What do you think when people say retirement home. Your probably thinking elderly people, it’s very dreary inside, bingo & kitting. Well I’m going to tell you, you are very wrong. When I heard there was a upscale restaurant upon the tenth floor of the Tansley Woods Retirement Home also known as Schlegel Village. I was very intrigued. This very bright and welcoming retirement home is full of life, and the tenth floor is happening.
The Ruby in Burlington Ont. is a different take on fine dining, one it’s located in a retirement home, two it’s sofisticated & three you leave no gratuitys for service staff. Upon entering the elevator and waiting to arrive on the tenth floor, the doors open and you are greeted by The Ruby glass doors. The warm hazelnut browns, rich yellows, & lounge. I felt like I was in my own living room. The view at the Ruby is quite spectacular as well, it’s like having my own CN Tower but on a much smaller scale. The menu at The Ruby is nothing like I expected either, you ready. Crab cakes as my starter, made in house and loaded with tons of crab meat.
My field green salad was one of the best salads I have had to date. You think to yourself…..it’s just a salad, Wrong. My field green salad consisted of mixed greens, shaved cucumbers, grape tomatoes, cranberries, golden beets, blue cheese, and candied pecans, dressed with a house made Dijon vinaigrette. I could have eaten this salad all day long. The shrimp and crab penne was a rich three cheese aldente pasta, with giant juicy shrimps, crab, sun dried tomatoes, onions, & bacon. This dish was so creamy, and how the flavours just come together in your mouth it was delicious. Our spinach and salmon quiche was a hearty portion of fluffy whipped eggs, spinach, salmon, red peppers, and onions all baked in buttery, flakey pastry crust. I was curious when doing my homework on The Ruby, where’s the kids menu.
Our waitress was ready for me, with a kids selection ready ( yes kids are welcome at the Ruby) chicken fingers and fries for little C and he loved it. The house made key lime pie, was so refreshing and made with real slivers of lime. The cuisine at the Ruby was above and beyond what I was expecting. Never judge a book by its cover. Always try something new. You may think The Ruby may be a diamond in the rough, but in reality The Ruby is a labour of love, radiating with different creations coming from its kitchen. A very different spin on fine dining.
