Hotel St. John’s
102-108 Kenmount Rd.
Ph. 722-9330
Who is P.J. Billington? He’s an odd looking character to be sure and ubiquitous. Surveying the floral patterned walls of P.J. Billington’s restaurant at Hotel St. John’s, covered with numerous framed pictures, it was hard not to notice that P.J. appeared in most, if not all of them. Yes, there he was with none other than Mae West, another showed him in a policeman’s uniform riding a huge white horse, and yet another showed him in a cuddle with flappers from the roaring twenties. (He obviously likes the ladies does our P.J.) As a restaurant mascot, P.J. Billington is more reticent, thankfully, than Ronald MacDonald but not as well drawn. He has powdery, snow-white flesh, red lips (underneath a giant handlebar moustache) eyes like two prodigious pieces of coal, and permanently raised eyebrows. He also wears a suspiciously shiny, poorly fitted black bowler that reminded me of a plastic party hat. P.J. Billington would not cause a person indifferent toward restaurant mascots (like me) to even slightly budge from that position.
The solarium at P.J. Billington’s, where I saw the P.J. pictures, was my first choice for a table. The booth seats needed more padding but the space was bright and cheerful, even on an overcast day. The floral pattern was carried throughout, appearing in the booth fabric, as well as the carpeting. The solarium’s freestanding chairs were made from some sort of cane or bamboo. The other half of the restaurant was darker but more intimate, a perfect area for someone wanting a little more privacy.
My meal began with a simple but stunning appetizer. It was a shrimp cocktail that featured jumbo black tiger shrimp dangling from the rim of a beautiful, tall margarita glass. The presentation of this dish was elegantly simple. Tucked inside the glass, standing tall, were leaves of radicchio and lettuce, making a good impression by contrasting red and green colours. The extra height impressed too. The centre of the glass was filled with a pink-coloured creation called, P.J.’s own cocktail sauce. The shrimp were luscious and tasted beautifully fresh and tender. I also liked the cocktail sauce that not only tasted lemony and tart, but also had a wonderful grainy texture.
My friend Linda had the Baja bites (pronounced bah-jah by Linda and the servers). They’re small appetizers consisting of marinated chicken strips with hot pepper, wrapped in a tortilla shell. Sour cream and salsa came on the side. Linda, who had been to P.J. Billington’s before, loved them. I liked them too (but I wish more people would say bah-hah instead of bah-jah).
If you’re looking to get warmed-up and nourished on a cold January day, then I’d recommend P.J. Billington’s chowder. It’s creamy, flavourful, and thick - a meal in itself. Unlike many I’ve tasted in restaurants, this chowder actually had some character.
Another friend, Deborah, had the chicken fingers. She got lots and found them tender and juicy. Her only complaint (a minor one) was that the plum sauce they came with tasted bottled. (I don’t know for sure whether it was bottled but I do wish restaurants would use less of the packaged, canned, bottled and prepared frozen product these days. It’s getting out of hand. Let’s get back to fresh food.)
P.J. Billington’s California chicken chardonnay is delicious. Pan seared pieces of boneless chicken, peppers, and mushrooms are blended with a creamy sauce that’s been flavoured with chardonnay. You can have this served over rice or linguine. I chose the rice. The chicken was cooked perfectly, the mushrooms had deep, rich tones and the chardonnay permeated the dish thoroughly but mildly. All flavours were tied together well.
The blackened salmon is admirable. It was spicy hot and served with steamed carrots, turnip, snow peas, cauliflower, broccoli, and rice that had a reddish tinge (perhaps paprika). Thankfully, the vegetables were not overcooked but just right. My only complaint was with the seasoning of the salmon, where, for my personal taste, too much salt was used.
I love prime rib and could not resist ordering one of the steaks on special for $14.95. It came with a standard garden salad (with a small dish of balsamic vinaigrette dressing), as well as two roasted potato jackets stuffed with a seafood gratin. In other words, it was a “surf and turf.”
I loved the potato dish. Let’s face it, what’s not to like about roasted potato skins with their wonderfully nutty flavour, combined with cream, scallops, shrimp, and cheddar cheese? The prime rib, on the other hand, was not as enjoyable.
The server had pointed out that the prime rib could only be ordered from medium to well done. I like steaks from rare to medium, so I went ahead and ordered a medium steak. Unfortunately, what I was served was not medium or even medium well. It was most definitely well done. Needless to say, it was very dry and with no provision made for any kind of sauce or jus, it did not go down easily. (This seems to be a fairly consistent problem in many of our restaurants. Cooks should and must be able to get a steak to a customer’s table the way he or she ordered it.)
To finish I had a piece of tiramisu. It had obviously been frozen and wasn’t quite thawed but I loved it just the same. It was plated with a drizzle of chocolate sauce beneath and buds of cream on either side. The tiramisu itself was multiple layers of creamy filling and cake, topped with sprinkles of cocoa. It was light in texture and, at the same time, rich. By the way, the literal translation of tiramisu is “pick-me-up.” It did that for me.
A dinner for two at P.J. Billington’s, including a tip and a couple of glasses of Peller Oakridge cabernet sauvignon, cost me $72.69.
Best Points:
I liked the solarium and, overall, the food was good. The shrimp cocktail was especially delicious.
Areas for Improvement:
Attention must be given to the doneness of steaks.
Ratings Category:
P.J. Billington’s gets a respectable 7.5 points out of 10.