Texas, but their portions could certainly fill a cowboy with a Lone Star State appetite. Chef Pichardo ensures we savor each bite.

©2008 The Brooklyn Paper