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19Yzerman19 · 03-12-2014, 11:23 AM

Ox & Angela

NOTE: Our reservation last night wasn't until 8:45pm, so it was very dark in there. Their lighting on the OX side of the restaurant doesn't help, either. Basically, I couldn't take pictures. So I'm pulling pictures off Google of the dishes we had.

For those who haven't been to Ox & Angela, the concept is generally family-style dining. Rather than getting an appy, entree, and dessert, you get a bunch of little things for the table to pick at. Their Big Taste menu is essentially just their Spanish Table menu for the spring, for $10 cheaper than normal and with a few dishes taken off.

FIRST COURSE

Pan Con Tomate - Grilled sourdough, crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil

Jamon Serrano - Delicious dry cured Spanish ham

Delicias - Walnut & manchego cheese stuffed dates, wrapped in Serrano ham. pomegranate molasses

Bacalao - Salt Cod & potato fritter, aioli, chilies

Here, the best things were the dates and the cod & potato fritter. The dates in particular were amazing, could have eaten a few more of those. We added white anchovies to the pan con tomate, but as far as bruschetta goes it wasn't a standout by any stretch. The cured ham was good, but being a bit of a cured meat guy I wasn't totally wowed; my last month's Carnivore Club box came with spanish ham and that was better than this.
It should be added that they also give you a little thing of olives that are seasoned in-house. They get them from a guy from Turkey, and they're unbelievably flavourful and rich (they're late picked I guess).

SECOND COURSE

Calabacines - Quick marinated Zucchini salad, mint, manchego cheese, almond, lemon

NOTE: Above picture is similar but the version they served yesterday didn't have mint. I think it could have used it, personally.

Patatas Bravas - Crispy fried baby potatoes, smoked paprika ketchup, garlic aioli

Carne Asada - Grilled Alberta flat-iron steak, sauteed kale, salsa verde

　
Okay so first of all, I've had steak here before once, about a year ago. I still remember that experience, which tells you how unbelievably freaking good Ox & Angela is at beef. For a non-steakhouse it's actually mind-boggling. As a firm believer that a really good steak should generally have a bone in it, I'm left thinking, "I can't do this with a flat iron steak, how the hell do they manage it?" Seriously, this thing is delicious, and after now going 2/2 on amazing steak here I'm going back sometime to order their rib eye. The potatoes are also highly, highly recommended. They can't be anything resembling healthy, but they're outstanding. Just crispy enough, really nicely seasoned without being too powerful. The zucchini salad was just okay - I have no complaints, but it wasn't terribly interesting. The dressing just needed a bit more life to it, as the cheese wasn't powerful enough to provide the flavour on its own. It's a good idea to balance out the much heavier portions of the entree, it just needs something extra to keep it from being totally overpowered. Overall, this was a fantastic main.

DESSERT
Chocolate Tart with sea salt

No pictures, as I guess this isn't on their regular menu. It came with a bit of creme and crushed pistachio. It was a bit of an afterthought and IMO not necessary. It was just okay, somewhat like a flourless brownie. Passable but not memorable. I think what they should just do instead is serve a dessert wine, since desserts don't seem to be in their wheelhouse.

Overall, best one yet, I think. Heavily driven by the main course, which is just fantastic. I have lunch at Vintage on Friday and I'm skeptical as to whether even they can win the Big Taste steak award for me now.
That said, the reason this worked out so well, I'm sure, is that Ox and Angela are basically just serving you their normal spanish table at a slight discount with a couple of items removed. So full marks for content, but slightly disappointed that they didn't do anything special for their big taste menu. I could go back in a month and get a slightly better version of what I got for an extra 10 bucks, so I feel like it wasn't really necessary to go there as part of this week. That said, it's an understandable strategy; if this menu was your introduction to Ox and Angela, it would definitely tell you everything you need to know about what the restaurant is about and probably have you coming back for more down the road.
Next up: Blink, for lunch today... looking forward to this one. High expectations.
　

03-12-2014, 11:23 AM	#22
19Yzerman19 Lifetime Suspension Join Date: Jun 2013 Exp:	Ox & Angela NOTE: Our reservation last night wasn't until 8:45pm, so it was very dark in there. Their lighting on the OX side of the restaurant doesn't help, either. Basically, I couldn't take pictures. So I'm pulling pictures off Google of the dishes we had. For those who haven't been to Ox & Angela, the concept is generally family-style dining. Rather than getting an appy, entree, and dessert, you get a bunch of little things for the table to pick at. Their Big Taste menu is essentially just their Spanish Table menu for the spring, for $10 cheaper than normal and with a few dishes taken off. FIRST COURSE Pan Con Tomate - Grilled sourdough, crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil Jamon Serrano - Delicious dry cured Spanish ham Delicias - Walnut & manchego cheese stuffed dates, wrapped in Serrano ham. pomegranate molasses Bacalao - Salt Cod & potato fritter, aioli, chilies Here, the best things were the dates and the cod & potato fritter. The dates in particular were amazing, could have eaten a few more of those. We added white anchovies to the pan con tomate, but as far as bruschetta goes it wasn't a standout by any stretch. The cured ham was good, but being a bit of a cured meat guy I wasn't totally wowed; my last month's Carnivore Club box came with spanish ham and that was better than this. It should be added that they also give you a little thing of olives that are seasoned in-house. They get them from a guy from Turkey, and they're unbelievably flavourful and rich (they're late picked I guess). SECOND COURSE Calabacines - Quick marinated Zucchini salad, mint, manchego cheese, almond, lemon *NOTE: Above picture is similar but the version they served yesterday didn't have mint. I think it could have used it, personally. Patatas Bravas - Crispy fried baby potatoes, smoked paprika ketchup, garlic aioli* Carne Asada - Grilled Alberta flat-iron steak, sauteed kale, salsa verde 　 Okay so first of all, I've had steak here before once, about a year ago. I still remember that experience, which tells you how unbelievably freaking good Ox & Angela is at beef. For a non-steakhouse it's actually mind-boggling. As a firm believer that a really good steak should generally have a bone in it, I'm left thinking, "I can't do this with a flat iron steak, how the hell do they manage it?" Seriously, this thing is delicious, and after now going 2/2 on amazing steak here I'm going back sometime to order their rib eye. The potatoes are also highly, highly recommended. They can't be anything resembling healthy, but they're outstanding. Just crispy enough, really nicely seasoned without being too powerful. The zucchini salad was just okay - I have no complaints, but it wasn't terribly interesting. The dressing just needed a bit more life to it, as the cheese wasn't powerful enough to provide the flavour on its own. It's a good idea to balance out the much heavier portions of the entree, it just needs something extra to keep it from being totally overpowered. Overall, this was a fantastic main. DESSERT Chocolate Tart with sea salt No pictures, as I guess this isn't on their regular menu. It came with a bit of creme and crushed pistachio. It was a bit of an afterthought and IMO not necessary. It was just okay, somewhat like a flourless brownie. Passable but not memorable. I think what they should just do instead is serve a dessert wine, since desserts don't seem to be in their wheelhouse. Overall, best one yet, I think. Heavily driven by the main course, which is just fantastic. I have lunch at Vintage on Friday and I'm skeptical as to whether even they can win the Big Taste steak award for me now. That said, the reason this worked out so well, I'm sure, is that Ox and Angela are basically just serving you their normal spanish table at a slight discount with a couple of items removed. So full marks for content, but slightly disappointed that they didn't do anything special for their big taste menu. I could go back in a month and get a slightly better version of what I got for an extra 10 bucks, so I feel like it wasn't really necessary to go there as part of this week. That said, it's an understandable strategy; if this menu was your introduction to Ox and Angela, it would definitely tell you everything you need to know about what the restaurant is about and probably have you coming back for more down the road. Next up: Blink, for lunch today... looking forward to this one. High expectations. 　 Last edited by 19Yzerman19; 03-12-2014 at 11:26 AM.