Dimly-lit Steakhouses + Bad Camera Phone = 1 Photo – December 29, 2008

In December, I got a new phone as an early Christmas present—the Motorola ROKR. I am madly in love with its trendy little functions. Did you know that the phone is essentially a touch phone with buttons that disappear depending on its context? When I play music, all the number buttons disappear and music buttons appear. It’s so gimmicky and trendy that I can’t help but love it.

However, the phone has one major weakness: the camera. All of my pictures taken with the camera have a nasty grainy quality. The pictures have a grey haze that I can’t get rid of.

I came home from work one day, too exhausted to cook. Jimmy and I decided to call up his brother and go to the Keg Steakhouse. We hadn’t been there in almost a year, so we braved the snow and the wind to make the trek. I’m dramatizing a little—it was only ten minutes away. But it felt longer because of the inclement weather.

I really don’t know why steakhouses think that dim lighting makes for a better meat-consuming atmosphere. I prefer being able to see my food when I’m eating. In any case, the dark interior coupled with my crappy camera phone meant that all the pictures I took that night were unsalvageable... except for one.

We started with the escargot stuffed in mushroom caps. I don’t think that it’s the snail meat I love so much as it’s the fact that everything is smothered in butter and cheese. How could you go wrong?

This is a shot of Jimmy’s Caesar salad. He ordered the New York Classic dinner, which came with this salad, vegetables, sautéed mushrooms, and garlic mashed potatoes. He liked all of it, but mentioned that the potatoes weren’t quite garlicky enough.

His brother ordered the Sirloin Classic, with the same sides. He was wary of the size of the steak when it arrived, and declared that he might have to order more food. Of course, he totally underestimated the amount of food on his plate, and almost couldn’t finish his dinner.

I ordered the feature, a rib-eye topped with lobster and shrimp sauce. I didn’t get a salad or vegetables, but I was able to order a twice-baked potato. Yummmmmmmm... it was first baked, had its fluffy innards scooped out and mashed with tasty bits (sour cream, butter, green onions, bacon bits, and cheddar cheese), piped back into its shell, and baked some more. Tangy and cheesy, it was heavenly. The steak was cooked perfectly rare and juicy, just the way I like it. I wasn’t able to finish my steak (shock!). I took the leftovers home and made fajitas the next day.

Let’s see... to drink, the guys ordered pop, and I indulged in my favourite cocktail—the Seabreeze. According to the menu, it contained Polar Ice vodka, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice. I declined the waitress’ offer to make the drink Keg-sized because I’m a little bit of a lush and the bartenders always mix the drink REALLY strong. Potent potables, indeed. (For those of you who missed the SNL reference, search “SNL Celebrity Jeopardy” in YouTube.)

At $120-ish before tip, the bill was reasonable for an appetizer, three steak dinners, pop, and a cocktail. We don’t go there often (read: we don’t have wads of cash to burn), but it’s a nice break from our usual restaurants.

Now, if only the Keg would start investing in light bulbs and if I could remember to bring my camera, I would be able to pad these posts with more food porn.


Fin.

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The Keg Steakhouse
300 King St. E.
Kingston, ON
(613) 549-1333