Best Steakhouse 2012

GOLD: HY’S ENCORE

Silver: Gotham Steakhouse |  Bronze: Hamilton St. Grill  |  Honourable Mentions: Black + Blue & Joe Fortes

Maybe it’s all the old-school TV we’re watching, but Hy’s in the Gold berth felt…just right. Pride in service, great char-grilled beef, the place (four decades young) goes the extra mile in making customers feel like full-swagger VIPs. Big in its portions, its flavour, and (yes) its prices, Gotham (Silver) is full-on carnivore arousal. The Prime-beef steaks never disappoint, but it’s the perfect sides that got our judges raving. “I’d kill to be able to make their tomato salad at home,” said one. Beautifully marbled Angus beef is the draw at cozy Hamilton Street Grill (Bronze), but it’s the organic hanger steak that seduced judges, plus the unfussy neighbourhood vibe and killer values. Honourable Mentions to Black + Blue (Glowbal’s glamorous take on the genre, with its soaring Las Vegas interior, adventurous menu—deep-fried Brussels sprouts?—and full-throated wall of meat) and quarter-century chop shop Joe Fortes.

RETURN TO ALL RESTAURANT AWARDS 2012 RESULTS