Dramatic Lobby loud and mostly luscious

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Lobby on York owners Dale and Barb Yuel (front), with (from left) manager Shan Shuwera and chefs Joe Dokuchie and Rolf Hagen. (PHIL.HOSSACK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)

The windowless main dining room -- the first room you see when entering the Lobby on York -- is carved into two concentric circles by a quirky curtain of brown fabric leaves, hung from the ceiling. The dramatic, darkly glowing decor -- brightened by crisp white table linens -- is a far cry from the light, airy ambiance of Dale and Barb Yuel's former venue, Tavern in the Park.

The temptation is to nestle right in, but if you value conversation resist that temptation. It has to be said up front that the noise here is overwhelming, and diners who like talking to each other should ask for a table in one of the adjoining rooms, where dark aubergine walls and back-lit shoji-like panels frame a setting of almost Japanese spareness, and the decibel level is significantly lower.

The change in the kitchen is equally profound. There are a few holdovers from the Tavern, some still reflecting the enduring Kattenfeld influence -- in Heinz's wiener schnitzel, for instance, and Johanna's chocolate poppy seed cake. In general, though, the menu has veered in a different direction.

It seems shorter than the Tavern's menu -- no pastas, and only one vegetarian entrée -- and is divided down the middle into two parts. On one side four "fine cuts" are listed, i.e. three cuts of steak and a rack of lamb, all at à la carte prices, which means that they arrive naked on the plate, and if you want a potato, say, and/or a vegetable, it will cost you extra. On the other side are the "mains," which do come with a garnish or two.

The meats are the glory of the house. Steaks don't come much better than the meltingly tender and richly beefy prime rib steak on the bone, cooked precisely as rare as ordered and, at 16 oz. for $35, big enough for two.

We paid another $10 for a wild mushroom risotto that was creamy and nice, and would have been nicer still without that increasingly inescapable whiff of truffle oil which, in my experience, never smells like truffles. For another $7 we could have had asparagus with poached egg as well, or broccoli for $4, or blue cheese potatoes au gratin for $5.

Another great choice is the superb grilled veal chop in a luscious porcini mushroom sauce, perfectly complemented by the nicely chewy little spaetzle, dotted by bits of "crispy pork," a.k.a. bacon ($40). You can have a tender and tasty à la carte rack of lamb -- unadorned and ungarnished -- for $35, but for $5 more you can have the "mains" version, in which case it will be crusted with herbs, and partnered with an Indian flatbread wrap of braised Moroccan lamb -- so moist, so marvellously flavourful one wishes it were available as an entrée on its own.

There are as well five fish entrées, among them a fine chunk of moist, chive-crusted halibut in a balsamic reduction, served with a little polenta cake and a dollop of cooked arugula ($33), and panko-breaded sweet-fleshed pickerel with a wee corn-and-wild rice waffle and a slice of smoked salmon ($28). The other possibilities are cedar planked salmon ($28), seared ahi tuna ($37) and a combo of lobster tail, garlic shrimp and scallops ($40).

The starters I sampled were less satisfying than the entrées. The "seasonal chilled seafood platter" had me (ever the cockeyed optimist) salivating over the prospect of a rare feast of seafood -- not an unreasonable assumption, I thought, at $40 for two. But although everything on it was good, it turned out to be surprisingly skimpy: two oysters, four big shrimp, minuscule slices of salmon sashimi and (most impressive of the lot) four little porcelain spoons filled with terrific tuna tartare, nippy with chili oil and topped by a tiny wonton crisp. It's available on its own on the relatively limited sushi menu for $12, including Yukon Gold potato chips.

(Did I mention that there is a little sushi bar in the lounge?)

Only the skimpiness of the platter was disappointing but two other starters disappointed for other reasons. The three crab cakes, for instance, each with a different sauce -- honey dill tartar, mango salsa and curry cucumber, all lovely, but unable to disguise the fact of too much filler in the cakes ($14). Any more than the spinach and cheese that topped the mushroom caps could hide the fact that the escargots between them were small and flabby ($12).

I strayed from the familiar comfort of Joanna's poppyseed cake, opting instead for the cinnamon brioche doughnut -- deep-fried brioche dough, served with ice cream, which was pleasant if unexciting. Other choices include pecan pie, key lime cheesecake, fallen white chocolate torte and apple streusel pie, all $10, but the best buy might be the $15 tasting trio, comprising creme brulée (good, but needing more caramel crunch); chocolate caramel brownie (delectable); and the truly wonderful, explosively lemony lemon curd.

The house-made onion focaccia was excellent, but another night's good but surprisingly plain white and whole wheat breads would have been more suitable for sandwiches. And it would have been nice, during the course of the meal, to be offered more than the single slice that comes at the beginning.

The wine list is extensive, with some particularly good choices by the glass, in either five- or 10-oz. sizes. Service is impeccable, the staff well-informed about the food and attentive without being intrusive. No small attraction in winter is the big adjacent parking lot, with free valet service after 5 p.m.

marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 27, 2009 D3