Barberian's Steak House

Barberian's Steak House is one of those fine dining restaurants located on Elm Street in the heart of downtown Toronto.  Oddly enough, it was the last restaurant on that street that I had never eaten at so I was really looking forward to the occasion.  We had a late night dinner reservation for that evening as some of the party members wanted to take advantage of their after ten only souffle dessert menu.

Certainly a restaurant with the name steak house in it would have indicated that this place was clearly a meats only restaurant however they do carry soups and salads, some vegetable sides and fish orders as well. Having said that, we were all here for their special meats including their prime ribs, sirloin steaks and baby back ribs.

For starters, a couple of us wanted to try out some of their fresh Seafood Chowder ($10.75). When it arrived it looked pretty delicious and it came in a rather large bowl.  The taste was spot on and there was plenty of clam inside the chowder bowl.  Although the chowder had the correct taste and thickness to it, I wasn't too sure what other ingredients were available.  Much of the seafood ingredients were rather small and it was hard to distinguish what exactly was in it. 

Fresh Seafood Chowder

Others however decided to go with their Caesar Salad ($11.50) instead.  The salad itself was about the same compared to any of the Caesar salads that I have had at other restaurants before.  The only difference with this Caesar Salad was that their dressing was a little bit more creamier and had a bit of a kick to it in that it was a little spicy.  I wasn't too sure whether they had added more garlic or maybe even peppers to the dressing but one could certainly taste a bit of spiciness to it. A slight twist to an otherwise simple salad.

Caesar Salad

One of those two main courses that we had ordered that evening was the Prime Rib.  The Roasted Prime Rib of Beef ($49.50) looked delicious and it looked pretty red when it sat on the table.  Most of the prime ribs ordered that evening was of the medium rare variety and I think the chefs hit it spot on this time around. When one was cutting into the prime rib, everyone said their meats were made to exactly what they had expected.  The only problem was that other than the pepper seared skin on the outside of the meat, there was little to no taste to it at all.  We actually had to ask the waiter for a bowl of gravy sauce and oddly he brought out one huge of bowl of gravy sauce for everyone at the table.  When we poured the gravy sauce over the prime rib, it was as if the prime rib had come to life.  All the great flavors on of the prime rib came out to the forefront and finally one could see a smile on people's faces as they were munching through their meal.

Prime Rib

I was really looking forward to the Barbecue Baby Back Ribs ($40.75).  I'm a huge baby back ribs fan and after hearing so many great stories from this establishment, I was really itching to give it a try.  When the barbecue ribs arrived, i could tell there was a chance I was going to be headed for some disappointment. The meat was very dry and the barbecue sauce was actually served in the separate bowl.  Usually, the meat would literally fall off the bone however in my case, the end pieces especially, the meat was literally stuck to the bone and the meat was as hard as a rock.  I am assuming that the meat was never steamed prior to being grilled which would explain the toughness and the dryness of the meat. In some cases, I was almost tearing the meat of the bone with my two hands just to get it off.  I hate to say in these terms but it was by far one of the worse baby back ribs that I have had in quite some time.  There was no flavor to it either and with the sauce itself being served on a different bowl, there was no marination of the sauce to be absorbed into the meat.  When your bake potato was the best serving on your plate, you know that this dish was simply not up to par.

Barbecue Baby Back Ribs

A birthday party without some sort of dessert or cake would be an injustice and since they didn't have any cakes on their menu, the banana split was the next best choice. With oven baked almonds sprinkled on top of a sweet chocolate syrup, it gave this dish a bit of life.  The bananas were fresh and the ice creams were scooped with correct proportions. Oddly enough, to me anyways, it was probably the best meal that I had eaten all night. 

Overall, the prime ribs were up to par but the baby back ribs were just simply awful.  We did make mention it to the waiter and he quietly told us that they were working with a new supplier for the ribs which may have accounted for the poor quality of it.  Either way, when a customer is charged the money that they are chard, one expects the best of the best.  Do make a special visit to their wine cellar in the basement.  It would definitely give you a shock and awe effect.  If you do go, avoid the baby back ribs and go with their steak or prime ribs as they are much better choices for your money.  Overall I give it a 3 out of 5.

Barberian's Steak House
7 Elm Street
Toronto, Ontario

416-597-0335