Burlington’s latest steak spot is serving cuts of meat a bit differently than fans may be used to.
Lot88, located on Appleby Line near the Canadian Tire, specializes in steak that is cooked blue – meaning it’s seared on the outside but hardly even warm on the inside – and brought to the customer on a 650 degree plate that patrons use to cook the steak themselves.
“It’s a lava stone that we heat up in a special oven, that can retain heat for a good 30 or 40 minutes,” Dwayne Desloges, manager of Lot88 says. “The steak on the stone, as we call it, allows every single bite to be juicy and hot, it falls apart in your mouth.”
Because the steak is only seared on the outside, depending on the side ordered, the server could be back with the meat in as little as five minutes. When the steak arrives, Desloges suggests cutting it into thin pieces to bite, and cooking for less than a minute, or until juices start to come out the top of the piece to get a medium rare piece.
Because the stone is so hot, the majority of the steaks served are thicker cut, usually baseball style, to ensure that they don’t cook through while just sitting there. Though if that does start to happen, Desloges recommends moving the the meat off the stone and onto the wooden plate to rest in between bites.
The idea for the steak on a stone came from the company’s founder John Law, who traveled to Europe where the dish has been relatively popular for decades. Law founded the company in Sudbury in 2017, and has since expanded to Winnipeg, North Bay, Waterloo, Orillia, and now Burlington.
“We do have grilled options as well for those who are looking for a more traditional option,” Desloges says. “But we say to try it once; it’s a unique experience that hooks probably nine out of every 10 people.”
Lot88 in Burlington only opened two weeks ago, but has been getting positive responses from customers so far.
Ensuring that everyone who comes in has something memorable to eat – in addition to steak there are seafood options, as well as lamb, chicken and burgers – is key. A steakhouse needs to serve more than just steak after all.
Reservations can be made online at Lot88steakhouse.com/burlington.
Though the plates come out at a scorching 650 degrees, Desloges says not one customer so far has burned themselves.
“Don’t lick the plate,” Desloges joked.
