Dining Guide Complete
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THE OTTAWA CITIZEN FOOD & LIFE 2009 Dining Guide 2009 PART ONE: OLD OTTAWA ByWard Market ■ Lowertown ■ Sandy Hill BY ANNE DESBRISAY his year’s dining guide T has a different spin on “where to eat” in Ot- tawa. We are a city of neigh- bourhoods, each with its own character, each with its own restaurants. For me, this hit home most stunningly during the transit strike. It may be nice to know the best Thai restau- rant in the city is in Barr- haven, but when it’s minus 28 C, the buses aren’t running, and the streets are in grid- lock, what you really want to know is “Where can I get a good curry close to where I am?” So this year I’m breaking Ottawa down into regions and exploring our city’s restaurants within its neigh- bourhoods, beginning today with its oldest — ByWard Market, Lowertown and Sandy Hill. These are restaurants I recommend, some unequivo- cally, others with certain reservations. But each suits a mood, or a demographic, or a budget. Please note: This list is a guide only, not a guarantee of JEAN LEVAC, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN what you will find! Rene Rodriguez offers delicious food from Spain’s Basque region at Navarra, his restaurant on Listings start on page 2 Murray Street. 1 THE OTTAWA CITIZEN FOOD & LIFE 2009 PART ONE: OLD OTTAWA ByWard Market Cuisine: Canadian. Expect some Price guide interesting changes in the AHORA National Arts Centre kitchen this 307 Dalhousie St., 613-562-2081 Loosely based on a three-course Unless stated otherwise, all year, with the creative chef ahora.ca $ dinner for two, with taxes, but restaurants accept major credit Michael Blackie (formerly of Cuisine: Mexican. This colourful, before drinks or tip. cards and reservations, and Brookstreet Hotel) newly running cluttered basement room with $: Less than $40 many now have websites where the show. Stay tuned for how he seating for 40 is a cheery, no- $$: $40 to $70 you will find their menus and marks the menu of this flagship frills, cafeteria-style eatery with $$$: $71 to $100 hours of operation. Call about restaurant. fresh, fast, flavourful food. $$$$: More than $100 wheelchair accessibility. LUXE BISTRO BENNY’S BISTRO 47 York St., 613-241-8805 119 Murray St., 613-789-6797 luxebistro.com $$$$ bennysbistro.ca $$ Cuisine: Canadian. An updated empiregrill.com $$$ Cuisine: Grill. Luxe remains, Cuisine: French. Tucked into the look for the Westin dining room. Cuisine: Grill. Trendy, handsome despite changes in the kitchen, a back of the French Baker and Signature lamb dish stands out, restaurant that attracts chic French-style steakhouse with open for lunch only, you are plus the tuna rolls, scallops with young diners in droves. Also a durable mainstays — French advised to tuck into anything lemongrass, roasted guinea favourite for dinner meetings. onion soup, bouillabaisse, steak- baked — the bread, the olive hen. Specializes in steaks, wines and frîtes. You feel new chef Duane scones, the strawberry tarts. But DOMUS CAFE martinis. Open late. Keats’ stamp most strongly in the excellent too are the soups, the 87 Murray St., 613-241-6007 HAVELI page of daily additions. risotto, the spiced scallops. domuscafe.ca $$$$ 39 Clarence St., 613-241-1700 MAMBO RESTAURANTE BLUE CACTUS BAR AND GRILL Cuisine: Canadian. “Canadian haveli.com $$ NUEVO LATINO 2 Byward Market, 613-241-7061 Regional Seasonal Cuisine” is Cuisine: Indian. In Ottawa since 77 Clarence St., 613-562-2500 bluecactusbarandgrill.com $$ etched in its picture windows and 1984, the what-you-expect menu mambonuevolatino.com $$$ Cuisine: Mexican/South- is the philosophy that marks its of mostly north Indian dishes is Cuisine: Latin. Mambo has an western. Big, busy market eatery, plates. For close to 15 years, chef well represented. Superior fish exciting Latino feel and look, but with an updated look. Menu has John Taylor and his team have and rice dishes. my experience with the food is southwest slant. Pasta, pizzas, delivered startling dishes KHAO THAI that you need to pick through it a fajitas, grilled chicken, ribs. Open fashioned from impeccably 103 Murray St., 613-241-7276 bit to find the good stuff — late. sourced ingredients. khaothai.ca $$ shrimp kicked up with a spicy CAFE SPIGA EMPIRE GRILL Cuisine: Thai. Fragrant noodle orange sauce, carrot and jalapeño 271 Dalhousie St., 613-241-4381 47 Clarence St., 613-241-1343 dishes, complex curries, along soup. cafespiga.com $$$ with the usual Thai starters, MAMMA GRAZZI’S KITCHEN Cuisine: Portuguese and Italian. salads and soups, in a lush red 25 George St., 613-241-8656 Portuguese classics (caldo verde, and gold space. Try the makua mammagrazzis.com $$ bacalhau, sea bream with piri- yaow len goong, a beautifully Cuisine: Italian. Thin-crust pizzas piri) share space with Italian balanced dish of shrimp and rolled to order and a page of pasta pasta and veal dishes. Seafood is eggplant. dishes in a pretty courtyard a clear strength. KINKI restaurant. Nice patio. CASA DO CHURRASCO 41 York St., 613-789-7559 METROPOLITAIN BRASSERIE 190 Dalhousie St., 613-241-2743 kinki.ca $$$ 700 Sussex Dr., 613-562-1160 $$ Cuisine: Japanese-style. Its metropolitainbrasserie.com $$$ Cuisine: Portuguese. A little of the sexy marketing and its Cuisine: French bistro, seafood. ghost of KFC lingers in the look of unconventional menu should French-style, super-sized this casa, but not in the food. alert you to the fact that this brasserie steps from Parliament Chicken is grilled, Portuguese attractive “Asian-fusion-sushi” Hill with a menu that covers style, as are ribs and other meaty restaurant is as much about the bistro basics, from bouillabaisse things, served up with lots of scene as the food. to blanquette de veau. Raw lemon potatoes and a suitably LAPOINTE SEAFOOD GRILL seafood bar; champagne by the fiery sauce. 55 York St., 613-241-6221 glass. CHEZ LUCIEN lapointefish.ca $$ MOJI 137 Murray St. 613-241-3533 $ Cuisine: Seafood. The first of five 97 Clarence St., 613-860-6654 Cuisine: Pub. Spaghetti and Lapointe Grills, this one is below moji.ca $$$ meatballs, liver and onions, grilled ground in a yellow room with a Cuisine: Mostly Italian. The word chicken sandwiches, a croque school of hand-painted moji is Japanese, but the short monsieur. But really you come to swimmers. Beer-battered fish menu in this slim space leans this very pleasant pub for the and chips, pan-fried pickerel, Italian. Good carpaccio, steak very good burgers. fresh mussels, good chowder. salad, seafood linguine, crème DALY’S LE CAFE brulée. Westin Hotel, 11 Colonel By Dr., CHRIS MIKULA, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN 53 Elgin St., 613-594-5127 613-560-7333 $$$$ Daly’s chef Nelson Borges. nac-can.ca $$$$ Continued on the next page 2 THE OTTAWA CITIZEN FOOD & LIFE 2009 PART ONE: OLD OTTAWA MURRAY STREET stage and a complete nigiri sushi 110 Murray St., 613-562-7244 dinner, with soup or salad to start, murraystreet.ca $$$ won’t eat up your paycheque. Cuisine: Canadian. The logo of the THE BLACK TOMATO new (and good) Murray Street is a 11 George St., 613-789-8123 stylized M in a boar’s body, and theblacktomato.com $$$ pork certainly figures large on Cuisine: Eclectic-global. A tall, Steve Mitton’s menu and in his square space, with great music, charcuterie bar. Meat may be the great whisky choices and food soul of this place, but neither fish that has a global reach — Thai- nor the vegetarian entrée eats like style soups, spanokopita, an afterthought. quesadillas, curried chicken, crab NAVARRA cakes. 93 Murray St., 613-241-5500 THE COURTYARD RESTAURANT navarrarestaurant.com $$$ 21 George St., 613-241-1516 Cuisine: Modern Basque. In the courtyardrestaurant.com $$$$ former home of the Black Cat Cuisine: Contemporary Canadian. Café, former Cat chef Rene A dining room with a long history, Rodriguez has opened Navarra, which may feel dated inside but named for this northern region of won’t taste it. Bison sashimi, pork Spain. Food is very good; recent belly with ginger and licorice, menu includes steak tartare laced ginger fritters with liquid nitrogen with ezpeleta powder, lobster “pil star anise ice cream. pil” and salt-cod rillettes with TOTOYA Bayonne ham and roasted piquillo 297 Dalhousie St., 613-241-2224 peppers. totoya.ca $$ PALAIS IMPERIAL Cuisine: Japanese. From a largely 311-313 Dalhousie St., 613-789- predictable menu, you will find 6888 palais-imperial.com $$ fresh fish, well-cooked, carefully Cuisine: Chinese. Two expansive made sushi, gossamer tempura floors of dining with big windows and soothing service. for ByWard Market-watching. CHRIS MIKULA, THE OTTAWA CITIZEN VITTORIA TRATTORIA Extensive menu of more than 200 Chef Duane Keats of Luxe Bistro on York Street. 35 William St., 613-789-8959 items, mostly filled with vittoriatrattoria.com $$$ Cantonese-Szechwan offerings. Cuisine: Italian. The original VT, in PLAY FOOD &WINE SHAFALI INDIAN RESTAURANT offering comfort Italian food with the heart of the ByWard Market, 1 York St., 613-667-9207 308 Dalhousie St., 613-789-9188 contemporary edges. Stick with boasts an exceptional wine list. playfood.ca $$$ shafali.com $$ pasta dishes if you don’t want to Food focuses on pizza and pasta, Cuisine: Small plates, Canadian. Cuisine: Indian. Shafali’s tandoor spike the bill. Linguine with with a few predictable main Just open, untried, untested, but may be hidden away, but its good Manilla clams, short ribs and dishes. given it is the new creation of smells slap you happy as soon as shiitake on cavatelli. Open late. WASABI Stephen Beckta and chef Michael you enter. Sauces shine with SWEETGRASS ABORIGINAL 41 Clarence St., 613-241-3636 Moffatt, hopes are high. Menu gently layered flavours, and BISTRO wasabisushibar.ca $$ focuses on small plates.