milestone's grill & bar

website: http://www.milestonesrestaurants.com

location: various locations, i visited the heartland location in mississauga (730 matheson boulevard, 905-507-4118)

restaurant type: nicer sit down restaurant and bar with mainly western food (a couple of non-western options are available as well)

price range: $12 - $50

dress code: casual to business casual, jeans and runners (not ripped or excessively dirty) are acceptable, working types wearing suits in for dinner are not unusual

ideal for: dates, small group on a night out, business meals

worth grins:
- good service
- nice atmosphere
- well presented food
- clientèle (mature, couples, career types)

worth shaking fists:
- slight wait for food
- moderate selection
- slightly pricey (for non-working individuals without an occasion)

my tastes:
i have been to various "milestone's" locations in the past but i am going to review the heartland location because i just went last night with two friends. "milestone's" is a nicer restaurant that i would not frequent on a regular basis purely for financial reasons. it is more a restaurant that i would consider if i was taking a girl out on a date or for dinner with a few friends. it has a very nice atmosphere with an older or more mature clientèle best described as "young career" or "stable adult."

the service at "milestone's" is fairly typical of a nicer sit-down restaurant. the servers all have matching outfits, impeccable manners, and the uncanny memory that manages to know which meal corresponds to which person without writing it down (in front of you at least). our server, andrew, was very polite and had a good knowledge of the menu options when asked for suggestions and descriptions of certain items. as expected, all of the drinks and entrees were brought to the table at the same time (drinks before meals of course) and at the appropriate temperatures.

the food is very nicely presented at "milestone's", with uniquely shaped plates and food laid out in a simple yet appealing manner. last night i ordered the "certified angus beef 8oz top sirloin" cooked to blue rare...and it was actually blue rare when it arrived. i was very impressed. the steak came warm on the outside, nicely grilled with crushed black peppers on top. when first cut into, the texture was very soft and the inside was a deep and dark red. the steak was grilled to a proper two or three millimetre depth leaving the inside blue rare with minimal juices (that may offend my dinner company). the accompanying portabello mushroom was soft and sizeable although a little dark, so it appeared to be strangely presented sitting directly on the plate half surrounded by darkish gravy (from the steak). my two sides, garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables were well done except the mashed potatoes were not as finely mashed as i prefer. on a side (and mildly amusing) note, denise (one of the girls at dinner) commented on my "polite eating" as opposed to her "shovelling" as she put it, but how does one shovel a properly grilled blue rare steak?

my "milestone's original bellini" came in an appealing yellowish-orange slush with a ring of deep pink along the edge of the martini glass and an amusing plastic camel (i have previously gotten a mermaid at a different location). the bellini was quite good, tasting sweet and not too strong of the various alcohols it consisted of. i opted away from the "ultiimate bellini", which is identical to mine except for the addition of a shot of malibu alcohol, simply because i was driving and prefer drinks that are overly strong with alcohol.

overall, my experience at "milestone's" heartland location was very nice. my dinner company seemed to enjoy their food as well during the course of our meal and conversation, which was aided by the decor and general atmosphere of the restaurant. i enjoyed myself enough to give a slightly larger tip to our courteous and helpful server at the end of the night.