The Blake House?
Has anyone tried it yet? www.theblakehouse.ca/
If so, hows the food?
Prices seem a TOUCH higher than most pub fare, what are the portions like?
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The Blake House
449 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y, CA
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So I went today.. trying to escape the Taste of the Danforth, of course.
We tried the nachos and tempura vegetables. Both really good. You were right about the small portions. The tempura veg were super crispy and light, but there was only about a bit over a cup for about $ 9 or something.
The nachos were served on a plate about the size of a normal dinner plate. Not a large platter. But they were just enough, and very generously topped (LOVED the chili meat sauce... so often the chili on nachos is a bland afterthought).
Two of us had the stout steak pie, and one the chicken pot pie. The chicken was much better, but still not great, but it was nicely seasoned. The pastry (the same for both) was flaky and light. But the steak was really overcooked, and the gravy was kind of flavourless. I would have liked more mushrooms because it would have at least added some umami flavour.
The accompanying salad was hardly dressed at all, but the vegetables were fresh. The fries are far superior.
I would definitely return, because there are a lot of things on the menu that interest me. Plus, its a nice patio and inside dining room. I also found the service to be very good for a pub. Fast, attentive, knowledgable etc.To answer the question about beer... there seems to be a lot of local selections (mill street etc.) on draft, and all of the usual imports. Nothing very noteworthy or unusual. But it is a better selection then many pubs.
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re: hungryabbey
Thanks for the report abbey. It could be that they're a bit inconsistant with things since they're stil kinda newish. My salad was serious overdressed which was the opposite of yours. Glad to hear you enjoyed the nachos as much as we did. The chili is excellent and will seriously hit the spot when the cold weather sets in.
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re: abigllama
Yeah. The two times I went - 1. within a few days of opening and 2. a week or so later. There was definitely an inconsistency between the 2 plates of weeks. I am planning a visit back soon, with hopes that they have ironed out any problems.
Oh and to clarify, the nachos was my dinner (with DH stealing a few pieces). Usually, a plate of nachos at a pub is waaaaay too much for me.
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re: hungryabbey
Last night the Blake House started serving Sunday night prime rib so we gave it a try. All of us thought it was really good and excellent value. A nice piece of medium rare meat (fair size portion but not overwhelming) mashed potatoes, a few green beans and a Yorkshire. Zingy horseradish and au jus on the side. Priced at a very reasonable (we thought) $17. Service was very good and one of the owners checked to make sure everything was OK. As this was their first night with this meal he asked if we had any suggestions on how to improve. Nope. We will definitely be back.
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The Blake House
449 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y, CA-
re: MargieEv
We went again to the Blake House, this time to try the beef. It was pretty good! A beautiful piece of meat that was lean (not a half portion of gelatinous fat like some places). My pulled pork sandwich was pretty good, not "BBQ" Standard, but it wasn't fatty, and they gave me extra BBQ sauce which was really more like a sweet chili sauce, but nice with the grilled onions and cabbage. The only complaint is that their fries were a bit stale tasting... semi- cold when they came, and tasted like they had been sitting around for a while. I think they also need to serve the roast beef with some jus or gravy, since the potatoes, pudding, and meat were a bit dry without it. The service though was INCREDIBLY in comparison to what we recently experienced at the nearby HOP. Like Margie reported, the owner checked up on us after apps and mains and then again as we left, and told us how they just started serving the roast beef. Very very friendly, and a marker of a manager who actually cares if his diners come back.
I really hope this place can make it!!! I might have to become a regular here now that the HOP is off the list.-----
The Blake House
449 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y, CA-
re: hungryabbey
Had a craving for prime rib this past Sunday so went over to the nearby Blake House for their Sunday special. The prime rib was excellent, cooked medium rare with jus, mashed potatoes and some veg. Asked for extra jus...no problem, came steaming hot. Also VERY reasonably priced, $17 I think. Service was excellent also. One of the owners, Jimmy is great. Very attentive and truly customer focused. This will certainly be my go to Sunday dinner prime rib spot rather than the Keg up the street.
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The Blake House
449 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y, CA-
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re: hungryabbey
+1 for the roast beef special! Generous portion of lean rare beef, zucchini, peppers and mashed with a large, free-form yorkie. I prefer traditional gravy with my RB instead of jus, but all in all a very good meal.
Service couldn't have been better! Looks like this is going to be my new regular Sunday spot.-
re: gttahaveit
Had an excellent Club Sandwich at the Blake House for lunch today.
I asked them to hold the cheddar which has no place in a Club (IMHO) and think I may have been rewarded with extra bacon. In any event it was the most generous Club I have ever had. It had at least one large, juicy, freshly grilled chicken breast and about 5 slices of bacon.
Only slightly less towering than a Goody's burger!
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The Blake House
449 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y, CA
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I've been twice. First time was for wings and nachos. Next time was a chicken sandwich and wings again.
Their wings are baked. The first time, I found them okay, but a little small. Second time, the wings were charred (DH refused to eat it). Nachos were not to my liking because of the kettle chips, but DH seemed to like it well enough. Chicken sandwich was really underwhelming. There were just a few small pieces of chicken and they somehow managed to burn it.
I will say that the renovation is gorgeous! The place is miles and miles prettier (and cleaner), but I think I will give it another few months before giving it another go. DH says he won't be returning. He doesn't mind paying a bit more than at a regular pub, but not if the food is sub-par.
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re: hungryabbey
The nachos we got were on a large platter style plate and four of us split them . We're all big eaters. These were late night bar munchies and hit the spot perfectly.
The two friends we ate with are regulars there and seem familiar with the staff so no idea of we got something larger than normal but there was no mention of it. It was much larger than a serving for two unless they were planning on that being the whole meal. Also these are extra heavy nachos with the potatoes instead of corn chips.
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This is just a couple of blocks away from me and night and day difference from the old Red Lion that was there before. I've only split some food with others over drinks but what I've had has been very good.
Split mac and cheese with the other half. It was more like a cross between mac and cheese but with an garlicy alfredo sauce and was tasty. It was served with a green salad that was a bit over-dressed but still decent. This was shortly after they opened and they were working on a limited menu so may be different now. The current menu talks of a baked, crusty mac and cheese and what we had was more like a creamy and not baked so may have changed.
Split the nachos with friends and they're very different. They call them "Irish style" so it's chili, cheddar and nacho stuff served on top of thick cut, flat, house made potato chips. Very different from traditional nachos but really enjoyed and made for excellent beer grub.
Meaning to go there for a full meal but just have not been around to it. Friends that live next door go quite a bit and have raved about the food so looking forward to heading back. Also service is super friendly and attentive, which again is a BIG difference from the old establishment!
