The Lethbridge Keg Steakhouse and Bar recently moved to a new building (2007). The new surroundings were the first disappointment of the evening.

We had not been to the Keg since it relocated. We were celebrating our joint birthdays and were looking forward to an intimate dinner. We reserved a table the day before (they do not accept reservations on weekends) explaining that it was our birthdays and requesting a quiet booth to celebrate the event together over a nice relaxing meal at the end of a long work day. We did get a booth as requested and it was by the fireplace which was arguably one of the best tables in the restaurant. As for intimate and relaxing……FORGET IT!!! First off the fireplace was turned off which made it look more like a black glass on the wall than a soothing fire. To the left of the fireplace was a table with 7 men. They were a group of salesmen talking to a group of Hutterites about equipment. They were anything but quiet and were consuming most of our waitresses time. To the right of the fireplace was a family of 9 including a newborn. Within 20 feet of us there were 10 tables, all of which were full of people, all of which could be heard quite clearly in the new hollow building that echoed every sound. Over the sound of the voices, we could hear all of the kitchen noise behind us. All of this goes to atmosphere. Twice during the hour and a half we could kind of hear music in the background. The old Keg gave the impression of an intimate, relaxing, high end dining experience. The new Keg is just like every other noisy family restaurant trying to crowd in and feed as many people as possible. So much for an intimate, relaxing dinner.

We were seated for at least 15 minutes before seeing a waitress as she had more tables than she could handle. By that time we had picked out a wine and our meals. The wine selection was poor at best with a good number of wines (including our selection) having a screw off top…..HOW CHEAP! What a bummer having the waitress come to our table with the wine and not having the experience of them uncorking the bottle……just screw off the top in one twist and done. The fresh sour dough bread was served hot and fresh and was very tasty indeed.

We had the Prime Rib and Crab and Prime Rib and Lobster. The Prime Rib was EXCELLENT and cooked to medium rare perfection! The crab was decent. The lobster was so overcooked you could barely cut through it and it had no flavor at all. The twice baked potatoes were overdone and were full of large chunks of ham….what’s up with that? Bacon bits are great in a stuffed potato……big chunks of ham….not so much. There was no vegetable served with the meal. We are both quite small eaters and we both had room for dessert which we do not usually partake in. We ordered the Chocolate Heaven…….hmm hmm hmm……it was Heavenly!

The washrooms were located at the entrance which for most patrons is a long way to go from their tables. They were very clean and well laid out.

We much preferred the old Keg before the relocation.

We rate the new Lethbridge Keg Steakhouse and Bar as a 2 1/2 star out of 5. Too bad they moved, they were much better before. So much for progress.