Downtown Edmonton is full of dining hot spots. These days it feels like there's a new restaurant popping up on every street corner and it's hard to keep up, but it's also equally important to remember to support the established restaurants.

LUX Steakhouse + Bar 94 - 10150 101 Street NW - Edmonton AB

The Century Hospitality Group has always been a prominent player in the Edmonton culinary scene. The group runs multiple restaurants throughout the city (MKT, Delux Burger Bar, etc.), and even has further expansion plans this Fall. There has been a lot of movement in the Century Hospitality Group over the past few years, with chefs moving around and concepts being changed, so I was looking forward to trying out some of the fresh new dishes on the menu at LUX.


Baked sourdough, Truffle butter, Fresh herbs
Chef Tony Le has been with the Century Hospitality Group since 2006 and took on the role as Executive Chef for the group over the last few years. Out of all the restaurants, LUX has always been a staple for people working in the downtown business core. Located within Commerce Place, it's easy to walk to and caters to both the lunch and dinner crowd. The dining room has more of an upscale feel, while the lounge is more relaxed.

Our night started off with a selection of small bites and shareable appetizers, and first to the table was the Kale Salad ($9/$13). Kale tends to be a love it or hate it ingredient, but I found that this salad with honey lemon vinaigrette, shaved Sylvan Star Gouda, ground pancetta, and walnuts to be well balanced, light, and really fresh with the citrus notes.

Pork Belly fans at the table were happy to see the next dish come to the table. The 24 Hour Bacon ($14) features a slab of bacon that is braised for 24 hours before being cut and seared. Each piece was fatty and seared crispy, pairing well with the acidity from the mustard and pesto served on top.

The Lobster Croquettes ($19) were crisp, decadent morsels perfect for sharing between two or three people. With a combination of Atlantic Lobster, mascarpone cheese, and Yukon Gold potatoes, the croquettes were rich but not overly dense. The exterior was fried golden and topped with crisp herbs and truffle aioli, adding an additional dimension of flavour.

Next up came the Spicy PEI Mussels ($17) cooked in a sauce of Sriracha pesto, leeks, white wine, parsley and shallots, and served with a side of grilled bread. The mussels were plump and fresh, and the sauce was seasoned well so as not to overpower the natural flavour of the mussels.

Last but not least was the Bone Marrow Stk Tartare ($17) with it's unique presentation right in the bone itself. Unfortunately, unconventional presentation made the tartare difficult to mix as the bone below didn't have the marrow roasted out of it. Using AAA Alberta beef, dijon mustard, capers, herbs, roasted garlic, and crispy shallots, the tartare was fragrant but could have used a bit more salt for seasoning.

Main courses served family style is new to LUX, but Chef Tony wanted to incorporate some dishes that encouraged sharing amongst the table. One of the boards is a classic Surf + Turf ($115) featuring a 24oz lollipop ribeye topped with sautéed langoustine, a generous side of lobster mac & cheese, grilled rapini, roasted fingerling potatoes, and classic bernaise sauce. The ribeye was cooked to a perfect medium rare and the mac & cheese was rich and creamy, as expected. The potatoes may look like a filler, but well seasoned fingerlings are a great accompaniment to any steak, if you ask me. Based solely on the price point you may be looking for more food, but don't be fooled as this surf + turf can easily fill 2-3 bellies.

You could hear everyone's amazement when the Crispy Corn Meal Snapper ($69) made it to the table. I never expected to see a whole deep fried fish staring at me outside of a Chinese restaurant, so I was excited for this one! This whole Pacific Snapper was served on a bed of crispy chickpeas and cabbage and accompanied by a board of iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced radishes, grilled avocado, cilantro, and salsa verde. The hands-on eating was fun and interactive as we worked on building our own crispy 'fish tacos'. Now if you're not a fan of looking your food in the eye, the kitchen is happy to serve the snapper with the head off.

It's been a few years since my last visit to LUX and I was pleasantly surprised by our meal that evening. While LUX is branded as a steakhouse I like that there are modern twists and unexpected surprises on the menu. There are some premium prices that would prevent it from being your go-to restaurant, but it's a great spot downtown for your next special occasion or celebratory meal.

*Disclosure: I was invited to a menu launch for LUX Steakhouse. Views expressed in this post are solely mine. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.

When you're a restaurant that's been hosting an annual lobster celebration for 15 years, you're pretty serious about how you serve your clawed crustaceans. 2015 marks the 15th year that The Keg Steakhouse + Bar has featured lobster on their menu during the summer months.

The Keg Steakhouse + Bar - 1631 102 Street - Edmonton AB

Having lived in Edmonton all my life, I'm pretty sure this is the first year I've heard about the lobster summer menu at the Keg. Better to be late to the party than to not show up, right? From July 6th to August 30th the lobster menu is featured at all locations of The Keg across Canada. Fresh North Atlantic lobsters are flown in twice a week to all Keg locations, ensuring that all dishes are made with the freshest seafood possible. Why spend the money flying to Atlantic Canada for lobster when they'll fly here to you?


Feature Cocktail: Casamigos Mule
Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to stop by The Keg for a preview of some of the lobster dishes available this year. Often times I find it can be intimidating for people to go out for lobster, or seafood in general, because of the high price tag associated with high-quality seafood. This year The Keg is trying to make lobster available and affordable at different price points so that everyone can enjoy it. Based on the price points on the lobster summer menu, I would say The Keg has definitely accomplished this goal.

While classic lobster dishes appear on the menu, The Keg has introduced four new dishes this year. One of them is the Szechwan Lobster ($15) that you can order to kick off your meal. Golden fried lobster and shrimp are tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce with red peppers, asparagus, and red Thai chillies. Although it is a Szechuan-inspired dish, the heat in this dish is only apparent if you choose to take a bite into the fresh chillies. The chunks of lobster were sweet and presented in a fair size and proportion, so you get pretty good value out of this dish.

The lobster summer menu also features three casual plates, which are ideal for sharing with friends on the patio or as lighter dinner mains. I definitely appreciate the smaller plates as I tend to go for lighter meals in the summer heat. The Crispy Lobster Tacos ($16 for 3) feature lobster that has been coated in a crispy rice batter and golden fried, served with cabbage slaw and cilantro on a warm tortilla with jalapeno maple aioli on the side. Despite being fried, the lobster maintains it's natural sweetness and goes really well with the fresh slaw. The aioli gives an extra dimension of flavour and a creamy texture to bring it all together.

Another casual plate on the menu is the Lobster Roll ($19), an East Coast classic. A creamy mixture of chives, celery, lobster chunks, and shrimp are served in a butter brushed brioche roll and plated with crispy Keg fries and a cabbage slaw. The soft bun is bursting at the seams with filling, and I particularly enjoyed the added crunch and flavour from the fresh celery.

When it comes to entrees during lobster fest, the classic surf and turf combination is a no-brainer. Tender sirloin steak in 6 oz. or 8 oz. portions ($45/$47 respectively) cooked to your preference is served alongside a fresh half lobster with butter, lemon, and your choice of a side. I prefer my steaks between rare and medium rare, and the kitchen had no problem executing my request. When each guest's plate arrived to the table, we all had one thought: wow. The half lobster dominated the plate and the portion was almost intimidating, but this could easily be split between two people to make it more manageable. The steak was tender and juicy as expected, and the lobster was delicious simply cooked and dipped in the hot butter.

Now if you're really looking to indulge while the lobster summer menu is out you'll want to get the 1 pound Lobster Tail ($40), which is new to the menu this year. There was a collective gasp when the tails arrived to the table due to their sheer size. The lobster tails were so big that I didn't even know where to begin! Again, the lobster tail was simply cooked, but the natural sweetness combined with melted butter was quite indulgent. The Keg recommends adding the tail to an entree for sharing between two people, so you can create your own surf and turf meal.


Mini Mango Brulee
With just over one month left to enjoy the lobster summer menu, you'll want to get to The Keg soon if you're a lobster fan. The range in price points makes lobster affordable for every budget, and the prices are quite reasonable for what you get. The live Atlantic lobsters are fresh and you can really taste the quality in every bite. Grab a group of friends and indulge - after all, it only happens once a year!


*Disclosure: The Keg Steakhouse + Bar invited me to attend their media tasting. Views expressed in this post are solely mine. I was not expected to feature this restaurant on my blog, nor obligated to do so. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.