You could tell this was the kind of place offering serious meat. A group of businessmen who might have been stand-ins for the adoring Baconator fans in those hilarious TV ads marched into Napoleon's Steak & Seafood House, protein on their minds and expense accounts to flesh out.

It spoke to the popularity of the Burlington eatery, a Tuesday and the joint was buzzing as other tables filled up.

I have no doubt Napoleon's does a good steak but I wanted to test the seafood side of the equation, which requires a finer hand in the kitchen.

So it was scallops and pickerel for this lad and estimable work as both were treated with care.

But first I had to be seated in a comfy deep-red chair hard by dark wall panelling that bore a cutlass and knife, sheathed.

That's the old-world look of the classic steak house, which also features smart carpeting and servers in dress jackets carrying four-foot pepper mills to further spice items.

Also, there was the familiar trio of dill pickles, olives and block of feta cheese with garlic bread, a generous start.

I would call the servings overly generous for this appetite. The scallops ($15) were the offensive lineman of the species, monsters with radius larger than toonies and about a knuckle-joint thick.

Three at, say $9, would have sufficed but they were awfully good, almost opaque at the core and sitting in a pool of garlic and white-wine sauce, which I dabbed at with garlic bread.

A giant caesar salad, a choice with soup as part of the pickerel order, then landed heavily.

The romaine mix featured big croutons, which seemed house made, lots of Parmesan cheese and a bit too much dressing for my taste. It was rich and creamy.

The pickerel, about a foot long, dominated a platter with baked potato and mixed vegetables. Side dishes of sour cream and butter, with chunks big enough to shock a cardiologist, sat at the ready.

The fish was excellent and should be at $27. It was lightly breaded and bronzed, offering an expanse of moist flesh. Pity I could only handle half of it.

The potato, too, was hot and moist and heightened with a modest dollop of sour cream.

Only the veg disappointed. It was a high-quality mix of green beans, baby carrots and mini-corn, but overcooked and limp.

Service throughout, by the way, was very professional and the courses came at a good pace.

One server must forgive my look of horror as he tried to tempt me with a cake platter. I was well and truly sated at that point.

jkernaghan@thespec.com

905-526-3422

Napoleon's Steak & Seafood House

3455 Fairview St.

Burlington

905-637-7171

The look: Dark and rich

The feel: Comfortable, traditional

What you'll pay: Appetizers include jumbo shrimp cocktail or breaded shrimp for $12. Caesar and Greek salads are $7. Lunch and dinner entries include choice of soup or salad, vegetable and potato and start at $13.95 and $23 for Chicken Oscar. Veal Oscar, topped with crab meat, asparagus tips and Hollandaise sauce, is $14.95 and $26. Beef platters open at $16.95 and $27 for an eight-ounce New York steak and run to $20.95 and $38 for filet classic, a six- or eight-ounce filet mignon with shrimp. The rack of lamb is $30 for half, $45 for full. Seafood opens with trout stuffed with shrimp, crabmeat and mushrooms for $12.95 and $21. Scallops almondine are $14.95 and $27, lobster tails $38 and the seafood platter, a lobster tail, shrimps and scallops sauteed in garlic and white wine is $49.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner Monday to Friday, 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for dinner Saturday. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible.