Serly

I agree that this story is much larger than it should have been, but you seem to be in conflict with your own work, "I first scanned Centretown, only to discover two of the best restaurants, Beckta and the 222 Lyon Tapas Bar, had closed for the day (smart move)." Why is the "smart move" a "mystery"? To be complaining about wait times on a day that literally transforms the city is as absurd as comparing the food scene in Ottawa to Montreal. I think we can agree this was an unfair test of what the city offers. Next time check here before asking the concierge.

Perth, about and hour west of Ottawa has an annual Garlic Festival, August 12-13 this year Perth Garlic Festival

Bump Final results?

I'll add that Black Tomato had Creemore UrBock on tap on Friday. Though I don't think they've changed their menu in 3-4 years, might be time for a few new ideas (wine list too). Metropolitain is too big to sustain a high level of food, burgers are on the menu and they're going after the same market as Milestone's now. Did the kitchen change at Whalesbone? Last dinner there was with new cooks and dinner seemed a little more "upscale" don't know if it's an improvement yet. Still great oysters.

I did a dinner like this for a birthday a little while back. One of the most praised courses was a simple granita I took out of the Aquavit cookbook. They're simple, prepared ahead of time, and can be spiked with booze (infused vodka or sparkling). Offers a nice break before dessert.

Keep trying CharityCase! Part of the problem is that the Ottawa scene isn't very dynamic, so reporting on the newest place is pretty slow which keeps discussion down. Also we seem to be fairly forgiving to mediocre places, and far to concerned with portion size as the biggest factor in recommending a place. I've had a couple of dinners at Metropolitan, the food has been very good both times, but getting into our seats has been a problem. (Having to move tables or standing in the middle of the dining room as they decide where to put us despite having reservations) I also think that the Black Cat has stepped up it's food, Somethings are a little different and have met with varying levels of success. Whalesbone on Bank has become a place we head to for a quick drink and some oysters semi-regularly. My wife treated me to Dinner at Beckta for my birthday.... Probably the best meal we've had there. Is there better in Ottawa? Has anyone tried Foundation yet?

Service was my biggest complaint here. Some dishes good, most passable, and some regetable, but with the quantity and price, it was expected. As mentioned above servers were enthusiastic about explaining the food (must have been important in training), but the pacing was terrible. At one point we had most of all three courses on our table at the same time. Things were going cold, our waiter kept exclaiming "I didn't tell the kitchen to fire this!" but he didn't take any food away and bring fresh when we were ready. The floor manager came by and remarked on how much food was on the table, again there was no remedy. All three courses were served in well under an hour. We'll not return.

Based on the criteria you outlined, I would highly recommend Beckta's. It is within walking distance of the Chateau Laurier or a five-minute cab ride. Beckta is one of the new "it" restaurants in Ottawa ever since it opened a year and a half ago. It serves fine wine, focuses on fine regional cuisine, is semi-formal and aims to please. Beckta The other one I would recommend based on your description would be Eig8teen or Eighteen. I can't remember how they spell it. It is within five minute's walk of Chateau Laurier and is located in the historical Byward Market. Again, fine wines, fine regional cusine, posh/minimalist atmosphere. Restaurant Eig8teen ← Both Eighteen and Beckta came to mind as soon as I read your post. Eighteen seems to go through cooks at a much faster rate. They also have a martini night on Saturday which draws a 20ish crowd. Could be distracting, could be exactly what you're looking for. It is one of the best looking restaurants in town. I'll also put a pitch in for Signatures on Laurier East, it's a cab ride away. It's more formal than 18 or Beckta and strictly French Cuisine. Service and food are both excellent. Signatures

I believe Beckta will have BYOW nights on Sunday and Monday. Corkage around $25, it was in their newsletter which I don't have in front of me so the details may differ.

I made this for New Years with great success. Only problems I had were that 1) My fish guy wouldn't sell me any "stiffs" or that if he did they would be full price. 2) I wasn't sure how to cut the lobsters into 2 pieces, how did you do it? Do you add the entire lobster to the soup? Nevertheless, the result had a rich lobster flavour and was a highlight of the meal. (My wife and I also picked through the stainer for the meat)

Ok in order to stimulate some life in the Ottawa discussion. We (my wife and I) headed to the Elgin Street Freehouse on Friday Jan 7: Dinner at Elgin Street Freehouse 296 Elgin : 613-233-5525 Decor is black and grey with odd movie theme. Small place ~40-50 seats banquet down one side and raised seating/bar down the other. At the far end a panel television plays old movies/music was a mix of trance type stuff with some more recognisable music (REM was in there). I’m not sure why there is a movie theme, there are posters of Audrey Hepburn and James Dean on the walls, and the bathrooms are marked by headshots of same. It was an odd choice for a place that is going for a young/hip feel. Also there were a few beer signs near the bar. The overall look was a little disjointed. The Chef was Ron Alain formerly sous-chef at Social. Dinner Drinks: Lots of Choices, some I hadn’t seen before. Nice stemware. Settled on a Manhattan (offered with Canadian Whiskey? I opted for Jim Beam), my wife had a Red Bull, Vodka and soda. For Appetizers we shared one of two platters offered, the tray offers: -Gruyere “Grilled Cheese” with homemade ketchup -Duck spring Rolls with two sauces -Smoke Salmon pizza -Chicken and Pork Lollipops -Brie and toasts All tasty, nice presentation, the brie was the letdown on the plate, spring rolls the highlight. Mains: I had a Coq au Vin Terrine, the chicken was stuffed with a blend of mushrooms. Moist, delectable and perfectly suited to the potatoes, beet squash on the side. My wife had the 10 oz Strip Loin, with a dry rub, served with a side salad, mushrooms, and purple potatoes with lardons. We had this with d’Arenberg “D’Arry’s Original” Shiraz/Grenache which was marked up 100% ($40 available at the LCBO for 19.95) Dessert: I had the “Cookies and Milk” a Vanilla creamy froth between crispy sweet wafers and a side of vanilla milk My wife had the Lemon tart. Service: As the restaurant is only 3 weeks old we allowed for a lot of missteps. Generally service was prompt, courteous and well intentioned. Things will have to be ironed out a bit. Some examples: The menu is brief in its descriptions of the dishes the steak was written up something like: Steak | purple potatoes | lardons | sour cream | salad | mushrooms Which is fine, I like having some mystery when ordering but when served give me a tour of the plate, techniques, and sources. For all of the plates we had to ask our server for a complete description. The wine list is of an adequate size and obviously had some thought put into the selections, (I’m no wine guru, but usually spot a careless list) it was our server who had put it together. It is presented without structure other than red/white (Not by area, grape, price) so that “People wouldn’t be intimidated and be able to order off anywhere on the list”. I applaud the effort to rethinking the list format but as a compulsive list maker would like to see some structure, even if innovative. Our server also missed a few as we quizzed him on the dishes, the meat on the pizza was not chicken, the mushrooms with the steak not chantrelles. Granted, we asked a lot of questions. We ran into a small hiccup with the Lemon Tart, which said it would come with dark chocolate sauce. That was enough to sell it to my wife, but the chocolate sauce was news to both our server and the chef. The tart was comped. Overall the food was impressive, the wine reasonably priced. On Elgin there are a lot of restaurants, few worth going to; we’ll be returning to the Elgin St. Freehouse. Bill with a bottle of water, drinks, appetizers, mains, wine, desserts and coffees before tax and tip was $150.