Local food fans longing for another taste of chef Sage Sakiri’s cuisine can commence celebrating. The beloved Sakiri, whose cooking at the defunct Cafe Panache in Hurst and Red Sage in Southlake earned a loyal following, can be found presenting his encore act at the new Dino’s Steak & Claw House.

The setting for this return engagement is a renovated old bank building at the northern end of Grapevine’s historic main drag. Dark and cozy, with gleaming wood, sleek granite surfaces and vintage light fixtures casting a golden glow, the dining spaces seem best suited to romantic dinners, special-occasion gatherings and anyone hoping to find an elegant meal free of the mind-numbing sameness typically found at chain restaurants.

Among items noted on the menu as Dino’s specialties, the roasted eggplant-sesame salad ($6.95) reflects Sakiri’s bent for tinkering around with cuisine influences. Hints of Middle Eastern ideas come into play with a glazing of mint and honey over the smoky vegetable. In the crab cubes ($6.95), Sakiri fashions the ubiquitous crab cake into little squares and augments the dish with a little Dijon-honey foam and a muddled compote of red chile and apple.

We asked for the signature horseradish-steamed crab claws but were denied – the kitchen had run out. Instead, we were assuaged with a trimmed, whole artichoke ($11.95) that Sakiri poached with anise and lemon and stuffed with panko breading, lump crabmeat, garlic and Parmesan. Plucking and eating the leaves with a bit of filling and a bit of lemon butter on the side, we forgot all about the missing claws.

Hoping for a little old-school magic, we ordered a Caesar salad ($6.95), which the menu promised would be made tableside. Alas, it wasn’t, but the white anchovy flavor with roasted garlic crouton and shaved Pecorino atop fresh romaine helped make up for the disappointment.

Most of the entrees command steep prices, starting with another Dino’s specialty, the crusted, seared New York strip ($38.95). A 12-ounce cut of prime beef, this firm steak bore a rub that Sakiri made with kosher salt, a little curry powder, dried herbs and paprika beneath a crisp crust that he crafted from a blend of asiago and Parmesan cheeses. The effect was almost an assault of flavors, mellowed somewhat by the simple green beans and the country club-style fluff of mashed potatoes at the plate’s center.

Another premium dish is the roasted Dover sole ($36.95), a lovely fish that Sakiri gets from Holland. After pan-searing and roasting it, he lavishes it in a beurre blanc teased with a bit of white wine, garlic and shallots and tops it with crunchy toasted almonds. Alas, it’s not boned tableside, but Sakiri uses the perfect whole bone as part of the decorative presentation.

Dino’s is the creation of namesake Dino Ida, the restaurateur who owns the nearby, exceptionally popular Cafe Italia. Ida brought some of his polished staff along; most of the bartenders work their crowd with ease, and the servers appear comfortable in the practice of upselling: Our charming waiter urged us to enjoy a bottle of burgundy that was out of our price range, but he agreed that our choice – a Kunde zinfandel ($28) – was a suitable pick for our entrees.