Hurray! It's finally summer! Well, not officially yet but close enough. Wasn't the weather on the long weekend just fabulous? It was so sunny and hot out I even went to the beach on Victoria Day and got myself a tan. Yes, you heard right, a tan in May! I seriously can't wait to see what the rest of summer has in store :)
To celebrate the warmer weather, The Keg Steakhouse + Bar (Twitter: @TheKeg, Facebook: The Keg Steakhouse + Bar) invited me to their King West location to try their newly introduced summer cocktails and martinis. Inspired by the beautiful new season, The Keg's range of new cocktails all feature a variety of refreshing herbs such as rosemary and mint, freshly squeezed citrus fruits, and premium liquors such as Boodles Gin, George Clooney’s Casamigos Tequila, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and Lot No. 40 Whisky. I love all those things. All of it. If you can't tell already, cocktails are my weakness!
My friend and I tried a number of cocktails that evening, and because we both love boozy drinks, we "Keg Sized" everything (it's really the way to go). Without further ado, below are the cocktails and martinis we tried. Aside from the Keg Caesar, all the cocktails are from The Keg's new cocktail menu. The first price listed in the brackets is 1oz, the second is 2oz (Keg Size).
FAMOUS KEG CAESAR ($7.5 / $11.5)
Polar Ice vodka, Caesar mix, Tabasco and Worcestershire
LONDON BUCK ($7.5 / $11.5)
Boodles gin, fresh lemon and lime juice, simple syrup, muddled mint and raspberries, finished with a float of ginger beer
NEW YORK SOUR ($7.5 / $11.5)
Lot No. 40 whisky, fresh lemon and lime juice, simple syrup finished with a red wine float
BLACKCURRANT GINGER MARTINI ($11)
Casamigos Blanco tequila, Cassis, fresh lemon and lime juice, ginger syrup finished with a float of ginger ale
PINEAPPLE SPLASH ($7.5 / $11.5)
Gosling’s Black Seal rum, muddled fresh pineapple and mint, brown sugar, lime juice and a splash of ginger beer
DRUNKEN CHERRY ($7.5 / $11.5)
Casamigos Blanco tequila, triple sec, house-made drunken Bing cherry juice, agave syrup and fresh lemon and lime juice
MANGO MOJITO ($7.5 / $11.5)
Havana Club 3 Year Old rum, fresh lemon and lime juice, muddled sugar, mango and mint topped with soda.
NEW YORK SOUR ($7.5 / $11.5)
Lot No. 40 whisky, fresh lemon and lime juice, simple syrup finished with a red wine float
All these cocktails were really tasty in their own unique way, we actually liked them all. If I had to choose, my favourites would be the New York Sour (I tend to like sours), the Mango Mojito (mango is my favourite fruit) and the Pineapple Splash (I'm a sucker for anything ginger beer). My friend's favourites were the New York Sour (because it's the booziest) and the London Buck. Since we both really enjoyed the New York Sour, here's the recipe for it:
Just so you know, we didn't order all those cocktails at once; we sipped on them throughout the night along with our appetizers and steaks. I thought it'd be easier to feature all of them first and then proceed to talk about the food, which begins now...
ROASTED PORTABELLA MUSHROOMS ($20)
Stuffed with vegetables and Asiago cheese. Served with Asiago rice and vegetable garnish
Listed under the "Casual Plates" section on The Keg's menu, this dish is easily shareable and can be treated as an appetizer for the table. Those earthy, roasted portabella mushrooms were stuffed and filled to the brim with a mix of veggies in melted Asiago cheese. This was a rich vegetarian dish that was surprisingly delicious. The rice also had Asiago cheese in it ("cheesy rice"). It's definitely not what I'm used to when it comes to rice but I found myself really liking it. I guess what they say is true, cheese does make everything better!
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GARLIC CHEESE TOAST ($6)
Topped with a delicious blend of three cheeses and toasted to perfection
Garlic bread topped with hot gooey cheese. The Keg's description is absolutely correct because the bread was indeed toasted to perfection. I wouldn't change a thing. So very very addictive. I had to limit myself to two pieces because I didn't want to be full before my steak.
CHIPOTLE ONION SIRLOIN ($29) + BACON SAUTÉED BRUSSELS SPROUTS ($5)
8oz grilled sirloin topped with herbed cream cheese, sautéed chipotle onions, frizzled onions and served with your choice of accompaniment.
The Chipotle Onion Sirloin is a new feature at The Keg and it's available at all locations until the end of June (the other feature that is currently available is the Honey Glazed Salmon and Shrimp with Honey Lime Butter, which is $39). My friend had this steak, and he said he liked the crispy onions on top. He was especially fond of the heat from the sauteed chipotle onion. He thought all the components on the plate went really well together.
The Chipotle Onion Sirloin is a new feature at The Keg and it's available at all locations until the end of June (the other feature that is currently available is the Honey Glazed Salmon and Shrimp with Honey Lime Butter, which is $39). My friend had this steak, and he said he liked the crispy onions on top. He was especially fond of the heat from the sauteed chipotle onion. He thought all the components on the plate went really well together.
SHRIMP & SCALLOP OSCAR ($10)
He also ordered a side of shrimp and scallop oscar. He didn't particularly like this side since he thought the scallops and shrimps were on the small side.
7 OZ FILET MIGNON ($35) + ATLANTIC LOBSTER TAIL ($19) + BACON SAUTÉED BRUSSELS SPROUTS ($5)
Tenderloin wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and served with Béarnaise. The ultimate in tenderness
The 7oz filet mignon is my go-to steak at The Keg. It's juicy, soft, and always very tasty (I order it either blue rare or rare, depending on my mood). It's not as marbled as the rib eye, of course, but some nights I feel the rib eye is way too big so I prefer the filet (7 oz is the ideal size for me because I need to save room for dessert). That night I felt extra fancy so I added an Atlantic lobster tail. The lobster tail was really meaty, plump and succulent. This was the perfect surf & turf plate.
KRISTO COFFEE ($8)
A Keg legend! Kahlua, Grand Marnier and coffee
Hot coffee with booze topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Liquid dessert at it's finest.
BILLY MINER PIE ($7)
Mocha ice cream on a chocolate crust with hot fudge, caramel and almonds
Cocktails are my weakest, the Billy Miner Pie is my addiction. I always tell myself to try other desserts since I always get this but I just can't seem to do it. I don't want any regrets, I love this cake way too much.
This King West location has a great patio out front so I'm looking forward to spending some quality patio time there this summer, especially with their new Cocktail Hour specials that include daily deals on drinks and food available during the early evening and late at night (think $5 New York Sours, $5 Caesars and $6 Heinekens!) And if you love lobster as much as I do, keep your eyes peeled for The Keg's Lobster Summer promotion starting in July :)
*This meal was complimentary. The opinions and views expressed on this post are my own*
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