Mr. Mikes SteakhouseCasual

9 Reviews on “Mr. Mikes SteakhouseCasual”

• Prince Gastronome

  Mr. Mikes couldnt be more generic if it had a yellow label and found on the bottom shelf of the Real Canadian Superstore. Theres virtually nothing distinguishing itself from a dozen different franchises like Boston Pizza, Original Joes, or Applebees. Blindfold me, lead me in, and I wouldnt be able to name where I was with any degree of certainty. With that, I shall make up a generic name to call them all. I shall call them Mr. Boston ApplejoesWhile inside Mr. Boston Applejoeswhich honestly sounds a little dirtyI found all the usual vapidities of casual fine dining: the entire dcor was smothered in various shades of brown; the menu was laminated with photos for those unwilling to read, and the layout is so confusing, youd get lost on the way to the bathroom. The menu offerings looked appetizing, but dreams rarely match reality. I notice that whenever I drink coffee. Sure it looks good, and when using words like mocha, latte, and pumpkin spice, it certainly offers the impression that it would be goodbut then I taste it and rememberits still coffee. About the only thing I like with coffee in the name is Coffee Crisp, and that has about as much actual coffee as it does nutritional value. I think they call it Coffee Crisp in the same way that companies have to put those warning labels on chocolate bars if theres a chance theyve been in contact with peanuts. Perhaps its been diluted to such an extent that no original molecules remainthey might as well call it Homeopathic Chocolate Covered Wafers. Anyways, coming full circle, Mr. Boston Applejoes is the Coffee Crisp of restaurants. Its been diluted, only the mere scent of a restaurant remains. My eventual selection was advertised as sliced sirloin sauted to perfection, creamy peppercorn sauce, mushrooms, roasted red pepper, green onions and asiago with triple elbow (as if two werent good enough) noodles. Firstly, the noodles in my peppercorn sirloin pasta were under-seasoned, if seasoned at all. Secondly, to compensate, the sauce had far too much salt. This is an unfortunate truth in franchise restaurants, as salted water contributes to corrosion in expensive pots. Thirdly, said sauce wasnt mixed into the dish, with a mound of semi-moist pasta sitting over a bowl of peppercorn soup, with the mushrooms wallowing at the bottom leaving an unappetizing conclusion to my meal. These are not mistakes made by chefs; these are mistakes made by workers in a factory line.Finally, and I fully admit nitpicking, its not called triple-elbow pastaonly children call them that. Its called Cavatappi, proving that Mr. Mikes is pandering. As for the other patrons at my table, one suffered from a dairy intolerance, and instead of attempting to create something both appealing and accommodating, all the chefs didor rather those working the linewas steam some broccoli and dump it next to a mound plain rice. I know its difficult when someone has such an encompassing intolerance, but an intelligent and creative chef would have taken it as a challenge and made sure his or her customer was satisfied. To charge full price for such an underwhelming plate that lacked a shred of originality is disappointing. And to top it off, the meal cost more than one at Boston Pizza, with the latter at least not charging an extra three dollars for garlic bread. With the aforementioned competition just down the street, I honestly dont know the appeal of Mr. Boston Applejoes.I admit this is an overly negative review, so Ill diffuse that by saying that Ive heard their burgers are really good, but so are Red Robins. I heard their steaks are good, but so are The Kegs. The dcor, though unoriginal and unexciting, isnt cheap. Ill also admit Mr. Boston Applejoes is better than the restaurant it replaced. But that doesnt make it a recommendation by any stretch. In the spectrum of casual franchise restaurants, Mr. Mikes occupies a low rung in an increasing mediocre list.I said in my review of Boston Pizza that despite always preferring a local restaurant, Ill never object to eating there. The food is just good enough and the prices are just good enough to not make me upset at the experience. Mr. Mikes is not that good.Food: 2/5Service: 3/5Presentation: 2.5/5Value: 3/5Recommendation: 2.5/5

  December 24, 2015, 7:04 am

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• Eryk Christopher Edge

  Exceptional experience.Can’t recall a dinning experience that went so perfectly in recent memory. Drinks were refilled promptly. Food was amazing, any everything went perfectly. I’ve got years of serving experience and typically a hard critic. It’s no wonder the place was packed. Keep up the greatness, see us next time!!!!!

  December 9, 2015, 3:02 am

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