I just returned from a week in Ottawa, ended up at a couple of the places mentioned earlier. Comments- L'Orée du Bois Went here with a group of 30 on a Tuesday, which may not have been the right setup (or setting), and a couple of tour buses pulled up not too long after we arrived. Our menu had a limited choice of entrees, with pre fixe appetizers and deserts. Several items seemed too salty. Nobody had much to say about dinner afterward, though the sheer quantity left at least some of us groaning. I was pretty much underwhelmed by the experience, which I hate to say because the woman running the place (with her husband in the kitchen, I think) was really sweet and helpful. But the restaurant had been touted as special, and I didn't get it. Seemed average. Château Laurier (Fairmont) - Wilfrid's Wilfrid's had been recommended by a couple friends, and I was staying at the Chateau Laurier, so it made sense to get dinner there one night. It was good - well-done presentation, competent and nicely-done items, a couple good fish dishes, decent wine list. Atmosphere is oldish nice hotel, well-done within that context. Service was was also good, though it didn't have the transparency that a really excellent restaurant with a professional staff shows. It was perfect for the group of 4 workmates I was with- competent, interesting, comfortable. We had a great time. Cafe Henri Burger A workmate recommended this one, within walking distance of the Chateau and Byward area, across the Alexandria Bridge. It came out a notch higher than Wilfrid's- asparagus salad with perfectly cooked tiny spears in a light vinaigrette paired with a warm, delicate asparagus mousse, and a tomato coulis around halibut in a tart shell that tasted like a particularly wonderful applesauce. Both courses had a couple closed-eyes this-is-yummy moments. The service was friendly and competent. I went by myself, and would probably save this one for dinner companions closer to the foody end of the scale. For something completely different, the Green Door is a funky all-vegetarian restaurant a few km south of city center. It's a cafe smorgasbord sort of place where you pay for your meal by the kg. The guy who recommended it claimed it was the best vegetarian food he'd ever had; though he's obviously never been to Greens in San Francisco, it was pretty OK. More than anything, it was a nice change from the heavily meat and game oriented menus at most of the other restaurants.
