Toronto: Kelsey's

On the second day of Anime North, we went to Kelsey's for dinner. The restaurant was packed with convention goers, and there was a bit of a line-up. Thankfully, there was a small seating area at the reception. Bleary-eyed, we waited for about 10 minutes before a table freed up. Our group had split up earlier during the day, so M and I had a booth all to ourselves! Across the restaurant, we saw six people -- some in cosplay -- squished into the same sized booth. We considered ourselves fortunate.

The service was slow, as expected. However, our waitress was quite cheerful and laid-back despite the fact that it was rush hour.

M couldn't decide between the steak or the burger, so he had the waitress pick. As I predicted, she chose the more expensive dish for him, the Fire-Grilled Steak & Chipotle Shrimp ($21.99). The presentation alone is much more than what I expected from a family restaurant. The portion size is adequate too, you wouldn't be too stuffed to walk after a dish like this. The steak, a 9 oz sirloin cut aged 28 days, was delightful in the sauce. I wouldn't call it chipotle, it is too mild and creamy for that, but it was tasty nonetheless. The shrimps were alright, tender but clearly from the freezer. Can't blame them for that. I was quite pleased with this dish, and stole more than a few bites. 

I tried the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich ($13.69). The description on the menu had me nearly drooling. I've never had a cheese steak sandwich before, but I know I wanted one. Unfortunately, Kelsey's version of the Philly delight left much to be desired. Served on a toasted baguette, the sandwich consists of shaved steak, grilled red peppers and onions, garlic sautéed mushrooms, and a blend of mozzarella and provolone cheese. The steak, however, was cut too thick and tasted too bland. It was like eating pieces of tasteless, stringy matter. The cheese was only on one side of the sandwich, so the first half I ate actually had no cheese. The dipping jus was flavourful, and it was fun to dip the fries into something other than ketchup, but that hardly salvaged the meal. 

Surprisingly, something did save the meal. M felt like he hadn't eaten enough, and I was just unhappy with my food. We had been eyeing the little dessert menu on the table ever since we sat down, and we both felt up to getting a little sweet something to finish off the evening. 

The description of the Maple Apple Pie ($5.99) really called out to me, and ohhhh boy, we did not regret that order in the least. It came as a stout, round cylinder topped with an enormous scoop of vanilla ice cream, the whole thing drizzled with vanilla cream sauce and English toffee sauce, then sprinkled with icing sugar and cinnamon. Wow. The first bite was heaven -- decadent buttery crust that broke easily to the tooth, yielding a cinnamon and apple filling with just a hint of maple. The base of the filling is actually Granny Smith apples, a choice that surprised me on the menu, but tasted just right on the tongue. The tartness balanced the overwhelming sweetness of everything else in the dish, and highlighted the woody tones of baked apple. Delicious. If I ever frequent a Kelsey's again, this will be my dessert for sure. 

Despite my bad sandwich, I do think Kelsey's is a pretty solid restaurant for the convention centre. The staff can handle a busy restaurant, and the food is good. A lot of my friends had the Messy Fish Sandwich and enjoyed it, so I may try that next time. At one point, M went to the bathroom, and came back to declare that it was the most disgusting men's room he'd ever seen in a restaurant, so cleanliness might be an issue to watch out for. If you come in a group, it might be smarter to split up, because you don't want to be crammed into a booth with 5 other people. 

636 Dixon Rd,

Etobicoke, ON

M9W 1J1

(416) 240-6932

http://www.kelseys.ca/home.php