Showing posts with label steak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steak. Show all posts

CLOSED: Lisa Marie (Toronto)

Posted on Tuesday, July 19, 2016 by

With the Elvis Presley motif on the wall, it’s clear where the inspiration for Lisa Marie’s name came from. As Kitchen Project notes, the King enjoyed Southern stick-to-your-rib food, exactly what the restaurant serves. But, where Elvis didn’t like strange foreign sounding ingredients, Lisa Marie uses things like kimchi or queso fresco, extremely popular ingredients in their own native lands, to jazz up the King’s favourites.

As part of the Summerlicious menu ($28 for dinner, regular prices listed in post below), kimchi was used in the Alabama tailgaters ($11) and Seoul fried chicken ($19); both meaty dishes filled with flavours. The tailgaters have nothing in common with the steak of the swamps, rather is sliced beef and aged cheddar, rolled up and wrapped in bacon. They’re salty and tender, not as heavy as I expected. Although the kimchi became lost, there was a light chili garlic sauce on the green beans, which helped to cut through the grease.


A pile of cabbage kimchi sat beside the Seoul fried chicken. If it’s too spicy, the sweet red sauce covering the dish helps calm the sting. The bone-in pieces of chicken were juicy and the breading substantial enough to withstand the thick glaze so it retained its crispiness.


Soft creamy queso fresco made its way inside the flautas ($9), combined with white cheddar cheese for the stringiness. The tortillas cylinders were crispy to contrast against the molten cheese, it was a nice starter topped with crema and a refreshing roasted tomatillo sauce.


Lisa Marie’s carne asada ($19) incorporated tons of char on the pichana steak, yet remained a moist medium inside. The smoky meat was complimented by creamy guacamole, heirloom cherry tomato salsa and of course the soft crumbled queso fresco. Of all the dishes we had that evening, it was actually the lightest, even incorporating grilled shishito peppers for a further portion of vegetables.


I can’t leave Lisa Marie without having some pad thai fries ($5) - fries tossed in a very spicy pad thai sauce with crunchy raw bean sprouts to cool the zing. They’re normally fantastic, but were lukewarm that evening so a tad less impressive.


Elvis must really have a SWEET tooth, as all the desserts were fairly sugary. After one spoonful, I couldn’t have more. The Elvis ($7) is like a Southern trifle, boozy zambaglione dotted with bananas and French toast. Of the three being offered, it was the tastiest to me.


The small skillet was really cute for the s’mores, but its heat did little to melt the milk chocolate chips on the bottom. Mixed with Nutella and topped with toasted marshmallows, I assure you it’s as sweet as it sounds. The graham crackers were closer to a hard shortbread, so all together the dish really didn’t remind me of s’mores at all.


You certainly need a cup of milk after having a bite of the homemade Oreo: a crunchy chocolate cookie filled with the sweet cream that’s synonymous with the famed cookie.


Although the desserts weren’t for me, all the savoury dishes from Lisa Marie’s Summerlicious dishes were absolutely delicious. Everything was full of flavour and certainly stick-to-your-ribs - you’re not leaving hungry… the King would approve.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10
Is Summerlicious worth it (based on my meal selection)?
Summerlicious - $28
Regular menu - $37 - Alabama tailgaters ($11), fried chicken ($19) and dessert ($7)
Savings - $9 or 24%
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 638 Queen Street West


 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:




The Octagon (Thornhill)

Posted on Sunday, June 26, 2016 by


Residents of Thornhill will be familiar with the octagonal building gracing the corner of Yonge and Clark. First starting as the Copper Kettle, the restaurant was renamed to The Octagon in 1974 and converted to a high-end steakhouse. I love their Victorian dining room draped in rich wood and jewel tones – something about the historical décor makes me feel like I’m in a steakhouse. If you want privacy, ask for a table situated in their small private enclaves that can seat six.

Although their Caesar salad ($17.95/person with minimum 2-person order) looked overly dressed, it tasted surprisingly light having a thinner consistency and enough citrus incorporated into the freshly made dressing. It’s a decadent treat, but hand whipped Caesar salad made table side is a staple for me when visiting steak houses.


The escargots ($14.95) were traditionally prepared, arriving hot in the individually held clay baking dish and swimming in brandy laced garlic butter.


Of course, each table also gets a brimming pickle and olive tray (thankfully, their pickles weren’t overly mushy and I loved the heat of the chili… especially after the meal to act as a palette cleanser) and basket of garlic bread.  


Unlike other fine dining steakhouses, the Octagon offers “lighter” mains where the proteins are a normal serving and arrives with vegetables (no starches). The 6oz. New York strip steak ($32.95) would have been a tad tiny on its own, but augmenting it with a piece of my husband’s massive bone-in rib steak ($65.95) was perfect – enough for me and not leaving him with meat sweats.


Prepared using a charcoal broiled method, the steaks have lovely grill marks and a light smoky aroma. The meat is juicy and oozes with metallic beef flavour … you know you’re in a place that specializes in steak.     


Unlike some of the newer high-end competitors, the Octagon’s regular-sized mains also come with sides – large meaty mushrooms and a choice of starch (baked potato, garlic mashed potatoes, fries or rice). It’s a tad more “economical”, saving you enough to splurge for dessert.

Their coconut cream pie ($11.95) is the best I’ve had in the city: a silky coconut custard held in a pie crust lined with chocolate so its crispiness is retained. On top, plenty of neutral whipped cream and white chocolate shavings for sweetness. It’s not an overly heavy dessert but should still be shared.


Some things are institutions for a reason – overly ornate interiors, large portions of food and expertly prepared traditional menus. The Octagon has it all, long live the steakhouse.  

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Thornhill, Canada
 Address: 7529 Yonge Street

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

The Octagon Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Canyon Creek's Chef Table (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, March 05, 2016 by


Foodies know that being invited to sit at the Chef’s table is a treat - getting to speak to the Chef and being fed an exclusive menu are just a couple of the perks of this honour. To my surprise, Canyon Creek, a casual upscale dining chain from the same corporation that operates Reds, also has this special table… just become a member of the “Canyon Club” to get the invites (refer to the end of the post for details).

Each menu differs and consists of dishes generally reserved as secret menu items, created for Winterlicious/Summerlicious, or completely new concoctions featured at the event.  Just expect a multi-course meal (in this case six dishes) complete with global wine pairings curated by Constellation Brands for only $50! I have signed up for the club in hopes of being invited back to enjoy another dinner with my friends.

To begin, a selection of charcuterie nibbles with a lightly oaked Ravenswood Chardonnay. There was a variety of cheeses: a creamy Ontario brie, a harder crumbly zamorano and a lovely wood fired smoked cheese, each adding different dimensions to the wine. The thinly shaved meats (jamón & chorizo Ibérico and bresaola) were salty and delicious, especially the jamón ibérico that had such a rich sweet smoky essence blending into the thin layer of fat. Chef Dorian King was smart to keep the olives (cerignola and arbequinas) milder as to not over power the charcuterie. 


I’d happily order the jicama shrimp tacos again (Canyon Creek please offer it regularly, a special summer menu perhaps)? What a bright dish! The crunchy jicama shell (a root vegetable having the light sweetness of apples but the texture of potatoes) topped with smooth avocado, pickled onions, and a barely cooked through shrimp with a ceviche quality. The tacos certainly has some heat from jalapeno and the sriracha crema, but the grapefruit segment helped calm everything.


The Alberta bison carpaccio was rather delicate, serving the lean cut of meat raw was an ideal choice. Despite looking so small, the dollops of Kolzig’s triple crunch mustard and fried capers were packed with flavours to incorporate into the neutral carpaccio. The dish was the secret menu item for December and January – Chef King gave me the scoop that in March it will be a s’mores brownie with chocolate ganache, torched marshmallows, peacan crumble and whisky cherries.


Winter seems to be the season for beets: Canyon Creek using colourful ones in the base of the salad with whimsical candy cane slivers on top. At first I couldn’t see how the “goat cheese” description worked into the dish, until Chef King explained that the ingredient was made into a creamy coulis sitting on the bottom of the dish – how inventive.


Yet, I could hear the sigh of satisfaction when the steak was presented … sure it’s served with the tried and true mashed potatoes and crispy asparagus spears, but why mess with such a good combination? Although the steak appeared very rare, it was wonderful – flowing with juices and incorporating the succulence one expects from filet mignon.


The meaty portabella cap on the side was topped with ample amounts of sweet buttery lobster to add a touch of decadence.  A rendition of this dish with a 7 oz. sirloin, in replacement of the filet mignon ($31.65), is available at their Sherway Garden location if you’d like to try it for yourself.

Given I’ve started dabbling into matching wine with food, it was a treat to understand the thought process Mike German, representative from Constellation Brands, goes through when deciding what to pair with dishes. For example, with the leaner bison choosing a Vintage Ink Merlot Cabernet as to not overpower the meat, opting for the Inniskillin Pinot Noir (rather than a typical white wine) with the beet salad as the fat of the goat cheese can still hold up against the red, or serving Ruffino Prosecco to end because who doesn’t like some sparkly to finish?

After draining the last of the wine and feeling sufficiently stuffed and happy, we ended off with a jar of the potted blueberry cheesecake. The cream cheese was thoroughly whipped with sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla to make it much lighter, giving it a custard-like consistency. I rather liked the honey graham cracker crumbs, even though it took some work to get to the bottom.


Chef King loves participating in the Chef Table events, he notes they present “the opportunity to provide our guests with a unique experience at an incredible value. We put extra care and detail into the planning and execution of these events and usually add more ‘touches’ than what would normally be ‘executable’ on an everyday basis.” Certainly, I was impressed with the presentation that evening.

Being a curious person about the preparation and ingredient combinations, having the Chef walking around and answering queries was a treat. Chef King agrees, “It’s a pleasure meeting our guests and conversing with them about food and life. I usually find that people are very open to hearing about the ingredients, preparation and origins of the dishes, which I love to share and most Chefs love to talk about.”

Overall mark - 7 out of 10
Disclaimer: The above meal was complimentary. Rest assured, as noted in my mission statement, I will always provide an honest opinion.
How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 156 Front Street

 Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog

 ____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

Is That It? I Want More!

Other Gastro World posts similar to this:

Canyon Creek Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Beech Tree (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, December 06, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 924 Kingston Road
Website: http://www.thebeechtree.ca/
Type of Meal: Dinner 

When you think of a quaint neighbourhood restaurant, The Beech Tree certainly looks the part. Its cozy dining room is wrapped in dazzling damask wallpaper and bright wainscoting. There’s a sophisticated homey charm to its décor.

But, it’s small size has drawbacks – one being waiting 25 minutes after our reservation time to be seated. It’s unclear whether they have limited dishware, but 10 of the 25 minutes was spent setting the table. Irritatingly it was a slow and inefficient process - three separate individuals bringing out dishware at varying times (one cups, another cutlery and the last napkins?). After each you think it’s done only to find the person go serve another table. The Type A in me cringed making me want to go help. If setting a table is going to take that long, I highly suggest just having a plate and napkin done, seat everyone and worry about the wine goblets and cutlery afterwards.

Alas, once seated I ordered a cocktail to calm the impatience. The Osborne ($10) sounded delicious made with cucumber infused gin, cucumber puree, Thai basil, lemon and lillet. It’s light and refreshing, a good drink to start with.


Thankfully, their food impressed. The pan-seared gaspe scallops ($14) was fantastic and beautifully presented on a platter. The scallops had a nice seared crust and was just cooked through. Even the items accompanying it were great – the tender house-cured ham and what I thought were soft creamy potatoes which turned out to be Jerusalem artichokes.  This is an appetizer that’s great for sharing.


The arctic char ($25) was cooked perfectly with a very crispy skin. The fattiness of the fish (less than salmon but more than halibut) went well with the heavier accompaniments – a thick butternut squash puree and a sweet curry corn patty. I also enjoyed the hit of chilies that was thrown in somewhere. Topping everything was a refreshing vinegary slaw that worked well to balance the sweet squash.


I was looking forward to the roast breast and fried leg of chicken ($22). Sadly the breast was overdone and dry. I salvaged it with the sauce verte drizzled around the artic char, using the oil to rehydrate the meat. The leg was much better with a crispy cornflake coating, which was well drained so wasn’t greasy at all. On the side were parsnip, brown butter, quinoa and a great smoked swiss chard (I would have loved more of the greens).


My other friends at the table decided to go with beef and that evening they had two options to choose from. On their regular menu was the grilled sirloin steak ($24). It arrived cooked well and beautifully presented with fingerling potatoes dusted with kale powder, mushrooms and a vegetable fritter.


Beech Tree was also offering a bone-in ribeye special for two ($60). Essentially a huge hunk tender meat rustically served with thick wedges of large mushrooms, potato gratin and creamed spinach. The steak looked fantastic and so did the sides – but the portion of sides given could be upped since it was meant to feed two.


The Beech Tree’s food is delightful and the surroundings cozy and comfortable. I’d hope our experience at being seated with an anomaly, but to be safe grab a smaller group or opt for an earlier sitting so the table is already set upon your arrival.

Overall mark - 7.5* out of 10
* Food wise it would have gotten an 8. But, the pitiful table set-up at the beginning lost them half a point.


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


CLOSED: Nota Bene (Toronto)

Posted on Saturday, July 19, 2014 by
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 180 Queen Street West
Type of Meal: Dinner


Not having visited the restaurant for years, Summerlicious seemed like a great opportunity for a return visit. For one, it would be more affordable (normally mains can easily cost upwards of $35) and their Summerlicious offering sounded great. Plus, they even had great drink specials with $8 cocktails and $7 wine glasses.


At first, I was worried the restaurant’s quality had gone down as the starters differed from my fond memories of Nota Bene. Don't get me wrong, they were still decent; but, the ingredient combinations and tie into the restaurant itself seemed off. My albacore tuna sashimi was seared beautifully with a thin even ring around every piece. However, the accompanying ingredients (Caeser aoili, fried onion frizzles, bonito flakes and grilled peppers) were all so powerful that it drown out the fish. Personally, I thought the condiments described on the menu (citrus soy sauce, ginger and coriander) would have been more than enough. The additional elements were tasty but, in my opinion, would have worked better with beef carpaccio. 


Sanagan’s pulled braised goat was a dish recommended by Toronto Life’s picks. So, it was one I was interested to see and arrived more put together than expected. My friend described it perfectly – it tastes like chili except with shredded goat. In hindsight, after reading the menu’s description (black beans, pico de gallo and goat cheese espuma) it should have tipped us off to the potential Tex-Mex flavours. And it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing – the chili was good - just not something you’d expect at Nota Bene (but could work well at The Carbon Bar). The creamy fried croquettes (perhaps polenta?) were delicious and went well with the tangy goat cheese.


As the mains arrived all fears were calmed - this was what I remembered and loved about the restaurant! Normally, I always go for the meat or fish option but something about the pea and ricotta ravioli was calling my stomach. It was every bit as delightful as it sounded. There were plenty of plump ravioli stuffed with a fresh sweet pea and ricotta. The creamy sauce helped to flavour the pasta but wasn’t too strong as to cover the subtle pea. A soft runny poached egg in the middle mixed into everything to add another element of creaminess. Plus, nothing goes better with shaved truffles than a well-cooked egg! Crisp kale chips were scattered on top adding texture and extra pops of flavour. This is a great dish that you should order off their regular menu.


Indeed, the peppercorn-crusted steak frites tempted me and those who ordered it were happy. Between our larger group, there were requests for rare, medium rare and medium well steaks. The accomplished chefs successfully served everyone simultaneously (despite the varying doneness) and each came out correctly.  And the parmigiano and rosemary topped fries were wonderful – I may have snuck my fare share off of the plates around me.

My husband, a burger fanatic, went with their dry-aged beef burger. He noted it was very juicy (likely on account of using beef brisket) and had good flavours. He only wished there was a bit more sauce to the burger but was nonetheless satisfied.


To end, my friend and I split a hot sugared doughnut and cheese plate. Now, there’s nothing wrong with the cheese plate; it had three great pieces of different and delightful offerings. With crostini and a piece of dried fruit this would have been a sufficient ending.


But, the doughnut was absolutely fantastic! We were astonished by the size (the equivalent of two Krispy Kremes), yet everyone polished off their plate. The doughnut was hot, soft, light and not too sugary. It went so well with the hefty scoop of vanilla ice cream and the light blueberry sauce.  My only regret of the evening was not having a full order of this.
Needless to say, we left the restaurant stuffed. Of course, our attentive waiter could have something to do with this. As we were waiting for a friend, he continuously brought out bread and our drinks were never empty.  All in all, the return visit was great (albeit much busier than the non-Summerlicious weeknights visits). So, although this post is coming out a little late in the Summerlicious cycle, go while you still can! And if you don’t get a reservation, go back and splurge on the ravioli and doughnut, you will not be disappointed. 


 Is Summerlicious worth it?

 As a special feature to the Summerlicious blogs, I will attempt to calculate the savings being offered (based on my meal selection).

 Summerlicious - $45

 Regular menu - $58 - tuna sashimi ($17), ravioli ($29) and doughnut ($12)

 Savings - $13 or 22%

 * All the items offered during Summerlicious were part of their regular menu, fantastic!

    Overall mark - 8 out of 10
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     ____________________________
    Gastro World's Grading System
    • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
    • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
    • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
    • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
    • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
    • 10 - absolute perfection!



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