STK is
more of a place to be seen than eat: one scroll through the Instagram photos
tagged at their location reveals more breast and thighs than steak. This should
have been the first hint that the restaurant focuses on its boozy atmosphere
and food is secondary.
The tuna
tartare ($19) was boring but respectable - a bed of mashed avocados topped with
diced tuna sitting in a sweet and salty soy honey emulsion. Too bad everything
was just so soft, the only crunch coming from the taro chips. It’s fine, but
seems like something I could easily replicate and hardly restaurant quality.
At a
whopping 28oz, the dry-aged porterhouse ($150) should be shared amongst two (it
was even enough to satisfy our table of three). The menu declares the cut the “king
of steaks” given the bone holds together a NY striploin and filet mignon, two
cuts in one. Sadly, it wasn’t prepared like royalty. The filet mignon was
grossly overcooked from the requested medium-rare, instead arriving at the cusp
of medium-well. Luckily, it’s a tender cut of beef and has been dry-aged so
even with the extra time on the grill the tenderloin was still edible.
What a
shame to cover the beef juices with a sauce, but with the steak’s haphazardly
seasoned exterior, depending on the slice you choose, sauce could be necessary.
With a choice of two accompanying the steak, we opted for the au poivre and chimichurri. The chimichurri
was so tart that someone must have substituted cider vinegar for olive oil and
the au poivre so tame it might as
well be gravy. After a taste of each, I decided to go back to how it should
have been enjoyed in the first place – plain.
As
common with high-end steakhouses, sides must be purchased separately. The Mac
‘n’ cheese ($14) could have been warmer as the cheese was congealed making the
pasta spoon out in clumps rather than displaying long creamy strands that makes
you salivate. Nonetheless, at least it had plenty of cheese and with its
heaviness was a large satisfying serving.
The Brussels sprouts ($14), on the
other hand, sorely lacked vegetables … bacon made up half the dish. For some,
this meatiness may be a welcomed addition, but since I actually enjoy roasted
Brussel sprouts, the meagre portion was a disappointment. I’ve never had such gluttonous
Brussels sprouts: aside from the huge cubes of hard candied bacon, it was also
drenched in a sweet balsamic glaze – do yourself a favour and stick with the
asparagus or broccolini.
Despite
the lackluster meal, that evening I decided to post a picture of the boring but
at least pretty looking tuna tartare. Here’s your second hint that STK is
really a lounge than a restaurant: a friend commented on how I was out “partying
it up” … you’ve been warned.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 153 Yorkville Avenue
Address: 153 Yorkville Avenue
Website: http://togrp.com/venue/stk-toronto/
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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!
Is That It? I Want More!
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