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| - I'm a woman who has been disappointed by them many times. Sometimes I meet them at a party. Sometimes they catch my eye at a nice restaurant. Occasionally I even spot them at the supermarket and bring them back to my place (!). They sound good, they look good. The problem is that once I put them in my mouth, it's kind of a letdown...what, you've never had a bad crabcake? Did I not say "crabcake"?
People, here's a tip: It's at e11even. It swims in mustard remoulade. It lasts 2 heavenly minutes and costs $21, which is too much.
Follow that up with Tuna Tartare ($19), chilled, flavourful and snuggled in spicy aioli; then Deviled Eggs ($7 for 4 halves), which will have you imagining Chef Graham Pelley as everyone's favourite person to invite to a Midwestern church potluck.
I was already stuffed at this point in my meal, but you know, [insert cliché here that might justify why I kept eating despite being almost uncomfortably full]. Washing it all down with my delicious and spicy Dark and Stormy ($12), I carried on.
The Speckled Trout with fingerling potatoes and green beans ($33) was tender and doused in truffle butter with enough to share, but the side greens were too meagre for my carb-stuffed liking. I also tried the Lobster Roll ($27) which was quite tasty, as was the side of stringy fries - I would have eaten more of it but by now I was so full, I didn't think I'd make it to the Raptors game.
Highlight: the BREAD. Sweet, salty, soft, warm, buttery, everything. EVERYTHING.
Other highlight: the BIDETS. Well *that's* something you don't see at Sneaky Dee's. I didn't try them, seeing as I'm not a raging sociopath, but I would love to meet the person who, mid-dinner date, goes to the bathroom and decides to go the extra mile of freshness while other people are waiting around outside. Or maybe I wouldn't, I don't know.
In summation: 3.5 stars, rounded up for ordering drinks via tablet for no particular reason. Totally overpriced, but the food is good, service is good, and the derrières around you may or may not be especially refreshed. This glorified sports bar is a welcome alternative to the standard pre-/post-Air Canada Centre fare if you have money to blow and can't stomach Jack Astor's...and you want a really good $21 crab cake.
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