where jess ate

Located in King West, Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse is known for being one of the best places in Toronto for steak.

The entrance of the restaurant leads to the restaurant’s dark and cozy piano lounge. Since I was here for dinner, I was led up a set of stairs to the dining room which has a much brighter feel to it.

Jacobs serves up a selection of Canadian and US steaks which are aged in-house. In the dining room, you can actually catch a glimpse of the aging room which features a glass window for your viewing pleasure.

Instead of serving bread, they serve their customers Cheddar Popovers. Although they look quite substantial, they’re almost hollow and are quite light. Served hot, they tasted especially delicious with the side of herb butter. I’d take this over bread any day!

I came for dinner with my cousins Des, Anita and her husband, Steve. They’re big steak fans and having tried some of the best steak restaurants in Toronto, they assured me that Jacobs Steakhouse was the best.

The appetizers here include the typical steakhouse fare including oysters and a variety of salads. Anita and Steve had talked up the Caesar salad here, so we had to order the Jacobs Caesar Salad ($16). What makes the Caesar salad here noteworthy is the fact that they prepare it tableside. Our server rolled over a large cart next to the table and began working her magic. The dressing starts with a raw egg, so for those of you with dietary restrictions, watch out for this one.

With a healthy portion of lettuce, cheese, bacon, croutons and a Spanish white anchovy (extra $4 per portion), this was easily one of the best Caesar salad’s I’ve ever had. Don’t miss out!

I could tell the staff here are quite knowledgeable. Steve had a lot of questions about the different steaks they had on the menu today and our server provided us with a detailed explanation of each of them while describing the differences between the various cuts of meat.

Jacobs has a solid selection of steaks, which regularly changes. While deciding on which steaks to order, we ended up deciding on two large steaks for the four of us. The first one we decided on was the 40oz Porterhouse – Canadian Prime Limousin-VG Farms, Norfolk Co, ON ($160) which was cooked medium rare.

The steaks here are charbroiled at 1800 degrees in cast iron pans and served sliced. The meat was tender and flavourful – particularly the crust!

Served alongside the meat, were a variety of sauces – a bacon and blue cheese cream cheese, a Japanese ponzu sauce and a chimichurri sauce.

In addition to the sauces, the steaks were served with a selection of salts: sea salt, hickory smoked sea salt and magnesium-infused sea salt. Honestly, I didn’t even use any of the condiments or salt since the meat itself was so flavourful. And that says a lot coming from someone who loves sauce and big, bold flavours.

The second steak we shared was the 32 oz Bone-in Ribeye – Canadian Prime Angus-Paradise Farms, Erin, ON ($135). While it was still a damn tasty steak, I didn’t love this one quite as much as the porterhourse.

We complimented our meat with a side of Mushrooms – sautéed mixed varieties ($15). The mushrooms were well cooked and were a light side which complimented the heavy steaks well. However, I can’t say they were anything special. The star of the show was certainly the meat.

We were all stuffed by this point and actually had to take some of the steak to go, so it was no surprise we didn’t order any dessert. However, the bill came with some complimentary petit fours – Mexican chocolate and butter tarts. I opted for the butter tart, which was a nice little bite to end off the meal.

Also accompanying the bill were some individually-wrapped chocolate and cinnamon muffins for us to bring home…for the morning after! It was a really nice touch and made for a great breakfast the next day.

After my dinner here, I could definitely see what all the hype is about. The steaks were some of the best (and most expensive) I’ve ever had! If you’re a big fan of steak, definitely add Jacobs Steakhouse to your list if haven’t already been.

At a glance:
• Serving up some of the best (and most expensive) steaks in Toronto
• Their selection of steaks change on a regular basis and are aged in-house
• A piano lounge on the lower floor for those who only want a drink
• Knowledgeable staff
• Located in King West

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 4.5 stars
• Service: 4.5 stars
• Atmosphere: 4 stars