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| - We had high hopes for our first dinner at Union, in part because of the rapturous buzz, in part because of the complexity of securing a reservation (more about this below). Our companions: the foodiest of our foodie friends, on a weekend pass from Ottawa, ready to be dazzled. I'm not sure there was any dazzling done this night, but we left full and satisfied.
Things started well: our table was waiting for us when we arrived. Given the reputation some of the hottest joints in town have of making patrons wait long past their reservation times, I took this as a good sign.
Then, eventually, came the food.
Appetizers:
1) Beef Tartare: a lovely little cube of raw steak haché, with grainy mustard, a little pile of ground pepper, and a firey hot sauce on the side. Excellent! I'd happily have it again. A.
2) Elk Sliders - tiny open-faced burgers on little triangular slices of bread. Beautifully seasoned and moist, a little gamey as elk should be - this is the app I'll order next time. A+
3) Charcuterie Platter: melt-in-your-mouth pastrami (brilliant), respectable pork rillette, and... I didn't catch what the mystery-meat-looking thing was, but it was the only part the four of us didn't polish off. B+
4) grilled sardines. In reality a salad with one smallish sardine on top. I didn't taste it, but from the look on our friend's face, I'd give the dish a C.
Mains:
1) Two of us found the pork ribs impossible to resist - especially with the promise of a piece of pork belly, which turned out to be beautifully smokey and unctuous - the best part of the dish. The ribs themselves were nicely caramelized and falling off the bone, but in the end a little dry. And the huge, super-rich portion left me feeling a bit overwhelmed (and I'm a good eater). B+
2) Beef tenderloin was polished off without sharing and pronounced excellent. A
3) Fish special - simply made and presented (good), but a little overcooked. B
Desserts: my better half and I shared the bread pudding, recommended by the server. Tiny portion was, by that point in the meal, just the right amount for two, and delicious. Friends' apple crumble and panna cotta were pronounced excellent... but by that point I was too stuffed to sample.
Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable, but a bit run off her feet. No one seemed to be helping her, and it felt like the place could have used one more staffer working the floor.
Oh yes, and the reservations. It seems that reservations can only be confirmed by the manager, so if you call and get someone else on the phone, all they can do is take your request and promise that the manager will call you back. Is that promise always kept? Nope. Do they show any concern when a customer calls back the next day to inquire? Not the time I called. All's well that ends well, but really, Union. Join the modern age and stop making your customers jump through hoops. Open Table makes everything easy and transparent.
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