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| - It's been a while since I've been out and about. I don't know what that is - maybe the explosion of new restaurants was just too much for these old bones. Whatever the case, I had not ventured outside of my comfort zone (my known knowns) for way too long. Thank god it was Bestellen that broke me out of my funk.
Bestellen is an unimposing front on College Street right beside Black Skirt, which I accidentally walked into at 8:00 believing I was late for my reservation. The owner did not seem surprised to have to send me next door so perhaps my stupidity isn't atypical.
Inside, however, Bestellen is lively and exciting. A large fridge along one wall displays their various meats, all of which have been finely aged so that beef tastes like BEEF. A large bar looks so fully stocked it's surprising that it can hold all the bottles - an OCD bartender's wet dream. There is no wine menu per se (the waiter arched an eyebrow when we asked for one). As the wines change weekly/monthly they're scrawled upon the long blackboard walls to insert new labels more easily. Our reservation was for 8:00 on a Friday. It was the chilly day of winter and snow was falling, so that could be the reasoning for the low turnout. Regardless there were plenty of seats open, which was a bit of a letdown because we'd hoped to eat a bit earlier but were told that couldn't be accommodated.
But forget about minor annoyances - you're here for the steak. And what a steak. The "Best Steak in Toronto" is a title bandied about with some regularity. Admittedly I don't eat out enough to properly judge. But I can say that they do an excellent job here. Steaks are cooked Sous vide, which is a 70s french style of cooking that brings the meat to a perfect medium rare temperature before it's quickly seared and served. The result is a massive perfectly cooked steak. And yes, we went for the most massive of all. All of the food is great, and the smaller (relative term) plates all looked fantastic. But if you can get three or four people together, go and get their $96 steak. It easily feeds four, has a delicious side of marrow (I recall three bones but it could have been four) and comes with two sides, making it cheaper than three mains with sides on their own (or at least comparable).
We splurged on wine, going for a $60 bottle of red - the selection is split into three prices, $45, 60 and something higher we didn't really look at - $90 probably. This makes the selection much easier and helps you dodge having to choose the second cheapest wine. The wine was fine and the waiter was knowledgable about it. Our second bottle was in the cheaper range and you could taste where the $14 had gone. We may have just chosen a bad bottle, but for those looking up and down the cheapest list, it's worth busting out your LCBO app for helpful hints.
Dessert is prepared by the day, so the two or three options are typically scrawled on the wall above the open kitchen. A chocolate volcano-type dish and gingerbread pudding were both good but nothing to write home about.
All in all an amazing meal. This is not a cheap night out, but if you can get a good double date going you'll find it pretty manageable. The ambience is nice (we had an unfortunate table of hoodied dudes arrive as we were leaving, but aside from that it was nice groups and couples) the service great and the meat is to die for. All in all, and easy Four Stars.
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