A while back I had purchased a Groupon for this restaurant, but never got around to going. There was a plan to go out for "munchies". After a long week where most days I didn't have lunch, I decided if we were going to go out, I wanted dinner. At work this week I came across the expired Groupon and figured we may as well go there. It had gotten many good reviews and I could redeem the face value of the coupon.
It was the best decision ever! When you first walk in, you notice a modern yet rustic décor. The walls are earth tones with beautiful light fixtures and rustic wooden tables and chairs. At the back you see the open concept kitchen with a large table that surrounds it. The place isn't huge, but the tables are well spaced out. Even the tables for 2 are bigger than average so there's plenty of room and you don't feel cramped.
We were early for our reservation, but they seated us immediately. They were very warm and welcoming. Water was brought to the table and soon after the waiter came over with the menus and explained the table d'hote for that night as well as some of the other items on the menu. He further suggested the steak sharing plates that came with market vegetables. The cuts were from natural farm raised cattle, no feed or hormones. The farm belonged to the owner's wife's brother.
The menu is not extensive, but offers a good variety. Everything sounded good, but ultimately we decided to go with the steak sharing plate. The waiter came over and brought a second menu that detailed the various cuts available. We chose the 2lb bone-in rib steak with a side of roasted potatoes. To start we ordered a salad and house made broccoli soup with fresh herbs. As a point of interest, the soup was vegan friendly. Personally I'm a self proclaimed carnivore, but it just goes to show that this restaurant accommodates all eating preferences.
The salad looked pretty with fresh crisp apple slices, spinach, candied walnuts, bacon and feta cheese. My soup was delicious. It came drizzled with a balsamic reduction in a spider web design. The flavours were fantastic and I loved the texture.
We were caught off guard when the owner came over to our table with the steak for approval before they cooked it. Wow, it looked huge!
If you're a meat lover, you so have to go. The steak arrived at the table on a marble slab. It sat on a bed of cooked market vegetables. On the marble slab there was also a porcini butter, a beet puree and a squash sauce. Each sauce was better than the first, but the porcini butter was outstanding. It looked like hummus and had a similar texture, but as soon as you put it on your tongue you could taste the earthy rich mushroom flavour. I could eat that with their fresh made bread until the cows come home! I've never had porcini butter and it was fantastic. The sauces are all made in house and natural.
The presentation was also unlike anything we've ever seen. The meat was cut away from the bone and sliced. It was cooked a perfect medium-rare. You had smudges of the bright yellow squash sauce, small pyramids of the beet puree which was a vibrant fuchsia and a generous dollop of the porcini butter. The meat rested on a bed of market vegetables which included broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. As condiments, they brought us small blue glass jars with crushed sea salt, olive oil, balsamic reduction and parmigianno-reggiano. It's incredible how all the various elements married so well with each other. Each bite was full of texture and an explosion of flavours. It was all very fresh and natural tasting, if that makes any sense. Even the meat was very flavourful and lean, not your grocery store steak! The owner referred to it as a "cowboy cut". It truly was amazing, we were very pleasantly surprised.
Needless to say we had no room for dessert, but the profiteroles stuffed with tiramisu cream and drizzled with chocolate and espresso sauce would have been my choice. For those who are gluten allergic, they also had a deconstructed cheese cake. So again, something for everyone.
Some will probably think, there had to be something you would change. My response to that would be that the cappuccino could have had a denser more generous amount of foam. Just a personal preference.
Overall, this was an incredible choice. Nice when you venture into a new restaurant where you've never been and they blow you away. The atmosphere, variety and attentiveness of the staff was first rate. Even the chef came over at one point and was thrilled to see the bone of our steak sitting in the middle of the plate looking naked. He said, "That's exactly how it should look, I guess you enjoyed it". Given the quality and portion sizes, I find their prices to be very reasonable. It is a high end restaurant and well worth it.
You won't have to twist my arm to convince me to go back. I look forward to trying some of the other dishes on the menu. This was by far one of the best dining experiences I've had in a while. It is a real gem. The exterior is very unassuming and simple, they save the best for their food!
Try it out!
Carm the Foodie
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