The Keg restaurants, which, twice a week, is flying in the clawed, upscale shellfish from Nova Scotia. Featuring all manner of tempting dishes — tacos; lobster sirloin; bacon-wrapped lobster; and lobster tail dinner among them — Lobster Summer runs until Aug. 28.
At The Keg Sherway, in west-end Toronto, we opt for a steamed, two-pound, whole Atlantic lobster, and it’s a beauty, loaded with snowy white, succulent flesh, served simply, with drawn butter. Two claws up for Lobster Summer!
Elsewhere, there’s first-rate portabello mushroom, meaty and firm, earthy and delicious, stuffed with diced veg sharpened with Asiago cheese. Garnishing this marvelous mushroom is rice enriched with Asiago and more veg.
On the meat side of the equation, the kitchen sends out prime rib, perfectly medium rare, as requested, and supremely tender and flavourful. Also cooked to medium-rare juiciness is a 7 oz. filet crowned with a rich, understated blue cheese crust accessorized by sweet roasted garlic cloves.
On the side, there are feathery twice-baked potatoes; fluffy baked potato; and al dente mixed veg.
To finish — what else? A gigantic slab of Billy Miner Pie, a wicked construction of mocha ice cream, crushed chocolate cookies, hot fudge, caramel and almonds. Vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce and cherries is simply summer-perfect.
All of this unfolds on The Keg Sherway’s covered second-floor patio, a sophisticated, 140-seat space decked out with a fire pit, fireplace, modern art and, as the focal point, a sizeable bar anchoring the space.
The patio can host groups of up to 20, with advance notice and subject to availability.
— Don Douloff has been a restaurant critic for over 25 years and, during that time, has critiqued more than 1,200 eateries. In 1988, he studied the fundamentals of French cuisine at Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris, France. During his time in France, he furthered his gastronomic education by visiting the country’s bistros, brasseries and Michelin-starred temples of haute cuisine. He relishes exploring the edible universe in his native Toronto and on his travels throughout Canada and abroad.
