BLT Steak

If you want to go off your diet, BLT Steak is the best place to do so! The generous portions will tempt the most moderate of eaters. For former Atkins devotees, there are huge parmesan-crusted popovers and 7 different potato preparations. For those who've been avoiding sweets, there are chocolate tarts, lemon meringue pies and carrot cakes. Last night, for the lapsed vegetarians, there was a 21-oz. Chateaubriand special for two topped with foie gras.

My companion and I let a couple glasses of Chateauneuf-du-Papes loosen our ordering inhibitions and we decided on three appetizers, two entrees, four side dishes and two desserts. Now the indulgence would begin.

The waitress brought by complementary duck liver mousse and crostini, as well as the aforementioned popovers. Just one of the puffy breads was almost enough for a meal!

The Parmesan-crouton Caesar salad was terrific, its leaves of romaine well-coated with a garlicky, anchovy-laced dressing. A shrimp cocktail consisted of four giant shrimp and spicy cocktail sauce. The tuna tartare was a sensual square of sashimi-grade tuna, under which was a bed of creamy avocado and a pool of soy-citrus sauce. The crispy shallots and microgreens on top provided an extra zing.

A juicy ribeye steak, served in a big cast iron pan, was marinated in olive oil and garlic. The spiced grilled swordfish arrived in a Moroccan-influenced preparation of tangy preserved lemons, coriander, cilantro and harissa. Our chosen side dishes were French fries with cilantro mayonnaise, the sweetest braised carrot flowerettes, a faintly smoky hen-of-the-woods mushroom, and rich creamy spinach. There were so many pans of delicious foods on the table that it was difficult to figure out what to eat!

Dessert was another dilemma. I normally opt for the most chocolatey selection; last night, a chocolate tart and a peanut butter chocolate mousse competed for my attention. The dessert special, a lovely gooey-centered warm chocolate cake, ended up being my choice. It came with a small oval of condensed milk ice cream studded with a bit of chocolate tulle. My companion delighted in the seemingly mile-high orange-raspberry sundae, a marvelous parfait of orange, vanilla and raspberry with meringue "marshmallows." And I must not forget the chewy chocolate-coffee brownies that arrived unexpectedly. Next time, I'll ask for a bag of them!

BLT Steak: 106 East 57th St., 752-7470.