The Spartan insisted that we get the poutine; stinky cheese, crisped pork (like bacon but much, much fancier) & foie gras made an argument he could not refuse. He opted for the burger with foie gras (referred to as The Royale by the staff; hopefully as in "with cheese") while the Convener opted for the beef shank. I hadn't had a good steak in a while so I went for the strip.
The poutine was revelatory - wedged butterballs fried to a golden-brown crisp with some creamy cheese sliced thinly distributed throughout, daubed with a phenomenal poultry gravy, topped with foie gras and sprinkled crisped pork. Each of the individual elements stood on its own (even the Convener agreed, not usually a fan of the smelly cheeses) and each of their permutations were glorious.
The beef shank arrived next in a moat of polenta. Polenta doesn't really do it justice; cornmeal has no business consorting with cream and stock to such ends. The beef shank was tender and tangy.
The real star arrived next, the Royale. Possibly the best burger I've had; dry-aged beef cooked to a perfectly uniform pink, bun toasted to a crisp where it meets the burger above and the foie gras below, seared where it kissed the bun. I usually avoid foie gras for the same reasons I avoid veal, but if you're going to do the Royale you might as well go whole-hog.
The steak hit later; it was well-executed but outshone by the asparagus potato hash. We finished with a chocolate tart served with caramel; the nutty crust was wondrous.
I'll be back for lunch - I think that three burgers (just the burger, not the Royale) along with the poutine split a few ways will make for a wonderful lunch and a wonderful day.
Fantastic kickoff for the SAFC!
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