Lobster Summer at The Keg

 

A friend of mine recently visited the East Coast; she was telling me all about the amazing scenery and fresh seafood. Inevitably the subject of lobsters came up and I just couldn’t stop thinking about them afterwards. Luckily for me, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Keg for a wonderful menu tasting which features…Lobster! The Keg has introduced their Lobster menu for the summer, running from July 6th to August 30th across Canada, perfect for those of us who can’t make it out to the East Coast but can at least satiate themselves from their cravings.

We started the evening off with the Szechwan Lobster which included both lobster and shrimp deep fried, tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce and topped with chili peppers, red peppers and asparagus. The seafood was cooked well and the combination of flavours definitely popped in your mouth. I really enjoyed the use of thai chilies in the dish which provided a nice kick, but if you’re not a huge fan of spicy food, you can easily avoid and chilies and be safe. The dish was paired with house special blend of Chardonnay, Viognier and Riesling by Inniskillin called Knotted Vines. The slight sweetness of the wine helps to mellow out the spicy chilies without overpowering the flavours of the seafood.

Next we got to taste their casual plate selections with the Lobster Roll and Crispy Lobster Tacos. The lobster roll was made with a mix of lobster and shrimp served in a buttered brioche roll with fries and cabbage slaw on the side. I’m a huge fan of lobster rolls and really enjoyed the ratio of mayo to seafood here, which really allowed the brininess of the seafood to really shine through. The tacos consisted of fried lobster pieces topped with creamy cabbage slaw in a soft taco shell with creamy cilantro dressing on the side. I liked the hint of spice used with the lobster and wouldn’t have minded more. Both of these dishes were paired with the Ritual Pinot Noir, a silky and full bodied red wine with lots of fruity notes.

To really highlight their lobster fest, we were presented with the 1lb Lobster Tail, which is definitely something that should be shared (unless of course you’re a lobster fiend, then feel free to dig in). For the size of the tail, I was pleasantly surprised at how tender and juice the meat was. If you find it cumbersome to eat lobster because of having to crack open the tough shell, then this is the perfect plate for you; where the tail comes unshelled and ready for consumption.

For the entrée we were served the quintessential surf and turf, the Steak and Half Lobster or if you wanted, you can get a Whole Lobster and skip the steak. My sirloin steak was grilled nicely remaining rare, which is my preference, but the Keg will cook to it to any level you prefer. The lobster was sweet and tender served with hot butter for dipping and lemon. We reverted back to a white wine for this meal and had the J.Lohr Chardonnay. My favorite wine of the evening with lovely citrus notes and woodsy aromas, the wine was an interesting choice for our meal, but it worked. It would be a great sipping wine as well.

To finish off the evening we were given our choice of dessert and although I was beyond full at this point, I couldn’t say no to Cheesecake (and some 10 year Taylor Port). I liked that it wasn’t overly too sweet and found it a good way to end the meal, but I couldn’t help but wish I ordered the Billy Miner’s Pie. A mammoth slice of icy chocolate goodness, I guess I’ll just have to wait for next time!

I didn’t realize that the Keg has been running their summer lobster menu for the last 14 years! I’ll definitely have to keep this in mind and drop by again soon before the summer’s over and probably every year after!

The Keg
320 4 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 699-9843
Website: www.kegsteakhouse.com