La Ronde

La Ronde
Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe
10111 Bellamy Hill
(780) 420-8366

We received a gift card to La Ronde from Danny several months ago but haven't gone until we were reminded of it by our friend Thomas recently. He recommended that we try the Chateaubriand there. We went on a Wednesday evening, and by chance, we discovered that they had a Monday to Wednesday special on a Chateaubriand dinner for 2. For $89, the meal comes with caesar salad and 16 oz of Chateaubriand, flambéed and served right at the table.

I initially ordered a small (250 mL) bottle of French merlot, but I was informed that they no longer carry it and instead was offered a glass of the Mollydooker Scooter Merlot from Australia, which I enjoyed.

The caesar salad was also prepared before our very eyes. A large cart full of ingredients was brought to our table side and our server started preparing the dressing from scratch. He made some delightful conversation with us in the process. The lettuce was crisp and fresh, and the finished product was salty (in a good way), garlicky and cheesy. I quite enjoyed the dressing. Our portions were rather large but we finished our entire plates.

Preparing the dressing

 

caesar.salad

The Chateaubriand was another table side production. This time, two people were involved in the process. The steak, potatoes, and vegetables were neatly placed onto a large serving tray. At our table, the "bouquetière of vegetables" were first divided among our two plates, and then a shot of whiskey was poured over the beef and flambéed. The tenderloin was then sliced and served. We had asked for the meat to be cooked medium to medium-rare, but the first bite felt a bit too dry and overcooked to about medium well. But upon further bites, it fortunately improved. The centre was moist and tender, and the outside seared portion was savoury and flavorful; the texture resembled a tender beef jerky.

Table side serving of Chateaubriand

Plated Chateaubriand

Since the salad was quite filling, we decided to only eat half of our meals so that we would have room for dessert (and a yummy lunch for the next day!). We ordered the Pistachio and White Chocolate Slice ($12). It was filled with an apricot purée and paired with a white chocolate-covered raspberry popsicle. There was also a nest of hard candy threads on the side. I thought the entire arrangement was eclectic but didn't really think everything fit together. On the main portion of the dessert, the white chocolate and pistachio parts of the slice were delicate and creamy with a thin layer of cake, but I could have done without the tart apricot filling. It seemed a bit odd to have a popsicle on the side. I liked the tart raspberry interior but not necessarily with the white chocolate coating. Andrew enjoyed the entire popsicle, however. Lastly the needle-like candy was amusing. The pointy ends hurt my gums and tongue as I closed my mouth down on it, but I couldn't stop eating it since was so unique and magical looking! Again, it seemed like an odd addition to the dessert.

pistachio.and.white.chocolate.slice

This was our first time to La Ronde and it was a great experience. The restaurant completes one revolution every 90 minutes and the views were lovely from 24 floors up the Crown Plaza Chateau Lacombe Hotel. We were treated with fantastic service, and our server was pretty humorous as well. I would love to go back especially when he's working.

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4.5/5