Table 17

Table 17
782 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON M4M 1H4
(416) 519-1851

Howard and I stopped by two more dessert places before heading to dinner, but since we didn't eat those until after, we'll post them after this. I made us reservations at Table 17 since it was near the end of our dessert run.

All afternoon Howard had been complaining that he didn't have any meat products. Which was true, we started the day with brunch - homemade chocolate chip pancakes with maple syrup. Then we went to La Bamboche and the Designer Cookie for desserts. So to remedy this, I told him that we'll have meat for dinner. Fair is fair, there has to be balance in our relationship!

We showed up a bit earlier than our reservations, but they seemed okay with it. To my joy, we even got a seat by the window - which I prefer because it allows me to take better photos. =)

It's an interesting restaurant setup, I didn't realize that there were two rooms at first. The one you enter includes the bar, a little look into the kitchen, a staircase (to private dining is my guess), and a couple of tables. The main dining room has the majority of tables and one in the centre that hosts the water pitchers, cutlery, napkins, pepper, bread, and olive oil. It was refreshing to see the staff go there, instead of a nook off to the side - like in most restaurants.

I really wanted to try the hot balls that every table around us was ordering, but since we had a gigantic rice ball the day before, Howard wasn't too keen on another. Next time!

Instead, we tried the fresh oysters from Effingham Bay.

They were so good! I'm not even what you call an oyster fan, but after New Orleans, I've been trying a lot more seafood. While I would have liked to try the hot balls, I am so glad that we did not miss out on the oysters that day. Howard and I even had a "aww shucks, we should have ordered more" moment!

Then it began, our dinner of meat (because we had so much sugar during the day). Our first ever salumi board! A selection of local artisanal cured meats as it is described in the menu. This quickly won Howard over, he's a huge fan of prosciutto. I believe his exact words were "this was fun." I rarely hear him say that about a dining experience, but I've always joked that you can lure him anywhere with good prosciutto and smoked salmon.

So far so good, this was turning out to be a great date night! The best part is that you're encouraged to take photos at Table 17.

Once we were told the specials of the day, Howard knew he would be getting the 14 oz heritage beef rib-eye. One thing we did noticed was that the meat comes pre-cut, but I guess this made is a little easier for us to share.

Howard exchanged two of his pieces for two of my steak. Our only hiccup came when I spotted a tiny speck of metallic in my rib-eye piece. I asked him if he saw it too and if it was foil. Unsure, we asked one of the staff members who immediately agreed that it looked shiny and took it back to the kitchen for the chef's take on it.

You should have seen the look on Howard's face, hehe, he wanted his rib-eye back! It did come back and it was explained to us that since the greens were cut fresh, some of the fertilizer must have fallen and got brushed onto the meat. They offered to re-make it, but Howard didn't really mind and just wanted to eat.

I got the steak frites, oh those fries were so good! It came with a complimentary sauce béarnaise - I don't order sauce as I find the salt and pepper to be good enough. Compared to Howard's rib-eye though, we both agreed that his was more tender and juicier.

By the end, we were too full for dessert (we did just do a dessert day) but we ended on a good note. As always, on a first visit to a restaurant, Howard and I ask ourselves if we would come back, and our answer is yes!