Ottawa Foodies

8

Congratulations to Murray Street Restaurant on being one of the Food Network's top 5 Canadian-cuisine restaurants in the country!

www.openfile.ca

The beets with the walnut butter and croutons and goat cheese complimented all well together. Sorry about the bad pic...jumped right in before taking the picture.

PS...the patio is really nice and cozy for a nice dinner outside.

1

We stopped in for lunch here after a brief hiatus and realized how much we had missed the place. We ordered the Mac and cheese and the corned beef sandwich as our mains. Feeling particularly hungry, I added a fingerling potato dish as a side. What an afterthought! The potatoes were excellent! Served in a cast iron skillet, these beautifully cooked fingerlings were cooked with pork belly or bacon, caramalized onion and topped with sour cream. Not that the mains weren't excellent as well, the Mac and cheese here is great and the girlfriend takes half home for much anticipated leftovers. The corned beef reminded me of the Ruben that I ate here last time, beautifully textured beef with pickle and a great spread on Rideau rye. Everything about this lunch, including the excellent service, was great.

2

After getting a taste of Murray Street's retail store take-home meals (do try the stew), had to try Murray Street, the restaurant. Did it on a week night: the crowd was young, trendy and hip, and the service cool and very attentive. We kept on adding to our order, as we normally dine, yet everything seemed to be coming out of the kitchen with a perfect timing. The duck wings alone are worth the visit. The delicious meat was fall off the bone tender, the skin crispy and the sauce had perfect taste, colour and texture. One of the best messy finger food dining experiences around. We continued with the pheasant special, which was equally gorgeous. We ordered wine by the glass, as we normally dine: despite a focused selection, it was varied and each glass complemented meals perfectly. If you're a demanding diner (and meat lover) this place is a must try for a beautiful unpretentious experience.

1

Was here a while back with some friends and found it alright.

First, the service. The service was good while still being bad. The waitress was helpful and was actually quite attentive but failed to mention some key details. My wife had ordered the cheese plate with pepper jelly for dessert. Instead, what she received was an apple jelly. The waitress didn't even mention the fact that they didn't have pepper jelly left but just brought out the cheese plate without saying anything. It was actually myself who said something. We personally didn't care but what if someone had a severe allergy to something and they just substituted like for another dish? Next, my buddy had a pork loin which was good, except for the fact that it was half fat. He mentioned it and the waitress nonchalantly brushed him off saying that we switched pigs and they're fatter now. She could have at least mentioned that it tends to be a fattier cut before he placed the order. I saw his plate after and it was literally half fat.

The food overall was actually decent sand my wife's meatloaf which was overcooked and as a result dry. This was supposed to come with eggplant but came with potatoes (??). I had the lamb three ways and this was probably the best meal of the 4. I can't remember what my friends wife at the moment but her meal was pretty good as well.

So overall, I would say this was a below average experience and we do not plan to return for dinner (heard their brunch is much better, so I'd be willing to give that a shot). Oh and my friend actually tried e-mailing them but the e-mail listed on their website and it bounced back.

2

Between bites of the best (read highest calorie, sharp and creamy) Mac ‘n’ Cheese I've ever had outside the confines of my own kitchen (hand-cut sour cream spätzle, Le Coprin mushrooms, mixed artisan cheese sauce) were eyes rolling-back moments.

Can't believe I skipped past the Charcuterie Plate but there you have it. (my companion taunted me with tasty morsels, but I barely heard her over my own moaning)

Bless their bacon wrapped hearts, I fear that cheesy goo is still around my middle.

Oh well.

Yup, it's not cheap. A fun treat.

All the more reason to go around the corner to the Murray Market for a Meat Cone.
Mmmmmm... meat cone.

More on my blog if you wish:

www.foodgypsy.ca

6

Oh how I have tried to love Murray Street.... I love the idea of a charcuterie heaven with a slow-food-meat focus but the reality of eating there, not so much.

My marker for a great dining experience is that the food is good, service is good and that I feel that what I paid is representative of the value of the meal. I've paid ludicrous amounts on food over the years without batting an eye-lash but every dining-brunching experience at Murray Street leaves me feeling thoroughly ripped off. I don't enjoy the food and generally, the service isn't the greatest.

Last time I went, we ordered the poutine, which was nothing more than dried-out spaetzle with a meagre amount of cheese, and the pork which was all fat (no joke, there was only a tiny shred of meat on my plate). Luckily, the charcuterie plate was lovely but come on, that's not surprising given this is their bread and butter. Luckily, this time around, our server was wonderful but as previously stated, this has not always been the case at this establishment.

I'm done with this place.

6

10

Thumbs down on the charcuterie/cheese plate, not really because of the quality (it was decent without blowing me away), but rather the price, at a whopping $35.

It is even more ridiculous how expensive this is, knowing that they make their own deli meats, so no middle man to hike costs. Kinda chintzy the 3 cheese / 2 meat OR 3 meat / 2 cheese options, how about keeping it simple with a 3/3 deal?

It's amazing to me what passes off as a staple in some cultures (in this case cheese and charcuterie, among the French and almost every other mainland European nation) but is regarded as luxury in Ontario, so much so in fact to justify attaching a hefty price tag to.

Big disappointment with the menu itself, no classics, no conventional meals, they seem to take their innovative approach way too seriously. Even the poutine was not regular potatoes but rather spaetzle and by the size of one I spied at the next table, as overpriced as the meat/cheese plates.

Two fish dishes, an odd choice for a place with a pig on its logo. Meat loaf, chicken salad sandwich (no hot chicken meal).

Nothing looked inviting so we went with the aforementioned overpriced deli/cheese stuff on the flip side of the menu and an equally overpriced rosé ($42).

Finally, a cheap touch to offer a charcuterie/cheese plate without proper bread. Instead they serve it with little pieces of hard dry crostini.

Likely not ever going back, despite the nice patio and friendly service.

2

Was there for lunch today.. Menu looked good and was deciding between the fowl special and the pull pork and the server recommended the fowl specail since it is mariposa duck confit sandwich..

2 slices of lightly toasted egg bread with confit du canard and a little bit of mayo, lettuce and some cumberland sauce (cranberry and orange zest). Very tasty and definitely filling. It came with a caste iron bowl of tomato soup. Very decent tomato soup but tomato soup is not my favourite.. If I do have some prefer a touch of milk or cream in the soup..

Very well done and service was fast and friendly.. had a cappacino after while nice not as strong as I like it after living in Europe for a number of years. Would definitely go back there again for lunch, brunch and maybe dinner.

I still have some confit du carnard from my last trip to france so maybe I should break it open and try to make that sandwich :D

2

It's very much worth starting your meal with a sampling of charcuterie! The Smoked Duck Breast was absolutely spectacular, tasting like a very delicate (and pork-free) version of Westphalian Ham. The Cendre de Lune cheese was also delicious, and paired beautifully with the red pepper jelly that accompanied it. The accoutrements were tasty and rounded out the whole experience. Highly recommended!

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.

My girlfriend and I had the pleasure of eating at Murry Street kitchen for brunch this morning. There is nothing bad to say what so ever. This restaurant is funky, innovative, reasonable and delicious. The service is fast and friendly and although this is some of the best food in Ottawa, totally unpretentious.

After we had ordered our coffee (which was fantastic by the way), we were brought a salted ginger cookie and blondie. They were both super fresh and delicious. The blondie was particularly amazing. Yum!

3

The food came surprisingly quickly. After sitting down, ordering coffee, then ordering our meal, getting the cookies, it took about 20 minutes since walking in the front door before we got our meal. *Impressive* Heck, Denny’s takes longer than that and all they are doing is throwing stuff on a flat grill.

I had the special of the day which was an Elk Keilbassa sandwich with a side of baked beans, and Amanda had waffles, scrambled eggs and sausage.

The Sandwich was very tasty. Beautiful rye bread coated in butter than toasted, topped with a fried egg, Elk Keilbassa (which I thought was more like a salami), grainy mustard, and some kind of green. Excellent sandwich. The beans were phenomenal. Sweet, hot, full of meat chunks and it was very rich. I’ve had some damn good baked beans in the Southern US, but these were pretty much the best baked beans I have ever eaten.

4

The waffles, egg and sausage were equally good, however on a much sweeter end of the breakfast spectrum.

The first thing worth mentioning is the syrup. It was a really rich maple syrup infused with garlic and rosemary. Weird, and oh so amazing. It really worked well with the Egg, waffle and sausage. The waffle was generous in size, really fluffy, loaded with butter and there was a very noticeable hint of vanilla. The sausage was obviously pork, but it was so flavorful and it also had large chunks of garlic mixed with the meat. Now that is what I call a proper mince!

As freshfoodie below had mentioned, the price is a dollar more then it used to be, but the portions are a perfect size now. Again you will not leave Murry Street feeling like you ate an All American Gland Slam Breakfast, but you will leave full and satisfied. Sad to think that for a mere few dollars more than Zaks Diner you can have brunch/lunch at Murray

Great Service, Great Coffee, Great Sweets, Fantastic Meal...Fantastic Restaurant.

From twitter.com/MurrayStreetKWC :

"New Brunch menu ...a buck more, but MUCH bigger portions...Track 06 is back , it's deep fried 'spam' hock on egg salad with hot sauce!!"

This should help with concerns about portion size. Looking forward to a revisit!

Made it down to Murray Street with the BF and a couple of friends for brunch this morning, and it was stellar! We got a seat out on their patio which is totally gorgeous - I will have to make it out one evening for some cheese and wine, which also look excellent. We were treated to some sweets before the meal: 2 pieces of stout chocolate cake with ganache, a cheesey biscuit of some sort and a buttermilk (or sour cream?) strawberry scone, all of which were delicious. I got the fritztatta, which was tasty, but probably should have got the smoked fish that my friend ordered, which was halibut with asparagus today - definitely the winner meal. BF had the sausage that came with chai raisin bread french toast, and my other friend had the "track 06" which is different every day, todays was a double smoked ham sandwich of some sort. They have a great selection of local beers as well - I'm not normally a beer at brunch kind of gal, but I've wanted to try the Heritage lager for awhile now so I went for it. All in all, this place lives up to its reputation - can't wait to go back!

This morning after Church I gave in once again and hit up Murry Street for Brunch.

They started me off with some kind of banana bread. It was perfectly moist, it had a ton of brown sugar, walnuts and a nice malt-y flavor.

Today I went for the Steak and Eggs. Which is essentially a piece of smoked beef short rib on top of a fried egg and huge piece toast. The toast was perfectly crispy and topped with blue cheese butter. Amazing.

My only comment is that it is kind of small, and I found that the breakfast cassoulet was many times more filling. The steak albeit small (but what do you expect for 12 bucks), was out of this world. No steak knife necessary, it literally fell apart like butter and thus the butter knife was more that able to cut it up.

I ordered a tea with my meal, and it was a fantastic earl Grey. One word of caution, the coffee is 2.25 + unlimited refills. The tea is 3.50 for one pot. Not really sure the tea is worth 3.50, just some friendly advice.

Otherwise, the service today was excellent, friendly and attentive. The patio was beautiful, and the food was its standard top quality. This dish would be extremely easy to make at home, so I'll be copying this very soon. As for the amazing steak, not sure if I can duplicate the smoked beef short rib, but I'm sure any high quality steak would work.

2 down 5 to go :-)

This morning I had the pleasure of having brunch at Murry Street Kitchen. What an awesome place!

The service was pretty decent - not outstanding in terms of friendliness - however it was prompt and there was nothing to complain about. I was started off with a very good coffee, and a complimentary molasses cookie. The coffee was strong, and the servers refilled my cup when ever they saw fit.

The cookie was pretty good - tasty at least, but it was a tad burnt on the underside. My girlfriend tells me molasses cookies are supposed to be burnt on the bottom?, and it was free, so meh, no complaints.

For the main portion of my brunch I ordered the "Breakfast Cassoulet" which is described in the menu as: Confit of Mariposa duck leg, in-house sausage & bacon, molasses baked beans, bread crumbs, two cracked eggs.

It was served in a piping hot skillet. It was so hot in fact that my first bite burned my tongue a little bit. Over all it was pretty darn delicious, and for the 12$ price tag, I cannot complain. I got my been fix, my bacon fix, and my egg fix in a very interesting fashion.

I have a few comments about the dish. First I thought the beans were a little under done. Meaning that I found them hardish, and not as soft I like my baked beans. Not sure if this was a mistake or if they are intentionally a little bit hard.

The dish was nice and sweet providing a nice counter balance to the confit. At first I didn't notice any bacon, however after a couple of bites I noticed that there were liberal amounts of thick bite sized pieces. I must say, I didn't notice, taste or see any sausage, but maybe it was just a very little bit or finely crumbled.

The eggs were perfect, well done just as a like them. The yolk was still soft yet not runny. Perfect! They were topped with bread crumbs, and a few greens.

I would definitely have this dish again, however only after I had sampled everything else on the menu. That being said, I will definitely come to Murry Street kitchen in the near future for brunch. And to think in that in the past I have wasted money on breakfast at Zac's, Denny's and/or Cora's.

Highly Recommended!

hmmmm...
hmmmm....
well....
what can I say?

wow!
inspired and inspiring!
bloody fantastic

had the steak and eggs
hard toss up between the cassoulet and the steak and egg

steak...errr....beef....obrien's farms' short rib
braised to a melt in your mouth tenderness

egg...beking farms...no words needed

true loaf bread...first time...awesome

blue cheese butter....perfect

12$ yea! I used the same concept last summer

10$ Chateau de Charmes Gerwurzt...nice pairing but 10$?

service...the Ozzie chap was very informative and well mannered
the blonde companion, always smiling and pleasant
the waitress that greeted us makes me wish she worked everywhere as it is rare to be greeted and seated so efficiently

all in all, two thumbs up
and I rarely give two thumbs up and made it a point to mention it to the Kitchen

now, for a nap
(brutal month with allergies and hectic work for April)

I had the tongue-in-cheek-named Mac 'n' Cheese, which is described on the menu as "sour cream spaetzle, Le Coprin mushrooms, mixed artisan cheese sauce, extra old Pine River cheddar, bread crumbs."

Tasty and satisfying to say the least! Also rich, but that's rarely a problem for me. I appreciated the accompanying salad, which was prepared with a fresh and light vinaigrette.

awesome Mojito great balance of sweet, sour and mint.

My brother very much enjoyed his Pulled Pork sandwich. The pork was flavourful and tender and the Art-Is-In multigrain baguette was of course excellent.