At Twenty-Seven Restaurant
When it opened in 2004, At-Twenty-Seven at 27 Main Street in Port Colborne turned heads with its unique style of global flavours and a martini bar designed for luscious, sipping experiences.
At Twenty-Seven Restaurant is the brain-child of Mike and Linda Sloat. Decorated in colors of comfort green and mouthwatering red all tied together with black leather chairs and sleek hardwood floors the restaurant has a feel-good, welcoming atmosphere. It sets the mood for dining-savvy customers expecting a sophisticated dining experience best described as 'fine casual'. You can get a burger if you like, or a prime piece of filet – each receives exactly the same attention to detail and is made with the same high quality ingredients.
Linda's Fire Grilled At-Twenty-Seven Angus Burger is a perfect seven ounce (neither too big for the ladies, nor too small for the men) burger made with Angus ground beef and done only one way – Linda's way! No ketchup or relish, but lots of garlic mayo, a secret, melted cheese blend, lettuce, tomato and red onion relish – delicious!
Even though Linda insists on keeping her gourmet burger on the menu for special customers, make no mistake about the rest of the fare – it's spectacular. All the meat is top quality 'AAA' beef, from the Grilled AAA Bacon Wrapped Filet, the New York Steak, Black Angus Teriyaki Sirloin to the Prime Rib. It's the best they can buy from their one and only trusted source.
Rather than using traditional restaurant meat suppliers, Linda and Mike have chosen a small, local butcher who can be depended upon for top quality cuts of meat.
"He's a little guy and he customizes all of our cuts. He caters to us so we can cater to our customers," says Mike.
"If we have a run on filets and I need a rush order, I can get them in just a couple of hours", says Linda, speaking of Dougherty's Meats on Allenburg Road in Thorold.
The Sloats create culinary excitement by constantly researching the restaurant market. "We always want to be different," says Linda. "You won't find any salmon and dill here – it's done to death – and there’s no parsley to garnish the plate either. You won't find any scary food here either," say Linda.
Linda is designing a new dish for the spring menu; Feta and Spinach Borsetti. Soft, little pasta pillows stuffed with feta cheese and spinach are served in a sweet smoky bacon, spinach au jus that’s big in meaty flavours, succulent and screaming of the umami essence. It all comes together in layers of elegance that draws new excitement to a pasta dish. Wow, simple foods, simple preparation, spectacular results!
That's why customers keep coming back to At-Twenty-Seven. "We serve almost exclusively locals", says Mike of the clientele that comes mostly from Port Colborne, Welland and Fonthill. They know they have to book at least a week ahead to get a seat on the weekends and they don't mind. On the contrary, they're happy for the Sloat's success – it just means their favourite restaurant is here to stay.
Linda is currently working on a new, signature Caesar Salad recipe. She's tweaked the dressing with a kiss of smoke, switched the croutons for parmesan flatbread spears and is working on grilling a Romaine garnish. Of course, her customers will test it out before it makes the menu.
Diners show their appreciation for Linda's adventurous culinary spirit by trying new dishes and offering their opinions. This is the winning system by which the menu evolves and customers are kept interested. For example, in winter, customers love the Crown Roast Pork Chop stuffed with fresh herbs, cranberries and apple, but for spring those pork chops will wear the flavours of chipotle barbecue – ahhh can't wait till spring!
The restaurant is open Tuesday through to Saturday for lunch and dinner. The average price of a pasta or sandwich lunch is $12 and dinner entrees range from $14 to $27. The wine list is strategically filled with just enough wines to offer a few choices with each entrée and while their martini lounge no longer exists, they still offer a full selection of martinis in the restaurant.
In one evening, under one roof,
you can experience the best food, wine and martinis Niagara has to offer
all At-Twenty-Seven.
Lynn Ogryzlo is food and wine
writer for Niagara this Week and Niagara Life Magazine. Her television
segment, "Taste of Niagara" can be seen Sunday, 6:30 pm on
CHCH News' Niagara Express. You can reach Lynn for questions or comments
at HYPERLINK "mailto:ogryzlo@lynnogryzlo.