On Saturday, June, 4, 2011 from approximately 8 o’clock to 10 o’clock in the evening I attended a restaurant on 376 Hunt Club Road in Ottawa to have dinner with my family. The name of the restaurant was called The Keg. Upon my arrival, the staff welcomed us with warm arms and took us to the bar to have a couple of drinks while our table was being prepared. During my sit at the bar, I helped myself to a non alcoholic Raspberry Ice Lemonade cocktail. The lemonade included lemon, raspberries, ice, and fizzy water. It was honestly one of the best lemonades I had ever tasted. After a couple of minutes, our table was prepared and my family and I were escorted to our booth for dinner.
For dinner I had Creole Chicken. It was a full grilled chicken breast seasoned with spiced diced tomatoes and a light sauce, then topped with cooked shrimps and scallops which were sautéed in Creole seasonings. As I side dish I ordered French fries. The dish was very simple and nice. One aspect I liked was: when the food came, the server, Heather asked us if we wanted pepper on our food, and if we did, she would season our food with pepper for us instead of us doing it ourselves.The atmosphere was remarkable and very cozy. It felt just like home. The tables and booths were placed at a perfect distance from other tables to prevent a clustered feeling. The lights in the restaurant were dim and created a relaxed atmosphere and the chairs were so soft and well cushioned as well. The pictures hung up on the walls and the plants made the restaurant look so nice and beautiful. I loved the way the restaurant was setup. It gave such an inviting welcome to the customers. The bar was nicely done with the stone wall and the wall mounted flat screen televisions. Although I have got to admit, the dining room must have been my favourite part. It was not cramped up and it had a delicate feel. I really liked the fact that the families surrounding us were not to close that they could hear my conversations. One aspect I did not like was the price of the food. It was just a tad too expensive. For example, the cocktail I ordered was around nine to ten dollars for a glass. I found that a bit ridiculous for a small to medium sized beverage.
The waitress, who served my family and me, was named Heather. She is an employee who was hired around two months ago. Her service towards us was incredible. She was very sweet, a bit timid but overall very friendly and inviting. She was well trained towards the menu in general but if she was stuck on a question she would take some time to find out the answers for us. This occurred when I was asking her some questions about the way the food was cooked. When she didn’t know the answer, she went to the kitchen and brought out a cook to talk to me about it. Otherwise, she knew the answers to the other questions I had. For example, I asked her where the food comes from and if the food used is in season and she claimed that the food comes fresh from their farms every day, the food cooked is always in season such as asparagus, yellow beans and green beans and preciously mushrooms, and the steaks, sirloins and in general beef products come from grain feed cattle. She and the cook who visited me also said that the menu changes according to the food in season to promote seasonality.
Improvement wise, I think that the chicken needed to be cooked properly. This is because the outer part of my chicken breast was burnt and the inner part was perfect. In my opinion, I would have cut of the burnt parts of the breast or I would have cooked a breast that is evenly sized. In terms of atmosphere, I felt that the waiter was having trouble hearing what my family had to say sometimes. So I would keep the atmosphere less busier in order to hear what the customers have to say. Finally, I think that the waitress, Heather should become more familiar with the menu in order to prevent herself from asking other waiters and waitresses questions.You can visit the menu for The Keg at:
http://www.kegsteakhouse.com/en/menus/dinner-menu/dinner-starters-soup/
