Ottawa Foodies

8

We arrived mid-afternoon for a bite and a pint. Lovely pizza (speck with pear and some kind of fragrant cheese, gorgonzola maybe), attentive pleasant service. The room was nice, too.

My only complaint, and I have to say that it was a big one, CLEAN THE TABLES.

The tables are constructed from cut planks and consequently have a fairly deep groove between planks, one right on either side of my plate. My plate that I was eating from. I swear that I could have found Jimmy Hoffa in that groove, once I'd made it past the last 100 customers' detritus -- old bits of sausage, crusty crumbs, dust bunnies the size of housecats, whathaveyou. Honestly. It was really off-putting. I think you'd have to tip the tables upside down to shake out the crap that's lodged there (or at least run a knife blade and vacuum nozzle along it), but maybe they're still offering a reward for Hoffa.

2

Long time obeserver (approx 1 year) who owes a ton of thanks for all the comments on this site which has led me to many fine dining experiences and a couple of bad ones.

Truly appreciate all the insight, some of which are very detailed - how do you recall so much???. Used many of the comments here to decide where to dine and where not to. Thanks!!!

The review...not usually a fan of thin crust pizza (I have a healthy appetite) and an establishment that doesn't have a/c but due to the largely positive reviews of the place, a few of us decided to give this spot a try for lunch last week.

We each ordered our own pizza...Elmdale, Chorizo and Pulled Pork. All three were perfectly cooked, topped and surprisingly quite filling. We all shared a piece and each one was delicious but did note that the pulled pork, which was extremely good, was sweeter than expected. And to top it off the waitress was extremely nice and helpful answering our questions.

Looking forward to going back.

10

I had the margherita as a first test - if this fails then it's not a great pizzeria. This is great thin crust, Italian style pizza, cooked in a wood burning oven, nicely blistered and slightly charred on the bottom. Easily the best pizza in Ottawa.

1

So surprised when we visited last night 34C outside even hotter inside and no A/C. A table beside us sat down then got up and left it was hot brutal in there. The potato gnocchi fried in duck fat with a veal gravy was ok.

8

Good Pie, Horrible Waiter

I dined here around 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 7. After perusing the menu, I narrowed it down to the Capricciosa and the Chorizo and sought the advice and wisdom of my waiter to help me make the decision. When I asked for his advice, he replied dismissively, “apples and oranges”, meaning of course he couldn’t possibly compare the two. I wasn’t actually looking for a comparison, but just some help choosing--his opinion, his thoughts.

He then stated in a very condescending manner, “They’re different pies I’m afraid.” I am aware of that, but perhaps you have some preferences. “I have lots of preferences,” he said, but then refused to elaborate further. He appeared to be on a bizarre mission to be as unhelpful as possible while being as rude as possible.

I can’t remember being treated so badly by a waiter, ever. I cannot emphasize how disgusted he appeared to be by my innocuous question, and how ridiculous he seemed to find it that I would ask for his help. I certainly regret that I did not get up and leave at that point.

But I stayed, and ordered the Chorizo. Props to the pizzaiolo for the perfect crust, with just the right amounts of chewiness and char--and to the sausage maker for the delicious and plentiful chorizo. It's a shame that the waiter ruined the dining experience for me.

I went here last night with my boyfriend, and we loved it. We split the charcuterie appetizer, the wild boar pizza, and the chocolate terrine dessert. After saving one slice of the pizza for a midnight snack, it was the perfect amount of food. Of the 4 types of meat on the plate, the pork terrine was my favourite. Whatever mustard they used was good too, grainy and tangy. The pizza was delicious, and I loved the apples and sage on it (though I couldn't quite figure out how the sage was put on, almost like little balls of sage pesto). The chocolate terrine was also good.

I've read reviews about the service being bad and the pizzas lacking toppings, but didn't find either to be the case.

There's no air conditioning there, but there are ceiling fans. If you're sensitive to heat, I wouldn't suggest going in hot or humid weather.

3

This is a small restaurant in the rapidly developing Hintonburg area. I came here with 2 other friends. I am surprised to see this restaurant busy even on a rainy Wed night. Hence reservations are recommended.

The 3 of us shared 2 pizzas, the 'Wild Boar' and the 'Pulled Pork'. The actual meat on the Wild Boar pizza was tasty. The pulled pork was very flavourful and there was a good amount. We paid $15 each (tax and tip incl). 1 pizza per person is probably filling; 2 pizzas shared between 3 people is sufficient but not filling.

This is a good place to go if you feel like a "healthy" (in a relative sense) flat bread pizza. Good to try at least once, but I don't feel a strong need to return.

1

Very good wood fired pie. Great crust, tasty sweet sauce, fresh, delicious toppings. This place is very good value, I am usually full after three slices. St. Ambroise, Beau's and Steam Whistle on tap. Pretty comfortable bar seating to eat at, which is good cause the small space is often packed, unless you make a rez.

Great service, pretty easy parking in the area. The spicy Genoa on the Elmdale and the rich prosciutto on the Capricciosa are excellent. Bocconcini, which I dislike uncooked, is nice on the pizza, and a refreshing change to the more ho-hum mozza.

3

I hadn't been in for a while so when the pizza craving hit, off we went. We got two huge pizzas, Margherita and the Elmdale, and they were fantastic! the girlfriend loved her Margherita and said the spiced oil topped it off beautifully. My Elmdale had a fire roasted tomato sauce with mushrooms, red peppers, cheese, and genoa salami. I cannot remember the last time I had a pizza this good. The sweetness of the tomato and peppers was perfectly balanced by the saltiness of the salami. I bet you can't eat a whole one!

1

The pizza here is very good! Is it better than Grand Pizzeria and Bar? Given my experience there two years ago I'm not sure I can say (time for a revisit!). It is definitely better than what we had at the famous Lombardi's restaurant in NYC a couple weeks ago.

My wife ordered my usual choice, the Margherita. This was spectacular, with a generous distribution of fresh basil leaves (unlike Grand Pizzeria and Bar) and tasty cheese. The crust here is great when done right -- thin, chewy, slightly charred. Our only minor complaints were with the sauce; slightly too much of it and it was somewhat undersalted for a meatless pizza. Nevertheless, we highly recommend the Margherita Pizza!

I opted for The Elmdale after reading opinions here. It was delayed because they messed something up in the kitchen and had to make another one for me. When it arrived it was a little too charred. My wife would have sent it back but I don't mind a couple bitter carcinogenic mouthfuls. This pizza was over the top tasty and very salty (in contrast to the Margherita). There was just too much of the acidic sauce, presumably to counter the rich salty salami. This is kind of a wood oven pizza meets Ottawa pizza joint meat-lover's pizza. Some people will love that, but I'm a bit of a purist. Next time I will definitely get the Margherita for myself!

Greek ... Kalamata olive, roast red pepper, pesto and feta cheese.

Yummy. And not too salty.

1

Pear, prosciutto, gorgonzola and walnut.

The walnuts pull it all together.

In the background ... duck confit. OK but the pear and prosciutto is much more interesting.

3

Here is a blurry camera phone picture (sorry) of the delicious Sopressata pizza. I have nothing but good things to say about this pizza.

The sauce was rich, sweet, and a little spicy. The sweet red onions pulled out the sweet in the sauce, and the spicy salami pulled out the spice in the sauce.

I personally don't care for heaps of cheese on my pizza - I like that the sauce is exposed to the heat of the oven and touches the toppings, so the way the pizza is topped is right up my alley.

The crust wasn't too crispy, but not too soft. All in all it was excellent and would easily recommend it.

2

Hit and miss!

Hit: My Chocolate Terrine was just great! A dense slab of silky milky creamy chocolate terrine studded with pistachios, swimming in a generous puddle of lemon-scented custard. What's not to love! The custard is what made this dish.

Miss: My wife's Lemon Tart was more of an overcooked shortcrust filled with runny lemon pudding. She admitted to having been spoiled recently by excellent lemon tarts at Black Cat Bistro and (less recently) Domus Cafe, but this was really not very good. Our expectation of a lemon tart is that the crust should be tender rather than crunchy, and the filling should hold its shape when cut rather than dribbling out onto the plate.

Get the terrine! :-)

1

Caesar close up. Notice the coarse crate on the parma. Nice touch.

2

Pour deux.

Double smoked bacon, house croutons, fresh crisp lettuce, hint of anchovy, lightly dressed.

After seeing Captain Caper's picture, we expected the Warm Beet Salad to be a miniscule thing; it was not! Very generous, with mild and tasty beets. The goat cheese was rich and creamy, and the whole thing came together well.

For sheer flavour, I preferred my Charcuterie Plate, but this is a nice menu option.

2

Warm Beet Salad.

'C’est Bon' tarragon goat cheese, apple vinaigrette, pickled fennel, purple and golden beets.

Very nice. The flavors made some chamber music in my mouth.