text: The Skinny a step up on the regular steakhouse this place delivers some good eats with finesse and occasional missteps do not order the duck fat fries because it comes as a sizable amuse bouche Service our waiterservers were great but there are major issues with the hostess stand Value considering the plethora of deals on Restaurantcom this place can be a good value if you order right nnMy hubby was hankering to take me here for a while and we finally got a chance to try the menu at StripsteaknnAfter passing by multiple restaurants with hostesses soliciting our business we were taken aback by the inefficient hostess By our seating time there was least group of guests gathered around the hostess desk She basically ignored the diners and the wait staff who lined to find out how to seat us nnShe also did not tell us about ongoing promotions at the restaurant ie the course prix fixe menu for or that they are currently having a halfpriced happy hour lounge menu from pm Plus they do not offer you their prix fixe menu unless you specifically ask for it even when you are seated at the table For this reason despite the stellar service at our table the service gets starsnnMichael Mina is known for preparing a dish in three different ways So obviously our amuse bouche consisted of Bayseasoned garlic herb truffled duck fat fries served with accompanying truffle aioli ketchup and mustardbayseasoned sauce The fries had a lovely crispness that retained its texture even when it cooled off The sauces were lovely especially the truffle aioli I considered drinking the remaining dregs of it on the bottom but decided I still needed to save my appetite for food we would ordered nnThe soups were solid but nothing special The vidalia onion soup accentuated the sweetness of onion but the croutons really lack that nice crunch The seafood chowder was good the broth was a little on the milder side which allowed for the diner to get the full flavour of the crab when eatennnThe foie gras sliders had the right flavour however the bun was definitely overly large considering the serving of foie on the inside The plating would have been infinitely improved with having the bun on the sidennBy far the standout was our bonein ribeye It is rare to see me shovel down an entire steak the size of a catchers mitt all on my own but there was not a scrap of meat left on that plate Yes it is that good The carmelized crust on the meat was so wonderful the inside so tender and wellseasoned it is hard to find steak that wellprepared nnIt was lovely that they provided a small tasting of three sides along with the ribeye The peas were okay a little on the mealier side of things The truffled mac n cheese is always great perfect consistency texture and flavour Unfortunately the creamed spinach had a rather bitter unpleasant undertonennThe hubbys grilled chicken they do not fry a serving of chicken unless two people order was a very large portion Half a grilled chicken a lovely crispy skin tender and moist on the inside on top of their wonderful mac n cheese Who would not like thisnnWe topped off our very filling meal with a root beer float and warm chocolate chip cookies We loved the fact that the ice cream was so cold it turned our creamy root beer into a nice slush The chocolate chip cookies were a delight not too sweetcool enough to have a mild crust on the outside with melting chocolate on the insidennOverall we had a wonderful meal for a very reasonable price due to the Restaurantcom certificate We ordered one prix fixe meals supplement for the steak plus two starters foie gras onion soup and one entree chicken Subtract the Restaurantcom certificate we got at bargain basement prices the meal ended up being including tax and tip which is reasonable considering the quantity and quality of the cuisine Definitely a solid four star review