Eating up the Hill: A valourous steak sandwich

Last Wednesday was my birthday and, while I had plans for a few root beers that evening, I didn't have time for a luxurious lunch. So I ducked into the swanky newish cafeteria in the Valour Building to try out one of its grill selections.

Valour (the staff tell me) is the only precinct cafeteria with an actual grill, which allows them to offer a permanent selection of assorted grill items that the other cafeterias don't, such as hamburgers and my selection this day, the steak sandwich.

While I try to be positive, it was, frankly, the most underwhelming lunch I've had on the Hill yet. And I do like me a steak sandwich. They did do some things well. The steak was cooked to order from scratch, and they hit my requested medium grill nicely. The ciabatta roll was fresh and a fine complement. The fault, my readers, was in the toppings.

It was advertised with lettuce and tomato, which I took a pass on. I don't believe lettuce and tomato belong on a steak sandwich. Or on a hamburger, but that's another blog. They would only distract from, rather than complement, the steak. Maybe I'm too hung up on Philly sandwiches, but on a steak sandwich I want sautéed onions and mushrooms, and some real cheese or whiz. Those toppings would complement rather than compete with the steak.

Sadly, those weren't available, although they did add some tasty basil mayo sort of sauce. They seemed concerned about the plainness of my steak sandwich so they did, at my request, add some cheese. Unfortunately, I didn't realize until I got to my table that it was processed cheese.

I will say, the staff seem proud of their steak sandwich. The cashier told me it was her favourite and, a little later, two of the staff came separately by my table to ask how I was enjoying it. I was positive, but did mention that mushrooms and onions would make a big difference. I just hope all the interest was just coincidental, and that my secret identity as a food blogger hasn't been exposed.

Restaurant: Valour Building Cafeteria
Dish: Steak Sandwich
Price: $8.11 (before tax)

So what I ended up with was a smallish but decently-quality piece of grilled steak on a roll with a basil mayo and a slice of processed cheese. I should not have added the cheese; it made it taste cheap and processed. The steak was good, but there wasn't enough there there. And lettuce and tomato wouldn't have done it. At $8.11, it's on the upper end of the menu, and it's not worth it. But sauté up some mushrooms and onions, and throw on some provolone, and then we're talking.

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