Lobster Summer

Growing up on the Canadian East Coast, I’ve eaten my fair share of seafood. From cod to crab and most everything in between, it was common to come home from a day at school and see a pair of lobster writhing in our kitchen sink. The sight was all too familiar but despite seafood being so good, I eventually developed an aversion to it altogether. Because of dayjobsnightlife.com I have stepped outside my comfort zone and once again become accustomed to the flavours of the sea. Starting small with fish, caviar and octopus, lobster has become my final frontier in trying seafood. It was an invitation to try the new lobster summer menu from the Keg at Place Ville Marie (and a deep breath) that finally convinced me to give crustacean another try.

The Keg is one of my favourite places to order a steak that I know I will enjoy. I trust The Keg with everything from their high quality meats, their attentive service, their delicious cocktails and their stellar wine list. When they reached out to me to come and try their lobster I was hesitant at first. I was scared that my aversion was too strong and that the food would go to waste. I said yes after thinking for a moment about trust and quality and I knew that if there was one place for me to give lobster another chance it was The Keg.

I was with my photographer and we arrived at The Keg at PVM after walking around the city for an hour. We had worked up an appetite and couldn’t wait to dig into some food. The restaurant had prepared a special tasting menu for the evening, complete with wine pairing. Once the menu was explained in detail by the manager, a waiter took our cocktail order and we waited for the meal to get underway. I was nervous, lobster was everywhere on the tasting menu and my panic was slowly returning. I had explained my crustacean concern to the manager and he offered me something lobster free to ease my mind. I wasn’t supposed to say anything but I was so impressed with The Keg for doing this that I feel it should write it in as part of my experience.

After giving us time to down our cocktails, the waiter arrived with our appetizers. We ordered the tuna tartare and the lobster tacos to share. The tuna wasn’t part of the tasting menu but it was seafood nonetheless and it was amazing. The sesame-soy tuna was cut fresh and wonderfully dressed. It sat on a bed of tasty avocado and was accompanied by wonton chips. It’s part of the regular starter menu so you can have it at any time. The lobster tacos were lightly tossed in crisp rice, fried and served on warm tortilla with coleslaw. I took one, wrapped it up and took my first bite. It was delicious, the meat was tender and wonderful and I realized how silly I’d been to be worried. A typical taco serving has three to a plate but extra tacos can be added should you wish to share. I was relieved and now even more excited for what was to come.

For our main course The Keg offered us each the surf and turf plate combining half an Atlantic lobster with a sirloin steak and sides. As a special treat they also brought out a lobster gratinée, filling the last of the empty space on our table. I didn’t know where to start but it didn’t take me long to figure it out. I stuck my fork into the lobster tail and pulled out a piece of piping hot meat. I cut it into very small pieces and began. It was wonderfully cooked, l kept going until i finished the tail. My steak was on point as usual and my Montecarlo baked potato left me wishing I could keep eating all night. The lobster gratinée was also delicious. From the starter menu, the lobster is oven baked and topped with herbs, garlic and melted Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses. Though I still may approach lobster with a little caution, this was a great way to get reacquainted with the seafood.

Our table was barley cleared and the last of our wine was swirling on our palettes when the dessert came out. A massive piece of ice cream cake was gently placed at the centre of the table and I was very thankful that we asked for only one dessert. A friend had come to join us and thankfully she was there to give us a hand finishing our meal. The cake was wonderful and it brought a sweet end to a great meal.

You have until August 28th to try the summer lobster menu at The Keg. You can check out the menu here.