Ottawa Foodies

I went to Luxe on Saturday night for a friend's birthday. The service was wonderful and the restaurant was full - all the tables were spoken for by reservation. Quite a few tourists walked out as they didn't realize that it was a little more upscale, both in terms of prices, and attire (one family's sons showed up in sweatshirts).

I ordered a half-litre of the Peninsula Ridge Viognier, and we shared it and the cheese plate to start. The wine bottle prices were quite steep - higher than the standard double mark-up. The Brie was at a perfect temperature and so was the Oka. My only complaint is that there were no cheese knives included with the cheese plate, which was kind of awkward since you had to use your own place setting. It was then replaced when the cheese plate was removed.

I ordered the Moules Frites. They weren't fresh and tasted quite fishy, to the point that I couldn't finish the relatively small pot serving. There was supposed to be a fennel/garlic sauce on the mussels, and while I could see it, I couldn't taste it as it was overwhelmed by the fishiness of the mussels. They were okay, but I wouldn't order it again as I felt sick in the middle of the night.

My friends ordered a scallops dish, which they raved about.

I wasn't wowed by Luxe, but I also wasn't horribly disappointed.

Tiana:

No, no. "Pesky-vore."

;-)

www.vegsoc.org

MMMAC:

Not to be too much of an annoying person, but Halibut is not a vegetarian food as it comes from a fish, which is a living creature. If you are looking for the correct term for a person who does not eat meat other than fish, it's pescatarian.

I had an out-of-town vegetarian friend coming for a visit and happened upon Luxe on our travels through the market and decided to give it a try.
It seems to have a nice selection for vegetarians, with my friend ordering (and loving) the halibut. I ordered the vegetarian pasta and was quite pleased with it.
The food was served a bit quick but since our only appetizer was the complimentary bread, it wasn't that big of a deal.
The service was good: fast and professional but not all that warm, but I suppose that doesn't matter all that much as long as they get the job done. And thankfully they did tonight. I definitely recommend a visit to Luxe.

Let me echo the 'nice touches' comment. My meal surely was put together by someone who paid attention to detail, in flavours and presentation. Tasty duck (from Mariposa farm), too. Being there on a Saturday night, it certainly wasn't off-peak time (or quiet), but service didn't suffer. Vegetarians beware: there's only french fries, one pasta dish, and a couple of cheese-based appetizers for you.

I've been here a couple of times, but the most memorable was around 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. There was only one other table of customers at this off-peak time, so we received wonderfully attentive and relaxed service. I guess I'm just a sucker for an empty restaurant!

They have nice touches here: what appear to be Bryson Farms micro greens in their salads, seasonal garnishes (even red currants) on their dessert plates.

nicely thinly cut, and very lightly spiced. wonderful!

Luxe serves those neato small Belgian-style frites. Pretty good although I'm no fan of mayo with my fries.

Possibly the best chocolate cake I've had in a restaurant.

I tried a magically purple Lotus Martini here and enjoyed it so much that I tried to reverse-engineer it at home. Here's what I came up with:

* 1 oz Lychee liqueur
* 3/4 oz Absolut vodka
* 1/4 oz Blue Curacao
* 1 drop Red food colouring
* Mint leaf

1. Shake the three boozes with ice and strain into martini glass.
2. Add the food colouring and stir slightly.
3. Garnish with mint leaf, torn into tiny bits

I had a Kobe Burger for lunch here one day. It's good for what it is, but I can't justify the $20 pricetag. I'd rather eat at Licks 2-3 times...