Tag Archives: steakhouse

BIG APPLE BITES: This steakhouse has been serving up mutton chops since the days when men had mutton chops…

We’re hanging out at Keens Steakhouse, an NYC institution going back to the 80’s — the 1880s, bro! This place is super old school with wood panels and floors, waiters in bow ties and vests, and they’re serving up big old cuts of meat like back in the old days.

Starting off with a Twice Baked Vermont Blue Cheese Puff, served on a bed of hollandaise. It’s sorta like a soufflé, with a slightly eggy taste — the blue cheese is not as strong as I would have expected here.

Now, I definitely don’t eat mutton every day… but if all mutton tastes this good, then I wish I could! Super-tender, texture like a ribeye steak, the meat doesn’t need much help to come off the bone. And cutting it up is half the fun, son — I think I did a pretty good job:

No meat left behind, bro!!!

But of course we’ve still got room for dessert! This Lady M Chocolate Cake has layers and layers of chocolate, with chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache and chocolate sponge cake. You KNOW I need you now, bro!!!! (Oh wait, that’s Lady A…)

This place even has its own signature beer, Keens IPA. Very smooth and drinkable, not too heavy on the hops. Goes great with mutton chops!

$400 steak dinner (in person) @ Jacobs & Co.

Back in the middle of the first lockdown, in 2020, one of the highlights of my life was when I ordered a $200 steak dinner and saved $50 on Uber Eats from Jacobs and Co, this fancy steakhouse just offa King Street West. And lemme tell ya bro, that was one of the best steak dinners I’ve ever had!!!

Well, now that things are pretty much back to normal, we’re heading over to Jacobs in person for the first time. And let’s just say I wish I was getting 25% off… cuz we’re blowin’ high dough, bro!!!!!!

When we went to Hy’s Steakhouse last year, we got the Caesar salad served tableside. And when I heard that Jacobs was doing the same thing, you KNOW I gotta get it.

Dude, this salad is enough to feed a family of four, bro! There’s a whole buncha crunchy croutons, nice big chunks of real bacon, and they even put a couple anchovies on top, to make this a balanced breakfast in Flavourtown!

We’re pairing that with beef tartare, served raw and chewy with some lettuce and crostini. Gotta love a place where you can get beef as an appetizer AND the main course, bro!!!!

Speaking of the main course, we’ve got 14 ounces of U.S. Wagyu ribeye steak, cooked to a nice medium rare. This steak is so money that even the chunks of fat taste good, bro! And when you put a bit of that blue cheese butter on top, it just kicks it up another notch…

On the side, we’ve got a creamy, cheesy potato gratin paired with a sticky mushroom risotto. Not quite as tasty as the sautéed mushrooms from my takeout order, but we’ll still take it…

Now, while the wine list is literally 90 pages, Jacobs has only got 4 beers to choose from — Asahi, Inniss & Gunn, Leffe Brune and a Vermont Blond session IPA from Burdock. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out which one I went for. This Blond is nice ‘n hoppy, but super-crushable at 4.4%. Let’s just say I had at least 3 of these — still a lot cheaper than a bottle of wine, though!!!

Not gonna lie, I was getting pretty, pretty full at this point. But you KNOW I can’t not eat chocolate cake, bro! This flourless chocolate cake comes with mint chocolate chip ice cream and a chocolate chip cookie on top — it’s like a chocolatey three-way in Flavourtown!

Now, as you might imagine, this mighty, mighty feast did not come cheap — the steak alone cost me $250! And after tax and tip, we’re looking at $400-plus…but I gotta say, it was money well spent. Dude, I’ll take a great steak over the tasting menu at Don Alfonso any day of the week, and twice on Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUMMERLICIOUS 2022: $75 steak dinner @ Michael’s on Simcoe

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID, Summerlicious has come back to Toronto, with funky joints all over this city serving up three-course lunch and dinner menus at a set price for a limited time. Dude, this is body by three-course lunch and dinner menus at a set price for a limited time, so you KNOW we had to check it out! And we’re starting off on the high end with a $75 steak dinner from Michael’s on Simcoe.

Now, I have walked by this place so many times, but I’ve never been inside until now. They have a reputation as one of the nicest steakhouses in town, and even the appetizers on their regular menu are almost 40 bucks, so I figured that a $75 set menu was a pretty good deal.

Speaking of appetizers, the three choices for Summerlicious were either soup or salad, and it’s a little too hot to be eating soup. So if I’m eating salad, I want it to be the least salad-y salad I can get; this burrata hits the mark with big ol’ chunks of cheese, a few baby tomatoes, sweet peppers and pickled chanterelle mushrooms — besides a couple sprigs of basil, there’s not a leafy green thing in sight!!!

Now, you could order the chicken, the trout or even a mushroom risotto… but if I’m eating at Michael’s for Summerlicious, I’m having the steak. This sliced New York striploin was a lot less meat than I’m used to, but it was still pretty flavourful, with a mustard-infused potato salad, one great big broccolini and a super-thick ‘n crunchy onion ring. Man, I could go for a basket of those onion rings any day of the week, bro!!!!!!!!

And while there was nothing wrong with the steak, the highlight of this meal was definitely dessert. We’re talking rich, moist chocolate torta, with chunks of salted caramel and a scoop of chocolate hazelnut gelato. This is right up there with one of the best desserts I’ve had all year. Can I get three of them to go???

This 24 oz porterhouse is a righteous Easter Feaster!

Now, I’m not saying we won’t be going for Easter Sunday brunch on Triple B…but the real Easter feaster already happened last night. We’re talkin’ steak night at Morton’s, with the biggest cut of meat on the menu — 24 ounces of porterhouse steak, son!!!!!

Dude, this steak is cooked to perfection — medium-rare, just the way I like it. I also splurged for some bacon-wrapped scallops, which were also cooked perfectly. And because the First Rule of Flavourtown is “Always add bacon” we also went for the Smoked Gouda & Bacon Au Gratin Potatoes, which has got pretty much everything you need in a side dish, right there. Now, this feaster cost me a pretty penny, but it was soooo good to the late bite, bro!!!!

Of course, you KNOW we’ve still got room for dessert — and at Morton’s, that can only mean one thing:

Dude, Morton’s hot chocolate cake is so legendary, it’s literally right there in the name, bro! The oozy, dripping chocolate goes great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream — I didn’t start feeling full until after I polished this bad boy right off!!!!!

3-course meal, all made tableside @ Hy’s Steakhouse

Now, back in the good old days, when you went to a restaurant, you got dinner and a show, with food made right at your table. Me, I’ve been to places where they’ve done dessert at your table (Baked Alaska), they’ve made guacamole or set some cheese on fire (saganaki) as the first course, but I’ve never been to a place where you could get an appetizer, main course and dessert all prepared right in front of you…not since the last time I went for teppanyaki, anyways.

So, we’re hanging out at Hy’s Steakhouse, this fancy cross-Canada chain that’s been around since 1955. They just moved into a new space at Bay and Richmond a couple years back, and the place is all old-school, two floors of wood panels and leather booths with a piano bar downstairs and an actual working fireplace. This is as classic as it gets. And that also applies to the menu, where they’re serving up steakhouse classics at your table, like Caesar Salad, Steak Diane and even Bananas Foster for dessert!

We’re starting with the salad. I don’t normally eat salad, but if I do, I make it a Caesar. And they’re making the dressing from scratch, and tossing it right in front of you…I gotta say, it’s a pretty big salad, too!

But you know the party’s just getting started, son! Here’s a little ditty called Steak Diane, cooked at your table in a pan with onions and mushrooms, flambéed with brandy and finished with a cream sauce!

OK, so that’s a pretty small portion in Flavourtown, but the steak was cooked perfectly, and hey, when was the last time you had someone cook a steak at your table, son??? (OK, so it was probably some Korean BBQ, but this was a LOT fancier than that.)

But you KNOW we’ve still got room for dessert bro! And they’re bringing back the skillet for some flaming bananas, coated in caramelized sugar, with a hit of rum, some OJ and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The bananas guy was also the Caesar salad guy, so I think I might owe him extra money…

Dude, that’s bananas…and bananas are good!!!!

PATIO LIT EATS: French Onion Wagyu Beef Short Rib? Don’t mind if I do…

Welp, I think patio season in Toronto is officially over now. But just the other day, the temperature hit 19 degrees, and it was still nice enough to eat outside in the evening. So we’re ending patio season in style at a really fancy steakhouse — The Butcher Chef on Harbour Street, just a few Raptors missed 3-pointers away from Scotiabank Arena. This place is serving up Wagyu and Japanese Kobe beef that costs up to $1,020…so when I saw the French Onion Wagyu Short Rib for $75, I figured that probably wasn’t such a bad deal.

But first, we’re starting off with an old-school steakhouse Caesar salad, I know, I know, you don’t win friends with salad, bro — but when we’re talkin’ massive crispy croutons, chunks of Parmesan and entire strips of bacon, dude, you could put that on an Air Jordan, and it would still taste good!!!!

But now it’s time for the main event. What we’ve got here is some braised Snake River Farms short rib, topped with Cipollini onions, served underneath a piece of brioche, where they pour a buncha Gruyère fondue on top. This dish is cheesy, crunchy, big and beefy, bro! I probably couldda used a little more meat, though…

But you KNOW we still had room for dessert, bro! And not just one dessert, but four desserts! (This mighta meant they screwed up more than one person’s order, but hey…) We’ve got white chocolate cheesecake with pistachio crumbs, pavlova with mangoes and coconut sorbet, sticky toffee pudding topped with vanilla crème brûlée and burnt orange caramel, and a plate of assorted macaroons, truffles, chocolates and berries. Everything but the kitchen sink, son!!!!!

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: $30 steak dinner, delivered!!!

Over a year ago, when the pandemic was still young, I ordered a $200 steak dinner for delivery from the now-closed Jacobs & Co. This was the very first time that Uber Eats was giving out codes for 25% off, so I got them to take 50 bucks off my bill — which is probably why their promotions are more like like “30% off orders over $50, but save no more than $20” now.

Speaking of promotions, we’re now in the last days of DoorDash’s Toronto Premium Restaurants, so when I saw that Hy’s Steakhouse was one of the places taking 7 bucks off orders of $30 or more, I figured their $32 steak sandwich would fit the bill:

Now, for 32 bucks, you’re not expecting filet mignon — but this was still a pretty decent piece of meat. Cooked to an even medium rare, with a light sear, and a bit of peppercorn atop a toasted baguette. Would have been nice if they had taken off the gristly bit at the end, but otherwise, I’m not complaining.

Fries had a good thickness, and were nicely seasoned. The mini glass bottle of Heinz ketchup was a nice touch, even if I had to scrape out every last little bit — and still needed some more ketchup after that.

Now, when I ordered from Jacobs, I paired my steak dinner with a nice, fancy stout. Well, this beer is also a stout — although you wouldn’t know from looking at it. Big Rock Brewery’s Mindbender white stout might not be as rich as a Guinness, but it has enough of that cocoa-y, coffee taste to make you do a double take. Also, at 4.4%, it’s not much stronger than a Guinness — which means you could probably drink it for breakfast?

GRAND REOPENING: Green eggs & steak @ STK

June 14, 2021
greedocatucci
0 comments
brunch, caesar, steak, steak and eggs, steakhouse, stk, Toronto patios

Man, I don’t even know how long it’s been since I’ve been to brunch, bro! I mean, I ordered it for delivery a couple times during the pandemic — including a massive Mother’s Day smorgasbord-board — but actually eating brunch in person, at a restaurant??? Sheeeeet, I think I gotta go all the way back to September on that one! So obviously, once I heard that restaurants would be reopening last weekend, you KNOW I had to break outta this brunch slump, son!!!

We’ve been to STK a couple times before, and it’s on the second floor, so where do they even put a patio? Turns out, they’ve taken over the courtyard in front of Yorkville Plaza, which is pretty much right across the street. And it’s a pretty nice spot, out of the sun and the rain, with enough seating for probably about 50 people — not all of them got up early to crush some brunch as soon as they opened on Sunday, though…

Now, their $17 Caesar was a little spicy, a little pricey, and just plain little. But I’m so happy to have brunch back that I even ordered more than one!!!

I dunno if it’s because of grand reopening weekend, or if maybe they just scaled down their menu due to the pandemic, but some of their previous brunch classics, like chicken ‘n waffles or a big stack of flapjacks, were nowhere to be found. I didn’t even see steak ‘n eggs on the menu…but I did get them to whip me up a little sumthin’ sumthin’.

Since they were serving eggs in a couple of dishes, I ordered a 6 oz. filet with two eggs on the side — only catch was I could only get them poached. Also, all their steaks come with a sauce, which is probably against one of the rules of Flavourtown, but I used this opportunity to get some chimichurri, and create this beefed up benny in Flavourtown… Green eggs ‘n steak, son!!!!

Technically, it’s still not on the menu, but you know what they say — if you build it, they will come. Check out this messy field of dreams in Flavourtown:

Build your own steak dinner @ The Shore Club

Now, I’ve had a lotta great steaks all over this city, but I had never been to The Shore Club, this fancy steakhouse next to The Ritz-Carlton on Wellington. You KNOW this is body by steak bro, so I had to check it out…even if I had just destroyed a giant steak the other night!

Now, the deal at this place is they’ve got a buncha different cuts of meat — striploin, filet mignon, rib steak, short rib and bone-in ribeye, then you can choose to add seafood, like shrimp, lobster, scallops or crab legs. They also have five different sauces and butters, for that extra kick. Plus, there’s no less than 12 different sides to choose from, son!

Me, I went with an 18 oz rib steak, instead of the 24, but I added scallops and a Bearnaise sauce, plus steakhouse fries and wild mushrooms. Now, this wasn’t quite as good as the steak I had the other night — which is one of my top five steak dishes ever — and I think I’ve even had a better rib steak at Barberian’s, at Morton’s and maybe even Ruth Chris. But the scallops were super-tasty, nicely seared, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. This is the perfect bite, right here:

Oh, and word to the wild mushrooms, which were sauteed in garlic and herb butter. Wild mushrooms could not drag me away from you, Mick Bro-gger!!!!

Of course, even after eating all that steak back there, you KNOW I still had room for dessert. Dude, that was more like a steak snack in Flavourtown, bro!!!

Man, this Old-Fashioned Chocolate Brownie had pretty much everything I want in a dessert. You’ve got marshmallows, pecans, chocolate sauce AND caramel, with a scoop of ice cream on top??? Shut the front, back and side doors, son!!!!

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: $200 steak dinner, delivered!!!

Uber Eats gave me a code for 25% off this week, so I was looking for the most expensive, decadent meal I could order for delivery…and I think I found it. Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse is one of the classiest steak joints in Toronto, with premium cuts of Japanese beef that can set you back four bills, bro! Now, they weren’t delivering the (really) good stuff — their priciest cut was an 8oz Wagyu tenderloin from Australia for $168. Throw in a couple of sides, and let’s just say I saved 48 dollars today. 😉

My order arrived in about 35 minutes, and the aluminum containers kept everything nice and warm, so I definitely can’t complain! And who needs fine china when you’ve got heavy metal, bro???

Now, the first thing I thought when I took everything out of the delivery bags was “Man, these mushrooms smell amazing!” You’ve got a nice mix of roasted ‘shrooms, with some butter and chives, making this the perfect steak sidekick in Flavourtown!

But make no mistake, this steak was the star of the show. The baseball-sized sirloin melts like butter and cuts with a butter knife, Bro-an Adams! Now, I wouldn’t normally put any sauce on such a great steak, but a bit of that chimichurri and a couple dabs of horseradish really kicked it up a notch!

When it comes to the other sides, well, the duck fat fries were tasty — sorta like an elevated Swiss Chalet — but what really makes this dinner was something I didn’t even hafta pay for…the real-deal bread rolls!

With a meal like this, you really don’t wanna fill up on bread, but I just had to eat both of these — they’re like muffins meets Yorkshire pudding in Flavourtown! And that chive butter was super legit… I’d put that on a flip-flop!!!

Now, some people might drink wine with a nice meal like this, but you KNOW I’m all about the beer, bro! So I’m washing it down with a Unify or Die, this funky spiced stout from Blood Brothers, one of my favourite local breweries. (Dude, they’ve even got an Iron Maiden beer!!!) This brew’s got the silky smooth body of a Guinness, but with a lot more vanilla, and a bit of cinnamon, for that extra kick. And man, is there a better-named beer for this whole pandemic thing???

Now, even though I saved over 48 bucks on this order, after taxes, fees and a reasonable tip, I still ended up dropping just over 200. But man, it was money well spent, son! If I ever sign a big NHL contract or something, I KNOW where I’m going for dinner!!!!

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