Notes from the Chef’s Sidekick (Helenka)

Brian treated me to a sparkling celebration of a milestone birthday (and, no, I won’t say which one … though he’s already revealed that there are a LOT of zeros in the number) the first Saturday in June by taking me to Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Mississauga. Originally, he tried to keep me both fascinated and frustrated by sending me the menu without disclosing the name of the establishment. Moi, being a semi-efficient web sleuth, managed to find the matching restaurant to the menu on my first click. I was quite excited as I’d never been to either location (the other one is in downtown TO).

Being treated royally (by Brian and the staff) was wonderful (especially after I’d … er … nagged him about my throne requirements). The booth was very comfortable. The sparkly confetti were … extra shiny. But the best part was that Brian had chosen a place he thought I would enjoy. And I did. I really, really did!

I don’t think I have enough superlatives for describing the quality of the steaks we had. I told the manager that this was the best steak I’d ever had in my life … and that was nothing but the truth. I’ve eaten at Morton’s (a memorable celebration of the fake millennium, aka one year earlier than the real one – for those of us who are purists). I’ve also had many exceptional, often romantic, dinners at Le Trou Normand probably, if I recall correctly, since its opening in 1973. Their filet mignon was wonderful and reasonably priced (which is always a good thing when you want to go out a lot).

But my steak (done rare) from Ruth’s Chris topped them all. It was so tender, I almost didn’t need to use a knife and the meat seemed to separate in my mouth. When I complimented the manager and described the experience, he said it was a feature the chain prided itself on – the suppleness of the beef. And that is the perfect word to describe our steaks.

So Brian had big shoes to fill in trying to recreate my birthday. Who was I to complain, getting two birthdays-in-one?

I thought his plan to marinate the meat in red wine vinegar was brilliant. He wasn’t merely using one acid … but two. I mentioned the fact that the taste, without the mellowing influence of the special butter, reminded me of German cooking. I was thinking specifically about Sauerbraten , a dish that is traditionally made using more economical cuts of meat which do need tenderizing. As Brian’s steaks were of a very good quality, they just needed that little extra touch to enhance their tenderness and flavour.

One of my idiosyncrasies (I’ll preempt Brian, as I’m sure he’ll pipe in with “One of so, so, so many” – Note from Brian “I second that comment ;)”) is that I never finish a steak in a restaurant. It’s not that I don’t want to, especially when the steak is exceptional, but the fact is that even a small filet can be a Lot. Of. Meat. So I usually end up taking at least half of it home to consume cold the next day for breakfast. Remember, my idiosyncrasy . But I also don’t want to disturb meat (through reheating) that was already cooked perfectly to my specifications. So, as I gleefully chomped on cold leftover steak, I just wished I could have had some more of that compound butter. I think I would have heated the butter and then poured it over the cold steak for yet another interesting taste experience. Hmmm. Maybe Brian will make it again, just so I can have leftovers for experimentation, lol! Can you imagine me whining, “But, Brian, it’s for scientific research!” – Note from Brian “Epicurean research is more like it!”

Anyway, both my Birthday and Epilogue (er … Sequel … Part Deux) were marvellous, thanks to my bestest friend in the universe. Brian, I can’t believe we’ve been having adventures (some goofy but none forgettable) for nearly two decades. I still can’t quite grasp that we’re doing this amazing project together which is not only entertaining and informative but also so much fun. Cheers to our third decade together!!! Note from Brian – “I’ll drink to that!”.