Doing the Time Warp

Image from the La Castille website.

La Castile
2179 Dundas Street East (Mississauga)
905-625-1137
Lunch for two with all taxes, tip and wine: $100

Just west of the 427, there's a restaurant that thinks it's a medieval castle. It does a not bad job of trying to pull it off - a concrete façade meant to look like weathered stone, coats of arms and pieces of armour here and there, throne-like chairs and whatnot, and an over-the-top interior design that would be right at home in a theme park.

It could almost be fun – this is the kind of place I would have loved as a kid. But there are no youngsters here. It's a predominantly older male crowd at midday, enjoying hunks of animal and French-fried potatoes and glasses of red wine. The portions are way too generous to attract “the ladies who lunch."

While prices during dinner service can be rather spendy with mains ranging from the veal parmesan at $25, a 26-ounce porterhouse at $49 and seafood dishes at $30 and up, the lunch menu is decently priced with each entrée coming with either a soup or salad.

Now before I go any further here, you may have noticed that this review is, unfortunately, missing pictures of food. I am truly sorry for that. I know I'm not the world's greatest photographer, but I am fully aware that it’s usually a good thing to accompany these articles with some food shots - a basic rule of thumb to which I do my best to adhere.

This is what happened: We were seated in a very dim area of the restaurant. Even though it was just past noon, there was little light at our table. I should have spoken up. I should have asked for a spot nearer the window. But I was too intimidated by the older, stern-looking wait staff to request a change after they had already clustered around our table bearing menus, pitchers of ice water, a bread basket and butter spheres, and a small dish of large dill pickles before our bums had even hit our inordinately fancy carved wood and velvet chairs. To request a change after everything had been set would have created a disturbance. So. Things were just too dark for pictures. But I will say, if it's any comfort, La Castile's food, however well-prepared, is not the stuff of which food porn is made.

By that I mean the food is served rather simply and with little innovation. This is not a menu that takes risks and blazes new trails. But it does what it does well. La Castile has been occupying a sizeable piece of real estate for over 30 years. If it's hurting during these lean money times, it doesn't show.

My broiled salmon ($19) is just that - broiled salmon. No, make that excellent broiled salmon - a huge section of fillet infused with grill flavour. While a side of béarnaise might be an option for some, this needs no embellishment beyond the wedge of lemon that shares the plate. It also comes with one mushroom, one asparagus spear, and one large floret each of broccoli and cauliflower. Nothing at all exciting, but cooked just right.

My guest's medium-rare ribeye ($24) is big - La Castile is big on big (and I really do wish I had a reasonable picture to prove it) - but it's also just a great piece of meat – well-aged and flavourful. Sides suffice – a salad starter brings a plate of fresh mixed greens and mild vinaigrette – nothing fancy – and all entrées offer a choice of baked potato, fries or rice.

Desserts are passable - they aren't made in-house and they sound better on the menu than they are on the fork. Crème brûlée cheesecake ($8.50) is pretty much just cheesecake with barely a hint of anything brûlée going on, and the caramel promised in its description is hard to locate. But the chocolate truffle cake ($8.50) fares better - moist cake layers stacked with a thick mortar of buttery ganache. Both desserts are naked on the plate – no squiggles of fruit coulis or chocolately drizzles, no sprig of mint. A plate of “seasonal fruits” ($8.50) brings a generous selection of melon slices, strawberries and icy cold green grapes.

Service is old-school efficient. The wait staff don’t introduce themselves or spend time helping guests explore the menu. But water glasses are refilled approximately every ten minutes and empty plates are removed swiftly; the staff does hover a bit, but not so that guests feel stalked.

La Castile wouldn’t be La Castile without its lounge and piano bar – the website (which plays Glenn Miller upon opening – take that as a warning) promises “a magical evening that will be remembered.” It’s certainly not going to attract the younger crowd. But for an old-fashioned take on “fine dining” and a retro-style “special occasion” meal that won’t challenge the unadventurous, La Castile is a safe trip back in time.