Have you ever wanted to dine like Beauty and the Beast? What about dining like you were at Drake’s 31st birthday? In any case, if you want to have dinner in an opulent castle, you have to eat at BlueBlood Steakhouse.
BlueBlood is operated by the Liberty Entertainment Group in the former billiards room of Casa Loma. That’s such a smart idea to open a restaurant inside one of the most well-known Toronto landmarks. But can BlueBlood live up to other established steakhouses in Toronto?
Cocktails
I started with a Cusco Cobbler cocktail, which was nice and refreshing. BlueBlood is known for its signature cocktail called Once Upon a Time. The cocktail is served under a glass cloche, infused with apple smoke. When the glass cloche is lifted, the smoke escapes – it’s quite the spectacle! Our server cautioned against the cocktail saying that it’s heavy on the alcohol, which is why I chose a more fruity beverage instead.
For dinner, the Tawse Winery 2013 Cabernet Franc Laundry paired well overall with the meal as it was a medium body wine that went down smooth and was low in acidity.
Food
We started with Caesar Salad for two, which was prepared tableside, just like how good steakhouses do it. You can watch the dressing being whipped by hand – one raw egg, lots of oil, mustard, lemon juice, salt, & pepper.
The crispy bits of lardons were packed with salty goodness. Whole sardines are included. But the price tag of $40 for two is a bit steep for, let’s be real, lettuce.
Next, we tried the Short Rib Ravioli with ricotta and porcini mushrooms. The earthiness of the mushrooms punctuated each bite – this was one of my faves of the whole meal.
The Charbroiled European Sea Bass is served whole on a cast iron platter. They must not have done a good job of deboning the fish as it was annoying having to pull out little bones throughout. I’ve had fish at other steakhouses, and I’ve never had one that was as greasy as the one at BlueBlood.
The Ribeye Steak was prepared simply with minimal seasoning so that you can season your own meat with a selection of salts, including a volcanic salt, Maldon salt, and Hawaiian pink.
Don’t expect a generous portion of the sides. The Sweet Potato Ribbon Fries were few and far between as were the Sautéed Hand-Foraged Woodland Mushrooms.
The Other Stuff
We came to BlueBlood Steakhouse to celebrate a birthday. At our table, was a carefully placed handwritten birthday card on luxurious black stationary. Just before dessert, our server presented us with housemade chocolate truffles that you select from a box. Though we were completely stuffed by this point, we still tried the Poached Pear Tart, which wasn’t overly sweet.
The whole atmosphere was really unique – how often do you get to have dinner in a castle?! We sat near a giant painting of the Purple One and in another room are Warhol prints.
The washrooms are located away from the restaurant in the castle. To get there, you get to explore a little of the main floor of Casa Loma past the library and the conservatory.
It would’ve been a nice treat to leave with a little takeaway item, as is part of the experience at some other high-end restaurants. I would eat at BlueBlood again for a special occasion just to celebrate in a notable environment, but for a regular meal, I would visit my other favourite steakhouses in the Toronto.
BlueBlood Steakhouse
Location: Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace, Toronto
Dinner For 2: $400 (including wine and cocktails)
Parking: On-site or Valet
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