The Round Table

The Round Table Steakhouse and Pub
800 Pembina Highway
204-453-3631
204-287-2049 (fax)
rndtable@mts.net
http://www.roundtable.ca/index.html


June, 2009

If you ask a Winnipeg resident where you should go for a good slab of prime rib, you hear responses that include Rae and Jerry’s and Hy’s Steakhouse. I often wonder why The Round Table doesn’t mutter in the same breath. Having been around since 1973, The Table should have at least as strong a reputation as its counterparts. Nestled near the confluence of Pembina Highway and Stafford Street, The Table doesn’t reside in one of Winnipeg’s flourishing restaurant hubs—perhaps that’s why it doesn’t garner the attention it deserves.

The Table stands proudly among an assortment of strip-mall shops, looking grand as a country estate. Step through its doors and you find that the rustic charm carries through with its dark wood panelled walls and cozy fireplaces. The restaurant segments into several small dining rooms, each with a limited occupant capacity. This is the perfect setting for large parties to noisily celebrate without disturbing the couple enjoying a romantic night out in the next dining room. Alas, this evening, we sit beside a table of 12. With the restaurant being less than half full, they could have seated us in a quieter spot. This phenomenon occurs too frequently in many restaurants.

Regardless, we come to sample the prime rib and a little ambient noise won’t detract from our love of good food. The meal starts with a salad choice of tossed greens or Caesar. The garden greens come in a sprinkling of orange vinaigrette that’s slightly too acidic—however the tangy essence of the orange base still makes for a successful dressing. A little sweeter and a little more generosity on the dressing and this would come close to being the perfect salad. By contrast, the Caesar salad swims in its typical dressing. It has some nice flavours but overall, it’s just a good Caesar.

The assortment of buns comes warm and crusty on the outside, soft and velvety on the inside. Even in the anticipation of a gluttony of meat, I cannot stop myself from binging on these delicious buns.

The Table features a generous assortment of wines that will likely satisfy the most selective of palettes, although I would like to see a greater selection of the finer wines. The pedestrian selections by the glass could use some thought and imagination. The Table offers a port section for the after-dinner tongue, but of the four available selections, one was unavailable. If they want to offer a port section, they should back it up with an adequate selection.

Back to the food, I have a personal credo where I must try the seafood at a seafood restaurant, the pasta in an Italian restaurant, etc. At a steakhouse, I must order an unadulterated slab of beef—unless the server manages to entice me with an offer I can’t refuse. Our server does just that but describing the daily special, a poached salmon over a bed of wild rice with a lobster meat, scallops and mussels sauce. How can I resist? I can’t but my unaffected companion sticks with the classic prime rib.

The rib meal comes with a traditional Yorkshire pudding, which is a tad dry. The simply boiled vegetables lack seasoning, spice and generally flavour; the monstrous broccoli floret is plainly a waste of food. No matter—most people ordering the prime rib likely don’t give two hoots about the vegetables. The beef comes richly au jus and the perfectly done meat oozes with goodness. This is a spectacular cut of prime rib. The Table proclaims to use only the finest beef available, and I believe them.

Knowing The Table specialises in beef, I hold guarded optimism about my seafood. I regularly order my salmon blue-rare and judging by history, my chances of getting it well-done instead are 50-50. The salmon comes exactly as ordered and compromises nothing; however, the mussels come a little overcooked and dry. The scallops arrive rare on the inside and seared on the outside—cooked to perfection. The chunks of lobster perfectly augment the rich seafood sauce. Despite the overcooked mussels, this nonpareil dish exceeds all of my expectations. Fabulous.

The Table gives substantial portions but again, the server’s temptation is too strong to resist. The Chocolate Blackout cake, with its layers of chocolate smothered in ice cream and chocolate sauce, towers innocently on the plate, daring you to finish it. Between the two of us, we put forth a bold attempt, but in the end, the cake beats us. The moist chocolate innards and the rich sauce and ice cream taunts us relentlessly—even though it’s decadently delicious, we’re done.

The Table may have some flaws but you can easily dismiss those flaws; they have it where it counts, and they have it well. People may not mention it in the same breath as Rae and Jerry’s or Hy’s, but they should. Between its cozy atmosphere, attentive service and fantastic mains, be prepared to have an immensely enjoyable evening.

**** /5


This is a free product that I'm happy to bring to you.  If you enjoyed reading this, please consider clicking on the accompanying ads.  This is the only payment I receive for offering this public service.  Thank you as always for reading.