4.8 Stars
VIBE
Backyard Urban BBQ Patio meets Algonquin Park. Fitting! I love the Canadiana touches like the Hudson's Bay jugs. Service is incredible and the cooks are cute!
One note on reservations: guys, you need to make sure you're picking up the phone and that I don't have to follow up 4 times. I'm persistent but making a reservation shouldn't be a hassle for the customer.
I also can't control other big parties but as a result, we waited a half hour when we were on time. That said, the server fed 8 in an hour. We were smart to have written down everything we wanted by the time we sat.
WE ATE
Oh, we ate!
HITS
It is all about the baby back ribs with pesto. These ribs far surpass those of Stockyards and I am now dreaming of them on rotation.
We got extras of: smoked mozzarella and roast garlic bread (a tad pricey!) and the grilled corn salad side (damn!)
Our favourite sides:
Grilled Corn Salad FTW
Potato Salad (wowza)
Pork and beans (a nice hot compliment)
The underdog was the Steel head trout poke. WOW. All of these flavours compliment one another with the smokiness of the trout and the texture of the chips /peanuts and spiciness of the chili, ginger and soy. We were picturing a trout head but it's not like that at all. Trout is cut up and it's served in a bowl like nachos. I am so glad we got this.
NOT SO MUCH
Again, everything here was tasty but these were the dishes I weren't feeling:
Jerk Chicken wings with pineapple -- wings were a bit charred for my liking and I didn't really taste the flavor in this dish. I wanted to like it more. I didn't really like the presentation of the pineapple (does this make me a douchebag? Probably...I sound like an old lady).
Cubanello peppers and eggplant - great for vegetarians but not as impressive as the other sides.
The ice cream sandwiches. Again, I wanted to love these more and you can definitely split this but I wasn't feeling the size of it --it's a bit awkward to eat and I think there's too much brioche. But bonus points on creativity for this. They were definitely a hit with our group, though! And don't underestimate the PB&J sammie.
DRINKS
The Bohemian Cooler is FANTASTIC. Plus, the ginger beer is from Thomas Lavers. DELISH!
The Margarita - it was boozy but I'm not a fan of slushy margaritas. (I'm partial to the one at La Carnita).
NOTES
It would have been great for us to have split bills (especially with our drinks or to prepay on our drinks) but at the same time with a big group, it gets complicated so we sucked it up. But: they only charge a certain gratuity for groups over ten.
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
This is a fun place for a group if you're willing to wait. You will be crowing all the way home from this feast.