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| - Second time here, this time with a friend.
Pros:
- those chive scones continue to be a winner, don't ever take them off the menu!
- starter salad was delicious, layered with many perfectly suited ingredients and not overly dressed like so many other places
- potato side dish was great: homestyle, creamy and an overall winner
- carrot cake had a rich almost molasses quality to it, decadent end to meal
Cons
- biggest con was steak was raw to the point of chewy tendons and parts had to be spat out. Which is a shame because the mushroom sauce accompaniment was amazing. I get overcooking a steak is a crime but they've swung way too much the other way here. Seriously it was blue raw. Medium rare would have done wonders for this main dish
- broccoli and another smaller side salad for testing steak were ho hum and close to what you could whip up at home
- meal is pricey: with cocktails, coffees and tip was $200 for 2. Given the price points it just seems chintzy to charge for water especially with no warning. $5 americanos also steep. These are prices approaching "event type" restaurants with luxurious decor etc so seems out of whack for a homey neighborhood style place
Service was neutral, a little cool but efficient. I'd probably go back but this is definitely a splurge type place. I really feel the east end needs some more competition from top-notch restaurants like on Queen or King West. Ruby Watchco is probably the best on this side of town but it needs some real competition to keep it on its toes. As an east-ender myself I think the reflexive defending of so many mediocre restaurants along this strip by locals (I'm talking about you Peasant Table, Aft, County General, Skin and Bones, Braised, the list goes on and on) is preventing the innovative and epic meals you can get on the other side of town. Big sigh that the New Broadview Hotel's kitchen will be Peasant Table/Table 17 guys :( We deserve better!
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