Combo platters deliver lots of food, lots of choice
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/11/2014 (3416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
I don’t expect anyone to feel sorry for me, but as menus get bigger, deciding on what dishes to review becomes increasingly difficult. Menus that once comprised mainly a few meats, one fish and one shrimp dish now also include not just the obligatory pastas and stir-fries, but also, often, something Asian, something Latin, something Middle Eastern and something vegetarian.
Platters that combine a variety of dishes can be a blessing, and not just to the critic. Reading some trendy small-plate menus one might think that traditional meat-and-two-veg dinners have gone the way of the dodo, but their continuing existence proves there is still a market for them. There is also a market for those uber-combos that appeal both to hearty appetites and to lovers of variety who have trouble making up their minds.
Think of them as tasting menus writ large, although, unlike tasting menus, these are gutbusters. They are said to be for two, but those wise to their ways know that there’s usually enough for three. Four, in some cases. Nevertheless, when ordering the following for more than two of us, I did add an extra dish, or two. Just in case.
My top choice is Tuxedo Village’s Greek Platter For Two, at $49.95, for both the most interesting and the finest dishes. The Greek salad we chose instead of soup (avgolemono or a du jour) was less flavourful and skimpier on the feta than it has been on past visits, but it was OK, and most other items were tops.
Top-quality lamb chops are rare in combos, but the two on ours were tender, juicy and wonderfully flavourful. The two huge, barely breaded shrimp were also excellent, but not the two dryish chicken souvlaki. However, there was marvellous compensation in the generous portions of some of the town’s finest, most fragrant spanakopita and tiropita fillings in super-flaky filo — properly oven-heated (i.e. not nuked). The lemony potatoes, the broth-cooked rice pilaf and the varied veggies were all good. You can have pita or garlic toast and there was one unexpected treat not mentioned on the menu, a little pot of taramasalata (Greek caviar spread) — saltier than usual, but wickedly addictive. If there are three of you and you think you might need something extra, opt for the sensational Greek-style ribs (dry rubbed with lemon and oregano), which our server was considerate enough to let us have without the usual sides for $12.
The vaguely Greek decor is pleasant (a few white columns and some paintings of Greece) and the service was beyond-the-call-of-duty helpful and friendly. It’s a very popular place, and reservations are accepted for parties of more than four only, so either get there early or be prepared to wait for a table.
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SORRENTO’S $70 Dinner For Two is the most expensive of the three, but it is also the biggest, comprising soup or salad, a choice of pasta, four mains and all the usual trimmings. We chose salad over soup — the delicious Sorrento salad with bits of ham and salami in a light dressing. With it, a basket of the terrific hot breadsticks, which were replenished when we’d finished the first batch.
The highlight of the meal was the al dente penne, blanketed in a thick tomato-meat sauce so perfectly seasoned it didn’t even need parmesan — a good thing, as it happened, since only a shaker with the powdery kind was available. It took restraint not to finish the copious bowlful, but we knew we’d need room for the main courses, the best of which were the chunks of spicy Italian sausage with red peppers and the chicken parmigiana with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella. The grilled pork tenderloin with mushrooms and onions might have ranked higher if it hadn’t tasted burned, but the deep-fried shrimp were just a perfunctory waste of space — thin, heavily breaded flat slices which, if they hadn’t come directly from a freezer package, might as well have.
Roasted potato wedges were good, the rice pilaf was tasty and the broccoli, carrots and zucchini slices were nicely seasoned. Even three of you won’t leave hungry, but if you think you need more, have the garlic shrimp ($25 for 12 big, buttery ones) or the almost authentic (with bacon instead of pancetta) pasta carbonara ($19).
Note: This review is about the venerable original (since 1975) Sorrento’s — two small rooms with no noticeable decor (I prefer the outer room, which is more open and airier). Service was friendly but frenetic.
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LOVEY’S Mixer for two is the least expensive of the lot at $36.95, but also the least satisfying. The half-rack of St. Louis ribs was moist in some parts, dryish in others, with a baked-in sauce I happen to like — those who prefer theirs gloppier can add more sauce (it doesn’t have much heat but I liked the tangy one).
The half-chicken, however, was both dry and flavourless. There’s also a choice of either the also-dry pulled pork or brisket, which might have been juicier if cut in thicker slices. Actually it’s worth an extra $3.95 for a sampler bowl of the gorgeously succulent burnt ends of beef brisket (available also as a main course with one side for $12.95).
I’ve never found a baked bean I didn’t like and these (a mixture of navy and kidney beans) were no exception. The fries were crisp and delicious and the cole slaw and potato salad unexceptional but fresh and decent. Skip the dry, tasteless bread rolls, however, and invest another 75 cents each for the light corn muffins.
Orders are placed and paid for at a counter, after which the food is brought to your table. Lovey’s was jam-packed, with a lineup early on a Saturday night, and the cooking times might be more accurate during a quieter time. Or possibly for delivery or pickup.
marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca
History
Updated on Thursday, November 20, 2014 9:02 AM CST: Changes headline, replaces photo, adds map, formats text