Luigi & Sons Butcher Shop

Recently, I re-visited Elisa in Yaletown.  If I wasn't impressed the first time, this further cemented my belief that Elisa is the premier steakhouse in the GVRD.  From the gorgeous dining room and on point service to the high-quality well-prepared steaks, Elisa has got it all.  However, what if I told you that you can obtain the same variety of steaks right next door at Luigi & Sons Butcher Shop?  Yep, they have all the usual suspects and a bit more in addition to sides, salads, soups, sammies and dessert.  I picked up a dinner for 2 to go and headed home to grill up steaks you wouldn't find at any supermarket.

So I ended up with the Double R Ranch Boneless Ribeye cut 1" thick as well as the Double R Ranch Bone-in 30-day Dry Aged Ribeye cut 1.5" thick.  In addition, I got the Caesar Salad, Tender Leaf and Fresh Herb Salad, Pomme Puree and Truffle Mac & Cheese.  For dessert, I picked up the Banana Cream Pie, Blueberry Cheesecake and Salted Caramel Ice Cream.  To complete my meal, a bottle of Fox & Archer 3 Blocks Pinot Noir made its way into the bag.

With a bit of Diamond Crystal kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, these well-marbled steaks hit my Weber Grill at 500 degrees fahrenheit.  I seared them on both sides first and then proceeded to cook the smaller ribeye for about 5 minutes on each side.  For the thicker cut bone-in ribeye, I added another minute and a half for each side.  That came out a beautiful medium-rare while the 1" cut ribeye was medium.

Before I talk about the steaks, l'll get to the sides first.  For the Pomme Puree, there are instructions via a QR code on the container.  This required cooking it on the stove by adding some milk and salt.  The result was delicious as it was creamy and smooth.  As for the Truffle Mac & Cheese, the truffle was just strong enough while the whole thing had balanced flavour with minimal salt.  Pasta was al dente and there was plenty of cheese which was creamy with the proper viscosity.  The Caesar Salad featured fresh and vibrant romaine.  Dressing was flavourful with plenty of anchovy.  I loved the pecans in the Tender Leaf & Fresh Herb Salad as it provided a textural contrast to the delicate ingredients.  There were tender beets as well as citrus segments.  This was indeed herb-forward and aromatic.

Onto the steaks, the Double R Ranch Boneless Ribeye was cooked to medium with a well-charred exterior.  It was juicy and tender with lots of natural beef flavour thanks to the marbling.  All it needed was a side of Himalayan Pink Salt and Kosher Salt to complement its inherent flavour.  This was $54.00 and could easily feed 2 people by itself.  However, if one was very hungry or a linebacker, yes they could finish it.  But remember, there were sides and also dessert later!

We enjoyed this steak, but the Double R Ranch 30-Day Dry Aged Bone-In Ribeye was the bomb.  Definitely more intense beefiness as well as noticeable nuttiness.  Best of all, the meat melted-in-our-mouths.  It was so buttery from the marbling as well as the aging.  Properly rested, it turned out to be super juicy and once again, only a bit of salt helped enhance the flavours that were already there.  Also due to the marbling, it wasn't difficult to achieve a beautiful char and some crispiness on the outside.

As if this wasn't enough food already, we moved onto dessert with the Blueberry Cheesecake, Banana Cream Pie and Salted Caramel Ice Cream.  The cheesecake was smooth and had a pronounced cheesiness to it.  It wasn't overly sweet but the sugariness of the crumb base made up for that.  Oh, how we loved the banana cream pie!  The crust was crisp and a had a firm texture.  Inside, there was a whole ripe banana in addition to the cream and custard.  Mildly sweet and completely aromatic.  Melting very fast, the ice cream was high quality (melts fast due to lack of stabilizers).  It was creamy and rich with plenty of kick from the salted caramel.  Once again, the sweetness was just right.  Gotta say that this take-home meal was restaurant quality (and that was no surprise due to its affiliation), easy-to-prepare and worth the money.  It won't be any surprise to find another blog post on Luigi & Sons in the near future.

*All food was complimentary*

The Good:
- High-quality steaks not usually found anywhere else
- Sides, salads and desserts are good quality and compliment the meal
- Even has wine, so it is a one-stop shop

The Bad:
- Steaks are not cheap, but worth it in my opinion
- Parking in Yaletown can be tough, but if you live in the area it isn't an issue