Black and Blue Steakhouse, an award-winning Vancouver restaurant, opened its first location in Toronto at 130 King Street West, in the heart of the financial district.
It is a massive space of 9,000 square feet, on two levels, with several private rooms, and an additional 2,000 square feet of patio. The space was previously occupied by the Toronto Stock Exchange. The restaurant can hold upwards of 275 diners and is often full. As soon as you enter you see a large illuminated wrap-around bar, which is a focal point of the restaurant. I’ve heard conflicting reports of what the renovation cost but somewhere in the 10 million dollar range. I would have guessed more. There is rich wood paneling, marble floors, plush banquets, greenery hanging from a ceiling that has 24-karat gold, and a mural of dueling bulls. Modern oversized chandeliers hang from the high ceiling. White tablecloths and black and gold accents contribute to the spacious and attractive makeover.
Black and Blue had big the biggest and most ambitious opening this spring.
Owner Emad Yacoub, founder and CEO of the Global Restaurant Group hired executive chef Morgan Bellis, formerly of Jump, Lavelle, Bisha, and Constantine. The latter three of these restaurants were known more for the flash than the quality of the food.
The menu features a variety of steaks, that can be viewed in a glass enclosure at the back of the restaurant. You can also order some mediocre sushi, sashimi, and seafood towers. There is a handful of old-school table-side preparations like Caesar salad, steak tartare, and crepes Suzette. I’m seeing more and more of this of late. The sushi wasn’t that impressive, but the premium steaks are the star of the show here. They are in Himalayan salt, in an aging room for 28-45 days. They wet age, then dry-age the beef and serve many highly desirable breeds like Kobe, A5 Wagyu, Canadian, and USDA Prime beef. They are one of the few licensed holders in Canada to sell certified Kobe beef. Our porterhouse steak was very good, but not cooked to order of medium rare, but rather medium. There are several add-ons like Alaskan king crab, Atlantic lobster tail, and a number of sauces. If your not a beef eater, you can always select fish, chicken, risotto, or pasta. There are quite a few sides you can choose from. The crispy Brussels sprouts, lobster mashed potatoes, and the Mac and cheese sticks were all solid choices.
I recommend ordering the B&B house brioche, made with Gruyère and butter basted and served with seasonal butter and Malden salt. There is a large selection of raw bar items, nigiri, sashimi, and rolls. There is also a couple of soups and salads. For dessert, we had the butter cake that was highly recommended. Having just ordered the same dessert at Maestro’s in NYC, I can tell you that although it was good did not match the one we had in the Big Apple.
There was an extensive global wine list on hand as well as classic and modern cocktails. My cocktail was delicious but minuscule. They also feature a happy hour menu daily from 2:30-5pm.
I had a solid meal the first time I dined there, but not so much on the second visit. Black and Blue is an upscale steakhouse with some rare cuts of beef, good bottles of wine, and some hefty price tags. It is also open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.
Happy dining,
Shanea
06/29/2023
