The Morton's Experience
byYesterday evening John and I were invited to dine at Morton’s, the premiere steakhouse experience in Vancouver (and around the world).
The staff was great and very knowledgeable as they explained pretty much everything on the main menu. We both ordered appetizers, our cut of meat, and a la carte sides. Our host, Brad, explained that their portions are pretty large but said we should be alright with the choices we made (and that we can always pack up leftover to take home). John enjoyed a pre-dinner Grey Goose vodka Mortini while I tried the Heavenly Pomegranate Mortini.
The Appetizers
I ordered the broiled sea scallops wrapped in bacon (that came recommended) and John had the colossal shrimp cocktail after which he commented, “I could do that about 10 more times.” It’s a good thing he didn’t since we had no idea what was in store for us upon the arrival of our entrees and sides.
The Main Course
Before dinner arrived, we got some wine pairing suggestions from Brad that worked out really well. John then had the New York Strip and I ordered the Filet Oskar (which is Filet Mignon with crab and asparagus). I chose broccoli as my side (which turned out to be two full heads of broccoli) and John had the grilled asparagus drizzled with a balsamic dressing. We also split the creamed spinach (for two). Needless to say we didn’t come close to finishing it all.
The Dessert
I also had a few people recommend that I try Morton’s Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake, which is made to order. It arrived at our table with a scoop of vanilla ice cream slowly melting alongside the warm dessert topped with raspberries. We were also offered an after dinner drink so my Frangelico with its hazelnut essence was the perfect compliment to the fudge-filled lava cake.
The USDA prime-aged steak comes directly from Chicago and the Midwest so after the meal John, my good-hearted corn-fed American man, asked where exactly in the Midwest. They tracked down and confirmed Indiana and Kansas, but couldn’t name the third state. I was pretty impressed that they could name two of three, and John was satisfied with the answer (although he said there would have been bonus points if it came from Iowa).
Our experience at Morton’s was fantastic and we were well taken care of. The only down note was that due to the lighting, and me not knowing how to properly use my camera, my photos were all very dark and had an orange hue. I turned them into black & white to at least capture our meal in some way although I wish I could share the bright colours represented on our plates.
Morton’s is definitely something we wouldn’t be able to afford to do often but if you have the means (and love meat and seafood) I highly recommend this unique experience.
10 Comments — Comments Are Closed
What a great review Rebecca! I must say, I have never been to Morton’s, but, you gave us a great inside peek at what an evening there can be like. In fact, even though it’s only 11am, I am so hungry all of a sudden! I love that you share unbiased insights into our wonderful city, and the many hidden treasures. Thank you!
Oh they are on Cordova street in Vancouver. We’ll have to visit one day as I’m always in the mood for a good, juicy (or should I say bloody) steak!
I wonder how it compares to Gothams?
Rebecca, do you use Apple Aperture or Adobe Lightroom at all? It might be able to help with your “very dark and orange hue” photos. I was wondering why they were all black and white. It looks good, but colour would have been even more mouth-watering!
How would you compare Morton’s to Joe Forte’s?
@Tyler I know, I was just using iPhoto which just did nothing for the orange tint – even when I played with hues and temperatures. I could have used Photoshop I guess but they were pretty orange to start.
@Walter I’ve never been to Joe Fortes, seems like a great time to try them too!
Full disclosure, I do the PR for Morton’s. Rebecca got the royal treatment for sure, but I do want everyone to know that Morton’s offers complimentary filet mignon sandwiches in the bar from 5-7pm, weeknights, and you can get a Prime sirloin burger with fries and a beer in the bar for $20. How’s that for accessible?
It would be nice if you treated all of your customers like that. I’ve been there 3 of the past 4 times I’ve been there the server has been rude. The last time they brought my wife a crab cake that looked like it had been dropped on the floor, when I asked why it looked like that, the server acted annoyed and told me they’re busy in the kitchen and didn’t even offer to bring a new one.
I’ve heard Morton’s is amazing from several people. I look forward to going one day soon!
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My Morton’s experience was excellent. Way too much food for us to finish. Be sure to check out their dinner for 2 @ $119CAD. Killer deal.
I’ve been to all the nice steakhouses in Vancouver — Morton’s is easily my favourite. Gotham has a good reputation, but I’ve never really been happy with my meal when I’ve eaten there.