Step'n Out

5/5 stars

157 Provencher Boulevard

Previsit:
Unlike Hermano's, I had heard a lot about this restaurant before we went their.  The neat part about this restaurant is that the menu always changes so the food described in this blog may not be available to order when you go:)  You will most likely need a reservation - I made sure we did (it was a special occasion).  To do this, call and you will probably get their answering machine - just leave a message with your name, plus the date and time you want to book; you will get a call back confirming.  Be aware though, the restaurant is run by a couple and so they do take holidays (for example, around Christmas time).  Also, the place can be booked, which puts restrictions on when you can get a reservation.

Ambience:
I really liked the atmosphere in the restaurant, it was quite quaint.  The entrance is not very big, but once you get into the restaurant the tables are well spaced so you don't feel like you're sitting on someone else.  The walls are covered in photos and memorabilia to do with shopping, France, shoes, movies, etc.  Also, the colours are warm - dark red and cream coloured (patterned) fabrics with hardwood floors.  There is also an upstairs, but we didn't get to see it.

The Meal:
Appetizers
I started with the raspberry, goat cheese and almond salad - it was great!  The goat cheese was served warm in small disks coated in sliced almonds, which was a big selling point for me - so creamy.  Despite this, the best part of the salad was the raspberry vinaigrette which was homemade.  It was delicious and not too potent in comparison to the usual vinaigrette that you buy in the store. 

Another of the appetizers that we had was the spicy chicken gumbo.  Be aware, when they say spicy, they mean it - it will definitely clear your sinuses.  There were several slices of different peppers (especially banana peppers) in this tomato-based soup in addition to the chicken and chunks of other vegetables.

Entrees
My partner had the tenderloin steak, which seems to be a staple on the menu because he had had it the last time he was there.  The meat was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and the quality of the cut was fantastic.  For the steak lover, this is a great dish to get - safe and satisfying.  It comes with potatoes and asparagus as the sides which were also cooked well.  Especially considering that asparagus can be touchy, they did a very good job of ensuring that the hard parts of the end were not included in the dish.

I was slightly more daring when choosing my entree, although I went with a crepe (something that I love).  The crepe in this case was filled with seafood and covered in a creamy mushroom sauce.  I knew that this restaurant was classy but I wasn't sure what type of seafood would be in the crepe or how much.  I was very surprised that not only were there shrimp and scallops in the crepe but also large pieces of crab and lobster - so tasty.  The mushroom sauce seemed an odd compliment to this dish in my mind but when I tasted it, there was no doubt that it was fantastic.

Dessert
Unfortunately, we didn't have room to have any dessert.  The menu looked delicious though and we could see them from our table so I can say for sure, they looked scrumptious.

Wine
There were a number of wines on the list that I wanted to try.  We ended up choosing the Koonunga Hill by Penfolds - it's a red, and dry if you are wanting to try it.