After writing 3 finals in one day, my best friend thought it was necessary to take me out for dinner. Sometimes I wish I could just spend the rest of my life with her, then I realize I basically will be…ha! (does happy dance). Thank you Rylee for an amazing evening. This replenished my energy levels and I am ready to tackle my next 3 finals. Aside from having an amazing friend, I also had an amazing dinner. She took me to Wildfire Steakhouse & Wine Bar last night (located at 3438 Yonge St) and we of course, indulged in as much as we possibly could. Twas a great night with some great food, let’s get into it!
Hummus
Served with warm bread rolls.
First off, I’m really sad that I couldn’t get a picture of the bread rolls. What I will say is that this was actually an amazing hummus with vibrant flavours. The bread was just as amazing. As Ry said: “I’ve had really bad hummus…so I know a good hummus when I taste one”. The texture of this hummus was smooth but not pasty. Perf.
Seared Beef Carpaccio
Arugula, lemon, garlic chips and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.
Let me just start off by saying that this is just what we do. We order beef carpaccio everywhere we go. Being a self-proclaimed beef carpaccio connoisseur, I can assure you that this was delightful. I love the flavour of the garlic chips and how they fused beautifully with the peppery flavour of the arugula. I wrapped every bite in the beef and some cheese and it was just divine. We had actually ordered two. Now the only thing I could point out as a flaw was that Rylee’s carpaccio did not have enough lemon and mine had a tad bit too much. Perhaps I felt that it was too acidic because this carpaccio lacked the creamy component that most other carpaccios have. Regardless of this, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. I would highly recommend it!
Escargots Provençal
Herbed butter, roasted garlic, shallots and panko topping.
I must confess that I had one bad experience with escargot, which also happened to be my first and what I thought would be my last. So of course, when this came out I started feeling queasy thinking about the first time I had escargot. Needless to say, I did not enjoy my first bite and didn’t want to go in for seconds. But I am SO glad Ry convinced me to go back in on this bad boy. It was exceptional. All the flavours were just right. The escargot was tender and the contrast of texture that the panko brought to this dish really made this a well rounded appetizer. I would love to go back and allow myself to enjoy this. As a matter of fact, I will. Highly recommend.
Hand Rolled Ricotta Gnocchi
With oyster and portobello mushrooms, truffle oil, wilted spinach and fresh herbs, sprinkled with Parmigiano Reggiano.
As soon as this was brought to our table, all we smelled was the truffle. It was sublime, in all its mouth watery goodness. The gnocchi itself was beautiful. The ricotta caused this usually tender dish to become even smoother; velvety. The flavours of the spinach, herbs and parmesan were doing cartwheels on my palate. And the truffle oil, oh the truffle oil! Like I said earlier, this entire dish was just sublime. Highly recommend.
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Certified Angus and slow cooked to melt off the bone. Basted with Wildfire’s own BBQ sauce. Served alongside sautéed mushrooms and parmesan truffle polenta fries.
Let’s start off with the protein on this plate. These beef short ribs were braised to perfection. Juicy, succulent, tender…I can’t pick just one of those words. Thinking about it is making my mouth water. I usually don’t like ordering anything that says BBQ on it because I assume it will be too sweet. But this, oh this, was not sweet at all. I am so glad Ry ordered this! The flavours of the house BBQ sauce and the ribs themselves was impeccable. The mushrooms had an interesting flavour. Though I did not like them enough to want to order them alone, I did enjoy their flavour with the beef short ribs. The parmesan truffle polenta fries, not so much. Though the texture of the polenta fries was exceptional, I was not fond of the flavour. There was way too much rosemary in the mix. I would have also preferred if they were a little bit creamier in the middle. I’d still highly recommend this dish because of how amazing the short ribs were. And for the portions served, this is definitely worth every dollar.
Grilled Barramundi
Light, white, meaty fish with lemon lime butter sauce, wasabi mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
First time having barramundi and it will most definitely not be my last. The fish was exceptional. Light, flaky, tender and extremely savoury. The charr marks on the fish were beautiful as well. The lemon-lime butter sauce was a great accompaniment to the natural flavour of the fish. Amazing. The wasabi mashed potatoes, not so much. And no, I don’t feel this way because I’m not a fan of potatoes. It’s actually because there was something missing, maybe some salt, some butter perhaps? It was missing a flavour component and it bothered me, so I did not further put myself through the potatoes. The vegetables, I guess they were alright? They were just seasonal roasted vegetables, nothing special and out of the ordinary. So, in conclusion I was not a fan of the sides. But for the sake of the fish, I’d recommend this plate…maybe you can try to order just the fish and switch up the sides? Still worth a try!
Filet Mignon
Wildfire’s most tender cut. Served alongside seasonal vegetables and parmesan truffle polenta fries.
Can we just take a moment to gawk at this beauty? Love the browning and the charr marks on the outside. This filet mignon is truly a work of art. I wish I took a pic of the perfectly pink, medium-rare inside. Absolutely gorgeous. The pieces of meat I indulged in pretty much melted in my mouth. This place is a steakhouse after all…they done well! Haha! It was like having dessert…except it was a damn good steak. I have nothing bad to say about this. It just oozes sex appeal to me, haha. I love my steaks people! Now to the sides, I have the same thing to say about the polenta fries and the seasonal vegetables as I had to say in the previous dishes where they were present. I would definitely order different sides next time to see how I like this. Regardless of the sides, this steak proved to be an amazing piece of meat. It practically made love to my palate and my taste buds did not refuse a second of it. Though I would suggest trying different sides, I would highly recommend this meal for the protein on the plate.
Drinks: Coca Cola
I know this isn’t a big deal…but I have never seen a glass coke bottle served at a restaurant. It is so cute! So I obviously had to share it with all of you;)
Wildfire Crème Brulée
Traditional homemade crème brulée, made with rich Madagascar vanilla beans.
This gorgeous crème brulée is “sicker than yo average” (high five for the hip-hop reference!). I love crème brulée. Actually, I pretty much love any dessert. Yes, yes & YASSSSSSS!!! There was something different about this crème brulée though. I think it was the flavour of the sugar layer I had to break through. It was a good different though, I would go back and order 5 of these. Seriously. The crème part was exactly that, creamy. Perfectly smooth. I caught myself closing my eyes and letting it sit on every taste bud on my palate before moving in for another bite. No complaints, all smiles. Highly recommend.
Layered Chocolate Mousse
Rich dark chocolate mousse under a layer of creamy white chocolate mousse with a blanket of chocolate ganache.
Let’s take this bad boy on a layer at a time yeah? Let’s start from the bottom (No Drizzy intended, not this time at least). A dark chocolate mousse: extremely rich and tantalizing. White chocolate mousse: not as rich as the dark chocolate, but creamy and sweet enough to have me dying for another bite. Chocolate ganache: brought both flavours of mousse together and enveloped my palate in a chocolate-y and sugary goodness. Absolutely divine. I would have loved to try a crunchy hazelnut base instead of a cake but the cake worked just fine. I absolutely loved this one. Highly recommend!
Dessert Wine
Chiarlo Nivole Moscato
What’s a dinner with Rylee without wine? Not complete, that’s what. This is such a sweet little treat to have post-dinner. I’d definitely suggest you all trying this baby out. On the sweeter side, but pretty damn good nonetheless.
Overall Ratings
Food: 8.5/10
The only reason this place didn’t get a higher grade than this (although this is pretty damn high taking our standards into consideration) is because the sides were more on the…”blah” side. I really wish I could have enjoyed the sides to my meals as opposed to just brushing them aside. That aside, the main components of our entrées were amazing. Overall, the food itself was impeccably made and I will most definitely go back here. It’s a great spot to go on a date, or even just with your fellow foodies.
Drinks: n/a
Based off of the one wine we did try, this place did great. Perhaps we will actually try cocktails the next time around.
Service: 10/10
The staff was very friendly and keen to attend to all of our needs. They all maintained such a pleasant and professional attitude. Really knowledgable with their menu and all it entailed. Thanks Ryan, you da best. Ps. You have a gorgeous smile.
Ambience: 9/10
The decor and overall atmosphere of the place was great. I love how long their tables are (more food in one shot, haha). The open dining area and the more private booths were all very comfortable. Decor was cute. Washrooms were extremely clean (I’m pretty sure that doesn’t fit into ambience, but I had to put it somewhere). Me likes.
My overall experience at Wildfire Steakhouse & Wine Bar last night was great. The only issue I had were the sides to the dishes we ordered. I would most definitely go back and would, without a question, recommend this spot for all of you foodies out there!
