As always, we had made a reservation, and when we arrived promptly at 6:30, we were seated immediately at a lovely table in the corner. I say lovely because it was a bit removed from the hustle-bustle of the rest of the restaurant, which I appreciated very much.
The ambience of the place was chic, stylish, classy, and done
in all red, brown, and dark mahogany colours. The lighting gradually dimmed as the evening wore on, and the music on this non-Thursday was gloriously soft and unraucous, although to our dismay LUX was playing Top 40/hip-hop songs instead of their usual jazz. Hubbs & I get a very Vancouver-esque feel from dining here, which tells you a little about why we love the place.The server came by and took our drink orders quickly; Mom & I opted for water while the boys had caesars of varying spiciness levels. LUX has the most diverse caesar drink menu I have seen, and this impressed Hubbs to no end when we first came here. His favourite? The Insanity Caesar. My dad very much enjoyed his Fireworks Caesar.
The menu, which offers only a handful of entrees aside from the steaks, also lists a modest variety of appetizers, sides, and salads. The menu is known to change every few months, and has shifted quite a bit since our first visit last year. My Dad and I both ordered New York steaks, Mom had the pan-seared halibut, and Hubbs had his ahi tuna. As well, Hubbs & I got the truffled lobster mac-n-cheese to share, and my folks got the horseradish & peppercorn mashed potatoes.
One drawback to the restaurant is that they do not immediately assume that you want bread; you have to ask for it, which we did. When it was served, I found the slices of baguette to be quite dry, although it didn't appear to have been toasted. The garlic herb butter that it was served with was yummy though.
Our meals arrived in good time, and I dug into my steak right away. As per all restaurants, it was a little more medium rare than the rare that I had ordered. However, it was aged well and tasted great. I would have preferred a little more grizzle on it, but that's just the unhealthy part of me talking ;) Hubbs' ahi tuna was excellent according to him (he didn't share), and so was the smoked gouda polenta that it came with; the polenta was bold and flavourful because of its cheese content, and was also very rich and filling to eat. Our truffled lobster mac-n-cheese was far more mild, but also tasty and delicious and creamy. My Dad enjoyed his steak immensely, and gobbled all 8 oz. of it up in record time. He also commented that the mashed potatoes were very good, which is a high compliment given that my dad is stingy on compliments when it comes to food that he didn't prepare; however, the potatoes were definitely lacking in horseradish and peppercorn taste. The three peppercorn demi that Dad got for his meal was also very flavourful and appealing (I know this because he poured a lot of it over his potatoes), although both he and Hubbs felt that it didn't taste peppercorny at all. Mom quietly enjoyed her halibut, which she later commented was really good; I didn't taste her fish but I did notice that it was a rather small portion (likewise with Hubbs' ahi).
A few more caesars and a couple of conversation topics later, we got the bill. It was a whopper to be sure, but given the overall satisfaction that my folks had with the food, I felt the price was worth it. My parents were very much impressed by the setting of the restaurant, although a little shocked at the steep prices that they charged. My Mom especially was chagrined to note that sides didn't automatically come with the steak entrees, and had to be purchased separately.
All in all, a good Christmas gift and a nice treat for my parents, who almost never dine anywhere fancier than Tony Roma's (their regular joint for celebrating birthdays). I highly recommend LUX to those of you wanting to dine at a fancy place and have some delicious fare (although, don't go on Retro Thursdays or else you'll find the restaurant to be deafeningly loud due to music from the lounge). I would suggest, however, that you save up your pennies and only come here for special occasions, as its entrees (averaging $30 each) are not for the stingy of wallet!
Rating: 9 / 10
Hubb's Rating: 9 / 10
(He said, "Knock off a point or two for them playing rap music instead of the acid jazz/jazz combo")
1 comment:
Hey, and you can't beat their Martoonie Thursday's either. Except the waitresses dress like hookers. That's always attractive. But then, who cares, you just drank a $2 martini.
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