Restaurant Review: Hy’s Steakhouse
Location: At the Core, 8th Avenue at 3rd Street
Website: https://hyssteakhouse.com/
Before I launch into the actual review, I’d like to say, this is the first restaurant I’ve done a review for that doesn’t actually have an address other than “At the Core, 8th Avenue at 3rd Street”. While that is descriptive, and this place is fairly distinct, it’s not the kind of address I’m used to seeing.
Hy’s has been on my list of restaurants to try for the last 3 years and though it hasn’t been one of the first restaurants I’ve ever added to my list of places to try, it’s the place I’ve wanted to try the most. Perhaps the fact that it seemed unlikely and somewhat unattainable that added to its appeal. Of course, when you get your hopes up, that is when you set yourself up for disappointment and I was trying so hard not to do that.
On this day near the end of April 2021 amidst COVID restrictions, I finally had that chance. It had been somewhat of a running joke between one of my lawyers and me about how expensive and bougie the place was (yes, I still hate the word) and that it was a luxury that we would both enjoy one day. Today was that day. As excited as I was, it was still a somewhat sad occasion; I was saying goodbye to one of the lawyers I worked for.
The occasion definitely called for a drink, but being the lightweight that I am and the fact that I would have to go back to work and still be functional meant that it was a very bad idea to get something alcoholic. The most frustrating thing I find about “fancy” restaurants is how hard it is to find their non-alcoholic offerings. It took me a while, but I decided on the Richmond Fizz which contained pomegranate & pineapple juices, falernum and ginger beer while my lawyer went for the Adelaide Sour which was Seedlip Spice 94, lemon juice and ginger ale. Though the drink was extremely aesthetic, it reinforced my dislike for ginger beer. Next time I would like to try the Adelaide Sour or the Fentimans Botanically Brewed (natural ingredients, artisanally crafted tonic water (whatever that means), rose lemonade and cherry cola).
As such, we decided to splurge a little. We started with two appetizers: the cheese toast and the crab cakes. To be honest, all of the appetizers sounded good, even the escargot, which I personally probably wouldn’t order, but I also wouldn’t refuse to eat it if it was ordered/chosen. I hope that I can come back one day and try the others. We decided on the cheese bread because my lawyer had heard a lot of good things about it and had mentioned that it was one of the dishes that Hy’s was known for. Considering one of my other lawyers who frequents this place orders it every time he came, I had to find out for myself what was so good about this cheese toast. This appy is exactly as advertised: thick cut, Texas toast, smothered in cheese. Besides cheddar, I couldn’t differentiate what other cheeses were used. The cheese was crisp on the outside, but the layer just beneath was pure oozy goodness. To clarify, it wasn’t so oozy that it because messy, only enough to provide some satisfying cheese pulls.
However, the highlight of the meal were the crab cakes. Having seen the price on the menu, I thought it to be some what expensive, but fresh crab is certainly that, so I found it pretty reasonable. What made it less reasonable was that for that price ($23.95), we only got one crab cake. All that changed when I took that first bite. Of all the seafood, crab is the one I eat the least. I always forget how surprisingly delicious it is. The crab cake was aggressively seasoned, but with flavours did not mask the inherent sweetness of the meat, but rather highlighted it. It was served with a small side salad, not unlike a coleslaw, but slightly more acidic in balance than creamy. With seafood, acid is always a hit with me. The crab was flaky and did not taste fishy at all. That’s my biggest turn off when it comes to seafood and one of the reasons I used to avoid it so much as a kid. Even now, I avoid fishy tasting seafood like frozen salmon fillets (some aren’t too bad, but I’ve found that most don’t taste great after they’ve been thawed) and oysters, but oysters are another story altogether. Despite the price, I would, without a doubt, order this appetizer again.
Like every restaurant I go to, I review the menu over and over, agonizing over what it is I actually want to order. I had narrowed it down to the New York Steak Sandwich or the Filet with a side to share with my lawyer. Since we had chosen to order two appetizers, we decided to go with smaller (and slightly less expensive) mains. Well, let me tell you, the mains were much larger than either of us expected, especially the Marinaded Steak Salad. The Steak Salad was a huge surprise to my lawyer, but not so much to me as I had seen the table behind us order it, though I didn’t know it at the time. The extremely vibrant colours drew me in and if I had the opportunity to come two more times, I would order it one of those time (two because I would come back for the filet). Based solely on what I could see, it reminded me greatly of a Southwestern style salad, minus black beans. As I said, I’ll definitely have to come back and try that to verify if I’m right. The Steak Sandwich was more standard and what you would expect from just about any steakhouse. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. It was cooked a little under in the centre for me and though I like my steak aggressively seasoned, the salt was just too overpowering. The fries were perfect though: crisp on the outside, fluffy and soft on the inside. Sure, they were just fries, but as i’m finding out, not everyone can make a good fry. With the salty steak, the salted fries and the salted gravy, it was just too much for me. It was also a surprisingly large portion size.
We actually ate so much there was no space to even fit dessert, so this, in fact, is not a complete review and I will have to return (when restrictions are lifted again) to order a full meal. We did each get a macchiato to finish off our meal and it was a little larger than I expected. There was a substantial amount of milk and foam, putting it somewhere in between a traditional macchiato and a Starbucks macchiato, though it is closer to the former than the latter. I usually like the former more, but on this day, having that extra bit of milk and foam was exactly what I needed to get through my afternoon.
After this lunch, I didn’t need to eat again until the next day. My heart is hoping that the restrictions will be lifted by the time my birthday comes around so I can come here for a fancy dinner with my boyfriend, but with the way things are going I highly doubt it. Guess I’ll have to settle for something equally nice at home. I’m just getting so tired of my own cooking (as good as it is).
This place left me in awe. Though I can’t afford it, this is the kind of restaurant I enjoy. The service was wonderful and most of the food was incredible. I will definitely have to come here and try it again (but only on special occasions). Based on that experience, I would give Hy’s a 4.4/5.
Right: Adelaide Sour
moirasterling 
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