Tonight we would be having dinner at The Keg, a Canadian based steakhouse. But—that would be later. Our day began at Edgar, a well known breakfast/brunch café—which not only serves up extremely distinguished food, but successfully managed to fill me up. And though it was tough to get moving, I managed to put in a solid walk along the Ottawa River during the afternoon, before heading back, where a bit of rest was in order.
A friend would be meeting us later for dinner, but after a brief hibernation, we were ready to get moving. With time to kill, it only seemed appropriate to make our way to a pub. I have written about Byward Market and the Aulde Dubliner in previous posts. It just so happened to be that The Keg was located at Byward Market. It also happened to be that the friend who was meeting us for dinner worked just a short walk away from the market. And, would you believe, it just so happened to be that the Aulde Dubliner, the awesome Irish Pub I so enjoy visiting, is conveniently located at Byward Market as well? So…we were headed to Byward Market!
The Aulde Dubliner was the perfect place for us to kill a few hours while waiting for my friend to get out of work. I enjoy sitting on their balcony, particularly on a nice day—and let me tell you, a nice day is what we had. It’s location in the market is ideal, and I won’t fail to mention, it’s “Irish pub charm” is overly welcoming. The real bonus, however, is their beer selection—specifically, Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale. This wonderful red ale is a nitro beer as opposed to a typical C02 beer. What does this mean? It’s smoother and less bubbly, a.k.a. less bloaty (not even sure if that’s a real word, but you get the drift). Unfortunately I cannot get this beer anywhere near my home in the Atlantic City area. I have to come to Canada to get it, but I must say, it’s worth the trip!
The Keg
This is where I failed! I don’t know how, but I forgot to take any pictures. If I had to guess, I’m sure the handful of beers I had at the Aulde Dubliner influenced that mishap.
The Keg is a Canadian based steakhouse with a few location in the United States. I believe there are only four or so locations in the U.S.—and in my case, thousands of miles away from home. Basically, I just go to Canada to get my “Keg fix!”
I enjoy The Keg, and I make it a point to visit whenever I’m in Canada. Our experience, as always, was fantastic. I believe our waitress was from the Quebec side of the river, as she was constantly working some “French” terminology into her sentences. “Bonjour,” she shouted as she introduced herself to our table, the proceeded right into English. She was great! Very personable and certainly on top of her game. I’ll tell you, I liked the “French touch.” Truth be told, it enhanced the experience—particularly when she referred to me as, “the Monsieur.” More on that later.
You’re probably wondering what I had? Well, I’d put up a picture, but we already know I dropped the ball on that one. I’ll attempt to describe it, and allow you to form a picture of your own. I ordered the filet mignon—rare, of course—then realized, I was the one throwing out French words now. The filet comes wrapped in bacon, as everything should be. Though, I should clarify, the entire steak is not wrapped in bacon like breading on a chicken cutlet, rather it is wrapped around the edge. Hopefully you’re forming a pretty good picture, and if I’m making you hungry, I’m sorry! The dish comes with a small dish of béarnaise sauce—I know, there I go with the French words again. As for my side, I decided to go with the twice baked potato, which was amazing! If I could get it thrice baked, I certainly would.
I paired my meal with a glass of red wine, and despite the fact that this followed a handful of beers from a short while ago, somehow my palate was intact. There was no doubt—I enjoyed my meal! I attempted to get another glass of wine, but our waitress must have forgot. No big deal—we agreed that we would just open up a bottle of wine when we got back. So…upon finishing my meal, I removed myself from the table to attend to a nature call. I returned to discover a member at our table mentioned something to the waitress regarding the situation. Honestly, I was ok without it. Dear me, did I really just say that? Sure enough, our waitress showed up with a glass of wine, deeply apologizing for the delay, insisting it was on the house. I explained that was not necessary. I was happy to drink another glass of wine, and though many would have jumped on the opportunity for a complimentary glass, at the end of the day, I ordered it, and was going to drink it—why wouldn’t I pay for it? It’s not like everyone’s food showed up and not mine, and I was forced to watch everyone eat. The gesture alone went miles!
The waitress returned with the bill, and in her words, stated that she put the wine on the bill because “the Monsieur” (me) insisted, even though it was killing her. She informed her manager that “the Monsieur” wouldn’t allow the house cover it, so her manager informed her that if “the Monsieur” insisted on paying for the glass of wine, to tell “the Monsieur” he would like to offer a complimentary dessert. Not gonna lie, I was liking this “Monsieur” business!
Beings I was on a diet (obviously not on a diet), I declined the dessert. I know, I’m not kidding anyone—I was just stuffed. Once again, I declined. This was my second failure of the night. Really . . . since when do I turn down dessert? Shame on me!
When we got back to the house, I recalled the discussion we had over dinner—the one about us opening a bottle of wine when we got back. I reminded my friends, stating, “the Monsieur would like a glass of wine!”