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THE DISH: Steak service more than just theatre at The Keg Steakhouse and Bar

When U.S. player Morton’s The Steakhouse came to town many years ago, installing themselves in a sprawling and expensive space at Sinclair Centre, I went to see what all the fuss was about.

When U.S. player Morton’s The Steakhouse came to town many years ago, installing themselves in a sprawling and expensive space at Sinclair Centre, I went to see what all the fuss was about.

Their arrival was much hyped with many suggesting it signalled a new dawn of upscale dining in Vancouver, like we had finally made it into the big leagues.

I remember very clearly the tag-team duo of apron-clad dudes that came by my table to loudly and confidently announce their service game-plan for me and my guest (“We’re going to get you settled with a cocktail while you review this wine list and we’re going to show you today’s steaks right now”).

There was a wooden cart, a vestige of classic tableside menu service, on which sat several imposing cuts of beef that were tightly wrapped in plastic film, along with whole raw potatoes, a bunch of asparagus and some broccoli. The conceit of the cart idea was to show diners the available steak options “in the flesh” before ordering.

Where it degenerated into parody, at least for me, was the detailed review of the broccoli, a lengthy and superfluous exercise in which one of the servers held the vegetable in his great meaty paws and rotated it, flipped it over, and otherwise pointed out various aspects of its alleged excellence like a spokesmodel from The Price is Right.

Morton’s, a respected organization with many outlets throughout North America, belongs squarely in a camp I’d be inclined to call the theatre of steak, in which dinner is interactive performance art. In this theatre, diners participate in a well-established tradition hailing from decidedly familiar gender sterotypes; this is the steakhouse of the brokers, the bankers, and the businessmen, a home to three-martini lunches, expense accounts and thick cigars. Here, pricey steaks are married with even more expensive wines that are listed in heavy, leather-bound tomes and served by brash and jocular staff versed in the art of “bro-ism.”

By contrast, for all its heavy wooden decor, signature dim lighting and hefty cuts of beef, The Keg Steakhouse, I feel, does not participate in the theatre of steak. It’s a simpler place, informed by predictable quality and familiar, pleasing flavours.

The Keg has emerged as my destination of choice when, on rare occasions, I feel like having a big, bloody slab of beef and a sour-cream laden baked potato with bacon bits without spending $500.

My frequent dining co-conspirator, Gil, has accompanied me on numerous high-end restaurant visits, from Las Vegas to Scotland and many stops in between, and still shares my perspective when it comes to steak.

So it was that the two of us descended upon the brand new Keg at Park Royal South, a polished and sophisticated, contemporary venue that is, in my estimation, the best, most quintessential expression of The Keg steak paradigm, the fantastic patio at the Yaletown Keg location notwithstanding.

We visited on a Saturday night and walked the steep entry stairs to find the venue hopping, but still able to accommodate a table of two without a reservation. We were promptly seated in a comfy and spacious booth and were attended to within minutes by a courteous but precise and efficient server who brought us a round of drinks while we reviewed the menus, a frankly perfunctory exercise given our familiarity with the offerings.

Gil began his meal with Mushrooms Neptune, a dish that would have been every bit as much at home on the original 1971 Keg and Cleaver menu at the foot of Lonsdale as it is here on the menu of 2017’s latest steak emporium.

The dish consists of massive mushroom caps stuffed with a crab and cream cheese filling, a proven and still delicious combo of earthy, heady flavours and rich, creamy seafood.

While The Keg also features many more contemporary dishes like Tuna Tartare and Thai Chicken, I also decided to go old-school and order escargot, a nostalgic dish for me as I was so fond as a child of the requisite herbed garlic butter and crusty bread that are the hallmarks of Keg snails. The escargots are also stuffed into mushroom caps, are drowned in the aforementioned butter, and served with a sizeable mini loaf of brioche-style bread to mop up all the goodness.

Steaks are available in the usual lineup of favourites, including ribeye, New York strip and prime rib, and may be ordered as part of steak and seafood meals that can include Alaskan king crab, Cajun prawns or lobster, or a la carte, with the option to add sauces or select seafood as desired. I opted to do the latter, ordering an eight-ounce top striploin, medium-rare, with shrimp and scallop Oscar (which is to say, with the seafood in a creamy Bearnaise sauce).

Served with my steak, which arrived a perfect medium-rare, was a fair-sized baked potato with butter, sour cream, scallions, and bacon bits. The meal was exactly what I expected: a well-prepared, tender and good-quality steak with familiar but still satisfying accompanying flavours. Gil’s Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon entrée provided a similar reward, but in this case was a leaner, denser piece of beef, tipping the scales at 10 ounces, his served (as requested ) with a twice-baked potato (other side options include fries, garlic mash, asparagus, or asiago rice).

We paired our meal with a bottle of Mollydooker “The Boxer” Shiraz, a ripe and round Aussie from the McLaren Vale with a berry-forward fruit profile, subtle tannins and balanced acidity; it is a steak-friendly wine reasonably priced at $60.

In the name of research (and gluttony), Gil ordered a Fudge Brownie dessert, served warm with vanilla ice cream, caramel, hot fudge and whipped cream. It was every bit as unnecessary as it sounds.    

Our meal was $156 before gratuity, but including the bottle of wine. The Keg is located in Park Royal South. thekegsteakhouse.com 604-922-1387

Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. He earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. He can be reached via email at hungryontheshore@gmail.com. North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously and all meals are paid for by the newspaper.