When I was up in Toronto for a trade show last fall, my Canadian colleague got a late start coming in from Montreal for our set up and instead of showing up around noon as he initially planned, it was going to be closer to 4 p.m. when he was going to get in. I thought, OK, well, I guess I can go get something to eat. I was at a hotel near Toronto Pearson airport and their restaurant didn't open until 5 p.m. I took a look on line for restaurants around the immediate area where I may be able to go get something for lunch and I found a restaurant just across Dixon Road that had craft beer. That's all I needed to know and I set out for a quick walk to Turtle Jack's.
Officially, the restaurant's name is Turtle Jack's Muskoka Grill. Muskoka is a popular vacation destination about an hour's drive north of Toronto. And, I had an idea before I went to Turtle Jack's that it was a chain restaurant. Turns out I was correct.
Jim Lishman and his family used to vacation in lakeside cabins in Muskoka in the summer time. The Lishman's had an idea about a cottage-style lakeside restaurant that served great food in a relaxed atmosphere that catered to the vacationers in the area. In 1992, they opened the first Turtle Jack's Muskoka Grill in Lake Carling, ON. The summer-only restaurant was an instant hit with the vacationers coming up from Toronto, especially those who had boats and could hook up to the dock on the lake and enjoy food and drinks on the patio overlooking Muskoka Lakes.
The concept was so much of a hit that the Lishmans decided to expand into the urban areas where their summertime guests lived year round. Their latest location opened in Niagara Falls, ON in May of 2019. Turtle Jack's Muskoka Grill now has 19 locations primarily in the Toronto and Hamilton areas in southern Ontario.
The Turtle Jack's I went to was just across busy Dixon Road from my hotel. It's located in the Doubletree Hotel at the corner of Dixon Road and Carlinview Dr. in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke (pronounced uh-toe-BE-coe). (see map) I considered staying at the Doubletree since I'm a Hilton Lifetime Diamond member, but the Embassy Suites I stayed in was on the same side of Dixon Road as the hotel the trade show was in and less than a 5 minute walk between the two.
It was well after the lunch rush when I got into Turtle Jack's. Stepping into the restaurant, I found a nice space with a lot of wood accents throughout the restaurant. A line of tables with banquette seats were along one wall with a smattering of tables in the bar area. A number of televisions were mounted for viewing from different areas in the restaurant. Cross-cut reclaimed wood flooring gave the restaurant a touch of classiness.
The bar was the most prominent feature of the restaurant. The horseshoe-shaped bar featured high-top chairs and sat approximately 20 to 22 people when filled up. While much of the ceiling had finished wooden 2 x 8's, the bar had a floating ceiling with recessed lighting giving more of an intimate feeling when seated at the bar.
Toward the back of the restaurant was smaller dining area that featured six booths and a handful of tables for overflow dining. A small glass-enclosed patio area was off to the side of the smaller dining room. Based on aesthetics alone, the restaurant was very slick and spiffy. I was just hoping the food would follow suit.
I ended up seated at the bar. The lady bartender had a heavy northern Minnesotan accent when she greeted me and handed me a menu. I asked her later on if she was from Minnesota and she said that, no, she was born and raised in Toronto. When I told her that she had a heavy northern Minnesotan accent, she said, "Well, I have relatives in northern Minnesota and we have gone to visit them a few times. I do have trouble understanding them, 'ey?" I got a kick out of her.
After ordering up a Hop Valley IPA from the Tenth and Blake Brewery - a craft beer subsidiary of Molson Coors - I looked through the menu to see what Turtle Jack's was all about. Most of the food they offered was your usual upscale family restaurant types - appetizers that included chicken or beef nachos, fried calamari, and chicken wings; soups and salads, sandwiches and burgers, as well as steaks, a bison meatloaf that I highly considered, a chicken parmesan entree, and a blackened Basa fish served with mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley. Turtle Jack's also has what they called "award winning" pork ribs available in either half or full racks.
I wasn't all that hungry, but I didn't know when I would be having dinner. I ended up thinking something light would be good and I found that they had ahi tuna tacos on the menu. That was a no-brainer. The ahi tuna was seared and chopped and placed into soft flour taco shells and topped with a cucumber mango salsa, a cilantro slaw and finished with green onions, a sriracha mayo and Japanese furikake seasoning. I had a choice of a side with the tacos and I got the garlic Caesar's salad with the tacos.
The tacos were very good. There were a lot of flavors going on with each bite. There was a bite of a spicy flavor, a sweet flavor, a fruity taste, and the combination of cilantro and green onions. The ahi tuna was fresh and had great texture. With the sriracha mayo, it also made for a somewhat messy meal.
While I concentrated on the tacos, I did have about half of my salad. The garlic added to the traditional Caesar's dressing was an interesting - and delicious combination.
I didn't have any problem after the fact finding out that Turtle Jack's Muskoka Grill was a chain centered around Toronto and for over 30 years they've served upscale family-fare-food that keeps people coming back. The ahi tuna tacos I had were delicious and because it was just me and another couple seated at the bar, our bartender did a great job of making sure my beer glass was filled when it should have been. She was a friendly person and when I settled up with her before I left to go back to my hotel, she said, "Have a nice day, 'ey"! Turtle Jack's is definitely a step-up from the sit-down chain restaurants and one that I'd go to over one of those restaurants.
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