The tenant who gave me the hilarious holiday card also included a gift card for The Keg restaurant. I decided to save the card for a week night after a busy day when I just wouldn’t feel like cooking. Tonight was the night!

The Keg specializes in steaks, which I don’t eat, but I checked out the menu ahead of time and saw that they had some chicken and seafood dishes, so I knew I’d be able to find something I like. This restaurant isn’t one I would choose to go to since it’s a tad more upscale (read pricey) than what my budget can absorb, but I was happy for the chance to go without breaking the bank.

The decor is quite posh, with very low low lights, dark wood, and leather seats. Definitely not my usual ambiance! I settled into a private booth, was served water in a delicate wine glass, and then took a moment to peruse the drinks menu. I decided to splurge on a cocktail, if one struck my fancy, since my meal would be paid for. I don’t drink a lot of cocktails, but I like to experiment once in a while. A ‘Cinnamon Girl’ made of rum, cointreau, pineapple juice, and a dusting of cinnamon sounded delicious, so I ordered one.

My gift card was worth $25, but that doesn’t go far at The Keg! I eliminated all the options under the seafood header, but found a surprisingly reasonably priced (by The Keg standards) $19.99 Creole chicken dish topped with scallops and shrimp. Perfect! I opted for rice pilaf as my side.

The cocktail wound up being worth the $9.95 price tag. I don’t think I could have designed a cocktail better suited to my tastebuds. Yum!

Dinner was surprisingly ho hum. I know it’s not fair to judge a restaurant when you haven’t had its signature food, but I found their Creole chicken to be rather bland and much too oily. The seafood, however, was fantastic, with just enough kick and cooked to perfect. Once I added a few dashes of salt to the rice, it went from meh to woah! The meal was served with asparagus, a vegetable I now know I didn’t like growing up because it was always served overcooked (in other words, I loved The Keg’s asparagus). There was also a basket of warm, yeasty, bread with butter as an included starter.

Dinner at The Keg was a nice treat that cost me $10 out of pocket (including a generous tip for the attentive server), but I know it’s not an experience I’ll be repeating on my own dime.

My neighbours did seem enamoured with their steaks!