Reds Midtown Tavern [Steak & Wine by the Ounce]

by Sandi - March 20, 2015

Reds Midtown Tavern offers casual eats in a modern yet upscale tavern setting. This is the second location to the popular Reds Wine Tavern on Adelaide St W, and has since become a hot spot in the Yonge and Gerrard area. The location is conveniently a few minute walk away from both the Eaton's Center, and Yonge/Dundas Cineplex. Thus, it serves as a great spot for casual lunches or dinners with friends, co-workers, or loved ones. Additionally, the menu at Reds Midtown Tavern is large, and has plenty of options from sharable plates, mains, salads, drinks, and much more.

I have been to Reds Midtown Tavern a couple of times before with friends, and have always liked the ambiance. The space provides a warm atmosphere with its exposed brick walls, mixture of communal and private tables, wooden floor, and hanging chandeliers. The restaurant itself is large; occupying a 6,800-square-foot space with a large dining area, private area (for small parties), and a patio.

I had the pleasure of attending a private dinner at Reds Midtown Tavern to try their new Steak and Wine by the Ounce program over the weekend. The newly introduced program launched last month, and focuses on their selection of California Chardonnay and California Cabernet Sauvignon, that you can order by the ounce. This is a great way to taste test the wine to see which one goes well with the steak.

My last visit to Reds Midtown Tavern was a couple of months ago, and they only had one cut on their menu. They have since removed the steak frites option, and added a lot of choices in steak cuts. I was definitely pleased that they expanded on their steak menu, and was excited to try it out that Sunday. Reds Midtown Tavern now serves high quality steak for reasonable prices, as no cut is over $25. The steaks that they now offer are perfect complement to their new wine by the ounce program.

As I previously mentioned, the steak and wine by the ounce program places a great emphasis on their wine selection. Customers are able to customize their drink order, and may order as little or as much as they want of a particular wine. They have created a list of wines that would go wonderfully with any of the steaks on the menu, so there's something for anyone who drinks wine. There are often specific wines that are perfect pairing for steaks, so this program encourages customers to customize the wine to their liking.

I opted for the Santa Barbara Winery, Santa Barbara 2013 ($2 per ounce wine) - passion fruit, buttery, and vanilla finish, to go with my steak dinner. The chardonnay was refreshing with a great hint of a fruity flavor to it. I thought that the blend was the perfect companion to my tender steak, as it washes it down just perfectly. One of the benefits of the program was that I was able to customize how much wine I wanted, as I got 3 ounce of the California Chardonnay. Additionally, you don't have to stick with just one wine choice, and can try and experience other ones by the ounce as well.

The crab & corn chowder ($8.25) - made with fresh corn, applewood smoked bacon, fresh leeks and tender crabmeat.

J got the Oysters 3 Ways ($17.95) - which was topped off with spicy mignonette, aguachile sauce, ikura ponzu. The freshly shucked oysters arrived with the sauces already on top of the oysters, so this was quite interesting to me.

I started off with the sticky ribs ($13.25) - caramelized in a spicy hoisin/sriracha glaze with crispy wonton chips, as our server recommended it. The ribs were good and the glaze adds a distinctive Asian flavor.

I love the combination of seafood with my steak, so I opted for the lobster sirloin ($23.35) - topped with garlic chive poached lobster and hollandaise. I was thoroughly impressed with the steak as it was cooked perfectly to my liking - medium, and flavorful. Considering that Reds Midtown Tavern is not a steakhouse, the steaks was definitely of great value for its quality and price as none are priced over $24. I have been to a couple of steakhouse chains that are priced similarly to Reds Midtown Tavern's steaks, but theirs wasn't remotely as good. Lastly, the tasty garlic chive poached lobster portion was pretty generous, as there was a good amount of lobster.

All steaks come with one side dish to accompany the meal, and you can choose one of the following:

fully loaded baked potato
French fries
mashed potatoes
heirloom carrots
knife and fork Caesar salad
garden salad

You can freely browse their full menu here.

My steak dinner was executed well, and the portion of the side dish (knife & fork Caesar) was generous. Personally, I had a great dining experience, and would definitely come back for their steaks as it's at a very reasonable price.

J decided to go with one of the feature cuts; 14 oz rib eye ($19.95), which also came with one side dish (he chose fully loaded baked potato).

The dessert menu was limited with only four options. I ended up getting the flourless chocolate cake ($7.95) - milk chocolate mouse, cashew, and caramelized banana. I have never tried a flourless cake before, so this peaked my curiosity when I saw it on the menu. The dessert arrived, and it was a dense yet very chocolatey cake. The contrasting flavors were intense with a hint of saltiness beneath the chocolate layer, and the sweetness of the caramelized banana. It was an enjoyable dessert, as I do have a major sweet tooth.

Another dessert was the sticky toffee pudding ($7.95) - warm medjool date pudding with apple bourbon, caramel sauce and vanilla ice-cream. Unfortunately, J liked it so much, that I never got to try a taste of it.

As you enter Reds Midtown Tavern, you are greeted by their impressive wine collection.

Overall, I found the service to be really good, the atmosphere was fantastic with great choices of music, and great value as the food was delicious. I left Reds Midtown Tavern completely full, and satisfied. Lastly, I'd like to thank SIR Corp for the warm and welcoming hospitality (our server and service manager from Sunday were great). I have been to their other chains, Canyon Creek, several times over the years. So it's great to know that they hold the same high standards for all restaurants under their umbrella.