Cascade Room

I haven't been back to The Cascade Room in quite some time.  So long in fact, that they have taken their fantastic polenta fries off the menu!  Yes, I was very sad, but change is good sometimes and we did try to focus on the items that would make it to their new menu (which is due to be out real soon).  But the place is also known for their bevvies too and we weren't going to not sample some of those too!  Yah, it was a little early to drink, but it is late night somewhere in the world right???

So we got a few drinks to sample including the Gimme That Sweet, Sweet Heat, Smoke & Lace and That's Amaro!  These couldn't have been anymore different, but great for us since there was clear delineation between them.  The GTSSH was sweet and fruity with some bite while the S&L was rich, dark and smoky.  The featured cocktail, That's Amaro!, was actually light and somewhat fruity despite bitterness from the amaro.  Nicely balanced drink.

Onto the eats, we started with the Seared Scallops and Prawns with Italian couscous, sauce vierge and chive beurre blanc.  This was a nice way to begin the meal as the scallops were buttery and a bit rare in the middle.  Perfectly prepared and naturally sweet.  The prawns were also cooked properly exhibiting a meaty snap while being super sweet and mildly seasoned.  Couscous had a nice texture while the crunch of the veggies provided nice contrast.  It could've used a bit more salt though.

We also got the 1/2 Pound Mussels in a cherry wheat beer broth sporting cherry chorizo.  Absolutely loved this combo as the fruitiness of the cherry helped temper the spice from the chorizo as well as somehow accentuating the meatiness.  The broth was light, aromatic and somewhat spicy.  The mussels were all open and featured a buttery texture.  Naturally, there was the usual brininess that was welcomed.

I'm so glad we ordered the Free-Range Chicken Wings because they were not only fantastic, they were some of the largest wings I've ever seen.   Not only were they large, the preparation was on point.  Each piece was crunchy on the outside while the meat was juicy (with literal juices running down my fingers).  We chose spiced soy glaze and it was tasty with equal parts of sweetness and saltiness.  Excellent wings, would eat again gladly!

Continuing on with the small plates, we had the Grilled Steak Skewers as well.  These were glazed with Guinness and drizzled with chimichurri aioli.  Nice intermittent charring on the beef which gave it some smokiness.  I could really taste the Guinness as well as the other seasoning in the brine while the aioli provided creaminess and a bit of brightness.  The beef itself was tender while still having a natural meaty texture.

Onto some bigger dishes, we had the Grilled Yellowfin Tuna Steak atop crispy potato & zucchini rosti and watercress arugula sauce with grilled asparagus and frisee salad.  As you can clearly see, the tuna only lightly kissed the grill and remained rare.  This was perfect as the fish was tender and moist while having grill marks on the outside.  The sauce was bright with some bitterness while the asparagus was barely cooked through.

Seeing there was a Fried Spicy Chicken Sandwich on the menu, I just had to get it.  Turned out to be a good choice as the fried chicken thigh was juicy and tender.  The batter was fairly light, but still crunchy.  I thought the spice was somewhere between mild and medium.  This would appeal to a wide range of tastes.  The whole thing was completed with butter lettuce, pickle and jalapeno ranch.  Bun was not too heavy, but could've been toasted just a touch more.

This came with a side of Poutine (upgraded from regular fries).  Portion size was pretty good for a side and it consisted of house-cut fries which were perfect for use in a poutine.  Crispy but plenty of potato texture ready for the gravy.  About that gravy, it was plenty flavourful bordering on salty, but not salty since it helped flavour the fries and legit cheese curds.  A pretty solid version of poutine with quality ingredients. 

Lastly, we had the Cascade Grass-Fed Beef Burger with all of the add-ons including sauteed mushrooms, bacon and smoked cheddar.  Yes, it also had butter lettuce, tomato and red onion as well as roasted red pepper and mustard relish.  Hence, it was pretty substantial and ate really well.  The patty was lean and sported a crispy exterior, but was still ultimately moist inside.  Overall, this visit to the Cascade Room was solid like it has always been.  Drinks are the draw here, but the accompanying food is equally solid and reasonably-priced.

*This post features complimentary food and drinks

The Good:

- Cocktail program is solid

- Equally solid eats

- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:

- Oh no!  No more polenta fries!

- Would maybe go with a toasted brioche bun isntead?