There is a NEW steakhouse in Guelph, and it is delish!
As a beef/ agriculture researcher, I obviously had to give this place a try and I was not disappointed.
My husband and I went the weekend that it opened and accidentally saved some $$$ as they did not yet have their liquor license so I have no thoughts yet on their cocktails but I will update next time I dine.
The meal started with free focaccia and hummus. This seemed to be bottomless, but don’t trust me on that; it could have been an opening weekend thing!! The focaccia was perfectly pillowy and soft with a good salty finish and was not oily at all. The hummus reminded me of a thicker version of my favourite hummus I would get from the St. Jacobs Market growing up… Kind of had a food critic from Ratatouille moment eating it.
I heavily doubted my husband’s pick for the starter being beef tallow fries when there were options like calamari, beef tartare, and confit duck wings… However, these were exceptional! I cannot wait to go back and try the other options as well but I was floored by how good these fries were!
Duncan went with the ribeye steak, which is a 14oz cut. Each steak comes with seasonal veg, and you choose which sauce and starchy side you want. He picked the peppercorn sauce and the roasted garlic pomme puree.
I chose the 7oz tenderloin with fondant potatoes and compound butter.
Between the two options, I think both of the steaks were winners! So yummy and perfectly seasoned. Occasionally I find restaurants over-salt or under-salt beef, but they nailed it! Duncan and I both preferred our own sauce choice, but his potatoes won for both of us… My potatoes seemed kind of dry in a way I was not expecting. His mash was nice and smooth with great garlic and butter flavour. The herby compound butter brought some brightness/ freshness to a heavy meal, which I loved, and Duncan has yet to meet a gravy-like sauce he doesn’t like! An evening of good decisions for him, I suppose (the first one being taking me out to dinner hehe).
Next time I go, I might try the picanha steak with red chimichurri sauce and the mushroom risotto… There were so many delish sounding options; good thing this place is local for my tummy… Maybe bad for my bank account, though. For what they are serving, I do believe these meals are reasonably priced, especially since this restaurant is also a piano bar and there is beautiful live music while you eat!
Duncan and I were too stuffed for dessert, just another reason to go back!
We had a 5:30pm reservation, and the live music did not start until 6/6:30pm so if you are going for a slow dinner with a show, I think the ideal reservation time would be 7pm.
I love live music with dinner, especially jazz-y/blues-y tunes. It reminds me of a trip my mum and I took to Chicago when I was in high school, we went to Jazz bars for dinner every night! At Prime, we were only about 5 feet from the stage, and we could still hear each other talk. However they have set this up is working! This was a wonderful, cozy dinner. You will be seeing us again, Prime!
Don’t forget to bring cash to tip the performers; they have a jar on stage!!
Cheers!
Leave a Reply