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| - A new delight has graced the streets of the ever changing St Clair Ave West landscape. The Crest, a refreshing change from the numerous Italian, Latin American and breakfast nooks that have owned the strip for the last number of years, is a sophisticacted and enjoyable dining experience without breaking the bank.
Unfortunately, this is something that can easily be missed as the exterior is very simple, sleek and black which may make one thing it is a night club. But step inside and take in the atmosphere which, with soft lighting,exposed brick, numerous chandeliers, and mirrors of varying size and shape evokes the feeling of a European resto-bar. The backyard, heated patio is beautifully made and a nice touch with colder weather just around the corner. The only detraction is the numerous flatscreen televisions that seem to remind you that you are in fact on St. Clair Ave and the next football match, (unfortunately, probably not hockey this year) is available here too! However, the food and environs make the tv's bareable. Our party of four starts with the shared plates and we are informed by our very friendly and extremely helpful server that the menu is meant to be shared.
Our party chose the Coq Au Vin Poutine (yes you read that right), the Mussels in White Wine Sauce and the Buttermilk Calamari. The poutine was simply devine. The chicken and gravy complemented each other beautifully and for such a heavy sounding dish, it was actually quite light. However, that may have had something to do with the fact that I was forced to share it. The calamari batter contained faintly chopped pieces of jalapeno (and another unidentified) peppers which gave the light batter a wonderful little kick which complimented the dipping sauce perfectly. The white wine sauce of the mussles was delicious and fragrant and my dear husband could not stop himself from dredging his accompanying bread in the bottom of the bowl. As we are four East Coasters we are particular about our seafood and did feel that the mussels were slightly over steamed. Information which we relayed to our server, but nothing that would stop me from ordering them again.
The mains ordered were two New York Strip steaks and two Bar Burgers (not very adventurous at this point, I know) accompanied by two orders of Truffle Fries for sharing.
The comments from our party on the steak was that both were cooked perfectly and they had just the perfect criss-cross charring pattern which is a good indicator that there is a good grill and the chef knows what he is doing. The Bar Burger is anything but your average burger. The bun was warm, buttery and so tasty, yet it did not swallow up the burger which was cooked to perfection and served with lettuce, tomato, pickle and a wonderful shallot aioli. For an extra charge we added Gouda cheese and avocado which simply enhanced the flavour. And finally, the Truffle Fries.Our server explained that they have a slightly distinct flavour (as you would expect) and if upon trying them we did not like them we could send them back as they may not appeal to everyone's palate. The only thing we sent back were our cute, white empty bowls they came in. The fries were thin cut, (same for the Coq Au Vin Poutine) fried and yes, there certainly was a distinct, earthy taste, that was delicious and different and kept us wanting more. The only unfortunate thing I have to say is that this might turn into the type of restaurant where I simply order the same thing over and over because I enjoyed it so much.
For a party of four that included seven alcoholic beverages and the aforementioned, the bill was approximately $170.00 Well worth it for great food and atmosphere and something different all within walking distance from home.
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