Ottawa Foodies

For a chain, this place is pretty good! They have an interesting menu that they switch up a bit every season. The atmosphere is stylish and relaxed - good for girls' nights. And that bellini - DELISH! Not spectacular or anything, but overall not bad. I do wish they had a more varied and extensive menu of appetizers.

Ladies night spent at Milestones in the Pinecrest location. At 6:30PM, the place was already packed.

Every time my colleagues need to have business meeting or they need to bring out-of-town customers to dine, they always took them to Milestones. So, I really wanted to find out why Milestones is so attrative to them.

As FiH indicates below, the ambiance is hip and stylist. Decor is quite trendy. A good place to have good conversation with friends although one may find it loud.

Our server was very good (attentive but not intrusive). The food was okay. Typical chain restaurant food that was expected (i.e., don't expect phenomenal food here). However, we still had a good time because of the service and environment.

Five of us split the bill and it came to $33 per person.

P.S. Shown in the photo is their Shanghai Noodle Stirfry that one of my lady friends ordered (pan-fried noodles with red peppers, shiitake mushrooms and bean sprouts; topped with steamed Asian greeens and grilled chicken). If you look at the food photos I took below, the menu has many dishes with grilled chicken or red corn tortilla chips. I guess this has been well thought by the kitchen management to increase kitchen efficiency. Typical franchise operation. Agree?

Went to the market location for brunch today. I had the Strawberry French Toast. Came with Agave syrup and mango cream. The agave syrup tasted just like corn syrup and the mango cream was very subtle. I didn't mind the mango cream since I didn't want it to interfere with the strawberries but was a little disappointed in the agave syrup due to high expectation. The french toast was made from baguette which I loved! But I would have liked more strawberries.

Now the BEST dish was the Prime Rib Hash my wife ordered. The prime rib was mixed with the hash browns, corn, onion, red peppers, and tomatoes on the side. The seasoning was tasty - a perfect balance of sweet and sour. My wife ate the eggs with hollandaise and the baguette with herb butter so can't comment on those. This was definitely a hefty tasty dish. I'LL BE GOING BACK FOR THIS.

Our friend ordered the Joe's special. The beef wasn't seasoned enough and I didn't see the chipotle catsup on her plate. Maybe she gobbled it up.

I went to Milestones for lunch today for my first meal at this establishment. I ordered chicken with a portobello mushroom sauce that tasted like it had an entire bottle of soy sauce in it and very salty. The noodles, veggies, and chicken were cooked just right but there was far too much salt in the sauce. I also felt it was waaaay overpriced for lunch. I also had a Miami Ice with my meal - iced tea with mango puree and mint - and it was delicious. I'll bet it would taste even better during the hot days of summer. As for the food I wouldn't rush back perhaps only with a group and as someone elses choice.

We have been to Milestones at Pincrest and the Queensway about 4 times now and each time we have had a very tasty meal.

Our steaks have always been perfectly done and their Calamari is probably the best I have ever had. We enjoy the ambiance and it is a great place to go with friends as they can accomodate fairly large groups.

From time to time the service can be slow but they are generally aware of the fact and are quick to offer their appologies and will also offer you a desert on the house (if you can find room for one after one of their meals!)

I agree with other comments, particularly the one comment of "lackluster". The appetizer that we started with was enjoyable - pitas with goat cheese, roasted garlic and three types of relish. The main dishes were nothing to scream about - my husband had the Kobe Meatloaf, which was decent, and I had the smoked ribs. While I liked the Meatloaf, the ribs were WAY too dry.

We ended off with the key lime pie which we enjoyed, just the right amount of sour, with a nice crumbly crust. AT $6.99, though, that is expensive for what you get. Next time we'll remember to bring the camera for some pics!

This was my third time at Milestone's. A friend of mine was in from out of province, was in the market, called me from her cell phone, and was right there, so I met her here since it was just easy. I personally really like the location since it's nice for people watching on the patio. Not to mention the weather was perfect Sat. and we got to watch all the crazy Sens fans make their way to Elgin St.! I enjoy the food, even though it is overpriced, I think you're paying for the location more than anything, which is too bad really.

BUT...
The service is ok. Our server wasn't friendly, but wasn't rude either. When we asked for the bill and got it, she never came back to see how we were paying, etc. So my friend and I got up, and walked inside to where the till/debit machine area is at the bar. We stood there, and stood there, and stood there some more...until I finally asked the bartender if we could pay (our server was no where to be seen). The guy doesn't even take the bill book from my hand, just charges me while I'm sort of fumbling with my card, the bill book, my purse....
This always seems to happen when it's time to pay, server is no where, and you just have to figure out what to do for yourself. I think I might just have to NOT go there again and keep giving them chance after chance.

I went to Milestones (market location) with a group of six for dinner on Tuesday. I had the Kobe Beef Meatloaf -- decent comfort food but something you'd make at home. Meatloaf was good but not noticeably better for being made with Kobe beef. Mashed potatoes, mushrooms and string onions worked well as sides. But overall there was very little delicacy in flavour due to over-salting.

The Ultimate Bellini never disappoints but the wine by the glass was overpriced for the serving size.

Service was great, with coffee for four on the house.

Too bad they acquired such a fantastic location in the city. They don't deserve it.

I have to agree with the other reviews about the laclustre dishes. The salads and soup were acceptable and my butternut squash ravioli was good but all other dishes that were served at our table of 4 were very bland, uninspired and overpriced.

Also, their wine list had mostly regular LCBO selections (typical Wolf Blass Yellow Label menu) which is standard for a chain.

They do have a super patio location in the summer for drinks but I wouldn't spend the money again on a dinner for what I can get at a better price for better quality elsewhere...and yes, a quieter atmosphere would be had elsewhere as well.

"A leader in the upscale casual dining segment in Canada, providing guests with familiar food and beverages with globally inspired twists served in a stylish yet comfortable atmosphere."

Uh huh. Translate as overpriced for what they serve, bland and uninspired (that 'hot spinach and artichoke dip' should now serve as a warning to stay away, and a few bits of soy sauce does not make for 'globally inspired twists'), with teen-aged staff trying too hard. Lights dimmed excessively for middle-aged divorcées so long out of the dating game they don't know where else to go. Etc, etc. With chain restaurants you can usually say "Well, at least we can bring the kids," but that doesn't seem to be what's supposed to happen there.

Here's what I had:

"VEGETARIAN THAI NOODLE SALAD
Fresh chopped greens and oriental noodles stacked with artichokes, sliced mushrooms, shredded carrots, spicy house-made avocado and papaya salsas, crumbled feta and honey mustard vinaigrette"

All I can remember is that it seemed like something I might've scraped up from the last few things remaining in the kitchen when I was a student. "I wonder if ramen goes well with iceberg lettuce? Yeesh, it looks kinda gross; maybe I can pretty it up with the carrot?" No kidding; "fresh chopped greens and oriental noodles" = "iceberg with too much of the bitter, inedible white parts, and ramen." Fairly flavourless, too.

So good! I love bellini's and this one is really delicious! I usually order it with the extra shot (choice of raspberry vodka or pineapple rum...I go with the vodka because it has a higher alcohol content therefore you get more for your money) but I don't mix it in I just drink it as a shooter. Much cheaper than actually ordering a shooter and I can't resist a good deal. ;) I love the little drink animals too!

...and I should mention that this "drink" is so good that guys should order it too. Who cares if people look at you funny -- it's delicious!

Fishbowl-sized, eh? Hmmm.... wow.

Also comes in a fishbowl size...ie a real fishbowl :D
lol


...darn i can't seem to find my picture of mine from last summer. oh well, google it. :)

The famous Bellini!! DELISH! Perfect for the patio on a hot day.

"A frozen blend of premium white rum, peach liqueur and champagne, topped with Boone's sangria."

I know another review on this dish here wasn't all that great but I quite enjoyed it. Simple, not a lot of sauce and I love any kind of nuts with pasta. The rosemary/garlic foccacia (spelling?) that came with was yummy...but then again, I love fresh rosemary so this was a win win for me.

This is a delicious slice of cheesecake.
I believe it's vanilla bean cheesecake with coffee creme anglaise or something like that (don't quote me on it). Our server suggested we try it with their homemade butterscotch sauce and brought us a little dish of it to pour on. Heaven!

This was the chocolate ganache torte. Very rich, but not bad at all. The crust was very delicious. If you like dark chocolate and a cookie crumb crust, then you’ll love this.

The South East Asian Chicken Skewers with Trio of Dipping Sauces (Kobe mustard, cool mango vinaigrette, sweet citrus cilantro sauce ) were reasonably tasty. Not as good as those spicy thai drummettes though. I kept switching through the sauces, trying to find one I really liked. Too bad because southeast asian flavours can be so great.

We also had the Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip that Ashley shows in her review. Very nice indeed!

The Spicy Thai Chicken Drummettes are really very good. Tasty and satisfying, served in a pool of peanut sauce (hidden in this admittedly bad picture) with a bowl of sesame-cucumber mayo.

I think I said before that the appies are good here -- better than the mains. I still stand by that. A great place for a drink and a few small plates!

I also ordered the roasted corn & potato chowder. A very rich and creamy soup with red corn tortilla strips, ancho chile, cheddar, sour cream (see the photo).

We ordered two appetizers to start. This was their famous spinach & artichoke dip with red tortilla chips. Good finger food to go with our drink (POM juice, ice tea) before our meal. But nothing special.

P.S. All the ladies are monitoring our weight carefully as our New Year resolution.

This was their calamari with andouille sausage that we ordered to share. Taste was okay.

They have Kobe Meatloaf here. At ~$20 I'm not sure whether it was actually "Kobe", or just American Wagyu. A satisfying portion but no better than any other meatloaf I've tried in my life.

Me and another girl friend ordered their roasted garlic caesar (dinner portion) with additional grilled chicken breast. Their so-called signature Caesar dressing was okay. (I gave 2.8 stars out of 5). Again, good portion and I had hard time to finish it as well.

P.S. The two crostinis included in the salad (put on the side) were not fresh at all. We only had one bite.

Two girl friends ordered their grilled chicken salad (chicken breast, red corn tortilla strips, cilantro, tossed with honey-lime peanut vinaigrette and peanut sauce). The portion was huge and one girl friend can't finish it.