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Every now and then, you go to a restaurant and have the pleasure of having an experience, not just a meal. Atlas is self-described as a “flirtatious and modern twist on the iconic North American steakhouse” and it does not disappoint. After a $5 million dollar renovation, the culinary jewel in the Grand Villa Casino has opened its doors, so we made our merry way to Burnaby to check out what all the fuss was about.

Our group was seated in a cozy booth with a great view of the entire room. While we all enjoyed our cocktails, I was captivated by the non-stop action in the open kitchen as the chefs busily worked away.  For my appy, I decided to order the Baby Kale and Spinach Salad with warm bacon, mustard vinaigrette and shiitake mushrooms. Like the classic steakhouse Caesar Salad they also offer, this was prepared tableside which is always fun to watch and makes for great conversation. Oh, and did I mention it was delicious?

As we moved on to our mains, I didn’t hesitate to take Chef Brian Everett’s suggestion to go with the classic and nostalgic Steak Oscar which was a delectable 9oz Alberta Angus Reserve tenderloin served with dungeness crab, grilled asparagus and béarnaise sauce – medium rare of course. Now, I don’t say this lightly, but this may have been one of the best steaks I’ve tasted in recent memory. When I asked Chef what made it so flavourful, he credited their Josper oven with grill fired with mesquite charcoal and of course, the skilled kitchen staff.  My friend Michelle who ordered the Miso Glazed Sablefish with shitake and edamame succotash said her dish was outstanding – and I can verify this as I stole I couple of bites. Whatever their secret is? We’ll be back for more!

Executive Food and Beverage Manager Sylvain Cuerrier made his way over to our table and convinced us that dessert was a must – and who are we to argue? We all decided to share the Baked Alaska. After all, if you’re going to enjoy the full steakhouse experience, why not? This divine little treat with raspberry coconut ice cream, lemon sorbet, orange vanilla cake and italian meringue was flambéed tableside and  was the perfect way to end the meal.

ATALS Steak + Fish served the perfect amount of steakhouse nostalgia with a modern twist. I will definitely be paying them a visit again soon!

CONTEST ALERT: Want to win a fabulous food and wine sampling for 4 served tableside at ATLAS Steak + Fish? Just write in the comments why you want to win!

Draw date: December 31, 2017 Expires: February 28, 2018. Max value $400