Ottawa Foodies

Went there for a late lunch yesterday; pretty empty, but it was 2:30, so likely so.
I was split between the fish&chips or the mac&cheese, the server voted for the mac so quickly, it was a good sign from the onset! great service, cozy decor.

[1] mac&cheese w/ salad (14$)
[2] charcuterie sandwich w/ soup (shaved lamb + split pea-ham) (14$)
[3] carrot cake (8$)

mac&cheese for 14$ better be damn good, and it *was*. the ultimate "homey" meal! the cheese is strong, but the sauce + consistency mellows it out a bit. i don't know what texture spaetzle should be, but it's less chewy than the lindenhof version--so pretty much pasta noodle, leaning towards al dente.

i traded halfway for the sandwich; in this case the first bit was a bit bland, but i'm coming off aged cheddar!! lamb wasn't gamey (which i like sometimes), but this was good too. nice crusty bread, good pair with the soup or i would've felt... too light? not light in the stomach or on the tongue but more like on the soul. does that sound frou-frou? i can't describe it then.

if i ate that whole mac by myself i would've been rolling out the door!

carrot cake was really nice, carrot-y, too sweet for my preference but the candied shaved carrots on top was a nice wink.

what's so aching about this restaurant is that the menu is so small, yet it's so menacingly difficult to choose only one!

My partner and I have just come home from a delicious experience at the Murray St restaurant. First off , the staff was wonderful, extremely polite, friendly, attentive and knowledgeable. We started with the charcuterie board - 3 meats and 2 cheeses - elk salami, country terrine (rabbit) and roast pork cicciolo - then 2 local cheeses - one hard (Glengarry Big brother) and the other semi soft (Tomme 9 )- with some in house pickles and olives with a side of sultana chutney, apple jelly and a cranberry orange zest sauce - all complimenting each other wonderfully. This was served with Art-is-in crustini bread ( the fennel/multigrain kind) Sweet and salty.
I had the Mariposa duck (duck leg confit and roast breast) with sour cherries, lentils and my partner enjoyed Kerr's red wine braised Ontario grass fed short rib, hand cut sour cream spaetzle and le coprin mushrooms. Both were tender, melt in your mouth delicious. We ended by sharing the s'mores dessert - homemade bourbon marshmallow topping with some espresso and graham crackers and chocolate pudding. Loved every bite of this meal. Highly recommend Murray St and cannot wait to go back to try the other dishes.
The whole meal was not overwhelming. We didn't walk away feeling like we ate too much or not enough. The portions were just right.

Those of you with several adventurous and hungry friends may be pleased to know that Murray Street will smoke, roast, and serve the whole frigging head of a pig to you.

We had this done for my bachelor party, and it was fantastic. I mean, I've had pig cheek before, but not smoked, roasted pig cheek still on the bone. So moist! So flavourful! So porky!

Ours was served on a bed of choucroute, with just a bit of apple in it to offset the tartness of the sauerkraut. Spot-on accompaniment.

And you feel like a dang rock star when they parade this bad boy out to your table.

My first visit here was a memorable one. Three of us stopped by without a reservation early. It took our server a bit to warm up to us but he did a great job. We started with duck wings. They were really drumetts. All I can say was wow!They had a sweetness to them and were perfectly done nice and crispy. We also had the poutine with goat cheese curds and spatzle different and delicious. My main was the farmers choice. Elk meatball sandwich and a Philly steak sandwith with onion rings on the side with a garlic mayo. This guy can cook. My wife had the BBQ glazed grass-fed Ontario short rib I know why cows were meant to eat grass. The beef is very different than the corn fed I usually eat. Our friend had the fish and chip and she couldn't wait for her next visit to try another mouthwatering main. Desert was a pumpkin pie with the pumpkin coming from Rideau Pines. Now it is so hard to choose since Sweetgrass is right beside it

I just had the absolute best breakfast I have ever had. I've reviewed Murray Street before, I knew it would be great. But I could never have imagined it being this great! The breakfast menu in itself is pretty amazing, and the food does not disappoint. With rare additions like Glengarry Celtic blue cheese, garlic maple syrup, in-house smoked belly and pork brisket, why anyone would go for standard bacon and eggs is beyond me. And although each dish has it's own unique variations, they all still offer that comforting feeling you would get from traditional breakfasts.

They started us off with a sampling trio of tasty breads – banana and chocolate chip, chocolate and walnut and the most amazing bread pudding I've ever had, warm and sweet.

Then came our breakfast. I think mine was the best of all and actually made the rest of the table jealous. If you're having a hard time deciding what to get, go with A Brisket... A Basket, you will fall in love. Smoked, grilled heritage pork brisket, garlic maple syrup, in-house brioche-cheddar french toast and poached Beking's egg. The textures and flavours in this dish are to die for. The rich moistness and fattiness of the pork was heightened by the smoking process and paired with caramelized roasted garlic and french toast bathed in garlic maple syrup made this dish one I will truly never forget. I also ordered a side of their baked beans, which was the perfect accompaniment.

My husband ordered the Steak and Eggs, grilled Kerr's skirt steak (sliced med-rare), in-house steak sauce, baked Beking's farm fresh eggs, Glengarry Celtic blue cheese and toast.

And my friend ordered the Fritztatta, skillet baked eggs, in-house smoked belly and sausage, Pine River extra old cheddar, sun dried tomatoes, spaetzle and toast.

Breakfast is $12 for all meals – amazing deal for the quality and local ingredients. Side choices include Seasonal Fruit, Art-is-in Grilled Bread, In-house Sausage, Baked Beans, Cretons, Murray Street Ketchup or Strawberry Jam and Freshly Baked Pastries all ranging from $2 to $7. They also have delicious fresh squeezed orange juice. A fantastic patio in the back, simple and cozy decor inside and great service make this place a must for Saturday or Sunday brunch. I'll be back for sure!

This is a review I wrote back in September. The dishes have been updated since but my opinion of the restaurant has not – I love it! I was with a group of people from out of town and I could see their mouth watering when I told them about this restaurant, so we went. We started off with the Charcuterie Bar Menu and ordered the Elk Salami, Wild Boar Ham and Smoked Ostrich. From the Terrines we got the Lamb-Cassis and from the Pate the Crêtons and Olive oil marinated spicy Hungarian czabai. On the cheese side, we had the Indiscretion and another that I unfortunately cannot remember the name from the Semi Soft, as well as the Vigaroso from the Hard and St. Benoit Benedictin from the Blue. Every single item was amazing, just like the first time I ate from this menu. But the real reason I wanted to do a second review was because my main was also fantastic. I ordered the St. Canut Farms Pig with creamed corn and home made baked beans. The meat literally fell apart when you touched it and melted in your mouth. The dish was amazing. 2 other people also ordered it and were extremely impressed. I noticed on the website the item is no longer on the menu; however, there is an alternative that sounds equally delicious. My husband had the Mariposa Duck, and yes, I tried some, and yes, it was mouth watering. I didn't try our other guest's Vegetable dish, but it sounded wonderful and she enjoyed it very much. It was a Wheatberry and smoked mushroom fricassee with Spicolli's kale, roast King Eryngii mushrooms and grilled corn, curried quinoa and roast cauliflower savoy cabbage rolls with a coconut curry sauce. We drank a Syrah wine from Lailey Vineyard, a winery in the Niagara region, that was the perfect accompaniment to our meal. Our server, although a bit serious, was very knowledgeable and thorough. Prices for the charcuterie are very reasonable at $25 for 3 meats and 2 cheeses, and the large plates range from $18 to $25. This new experience has brought this restaurant to a four star on my list now. I've never enjoyed meat so much!

Canada Day at Murray Street

Came in around 6pm. things were starting to get really busy. snagged a spot on the patio where a friend of mine recommended we go. Ordered charcuterie plate to start - amazing rillete(sp?) We all tried different mains - Cornish Hen = mine and it was incredible; mouthwatering, i believe it was brined and included a homemade Spaetzel mac and cheese. Friends had skirt steak, poutine and a mad house salad. all good although my friend found her steak a bit chewy and was only given a butter knife to cut it with. Waiter (jeff i believe) was a bit too surfer dude for us but overall really friendly.

amazing price and food compared to others in the same class like Social and Play. I read other reviews saying the portions were small but i could hardly finish mine; satisfied!

Went back to Murray Street recently to celebrate various events and try out some of the new menu items.

Duck lovers should definitely check out the duck-duck-duck (deboned leg confit-breast-sausage). Just when I thought their confit couldn't get any better, they TOOK THE BONES OUT OF IT SO I DIDN'T HAVE TO. What a place!

Variety meat lovers should definitely check out the marinated ox tongue offered on the charcuterie menu. Its earthiness made for a great counterpoint to the cornichons on my plate and the glass of Grüner in my hand.

Lovely all around (sorry dudes, no new pictures). A bit more expensive than previous times, because we bought a bottle of wine and got dessert. Maybe $85 per person or so after tax/tip?

Whatever. Totally worth it. Will be back.

Social does a charcuterie plate as well. It was good, but doesn't sound nearly as original or delicious as the one described here.

I have to agree with the patio! they actually use the grapes on their menu. the charcuterie menu is very good and dont forget all the terrines and pates are house made.

We just went for our second meal here and we were not disappointed. We shared a 'Charcu-trio' of tongue, head cheese and marrow (the first and last being Elk, I think) and all three were delicious. For a main I had a pork shoulder confit with creamy cheese polenta, roast carrots tossed in maple syrup, pancetta broth and apple jelly. It was so rich and delicious I barely managed to finish all of it. My husband also had a lamb shoulder with smoked feta that was equally good. For dessert we had the 'smores, as well as the dried cherry cheesecake (again, both were perfect).
On top of how good the meal was, our waiter was great. He clearly knew the menu inside and out and was obviously enthusiastic about food, so it was good to get his recommendations on the menu and wine pairings. Overall, it was a great meal and worth every penny.

New favourite! A selection of plates available for a flat $12. I had the "Sausage" - description from their menu is - Grilled in-house sausage, garlic maple syrup, true loaf apple bread & cheddar French toast, poached egg.

Just about the best brunch I've had in Ottawa. Service was awesome too. Will have to try Murray St for lunch or dinner one of these days.