The Keg Steakhouse and Bar (web site, map, 1499 Anderson Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-685-4735) is one of my friend’s favorite places to go for a relaxed and satisfying Steak dinner in Vancouver. Located on Granville Island, this is a very popular location of the successful Keg steakhouse restaurant chain.
One dining tip that’s worth noting is that the place really starts getting busy after 5pm on a Saturday. We arrived at 4:30pm and were seated right away, and enjoyed a lengthy and enjoyable meal including drinks, salad, appetizers, steak dinner, and even some ice cream for dessert.
After my meal (which is pictured below, except for the ice cream which I didn’t snap a picture of), I exclaimed, “it’s dinners like these that make me think that Life is Good!” I don’t usually write things like this, but I think that those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to afford a fancy steak dinner should really think about how we can give back to our communities and help out those who are not so fortunate (link to Vancouver charities directory)
I also wanted to mention that the Calamari at the Keg is a really creative dish (pictured below, $9.95) where the ringlets of squid are lightly battered and fried, and then tossed with a sweet tangy sauce, kind of like a teriyaki sauce. It is served with a side of more spicy hot sauce as well as a lemon to squeeze onto the calamari if desired. It’s quite a taste sensation, maybe not for everyone, but definitely is a yummy dish to try for adventurous diners!
Another thing to note is that if you order one of the Keg Classic Dinners (such as the Sirloin, Prime Rib, or Teriyaki Sirloin – $24.95), the dinner will include a Caesar salad (such as the one pictured below). If you order a steak that is not listed in the “Classic Dinners” section of the menu, such as a 14 oz New York Steak ($32.95) the salad is not included (but can be added on if requested).
For more photos and info please view Part 2 and Part 1.
Caesar salad at the Keg Steakhouse on Granville Island in Vancouver BC Canada.
Calamari Appetizer at the Keg Steakhouse ($9.95) restaurant in Vancouver.
Teriyaki Sirloin steak (medium rare) with Baked Potato and vegetables from the Keg Steakhouse in Vancouver. ($24.95 including Caesar salad)
Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice from the Keg Steak Restaurant in Vancouver BC Canada (Granville Island). ($3.95 for a large)
The Keg Steakhouse (web site, map, 1499 Anderson Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-685-4735) is a restaurant chain with a location on Granville Island, and several others around Vancouver’s Lower Mainland area (visit their website for a list of their other locations).
I like the Keg. The food and service is consistantly good, but my problem is I always order too much steak. I have a soft spot in my heart for the baseball steak and it always beats me. Next time I visit the Keg I will explore the menu a little bit more.
The Keg is great for a quiet dinner with friends or even someone special. The many nooks and crannies of the restaurant are cozily furnished and have fireplaces throughout. There is also a bar area with upbeat music.
I ordered one of their Keg Classic Dinners, the 8 oz Teriyaki Classic Sirloin steak with a Caesar salad (both pictured below, $23.95), and it was served with a selection of stir fried vegetables and a big baked potato. I especially like all the toppings they have for the baked potato: green onions, sour cream, butter, and bacon bits. They also served some very nice sourdough bread (with big pieces!) while we were waiting for the meal to arrive. The steak looked small, but it was actually quite filling.
Caesar salad at the Keg Steakhouse restaurant.
8 oz Teriyaki Classic Sirloin Steak ($23.95 including Caesar salad) from the Keg Restaurant on Granville Island.
The Sandbar (web site, 1535 Johnston Street, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC, Canada, phone: 604-669-9030) is an upscale, trendy seafood restaurant on Granville Island with waterfront views. (Granville Island is an arts, culture, and food mecca in the centre of Vancouver, just across the Granville Bridge from downtown Vancouver.)
I tried the Linguini Vongole, which was made with fresh clams, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan (pictured below, $14.95), and this dish was frankly one of the best clam linguinis I have ever tasted. Sometimes the juice from the clams can make the pasta soggy, but at the Sandbar, my pasta had the perfect texture and the clams tasted great with the combination of garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.Â
We also tried one of the signature appetizers, the Wok Squid ($8.50, also pictured below) which was a level above the usual calamari you’ll find at most restaurants around town. We were given chopsticks for this dish, and the squid was pan fried in a light batter with chilies, garlic, cilantro, and ginger. Very tasty!!
Wok Squid appetizer at the Sandbar restaurant (with chilies, garlic, cilantro, and ginger for $8.50)
(for interested camera buffs, I shot the first photo above using candlelight, with my Canon Digital Rebel XT, a Canon F1.4 50mm lens, at ISO 1600, 1/25 sec. and F1.8. I shot the second photo at ISO 1600, 1/30 sec. and F2.2. I had to take quite a few shots because the candle was flickering a lot, casting a different light every second. It so happened that I got a couple shots that I liked. We were sitting in the lounge at Sandbar and there were a number of TV’s surrounding us that were tuned to the sports channels, and these were also casting a variable light on the food. In this situation, with such unpredictable light, the trick is to just take lots of shots and then by chance you’ll get one you like. (I took 18 shots of the pasta and 7 shots of the squid.) I also calibrated the camera’s manual white balance setting by taking a picture of a white piece of printer paper, held up near the candle on the table. For another photo that I did in candlelight, please check out Stephos Greek Restaurant on Davie).
