I opened my menu at the Steeles Deli this afternoon and spied the liver 'n onion entrée right away. "Best liver and onions in town," the menu promised.
Closed up the menu.
Ya sure; they all say that, but since I'm a sucker for a good feed of liver 'n onion now and then, I thought I'd give it a whirl.
Now, it did strike me that what they may have meant was best liver and onions in the Town of Vaughan, which is, technically speaking, where you are when you're sitting in a strip-mall on the north side of Steeles. The reason the north side of Steeles is wall-to-wall strip malls is because commercial realty taxes are lower in the Town (now the "City," apparently) of Vaughan than in Toronto, which is where you are when you cross Steeles Ave.
So, low taxes were the gambit that allowed Vaughan to poach Toronto businesses, but was this going to be the best liver and onion in Vaughan, or the best liver and onion in Toronto?
Long story short, the Steeles Deli serves up some really really delectable.... oh, but before I get to that, a couple of other noteworthy items.
First of all, there is a school of thought that claims eating animal livers is bad for you, because after all, the liver is the organ that filters toxins out of your blood.
Well, that's true. But look at it this way; what are vaccines made of? Toxins! And the entire edifice of modern scientific medicine agrees that putting a few toxins in your system inoculates against all kinds of nasty stuff.
So while I don't go for the flu shot and all that quackery, I figure I'm good to go thanks to an occasional feast of liver and onions... and touch wood, it's worked out so far.
Second noteworthy item, the Steeles Deli exhibits a very inclusive multi-culti hiring policy. They even have black people and oriental people working there! That's not something you run into in every deli in Toronto.
But I digress. Back to the liver and onions.
The liver and onions were utterly divine! While I can't say they were the "best" I ever had, they were certainly tied for the best. And portion-wise, there was absolutely nothing to complain about.
Having said that, I have to remark on the somewhat less than stellar potatoes and vegetables that showed up on the same plate.
For God's sakes people, throw some butter into the friggin' mashed potatoes! While edible, the mashed potatoes (and by the way, that's the only kind of potatoes you need with L&O) just didn't do the divine liver and onions justice.
And please, I shouldn't have to order gravy as a side! Liver and onions comes with mashed potatoes AND GRAVY!
Period! No debate required!
The veggies weren't up to par either. Edible, yes, but a C- compared to the A+ of the main deal.
Our party of five got out of there for a hundred bucks, which represents excellent value for a meal in the big city. My table-mates all had motzoh ball soup and corned beef sandwiches which unanimously got the thumbs up, except the guy who got the reuben and, if you can believe such a thing, had no idea what sauerkraut was.
Mind you, they don't have booze, or it would have been a different story, and I have to admit the tip was a little on the light side.
Overall, highly recommended.
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