N. Ma

Review of The Fairmont Hotel Macdonald

Had an enjoyable supper at the Harvest Room recent...

Had an enjoyable supper at the Harvest Room recently. It's a beautiful dining space in the classy Hotel Mac, and the service was what stood out the most. The waiter was professional, very courteous, present, but not overbearing, checking in discreetly and warmly. It's the type of place where they'll graciously seat you, and drape the napkin over your lap. It's those little things sometimes. As to the food, it was excellent and expertly prepared, but not entirely the most groundbreaking. Think of very well executed fine food staples such as rib eye, rack of lamb, gnocchi, a fish option, etc paired with charred asparagus, creamed root vegetable, chanterelle mushrooms, and so on. Absolutely competently cooked and seasoned, but again, nothing unexpected. Is that a bad thing? No. They know what they're doing and do it well. We had a glass of wine each, the mushroom bisque and a fall-themed panzanella salad to start, rare steak and gnocchi as the mains, and shared a slice of cheesecake for a grand total of about $170. Personally, for the asking price, I just prefer a little twist, a little exoticism. We left full and wholly pleased with the experience, but there's certainly more interesting places to hit up downtown.