Address: 7 Elm Street
Website: http://www.barberians.com/
Type of Meal: Dinner
When a
restaurant’s been in business for over 50 years, you know they’re doing
something right. Started in 1959, Barberian’s is a steakhouse institution. Their
dining room proudly displays Canadian history with a mixture of sculptures,
paintings and artifacts; from paintings
by the Group of Seven, a copy of the Globe
and Mail from 1867 and pre-Confederation currency from the Hudson’s Bay
Company, there’s a lot to be seen if you’re a museum, art or history buff. But, none of this matters to me, what draws
me to Barberians is their meat – all 16 ounces of it to be exact.
Their menu is
stocked with traditional classics - no there isn’t the wagyu beef you’ll find
at Jacobs - just the timeless cuts of meats that were probably around 50 years
ago. The lack of choice isn’t a concern for me, give me an aged black angus bone-in
ribeye any day, it will always be my favourite.
First to
arrive is a basket of hot garlic bread and pickled vegetables (a collection of
carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, a cauliflower floret and a jalapeño for whoever is
brave enough to try it). I’m glad they leave the dish of vegetables with you
throughout the meal, they really helped to break through the heaviness of the
steak when I just need a refreshing sharp crunch.
After seeing
the table beside get their salads and the enormous portions, my husband and I split
a Caesar ($10.25; half portion pictured below). Unlike Harbour 60, it’s not
done table-side but encompasses all the elements of a good classic – thick
super garlicky dressing, smothered with grated parmesan, cool fresh romaine
leaves and crisp croutons. It did lack bacon bits, but I don’t mind this given
I’ve never been a huge fan of bacon.
For my first
visit I had to go with the house specialty… the rib steak (available in 16 or
24 oz portions). Opting for the smaller one ($49.75), it nevertheless was a
hulking piece of beef. Barberians is known for their steak seasoning, a secret
blend that has been used since its inception and can even be purchased to take
home. I have no idea what’s in it, but it adds just enough flavour to the steak
without becoming overly salty so that the natural meat juices still stood out.
As with the typical rib eye, it was wonderfully tender from the marbling and
cooked to the perfect medium rare doneness. In my opinion, it wasn’t as good as
the one I’ve had at Harbour 60 but any difference is slight as both were a
delight.
We were
offered a choice of rice, baked potato or fries with the steak (note there’s a
$7.75 supplement for mashed potatoes) so you could get away with ordering just
a steak without paying extra for sides. Although the fries were good (I snuck
some off the plate of a fellow diner), nothing goes better with steak than a
loaded potato. The condiments arrive table side allowing patrons to customize
as they please - I packed mine with sour cream, chives and feta cheese (an
interesting option which adds a bit of briny richness to it).
Despite the
fact that I had to give away a portion of my steak after starting to get meat
sweats, I was actually craving something sweet to end the meal. So our table of
four decided to share an order of hot apple beignets with vanilla ice cream
($10.25). As with all of Barberian’s portion sizes, the dessert was more than
enough to satisfy all of us with the dish having two full sized beignets and
two scoops of ice cream. Inside each
beignet was a large thick slice of apple, which reduced the batter ratio and
helped to lighten the dessert. Covered with cinnamon sugar and sprinkled with
finely chopped walnuts this is my type of dessert.
It’s a steakhouse
where you can arrive clad in suit or sweat shirt and feel equally welcomed. During
our Sunday visit, the place was packed but there was never a moment we felt
unattended to. Although the steak at Barberian’s wasn’t the best I’ve ever had,
there’s something about their atmosphere that is so enjoyable and embracing
that it’s certainly the one I’ll return to. Here’s to hoping that it will continue
to be around for many years to come.
Overall mark - 8 out of 10
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
