Tableside service at Black+Blue

 Hubby took me to dinner at Black+Blue at the Exchange Tower in King St. one snowy evening. It was a rescheduled date, but he did keep the surprise until we walked up to the place, with pictures of bulls. Oooh, we were having steak!

Black+Blue Toronto

The place was vibrant as we entered with the bar and a huge wall of wine greeted us. While the wine wall had a ladder, I wondered how the bartender can possibly get the drinks from the top of the shelf. The drinks must be good, too, for all that effort! To get to our table, we walked past the meat locker with the glass allowing us to see all sorts of premium cuts of meat, which included Kobe, Wagyu and Canada and USDA Prime. Their website indicated that the beef is dry-aged for 28-45 days in a one-of-a-kind Himalayan salt-lined meat locker. I could not wait to see the menu!

Meatlocker @Black+Blue

It was so easy to get lost in the menu. I wanted to try everything! The Raw Bar offerings (which included Seafood towers!) seemed as enticing as the other signature entrees (where I was eyeing the Mushroom Risotto). However, we came for the meat and so I had to focus.

We started with tableside Caesar salad. Hubby and I really enjoy Caesar salad prepared tableside. I guess knowing that my dressing did not come from a bottle, makes it even more delicious. And the dressing was good! It was garlicky and cheesy and got our appetites ready for the main course. However, we noticed they did not have bacon bits. Maybe it wasn’t their style but I do love a good sprinkle of bacon bits in my Caesar salad. They also serve Tableside Steak Tartare and surely that would have been good. But we had to get some greens, right? Now, lest you think it, not all meals were prepared tableside. We were out for something special so we wanted to try their tableside service.

Caesar Salad @Black+Blue

Our main course was Beef Wellington which was a beautifully cooked tenderloin wrapped in mushroom duxelles (finely chopped mushrooms) and pastry. It also came with truffle jus, baby heirloom carrots, pommes purée (which is just a fancier way of calling mashed potatoes).

Tableside Beef Wellington @Black+Blue

The Beef Wellington was also presented tableside. It was carved very nicely and plated beautifully before it was served. The meat was just melt in your mouth and the duxelles was so full of flavor! I detected some wine in there 😊 The pastry was buttery and flaky and the sides were just the right complements. The heirloom carrots were a bit tough, though, but tasty nonetheless.

Tableside Beef Wellington @Black+Blue

pommes purée for our Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington @Black+Blue

Hubby and I wanted to try yet another tableside offering—for dessert this time. The Tableside Crepe Suzette seemed so enticing (though we were advised their signature was the Buttercake) but we were both stuffed! I would not be able to comfortably walk out of there if I still had some dessert. We decided to come back here just for dessert next time. Maybe then, we can try both the Crepe Suzette and Buttercake!

It was a beautiful meal. The ambience was great and the service was very attentive. The food, of course, was spectacular. I would not hesitate to go back!