Council Oak proves the steakhouse can still surprise

As dining destinations go, I’ve never given much thought to the steakhouse. 

Perhaps as a result of exposure to gangster films, the unconscious associations I’ve made involved suited men with burly voices blowing cigar smoke. There’s the requisite whisky or cognac, of course, and the hardening of the arteries.

Having worked on Toronto’s Bay Street back in the day, the steakhouse experience was seen as a “must”. It was just never a cohort I wanted to belong to. So a prejudice built up.

Yet, of late, I’ve had requests that I cover steakhouses in my reviews. It’s entirely reasonable, so today I begin this series at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Council Oak.

While they offer a full bar with all classic cocktails available, Council Oak produces eight signature cocktails priced between $16 and $25. While I find cocktail prices too high across the board, Council Oak’s pricing is in line with current industry norms.

We began with a Charred Elixir and The Oak. Both had a refreshing citrus edge that kept the palate bright and kick-started the appetite. 

The “char” in the Charred Elixir came from the addition of smoky mezcal to the Tequila, Aperol and blood orange. 

The Oak, as the menu tells us, is “Inspired by the Council Oak Tree, a cherished symbol of the (Seminole) tribe…” It’s a mix of whisky, citrus butter syrup, lemon and egg white. 

The spirit lays a broad foundation with the citrus lifting the aromatics and giving sharpness. The whole thing is tempered by the soft and creamy effects of the butter syrup and egg whites. It’s a nice invention and worth having.

Iceberg lettuce has limited uses. It’s not fondly regarded as a salad ingredient, but it does a terrific job of adding crunch to sandwiches.

However, it is the essential ingredient of the steakhouse classic, the wedge salad. No other lettuce can be substituted. With its numerous nooks and crannies, it’s a dressing delivery system, and its cool crunch only adds to the freshness of the experience.

The dressing was light with good blue cheese and bacon used sparingly but sufficiently to create a refreshing starter. Slivers of red onion, radishes and golden cherries added further crunch and pops of flavour.

Bone marrow is a staple of my childhood. Back then, our German butcher would give the stuff away. He’d cut the bones into manageable pieces, and my mother would bake them in the oven.

I had a tiny spoon for this treat and I was always happy to dive in. I still am, so I’m glad that Council Oak does a good job with their interpretation.

The bones are cut lengthwise and topped with their house chimichurri sauce and served with rounds of toasted baguette. It’s a very good way to start.

The beef tartare too, was a generous portion. It came served with a quail egg, house remoulade, cornichons and planks of lightly toasted sourdough. 

Tartare, understandably, needs to be made-to-order. This was another staple of my childhood (those European diets!) and was commonly made with minced sirloin.

My only quibble here was that the mince on the beef was too fine for my liking. I prefer a coarser chop as it allows for a greater appreciation of flavour rather than just the perception of a paste-like texture.

For the amount of beef there was also too little of the charred sourdough but they immediately brought more at the request.

Having earlier expressed my reticence around the steakhouse experience, I was pleased to discover that it was the side dishes that provided so much of the excitement for me. 

I’m always impressed when a kitchen knows how to work with vegetables and here Chef Juan Pérez and his team deliver.

The grilled asparagus in béarnaise sauce ($15) was on point and sweetly tender. They also took the trouble to cut the thinner asparagus into smaller pieces and others into ribbons. This was an unnecessary distraction that contributed nothing to an otherwise delicious side.

The other sides of a charred mushroom skillet and broccolini dusted in freshly grated parmesan were equally fine.

A variety of mushrooms had been seared to retain moisture and came with slightly caramelized cipollini onions that provided a foundation of sweetness to the earthy fungi. 

The execution on all the sides was simply perfect save for the duck fat potato hashbrown. Served with caviar, horseradish cream, lemon and chives, it made for a nice presentation. The round of grated potato was appealingly crispy but was thick enough that the centre hadn’t quite cooked through. It was a nice tasting dish just a little underdone.

Council Oak gets their beef from Slipacoff’s Premium Meats in High River, Alberta. It’s AAA rated and aged 28 days. 

Some of us however prefer our beef aged a little longer and so I asked if they had a N.Y. bone-in striploin that fit the criteria. They came back and announced that there was a 35 day aged cut. 

The steak came as ordered and had that deeper flavour that aging provides. They had taken care to carve it off the bone and it was easy to see that it had been well rested before slicing. Nicely done.

Filet mignon is the even more tender tapered end of beef tenderloin. This is the muscle that runs along the back of a cow and because it’s not very active, it is the most tender part of the animal. It also has its price.

In hindsight my failure here…well I’m still kicking myself. I neglected to take a photo of the filet mignon cross-section. It was gloriously medium rare and without a strand of sinew or a drop of blood on the plate. 

This kitchen knows beef and how to cook and serve it. Of course you’d expect nothing less from a steakhouse and now Council Oak has set a standard for other steakhouse reviews to come.

This filet was nothing but perfection. It was soft enough that it was possible to break it down using little effort. I don’t often order filet mignon but I got lucky– I’ve not had better.

Originally from Spain, Executive Chef Juan Pérez has spent a decade working for Hard Rock with gigs in New York, Madrid and Budapest. 

Executive Sous Chef Leonardo Naves is from Brazil and has worked for Hard Rock in Punta Cana and Puerto Vallarta. 

Both men are from countries that know something about chargrilling meats. In fact, they work with a special device known as a Parilla grill, commonly used in their home countries. It’s operated using a large wheel that raises and lowers the grill.

Council Oak first surprised us with a very fine brunch experience. Now we’d been in the hands of professionals in both the kitchen and on the floor. 

Server Sam and the crew working with him were professional and friendly without ever being overly familiar. The service was respectful without being stuffy. It was obvious they had undergone service training which made the entire experience a pleasure.

Council Oak surprised in another way as well: the prices were not egregious. Nicely done and generous side dishes ranged from $10-$19 with appetizers ranging from $12-$23. 

Steak prices were no more than many of the citi’s other top rooms, and if you’re anything like me, a steak always tastes better when sharing.

The wine list is decent if modest but with Executive Steward Donald Wingell now taking charge of the wine program, I expect to see more interesting choices added over time.

Now to see what some of Ottawa’s other steak emporiums have in store.