This was a while
back, but to celebrate the PA day the next day, two friends and I went to the
Jack Astor’s at the Shops @ Don Mills for some indulgent downtime. We were seated
within five minutes of arriving at a nice booth, albeit too close to the door
for my liking. It wasn’t an issue, just one of my peculiarities. I am often
indecisive and am easily flustered looking at large menus. The menu at Jack
Astor’s is quite large and in my opinion, difficult to navigate. I always feel
like I have to order quickly otherwise I’d be holding everybody else up. My
friend and I decided that we would split the burger. Restaurant portions are
HUGE and I honestly am not able to finish one, no matter how hungry I am. Turns
out that was a good idea because even half the portion was more than enough to
satisfactorily satiate me.
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| Movember! |
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| The burgers came already split! I didn't know this was possible. My fork and knife were at standby, ready to hack it into two. A large pickle and a cup of gravy watches. |
The burger was good – juicy and slightly
crumbly. The fries could have been crispier but at least they were hot. I don't get the deal with the pickle. That pickle should have been considered another meal. The service was FANTASTIC. There were
two different waitresses, both very polite and accommodating when we requested
that the burger be split. The thing that made the service for me was being
treated as any other diners would be, and not like the annoying teenagers that
a lot of restaurants seem to disregard.
All in all, this was one of the more
enjoyable dining experiences I've had, only because the service was
so phenomenal. The food met my expectations, but my expectations were pretty
sub-par to begin with. I think I come mainly for the atmosphere. Jack Astor's
is a great place to unwind and hang out, and so why not have a meal too.
To be honest, I think people pay more for the atmosphere (and waitresses) at Jack Astors than the actual food. There isn't anything special about serving burgers and fries, going out to a restaurant and paying over 20 dollars for it seems absurd. But it seems that they have requests about their burgers all the time, I'm sure they are aware their portions are too big, but it's still good service to cut it so neatly, and so much so that it's still visually appealing. Still, if you wanted burgers and fries, going to the south street burger across the street would fill the craving, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the atmosphere/waitress theory. South St. Burger is only okay in my opinion. For what you get, it's still pretty expensive considering it's barely a step above any other fast food place.
DeleteThat's really true, but I just said south street burger because it was really the only place that you can get burgers and fries that are at least semi-natural. Jack Astor's is just a dressed up south street burger. Of course it's good to go to have fun times with friends, but for actual food, there are better places to go. Their food is still pretty though :3
ReplyDelete