Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 335 Queen Street West
Website: http://thebeverleyhotel.ca/
Type of Meal: Dinner
My husband’s Beverly burger ($16) was cooked to a medium doneness so that patty was still soft and juicy. Sitting on top of a soft sesame bun with a heavy dose of fried Guernsey cheese there was certainly a barrage of flavour. As if the hollandaise sauce, in lieu of mayonnaise, was not enough, my husband also added a fried egg (additional $1) making it a saucy and messy burger. I tend to like firmer charbroiled burgers so this one was a bit mushy for my taste; but, my husband liked it and rates it top 10 on his list (although still behind the Harbord Room’s rendition).
Overall mark - 7 out of 10
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Gastro World's Grading System
Address: 335 Queen Street West
Website: http://thebeverleyhotel.ca/
Type of Meal: Dinner
The Beverley
Hotel is located on a busy stretch of Queen West with the restaurant centrally
located on the ground floor. While visiting in the evening, I almost missed the
simple glass doors embossed with their name if it weren’t for the point-of-sale
signage located out front. The dining
room is a narrow but long set-up with one side dedicated to a large bar and
tables and banquettes along the other side and the back. Its décor is reminiscent
of a steak house with the dark wood accents and leather clad seats; the dim
lighting makes it a good place for a date or drinks.
The French
Kiss 75 ($13?) was a fair sized cocktail made from
pink prosecco, gin (?) and grapefruit. A
bubbly concoction with a citrusy twist and just a hint of sweetness, it’s
refreshing and a nice sipping drink. I
also enjoy the whimsical lemon rind twist adorning the glass.
Not hungry that night, I opted for the
mussels + brussels appetizer ($10) which was a surprisingly large portion. Cooked in a beer based garlicky broth the
mussels were done well but would be even better if there was more cooking
liquid to dip them into. I thoroughly
enjoyed the variation on frites using brussel sprouts instead; they were slightly
charred and crispy adding sweetness and smokiness to the dish. I would have
liked an empty bowl to discard shells as it was difficult to eat until one of
my friends could offer me their finished plate to use.
Beverly Hotel’s
steak tartare ($14) is the first I’ve seen that sits upon a disc of cold herbed
mashed potatoes. Made from hanger steak,
the tartare has a bit more bite to it and generally a decent flavour. Thankfully, they give enough pieces of
pumpernickel toasts (what’s with restaurants now a days giving a huge portion
of tartare and then 3 small pieces of crostini?). To top everything off there’s
a quail egg, pickled green beans (sadly I didn’t try but heard pickled
vegetables is one of Chef Wood’s specialties) and micro greens.
My husband’s Beverly burger ($16) was cooked to a medium doneness so that patty was still soft and juicy. Sitting on top of a soft sesame bun with a heavy dose of fried Guernsey cheese there was certainly a barrage of flavour. As if the hollandaise sauce, in lieu of mayonnaise, was not enough, my husband also added a fried egg (additional $1) making it a saucy and messy burger. I tend to like firmer charbroiled burgers so this one was a bit mushy for my taste; but, my husband liked it and rates it top 10 on his list (although still behind the Harbord Room’s rendition).
Unfortunately,
my favourite part of the dish, the fries, was lukewarm and stale – what a
disappointment. There was hardly even a
full portion of them when they arrived so perhaps the kitchen ran out and didn’t
feel like making another batch.
The Beverly
Hotel is a nice classy destination on the Queen Street West strip. The cocktails are delicious and appetizers a considerable
portion at reasonable prices. Overall, I sense the restaurant will do well as a
drinks and shared plates place, which may just work in the trendy
neighbourhood.
Overall mark - 7 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!
