Bishop’s Cove Landing
Ph. 726-4534
Looking through the gaps in the steakhouse’s narrow, dark
Venetian blinds I saw - just a few yards away - fishing boats safely docked
beside the St. John’s harbour apron on which the Keg Steakhouse conspicuously
stands. I was sitting in a sleek, darkish room of contemporary design that was
impeccably decorated. It featured dark wood, individually lit tables and booths
for four or six, a glass encased, temperature controlled wine rack and
tastefully framed pictures hung from red walls. Friends had told me this
restaurant was exactly the same as any other Keg steakhouse, however, I don’t
remember the interior of the one I visited in Toronto a few years ago being
anywhere as handsome as the interior of the St. John’s Keg.
My guest and I couldn’t help obsessing on the unopened
bottle of Mission Hill cabernet/merlot (known for its plum and black cherry
finish) that sat in the middle of our table.
“Is it a complimentary bottle?” he asked hopefully.
“Not unless they’re giving everyone in the restaurant free
drinks,” I answered (having cunningly noticed that every other table in the
room was similarly blessed).
Neither of us noticed the card next to the bottle indicating
this was the restaurant’s “featured” wine, selling for $31.95 per bottle.
Bitter, we went with a Shiraz from a rival New World winery, Talus of
California.
With the wine selection taken care of I tucked into my plate
of tempura snap peas and asparagus, served with a soy dipping sauce. The
asparagus and especially the snap peas were beautifully fresh and flavourful.
However, it appeared to me that - unlike the asparagus, which most likely was
introduced to the hot oil in individual spears after being battered – the snap
peas entered the sizzling pool as a family. The result was a glob of fried
batter containing an unattractive arrangement of both battered and partially
battered peas. Every time I tried to pull a snap pea from the congealed mass
the pea came free from its batter casing. Consequently, every snap pea I ate
was naked…sans tempura.
My guest, a scallop lover, had the Keg’s bacon wrapped
scallops with the advertised “zesty martini cocktail sauce.” The scallops were
the standard bacon clothed jewels we’re all familiar with. He thought they were
yummy but personally I’m not fussy about scallops covered in smoky bacon
because it masks the flavour of the scallops. The “zesty” martini cocktail
sauce it turned out, tasted exactly like that bottled red shrimp cocktail sauce
sold at supermarkets.
Just before he served us some very tasty Keg bread which
“has sour dough in it but isn’t sour dough,” our hyperbole-prone, punster
server said something curious. He offered, “The steaks here are AMAZING so
that’s the direction I’m going to ‘steer’ you in.” I couldn’t help thinking
that there weren’t many other logical directions to go in. After all, we were
sitting in a restaurant with a blazing red three-foot sign over the door that
said “Steakhouse.”
First, let me tell you about the accompaniments and sides.
With our steaks we were served vol-au-vents, little puff pastry shells filled
with spinach and sweet peppers. They were good. I tasted lots of oregano, one
of my favorite herbs. Tastier by far though, was the huge twice-baked potato, a
potato shell filled with a silky mixture of creamed potato, chives, herbs and
spices.
In the book, A Passion for Food, by Gerry Shikatani, the
well-known Toronto chef Andrew Milne- Allan talks energetically about cooking
vegetables. He believes too many restaurants these days are serving vegetables
that are undercooked. I agree. He posits, “A lot of vegetables don’t give up
their flavour until they’re cooked to a certain point.” That, alas, was the
problem with the Keg’s cauliflower au gratin dish. It arrived hot but with very
little flavour being offered from the too firm cauliflower, unlike the sautéed
button and portabella mushrooms. They were everything I’d hoped for, earthy and
deeply flavoured by some nice caramelizing.
My guest ordered a sirloin (medium) with black tiger
shrimps. The shrimps were delicious, although I wouldn’t recommend the peach
salsa that came with them as a dip. It was jam-like and very sweet, perhaps a
good accompaniment for French toast but not, in my opinion, for grilled shrimp.
His sirloin was cooked just a little past medium. I like to order sirloin rare
or at least medium-rare because it’s lean. The comment I remember from him was,
“It’s alright if I cut it in little bits.”
I ordered the bleu cheese filet. It was wrapped in a peppery
bacon and covered with bleu cheese topped with browned breadcrumbs and roasted
garlic cloves. The steak was perfect, juicy with nice hints of grill smoke. The
topping was less enjoyable because the cheese had absorbed and softened the
breadcrumbs making them soggy and white. It was visually unappealing and, for
me, there was too much cheese. Next time I try this combination I’ll go with
just a small amount of the strong cheese. However, I’m quite sure there are
plenty of people who would want this steak just as it was served, extra
cheesy.
Our server informed us that their dessert supplier in
Toronto makes the Keg’s desserts. Apparently, it’s crucial that everything be
consistently the same across the country. They seemed to be doing a good job as
far as their chocolate mousse cake was concerned. A pyramid of richly dense
chocolate mousse embedded with chunks of white chocolate cheesecake was stacked
upon a crust of chocolate cake. This devil-tempting creation was finished with
chocolate shavings, almonds and caramel. Need I say more? My love handles were
in no danger of shrinking that night. Then again, dining at steakhouses always
seems to be an occasion for excess. Portions are usually large and fat-laden,
breadbaskets tend to be kept full and (if one is available) the
mayonnaise-dominated salad bar is often busier than the slots at a Vegas
casino. The Keg does not have a salad bar but apart from that one detail it
seems to fit the traditional steakhouse profile to a tee and, no doubt, does
so…consistently.
Our dinner for two at the Keg Steakhouse and Bar (including
a bottle of Talus Shiraz, 2000 and tip) cost $144.25.
Best Points:
Great décor and ambience.
Areas for Improvement:
Servers should curb their enthusiasm a wee bit.
Ratings Category:
The Keg Steakhouse and Bar rates 7.5 points out of 10
points.