It’s unprecedented: Quincy’s on Seventh now has a service window that opens onto the newly renovated Sixth St. S.W. C-Train platform. It’s a great concept for this moth-eaten steakhouse and lounge. Quincy’s Street Side Café is just one part of the establishment’s much-needed makeover. This takeout window offers a pared-down version of the Quincy’s Burger Lounge menu. The Burger Lounge concept is simple; the old lounge is undergoing a facelift that includes the creation of its own concise diner-style menu. It includes hamburgers, Nathan’s all-beef hotdogs, a few sandwiches, fries, shakes and so on, all at reasonable prices. The platform window offers burgers, dogs and drinks only.
Hopping on a bar stool at a tall front-end lounge table, I recently ordered a Quincy burger ($5), a Quincy bacon and cheese dog ($9) and a large side of fries ($6). All three items were served in their own wax-paper-lined baskets. The burger was topped with the basics: lettuce, tomato and onion. It was just a straight-up, competent burger. The hotdog was big and beefy as promised. The meat was nicely grilled and juicy, the bacon and cheese toppings added another moist layer of taste. The bun was lightly toasted, really kicking the dog up a notch. The fries were the skinny kind, hot from the fryer.
The new diner-plus-C-train-platform-window concept is inspired, and the follow through is solid. Great idea, great execution. My only quibble is that the restaurant menu is also offered with the Burger Lounge menu. If I want to eat at the restaurant, I can do so and still order drinks. Don’t pollute the concept.
Though the restaurant exterior has been beautified, Quincy’s lounge is still in the midst of ongoing, piecemeal renovations. It’s not a problem for diners, though there are a couple of obvious holes in the walls and ceilings. This brings me to the restaurant side of Quincy’s, which as yet screams for an overhaul. Unchanged for decades, its beautiful antique wood finish is insulted by busy, ugly and outdated decor.
Though it looks like heck, the old place has a strong, modern-thinking kitchen. On a very slow mid-week night during a stretch of rotten weather, my wife and I were greeted and seated by chef Oscar Lapide. Quincy’s menu remains that of a classic steakhouse, so we ordered accordingly.
The maple whiskey scallops ($14) (a lunch menu feature) were served on an escargot dish. Their maple scent wafted us into what turned out to be a very, very good meal. The scallops were quite well done, but this worked well with the crisp, sugary bacon. Pea shoots and lemon wedge garnished nicely.
The shrimp cocktail ($15) was a pure classic and bang-on, served in a tall glass with the sauce in its own inner bowl. We bathed the big, cold and fresh shrimp in house-made cocktail sauce garnished with lettuce. Perfection.
Though Lapide says the menu will be updated, the steaks will remain. And what steaks they are. My wife’s 16-ounce bone-in filet mignon ($60) was impressively thick. It’s a tough cut to master in the kitchen, our server told us, clearly proud of the dish. It’s grill-cooked, whereas my steak, the Kobe beef 10-ounce rib eye ($125) is pan-fried due to its fattiness. The filet mignon was grainier than the Kobe, though both cuts were very tender. Famed for its marbled fat and fine taste, this particular Kobe steak is the product of Wagyu and Kobe cattle crossed with domestic Canadian cattle. My medium steak melted in my mouth with a mellowness I’ve seldom, if ever, tasted in a steak. My wife’s steak is just the next cloud over in steak heaven.
We both order the “Quincy’s own” potato rosti as our starch. Made with bacon and chives, this potato patty was fried and then baked. True comfort food, it was delicious and creamy. Our plates also included a big helping of veggies, namely zucchini, Asian greens, asparagus and darkly cooked little whole mushrooms. The meat sat atop both the potato and veggies.
We finished with wedges of carrot cake ($), our plates drizzled with sweet orange and berry sauces. Moist, nutty, garnished with grapes and strawberries and with a spicy kick, it was a great pairing with our mains.
Though I’m crossing my fingers that the ongoing reno project will destroy the restaurant in order to save it, our meal was one I won’t soon forget.
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