Review - The Keg, Upper James, Hamilton

I know, I know...it seems like forever since I was able to sit down and update this blog...things happen, and sometimes work gets in the way of my extracurricular activities. That in mind, brings me to this post, which was long over due, as was the night itself.

Bob and I met up at The Keg on Upper James for our monthly dinner out, at about 5:30. It's been going on monthly for almost 5 years. However, the last 6 months worth have tended to be a "dine and dash" experience, which neither of us particularly enjoy. We decided that the Keg night was going to be different. Time to relax and enjoy the ambience that the Keg can give. We started the night with a nice Grey Goose martini, with extra olives. I was going to order mine "dirty", but, that would be a waste of a good vodka. With the hot bread that came with the drinks, we started to wonder if it was going to be another fast night out. We told Kendra to go slow, so we could enjoy the dinner tonight. After a few yuks about work, we started into the appetizers. We noticed that they have changed the menu a bit since last time, and what jumped out was an Ahi tuna appetizer, which, when presented, looked really good. Bob, always being on the safe side, had ordered a shrimp cocktail, to wash the tuna down, just in case (note - usually you get 5 shrimp, which you can't really split equally or gracefully at the table...Bob asked for an extra one, and Kendra thought she would be cute, so she cut one of the 5 lengthwise...had to laugh, but a little disappointed that they just didn't throw in a 6th shrimp!). The tuna was great, with a slight wasabi sauce on the side over some diced mushrooms. A far stretch from the Keg, since the appetizers are usually overwhelming at best. The tuna was a nice touch, and added a little elegance that the Keg had been losing over the years. We will do it again for sure.

After the appetizer, we ordered a Fetzer merlot to go with the prime rib we were about to order. The last time we were at the Keg, we were a little disappointed in the serving of the prime rib. It seemed they were cheaping out a bit, especially for a couple of big eaters like us. Bob had told me that he has that fixed...he told them that the last time we were there, we were disappointed in their prime rib, which is supposed to be their specialty. Kendra said she would take care of it, and off she went. After a couple of glasses of wine, dinner was served, along with a side of veggies - asparagus, szechuan green beans, and mushrooms. Prime rib was done perfect, but the baked potatoe looked and tasted as if it had been leftover from the day before. I don't fall for this "double baked" potatoe they have come out with. I prefer a fresh one, baked once. Given that it is a steakhouse, and a staple is the baked potatoe, you think they could have had enough of them and not reuse. Other than the baked potatoe, everything was great for dinner. Another bottle of wine came to the table, and I didn't think we would get through it, but we did. For dessert, I ordered the creme brulee, which a standard for me. It tasted a little store bought, and not freshly made, but I guess with the Keg, you can't ask for everything. A little too sweet, but still a nice finish for the end of the meal. Bob indulged in the Billy Miner pie, which is another staple of the Keg chain.

To top off the meal, we both had a Spanish coffee, and enjoyed the quiet ambience of the restaurant with everyone slowly leaving. Turns out, we didn't get out of there until 11:30!! Pretty late for a Tuesday night. However, we were never rushed, and with a bill of $208, I don't think Kendra was going to kick us out any time soon. Given the fact I had to work the next day, Bob topped up the bill to $250, and all in all, a great dinner and night out. We will definitely put the Keg back on our "to do" list real soon!

Review - Superbowl Party @ Liquid Kitty, Hamilton

This is another post that has been put on the back burner for the last few months, and for some reason, I just couldn't let it go. There were a group of us that went to the Superbowl party at Liquid Kitty Lounge, which is underneath Tailgate Charlie's in downtown Hamilton, courtesy of free passes from Y108. I felt an obligation to post on the experience, if anything, to save the aggravation of others for future sports "parties".

First off, the place was packed, and kudos to the servers and bartenders that kept the beer flowing. Having the Budweiser collectable glasses were a nice touch, along with the VIP passes (see picture). They kind of made you feel special. Then it went downhill from there. I swear that the "kids" at the party had never seen beer before, and most acted like idiots. It didn't make for a good day at the bar. At the end of the first quarter, a guy at our table was so smashed, he ended up spilling a large draft over a couple of buddies that were with me. Besides the jokes about getting the nice gals to suck the beer out of their pants, I am sure that sitting around in someone elses backwashed beer was not their first choice. OK, things happen, so we can let that slide.

Let's get to the biggest disappointment of the night - the "buffet". Turns out that in order to save a few bucks, the bar thought it would be best to serve these things, that looked like "boxed lunches". It may not have been too bad to eat after a few beers and during halftime, but it was almost as if the meals were prepared a few days in advance, and kept warm until the big day. Super Sunday? Try Super Soaked...I am pretty sure that any moisture that was in the food when they packaged the meals, was sucked right out and stayed in the cardboard, which felt like a slightly warm and soggy tortilla. I never got a chance to eat the box, but I am sure it would have ranked up there, compared to the bland hotdog, a few onion rings, and 3 chicken wing pieces. I can't sell them all the way short, because they had chili available also, but I have to ask...who makes chili with canned baked beans?? Not the recipe I have.

We couldn't take it anymore, so we finished up our beers and headed out before the 4th quarter, disappointed in the bar/restaurant's effort to make it a memorable experience. From then on, after that, we have decided to do our own thing, and have the spread at my place, with food that is fit for the occasion. They had a chance to do it up well, but they couldn't handle it. That will be the last time we head there for a sports "party", so to speak.

If you don't want to be disappointed, stay away...the food of yore from that building is long gone, and the substitute merely caters to the tastebuds of drunk students. Sorry Tailgates, you need to do more to get me there next time.

Review - Yuk Yuks, Niagara Falls, ON

It's been awhile since my last posting, so I figured I would do a catch up. So, even though it has been a few months, I will continue to post over the next week or two of the latest and greatest.

Last week, I had the chance to get down to Yuk Yuk's, in Casino Niagara with Dave. The tickets were comps, so we figured we would check it out. The entertainment was good, with the headliner being Dan Quinn. We had a good laugh. I don't think I would pay $17 for a Friday night performance...but, that would depend on who was there that night.

As for the bar, bottled beer was a reasonable $4.50, and service was good. We got there just before 9, and as a result, ended up sharing a table way off to the side. I would suggest that if you want to get a good seat, get there early when the doors open (8:30), and sit and relax with a drink and get ready for the mayhem when everyone else decides to sit down. The performance was almost 2 hours. Maybe with the location (casino), the fact that there were older folk in attendance, you didn't quite get the yuks you would expect with the jokes. Maybe their hearing aids were turned down from all the bells and whistles from the slots.

All in all, a worthwhile visit, and I am sure we will check it out again. They serve appetizers, so I will check those out next time.