A steakhouse and a casino go hand in hand.And the Steak House at Desert Diamond Casino and Hotel, 7350 S. Nogales Highway, certainly fits the part.The restaurant — which opened Jan. 3 — even emits a Vegas vibe, albeit a minor one, with its lack of windows and pleasantly dim lighting. Altogether, the Steak House provides a cozy feel even though, with its 150-seat capacity, the dining area is far from small. Glass lighting and a canopy of glass over some of the booths created a trendy flair, as did the uniquely shaped bowls and plates.As in Vegas, the bathrooms are located outside the restaurant in the casino, but they're only steps away.Unlike in the casino, there's no smoking in the restaurant and the dining area has a good ventilation system. Depending on where you sit, however, trace odors of smoke sometimes linger in the air.It wasn't enough to bother us, however.And when you check out the menu and daily specials, the reasonable prices for the quality you receive is something to marvel.After sampling a variety of foods over two visits, only a couple of items didn't delight.One would be the pork kettle appetizer ($7.95).Available at lunch and dinner, the dish disappointed because of its too-greasy texture. Served in a hot skillet, the three main flavors — grated pepper jack cheese, chunks of pork and tomatillo salsa — just didn't meld into a satisfying starter.Pieces of wonderful warm focaccia bread with melted mozzarella that comes at the beginning of each meal also accompanied this appetizer. The bread should stand alone and didn't have a reason to be served with the already busy pork dish. Plain bread would have helped but still not saved this appetizer.Everything else at the Steak House made it a destination for dining — whether or not you intend to gamble.Instead of the pork, start out with the shrimp cocktail ($9.95). The four shrimp's "jumbo" status took about four bites each. A smooth cocktail sauce with just the slightest tingle of horseradish accompanied the shrimp.The 8-ounce filet mignon ($18.95) costs about half of what you'd pay at some Tucson steakhouses. The two-inch-tall cut of meat was seared and had a delicate peppery crunch on the outside. The meat almost melted in our mouths.A side of button mushrooms ($3.25) was sautéed with garlic and flambéed with brandy. It paired perfectly with the steak.As with all dinner entrees, a side of tender-crisp vegetables — including asparagus, squash, green and red peppers, zucchini, onion and carrots — accompanied the steak. A salad or a cup of soup of the day was included, too.And what a garden salad it was. Grape tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrot shreds, croutons, cheese and field greens were all tossed in a light vinaigrette.For sides, a loaded baked potato ($2.50) will be wheeled over and "dressed" for you tableside. Choose sour cream, butter, chives, cheese or smoked bacon bits — or all of them — for your toppings.The potatoes are a sensible size and aren't the giant, 1-pound varieties you get at Ruth's Chris Steak House. That's why they're $2.50 each and not $8.50, like at Ruth's Chris. Get three of them if you're that hungry.During another visit, this time at lunch, the Cajun tilapia ($12.95) looked intriguing. The first bite into the white, flaky fish yielded more juice than a seafood should possess in Tucson. The blackened spices had some kick, but not enough to discourage even sensitive palates.The prime rib sandwich ($11.95) came stacked with thinly sliced slivers of tender meat and covered in a mix of onions and a brie and cream cheese horseradish sauce.Our only problem with the dish was its lack of kick. When we eat prime rib, we want the accompanying horseradish to singe our nose hairs and make us weep like small children after a scolding.We didn't get that from what came on the sandwich. We didn't even get that from the extra side of horseradish we ordered a few minutes into the meal.And we wanted the first dessert we tried, an apricot and cherry clafouti ($6.25), to be memorable. If the "classic French dessert" had arrived piping hot in the small black skillet, it probably would have been. Because it didn't, we settled for a pleasant combination of fruit and custard on a soft crust topped with powdered sugar. A scoop of French vanilla bean ice cream sat in the middle.A classic banana split ($6.25) should come with a warning. Served on a giant platter, the dessert was enough for a meal. For two.