Ahh…! Spring has finally arrived here in Toronto, and we’ve thankfully gotten over the cold, harsh winter. The blinding sun’s out most days, the grass a vibrant green, beautifully dotted with yellow flowers (weeds?), and the sky a light blue, making me feel so alive! It’s in these quiet moments that I always remember to be grateful, to hold on to these moments of happiness, and to make sure that I spread only good, positive vibes to everyone around me.
It was a beautiful partly cloudy day last Wednesday too, despite getting caught in a torrential downpour of rain in Yorkville. I was very lucky to be invited to dine at STK with my sister, and we both had such a wonderful dinner – one that I kept thinking about a few days later. I loved so many things about my experience, from the trendy and warm ambiance, to the excellent dishes and the amazing service. If you’ve been following my blog, I am first and foremost a steak person, and I was blown away by the 18 oz Dry Aged Striploin (!!), which was the highlight of the meal – but we’ll get to that later.
Our dinner started off with a few drinks, and I got the Paloma Escobar (sour drinks are my ultimate favourite), which was a lovely, refreshing tart cocktail mix of white tequila, lime and grapefuit that would be a perfect drink to have this summer! We were also served a mini loaf of bread freshly baked in house, delicious pieces of soft, buttery goodness!
We had a few starters – all of them were tasty, and you could definitely notice that all the ingredients they used were fresh and very high quality. The Tuna Tartare featured hass avocado, soy honey emulsion and topped with taro chips. Loved the presentation! The taro chips had a nice crunch that provided really good texture to the sauce and tuna.
The Crispy Calamari & Shrimp featured blistered shishito peppers and was served on a chili remoulade sauce. Lightly breaded and fried, this was a nice light dish that didn’t leave me feeling heavy compared to the usual deep fried dishes I’ve had in the past. I liked that the seafood was fresh, and that the sauce was creamy with a slight kick to it.
I also really enjoyed the Local Heirloom Tomatoes, featuring burrata cheese, Panzanella sauce and tomatoes that were sweet and very juicy. This was a very rich dish because of the creaminess of the burrata and the sauce. Yum!
And now my favourite, the 18 oz Dry Aged Striploin! At this point I was in heaven – the steak was juicy and a perfectly cooked rare, with the dry aging of it giving it a nice umami flavour (salty, savoury richness). What a beautiful, tender cut of meat, which went perfectly with our sides, Mac & Cheese and Parmesan Truffle Fries. Both sides were very flavorful and delicious, I would definitely order them again.
Finally, dessert! I wasn’t sure how they were going to top the entire meal, but wow. Dessert was SO amazing. It was hard to choose what I liked the most between the Orange Dream Cheesecake and the Sticky Toffee Pudding, since they were both great, but I liked the Sticky Toffee Pudding more. There’s just something about a nice warm dessert with lots of caramel sauce that makes me feel warm inside. Unfortunately I didn’t get a photo of it because it was too dark – you’ll just have to order it!!
STK is definitely now on my top list of must eat places in Toronto, and I 100% recommend it as a perfect spot for a date.
STK Toronto
153 Yorkville Ave,
Toronto, ON M5R 1C4
