Trendy fine dining without the formality!
Overall: 9/10
Service: 9.5/10
Quality: 8.5/10
Atmosphere: 9/10
Decor: 9/10
STK has all the makings for your Friday night out. Imagine insanely cool decor, DJ vibes (every night at 6pm), and some of the best side dishes you can imagine. All of this is accompanied by attentive service and the posh upscale residents of Yorkville. If you're not familiar with Yorkville, it can be described as expensive. Many affluent Torontonians live here, and you can find the likes of Chanel, Burberry, and Prada nearby (fun fact: Yorkville is the third most expensive retail space in North America!). With that being said, it's best that you dress the part, so grab you Chanel bag and your Louboutin's and head over to STK!
When you are first seated at STK, you are offered complimentary hot sourdough bread to start. It's served with a chive oil and blue cheese butter on top. But if you're smart, you'll skip this because where you really want to spend your time, is on the side dishes.
Now I know this place is called S-T-K or (Steak as you might pronounce to yourself), but where I feel that STK really shines, is in the side dish area. I feel that the steaks are served as is because STK wants you to dress up your steak whichever way you like. You can add toppings like lobster, crab, shrimp, truffle butter, and foie gras butter (who knew that was a thing!) to your steak. You can then add a side of sauce as well. Accompanying options include horseradish, chimichurri, blue butter, béarnaise, and red wine, to name a few.
But like I said, the sides are what makes this meal! I'm talking Mac & Cheese, Parmesan Truffle Fries, Crispy Cauliflower, rare White Asparagus (very overpriced in my opinion) and my favorite side dish, and probably one of the most memorable things I've ever eaten, the "Baked Potato" Tater Tot Poutine (pictured above). I'm going to let that sink in for a bit.
Are you salivating?
These house made tater tots are everything. They're crispy on the outside and made oh-do-decadent with overflowing cheese and green onion. You can even add braised short rib, poached lobster, apple cured bacon, or smoked chicken if you don't find this decadent enough. If you ever eat here, you HAVE to order this!
While I've barely mentioned the steak, it's because it was a bit of a miss for me. It honestly wasn't my favorite, and I don't think it warranted the price (you can expect a steak to cost anywhere from $33-$180 here).
I would suggest instead that if you visit STK, visit for the cocktails and order yourself some side dishes to share. If you wanted to order an entrée, I'd recommend the Market Fish, which hopefully is served over a bed of truffle risotto! The flavors of this dish are phenomenal and seasoned with just the right amount of truffle oil. If you're anything like I am, that means quite a bit! I live in #truffleexcess.
Once you've eaten your heart out, and if you're looking for something sweet, try one of the many desserts that STK offers. Their offerings include Bittersweet Chocolate Cake, Apple Crumb Cake, STK Donuts (I should have ordered this), a Warm Baked Cookie, Orange Dream Cheesecake, and Sticky Toffee Pudding (above).
Overall, I enjoyed my experience at STK. It's definitely worth a try if you ever visit Toronto. I appreciated the loungey atmosphere and the customer service. The space was beautiful, and if it had been warmer out, I would have loved to enjoy STK with the floor to ceiling windows open–perhaps next time!