Spencer's at the Waterfront

Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Spencer's on the Water

I had pretty high expectations for Spencer's - it looks like quite a fancy restaurant right on Lake Ontario and is probably one of the more expensive restaurants in the city. The food was OK, but it was all quite salty and nothing was that great, either. The only real winner of the evening was their pizzas. They were reasonably priced and pretty good. The view of Lake Ontario from one side of the restaurant was also quite nice, but our table was at the back of the restaurant and we didn't have much of a view.

Dress

Smart casual is appropriate.

Cost

Mains range from about $15 - $75.

Reservations

We visited on a busy night - reservations are probably a good idea.

Items Ordered

Beer Batter Flumiere Brie

Beer Batter Flumiere Brie

The Beer Batter Flumiere Brie was pretty good and had a nice mild flavor. There were two balls of fried Brie cheese with a bit of 'sauce' in the bottom. It was very similar to having a savory doughnut.

Lobster Dumplings

Lobster Dumplings

The lobster dumplings were just alright. They tasted like the kind of dumplings that you can buy frozen in a bag and then reheat in a frying pan. They were presented nicely, but didn't taste like anything special.

Daily Soup

Soup of the Day

The soup was a pretty typical cream of potato soup. It was fairly thick and what you expect from a cream soup.

Grilled Eggplant, Red Pepper, and Black Olive Stone Baked Pizza

Grilled Eggplant, Red Pepper, and Black Olive Stone Baked Pizza

The pizza was probably one of the best items we ordered this evening. It was also quite reasonably priced. My favorite thing about it was the dough - it was nice and dry, but still light and flaky. It tasted like a good high quality bread that just happened to be made into a pizza.

Kobe Classic Striploin, Confit Pont Neuf

Kobe Classic Striploin, Confit Pont Neuf

The kobe classic striploin was disappointing, especially given its price point. For that matter, all of the steaks our group ordered were disappointing. They were either too tough or had too much gristle. The kobe striploin was tender like a typical filet mignon. I have had kobe style beef at other restaurants, and remembered it being significantly better than this one.

The steak was also served with potatoes and broccolini. They were OK, but the potatoes were too salty for me to finish.

Creme Caramel

Creme Caramel

We shared this dessert between five people. All the portions were quite large and heavy, so we didn't have much room for dessert. The creme caramel was a little bit more like jell-o than I would have liked; it wasn't quite creamy enough. It had a nice fresh tasting flavor with the chai and ginger.