217 Waverley Road, Dartmouth
I haven't gone to the Micmac Bar and Grill for probably 10 years at least. I lived outside of town, and didn't come in very often. And after a time, even though my parents used to come there before they were married in 1970 (happy 40 years guys!), and long after, it kinda fell by the wayside of our family vision. Then once I moved back into the city, and coworkers would mention with a glow in their eyes that their treat for the night was going to the Micmac for a steak dinner, and friends of my parents mentioned it to them again, we ended up going there yesterday for supper.
My God, you must go. :)
It was 30+°C yesterday, and just miserable outside, but inside was beautifully cool. The decor is not elaborate, it's very simple and homey. Big wooden chairs, lots of windows, and two levels, with lots of seating (and lots of parking). Not a place where you get dressed up to go eat, just come casual. Not a fancy-dan looking place, but that's because they put their money where it counts: hiring super-friendly and helpful staff, and in the quality of the food.
Our waitress was the granddaughter of the original owners, whose black and white pictures were on the walls. This place is ESTABLISHED, and a family-run business, and looks to continue to be so for generations to come. Her mother and stepfather own the place, and her father cuts/butchers all the steaks and makes the ground beef himself. (We weren't served by just her, though - while she was the main waitress, we had at least 3 different people attending to our needs over the course of the dinner--you never felt ignored.)
Butchering the steaks themselves must be the reason they can keep their prices so low. We had 10-oz filet mignon (bacon wrapped), with fries for $13.99. $13.99!!!. They also have a secret spice medley that only the waitress's dad knows (I hope he has that info backed up somewhere!) that is just incredible. No steak sauce needed! And so tender, just melts in your mouth, a truly amazing piece of beef. I might just go for the 7oz next time, because the 10oz was so big, I had to bring some home (not that that was a bad thing!) One side of mushroom and onions are enough for 2 people, as recommended by our waitress, and she was dead on. Lovely fresh mushrooms too, no canned crap here! Hand cut french fries come in LARGE portions, and if you think you might be cheated by getting baked potato as a side instead, you'd be sorely mistaken. They are enormous! Gravy is true beef gravy, definitely not pre-packaged because it tastes deeply beefy and not too salty.
Did I mention the steaks were incredible? :) I'm sure the other things on the menu are equally well prepared, but for certain, when you ask people about this place, the steaks are what get raved about. Truly a special treat. But inexpensive enough that it doesn't have to be saved for special occasions.
Go early, because when we left at 4.30 pm it looked like it was going to be a packed house.
Directions can be found on Google Maps.
The street view is not quite on, it's actually the blue-gray building next to the one that shows up when you zoom in.
The Family
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