Milestones Bar and Grill Empress Walk

A couple of weeks ago we headed out to Milestones Bar and Grill to get some chow.  We frequent the one in Scarborough quite often however this was the first time I had been to the one located on Yonge Streeet.  When we got there, we noticed that it was actually a two-floor restaurant.  The bar for the most part was located on the lower floor while diners could eat in the upstairs.

We got there roughly around 7:00pm that evening and the place was pretty busy.  The waiter was pretty good in that he had prepared the place for not one but two kids and the other kid had come in on his stroller.  He gave us the menus and we proceeded to order off the menu.  For this evening, the six of us went to share their signature Famous Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip and I decided to go with their new Crispy Haddock and Frites.

Famous Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

 I was actually looking forward to the meal however about 5 minutes in, the waiter came back and told me that they had sold on the haddock.  A little disappointed, I went and ordered their other new product the Fire-Grilled Salmon.  Thinking that I had finally settled down on the meal, the waiter once again came back and told me that the special rice it came with actually was all gone and asked if me if I was willing to settle for some white jasmine rice instead.  Although there were other options given, I settled for the rice wondering if this would be the last change that was going to be made.

The nachos arrived first and it looked pretty good.  The dip itself was nice and creamy and the nachos were nice and hot and crispy.  Of note, rather than giving us potato nachos, they actually served us with sweet potato chips instead.  The hot spinach was not spicy hot at all and the whole dish was actually a nice dish to start off with for everyone involved including the kids. 

The Slow-Roasted AAA Prime Rib AAA

My fire-grilled salmon arrived soon afterwards and I could tell it looked for a better lack of word, unattractive.  Taste wise it was exactly as it looked, quite plain.  I actually thought the salmon was way too dry and with the white rice staring at you and with no real sauce to really mix the rice and salmon together, I thought overall it was a healthy dish to have but not really worth the price to sit down and have.  On the contrary, my friend ordered the Chili Crusted Tilapia and this was very, very good.  My wife herself actually ordered The Slow-Roasted AAA Prime Rib AAA and that too was also acceptable and very juicy.   The waiter did not really offer me a second choice so I was stuck with the salmon and rice.  He did offer an explanation in that the ice storm and lack of electricity the week before depleted some of their supplies.  Although that may very well have been the case, there are numerous ways where one can mix the rice and salmon together and make it very juicy and tasty.  The meal they served was so plain that I didn't even bother taking a picture of it.

The staff was quite nice to us and coming from Toronto, I could understand some of the challenges that they have faced especially in light of the recent lack of electricity in parts of the city.  However having said that, I expected a little creativity especially if one is offering me different choices outside of what was on their menu.  Just serving me white rice and a slab of salmon was about as simple as it could be and they still charged me $24.00 for it.  I'm not usually one to complain to the staff as I always say how you serve it the first time especially in the restaurant business should already be your best shot.  One should never let the customer dictate what is good and what is not.  Honestly, if you ever try Milestones, go with some of their other dishes as they seem to be more acceptable and more bang for your buck.  If you had what I had, you will wonder why you left the house in the first place.  Overall, my personal experience of Milestones was a 2.75 out of 5.

Milestones Bar and Grill Empress Walk

5095 Yonge St
Toronto, ON
(416) 225-2552