Too Much Red Meat - June 3 2022

 

Too Much Red Meat

June 3 2022

It began with the tablecloths;

place-mats, instead of crisp white linen

fresh each sitting.

Then, the few veteran waiters left

   —   all men, of course  —  

were spread even thinner,

so food came tepid

after waiting too long.

And now, a fine dining establishment

that also does take-out?

My favourite restaurant,

where the lights were low

the leather chairs ample

and the walls a dark mahogany.

Where cool jazz

played just soft enough

you could talk, and not raise your voice.

Where they knew you by name

and gave you the table you always take

and you could stay as long as you wanted;

no waiter hovering

to hustle you out.

A relic

of a gilded past.

Rare steak

dry Cabernet

liveried waiters,

generous tips in cash.

Old men

in pin-striped suits,

escorting much younger ladies

or second wives.

Who sported big cigars

and snappy hats,

and were not at all self-conscious

about their conspicuous wealth

and comfortable paunches

and smug pretensions of wine.

But the classic steakhouse has closed.

It exists only in movies

in black and white

through a blue tobacco haze.

It was all bad, I know.

Patriarchal.

Elitist and racist.

Too few vegetables

too much red meat.

But oh, how I miss the luxury

of that dark private space,

in a time when kids will only know

self-serve and drive through

and bad fast food.

The steakhouse I remember from my Toronto youth was Barberian's. Surprisingly, and despite my eulogy, it's apparently still going strong.

Here's the menu: a single page, limited to just what you'd expect — nothing exotic or adventurous. It probably hasn't changed since the days I insisted our dad take us there for my birthday dinner. I have to admit, politically incorrect as it is, it would still be my first choice!

Even with no dollar sign — which I can only guess is so it doesn't seem like real money — I did a double take at today's prices: the kind of price where if you have to ask, you can't afford it. So perhaps they might consider dispensing with a number altogether!