Harbour Sixty is a fine cut above the rest

Review by Michael Vaughan

Just what Toronto needs. Another steakhouse. This time in the historic Harbour Commission building, at Lakeshore and Bay. The thought of yet another meat market in a tough location makes me sad. C'mon, we're still mourning the loss of Moishes, and the fare at pricey U.S. steakhouse chains is rather uninspiring.

Well blow me over Harbour Sixty. I'm amazed: Canada has finally been put on the steak map, outperforming its southern cousins by a country mile. Better yet, the super fresh seafood is simply the best money can buy. If my hunch is right, you'll be lucky to get a table here anytime soon. Not to mention no-charge valet parking a highway ramp away from Air Canada Centre.

To begin, it's obvious that Toronto restaurateurs Ted and Steve Nikolaou have spared no expense reviving the restrained and tasteful opulence befitting a beautiful 1917 historic building that once actually graced our waterfront. A long deep-blue awning, four-storey Corinthian columns and plush carpeted stairs greet you as you step into the grand foyer.

Now for the grand tour: enter left and saunter past a spacious, classically adorned bar/lounge area; a glance at the special martini menu warrants the detour. Then make a right turn to discover the gallery, featuring an open kitchen where the chef and his attentive staff chop, dice and sautee before your eyes. A pristine display case glistens with gorgeous fresh cuts of meat, tuna, live lobsters, etc. Another right and you're in the main dining room with lovely banquets and enormous high-back armchairs. Comfortable and cozy, it has the feeling of the captain's private dining room aboard a luxury liner.

My first visit: a power lunch for three. A fine large Spiegelau wine glass sits patiently atop the crisp white tablecloth. Before perusing the wine list, a basket of hot sourdough bread (olive, natural and cheese) appears on our table along with sweet butter and plump garlic-infused black and green olives. Thankfully, no hard sell on bottled water; eau-de-tap flows freely.

And the wine list? Wow. Some 18 pages of goodies that took more than a year to assemble. While there are lots in the $30 range, you can splurge up to $1,000 for a 1990 Chateau Montrose. I settle for a delightful, fresh, zesty, blueberry infused, gently smoky Cabernet Franc from New Zealand: 1998 Kim Crawford's Wicken Vineyard; good value at $44, but the list's comparison to Chateau Cheval Blanc is a bit of a stretch. For the adventuresome, Henry of Pelham's intense, spicy 1997 Baco Noir Reserve is also a good buy at $39. Affable resident wine master and GM Mauro Rosati is on hand to answer any questions and decant your wine.

Returning to the luncheon menu, the least expensive of six items is Maryland blue crab cakes ($12.95) on a roasted corn salsa with red pepper aioli. (It also appears on the dinner menu as an appetizer at the same price.) The moist, tender, meaty, flavourful crab cakes are perfect. There is just enough filling to gently hold the cakes together, permitting the natural crab flavours to swim through. So how do they do it? Consulting Chef-extraordinaire Dominick Zoffranieri, who spent many months designing this menu, confides that they are simply made from the best crab available, homemade mayonnaise and, yes, saltines.

Two other items from the lunch menu are tested: the fork-tender, flavourful, crackling roasted Cornish hen ($13.95, $22.95 for the dinner portion) and herb jus is lovely. The roasted garlic mashed potatoes are sampled around the table. A significant portion and good value. A prime rib sandwich ($18.95) is ordered rare, but arrives well-done. An adroit waiter would never have presented it. But the exceedingly obliging server does replace it with an excellent tender New York strip steak -- no charge ($39.95 on the dinner menu). It comes with a zesty tomato onion salad. The replacement is a carnivore's culinary cache: tender, perfectly pink and, most important, teeming with flavour.

From the eight appetizers, the amazingly tender flash-fried calamari ($10.50) (mixed with tiny baby octopus) tossed with garlic, red cherry peppers and capers is a sure thumbs-up winner. The batter is thin and crisp, with nary a hint of grease. An American-styled, seriously rich lobster bisque is laden with cream, armagnac and fresh sweet chunks of lobster ($9.95). For the fall adventurer, the lobster and sliced mango fruit martini ($14.95) is pretty good, albeit best belongs as a definitive summer-season choice for ceviche. The sweet natural flavours of the lobster, however, do lose something beside the tangy sauce. Speaking of sauces, order from béarnaise, hollandaise or peppercorn at no extra charge. I forgot. It's a tribute to the quality of the meat that they weren't missed.

Of five salads offered, two are sampled. A big yes for the extremely delicious fire roasted sweet pepper salad with shaved garlic, herbs and Asiago cheese ($6.50). This combination really works -- a perfect side with a main course. Ditto for a ripe, thickly sliced, beefsteak tomato salad with its crumbled Roquefort cheese, Bermuda onion and deliciously dressed buttermilk dressing ($7.50). Big enough for four.

Moving to the mains, prices get serious. What does the chef recommend? The USDA rib-eye steak, a well-marbled, thick corn-fed slab from Bruss in Chicago. At $33.95 bare, I figured it would have to be a pretty good piece of meat. Well, it surpassed all expectations. It is the best rib-eye I have ever had in Canada -- one of the most memorable steaks I've ever had. The flavour is comparable to a deadly rich, inexpensive skirt steak (called "the butcher's cut") I shared with a chef in one of New York City's specialty meat houses more than a decade ago. Add to that the rib-eye's wonderful tenderness and what else can you ask for?

Of course, one can not live by steak alone. So 10 sides are ready to sate. This is where most steakhouses fall down -- this and the ubiquitous pasty desserts. What a nice surprise. A superb, gently sauteed dish of mushrooms, including seasonal chanterelles ($8.95). Also highly recommended are the perfectly prepared, still-crisp, sweet, sauteed sugar snap peas ($6.50). The thin, crisp, hand-cut fries have extra flavour from being fried in beef tallow ($5.50), while the enormous double-baked potato, which had its contents replaced with a rich, buttery, mash ($6.50) are star-rated items.

For those who've never tasted Washington State lamb, the long bone lamb chops are worth the almost $45 investment. Served on the pink side of medium, these three tender meaty chops have a flavour to die for. Unfortunately they sit on top of an offensively greasy, slightly burnt potato pancake.

Of course, there's a solid selection of fresh seafood, from grilled fish of the day (like whole red snapper) to lobster. Ahi tuna is reasonable ($28.50) while New Brunswick Atlantic salmon is $23.95. Keep an eye out for astronomically expensive fresh Florida stone crab claws that will be arriving in the next few weeks. It's the first time in a decade that this divinely delicious delicacy will appear on a local menu.

Moving on to the made-on-the-premises desserts, the highlight is the molten chocolate cake, which has a rich, soft, bittersweet centre brimming with Valrhona chocolate. It melts in the mouth, wondrously balanced by a refreshing, creamy vanilla bean ice cream. The menu says it takes 45 minutes to prepare, but it can be done more quickly, in case you forget. The chef's favourite is a freshly squeezed lemon curd tart served with lemon gelato ($7.95). The most expensive is the Harbour Sixty Grand Marnier souffle served with a creme Anglais ($13.95), which does indeed take 45 minutes. A great souffle, but I'd prefer not to have the entire bowl of sauce emptied into the souffle leaving it too runny and rich on the bottom. There is something sacred about cutting into your own souffle.

There is no question that chef Bruce Kowalchuk and his team are cooking up a storm at Harbour Sixty. Using only the best ingredients has paid off. Once the opening snags are out of the way, I expect to five-star this dining find. And isn't it great that Canadians have put together a steakhouse that puts its U.S. competitors to shame? Might we see a Harbour Sixty franchise in New York someday -- or at least traded on the TSE?

Photo by Marijke Leupen
Designed and produced by Karen Ahmed

Published November 5, 1999