Ottawa Foodies

January brought us another birthday, and another trip to Black Cat. I could get used to this. Richard (the owner) commented on how nice it was to see us again so soon after our last visit. I love it when people do that!

It happens so infrequently.

We should clearly go out more.

Everybody loved what they got, but I'll focus on what my wife and I got this time (all different from last time):

- Smoked mackerel. I'm on a smoked fish kick, and there's no signs of me recovering any time soon. The big-honkin' capers and lemon creme fraiche were a great foil.

- Foie gras was luxury personified. Even with it being seared to crispy brownness on both sides, it was still, I swear, an inch thick in the middle. Nice, sweet accompaniments to go with it, and the Pineau des Charentes was a quirky pairing. The fact that they have Pineau des Charentes on the drinks list at all is reason enough to love this place. Sweet, almost apple-like, luxurious fortified concoction it is.

- Fennel-dusted sweetbreads. I agree with everything that Sourdough says below on the subject. Amazing.

- Brined, smoked chicken. The smokiness of the bird was a really nice touch, and worked really well with the Chard we had with it.

- Lemon tart was delicious. Loves me my lemon tart.

You know, the more I think about it, the more I think the portions are fine, if not generous. We weren't skimped on, that's for sure. Part of that could be that we ordered three courses each?

Went for a friends birthday on Saturday. Food was very good, and service was top notch. My app was bi-coastal tuna (or something like that) which featured yellow fin from one coast and albacore from the other. It was served with some fried shallots and yuzu jelly - fantastic. My main was the 2 bird with one stone - duck confit served with a slice of foie gras on a bed of lentil. This was quite solid, but the star of the night in my opinion was the sweet breads: Fennel Dusted Quebec Sweetbreads
Rutabega Fondue, Braised Fennel, King Mushrooms, Bacon & Masala Sauce. This blew me away and i was very happy my wife got very full and wanted to share :)

I booked a LARGE table there recently, and the staff took utmost care in making the best for everyone; considering they offer a table d'hote for 45$ (app, main + dessert), we definitely went along with this deal!

I can't comment on the wine, but the fellow who ordered (and therefore paid for it all) did say it was slightly more expensive there.

Apps (i felt they were of a good size; i have a small stomach, so i could've been done my meal after this point!):
Smoked Newfoundland Mackeral - GIANT capers, creme fraiche, DELICIOUS!#!~!!! more... "solid" than smoked salmon? Or say, less sweet.

Foamy Mushroom Bisque - every flavour melting together, really really fantastic. the best is at the bottom when you find a few bits of dried mushroom left!

Mains:
Steak Frites - i didn't order this and i don't eat meat, but the frites were crisp and very tasty! not too greasy, but no heavy-potateyness.

Roast Chicken - i couldn't eat this either, but my companion seemed to really enjoy it. the gnocchi which comes along with it was amazing though! more chewy than i'm used to, but i'm sure compared with the texture of the chicken, it would be nice.

Seared Tuna - i wasn't excited because of the mains (bok choy, squash, etc. things i usually make myself) but the yuzu really brightens it up to something i haven't done. nice crusted layer of pepper contrasted with the delicate and slightly sweet flavour of the spaghetti squash.

Desserts: (no one got the Walnut Apple Bundt =[ )
Chocolate Torte - each bite is HEAVY, but it quickly melts in your mouth so there is that initial fear that your belly will explode, but it goes down really nicely. consider this for an indulgent ending.

Creme Brulee - very creamy and light, but very rich in flavour. very nice crust; quite thin, but is just enough with the soft interior. i didn't get any lemon-flavour; our server said it comes on the side, but there was no such thing?

i really want to try to Scallops next time!

What a great review Momo! Makes me want to try it out. Thanks!

We finally made it out to Black Cat for my wife's birthday last week and, let me tell you, we were not disappointed.

For appies, we got the foamy mushroom bisque (delicious, comforting, parmesan-and-truffle goodness) and the bison carpaccio (fantastic flavour combination of lemon, olive oil, old cheddar, and just a bit of mustard).

For mains, I had the steak frites, and I'm pretty sure it was the best I've had in the city (disclaimer: I don't get steak frites at restaurants very often.) The sage-seasoned frites were fresh, crisp, and gobble-up addictive. And the steak was flavourful and cooked to perfection. But it was the bordelaise sauce that really put me over the edge: it was killer (and so shiny!)

I don't know who their saucier is, but I want to take him out for a drink. After which I'll thwack him on the back of the head with a cosh and hold him hostage until he tells me the recipe.

My wife's "rare" tuna was also oohed and aahed over. It was a great combination of flavours, with spot-on sides, and the yuzu mignonette provided just enough of a perk to really make it good.

We also had dessert (apple crumble and chocolate tart); they we felt that they were OK, but not as spectacular as our appies and mains were. I thought the pear gelato that came with my tart was really good, though.

All told, our meal set us back $200 after tax and tip, but that was for two apps, two mains, and two desserts with, err, five glasses of wine total. (It was her *birthday*! You have to celebrate!)

I liked the space: the white, exposed brick work well with the hardwood floors and the dark leather chairs. I will agree with reviewers down below that it was a bit noisy. Part of it was because it was Friday night; part of it was because there was a table full of noisy people nearby.

We'll be back. There were so many other things on the menu that we'd like to try.

This place rocks. Don't go to fill up for for value portions. Its a wine bar, no?

I went with some friends this evening to Black Cat Bistro because we learned that Steve Vardy was the chef. The wine list and the food were excellent but the portions were woefully meagre for the price. We felt we had been ripped off. It was so noisy that we couldn't hear others at our table. The service was non-attentive and very slow so we won't be returning to the Black Cat.

After discussing the Black Cat + Chef Vardy with some fellow foodies last night, I feel guilty for liking it. But, oh well. We had an amazing experience last Saturday, and I will certainly be going back...

We arrived at around 8:30, the dining room still a bit crowded. We had a lovely seat by the window. The decor here is very simple and elegant, but modern as well; incredibly airy and even though it was dimly light, it never felt dark.

We ordered our mains: For him, the brined and roasted chicken with polenta, and for me, steak frites (I'm a sucker for a good steak). About ten minutes after we ordered, we realized that we were more hungry than we intially thought. So, we ordered the now famous Venison Carpaccio.

It. Was. To. Die. For. The meat was tender and the olive oil was sweet. It was well-seasoned (balanced) and the bread had molasses in it, which went very well with the saltiness of the meat. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

The mains came shortly thereafter. The steak was superb and the sage frites were savoury and warm and delightful. The chicken with polenta was smokey and a bit sweet, and Andrew said the vegetables were some of the best he had had.

We declined dessert, hoping to get some gelato from Pure. For two glasses wine, an app and two mains it was about $125 including tip. Certainly worth every penny, and given the occasion (celebrating my raise at work), I didn't blink when I saw the check.

Yay, I can finally take this restaurant off my wish list of places I want to try. I'd been before when they were in the market under different ownership, but hadn't tried it since chef Steve Vardy took over at their new location on Preston Street. I saved the experience for an evening with our friends Tony and Cathy. They too had expressed an interest in going and we couldn't have picked a better couple to go with. They were into trying everything, as were we. So i've got a long list of raving to do. The decor inside is very simple and clean, with a long row of windows that let the last of the evening sun shine in across the restaurant. I don't even remember it turning to night I was having such a good time. We started off with some appetizers that were to die for. First, the Cast Iron Seared Foie Gras, a heavenly dish that literally melted to an oil once it hit the palate. It was warm on the outside and worked it's way to a cooler center. The waitress explained this transition to me before I ordered. It was quite unique at first but after the first few bites the entire dish warmed up inside and out. We also tried the Torched B.C. White Tuna, barely cooked, purple grapes, purple basil, jalapeno and crispy shallots. This was a very light app and perfect if you're planning to eat a heavier dish for your main. The tuna was fresh and delicate and served with the grapes and miniature slivers of jalapeno was a tantalizing combination. My favourite was the Venison Carpaccio, 18 month old cheddar, extra-strong dijon, organic olive oil and lemon, so fine and bursting with flavour. When we first looked at the menu, 3 of us wanted to order the same main – Steve's Maple “Tacky” Pork Belly. Tony ended up being the winner of that dish, but since we were sharing everything, we were all winners! This was, in my opinion, the best dish on the table. All were impeccable, but this one just really stood out with it's silky texture and sweet flavours. We also had the Duck Breast served with a legume medley and parsnip puree . The parsnip puree on this dish was the perfect accompaniment to the tender and fatty duck cooked seared on the outside and to perfection on the inside. The Caramelized North Atlantic Sea Scallops was another alluring dish we tried completed with tiny, French filet green beans and chewy enoki mushrooms. These too were cooked flawlessly – bringing out the velvety texture of the scallops. Cathy ordered the Signature Steak Frites – succulent black angus striploin, foie gras butter, and comforting sage seasoned frites – another wicked dish. And if that wasn't enough, we also shared an order of the Spaetzle. I wouldn't recommend this dish as your only main, if you're a vegetarian this probably isn't the place to go, but this was great to share as a side. We had a fantastic, full-bodied, robust 2005 Tempranillo to accompany our meal – Zumaya, i'd highly recommend this wine. And for dessert, I had a glass of the 10 year tawny and the warm Classic French Lemon Tart, so satisfying. I also tried Cathy's Sticky Date and Walnut Bundt Cake that was equally delicious. I can't rave enough about the meal. Everything was utter perfection. My rating is 4 stars, had the service been as terrific as the food they would have definitely got 5. It was good, just not deserving of another star.

We split the beet salad to start - was very good. The vinaigrette was a bit tart at first, but it grew on me over the course as some of the fatty elements got stirred into the mix. For a main, I had the steak frites with the foie gras butter melted over top & bordelaise jus - whoa! Someone get me some lipitor! It was awesome, one of the best in Ottawa, perfectly cooked and the fries were some of the best in Ottawa - perfectly fried, tossed in salt and sage. Yum. My dining companion had the espelette pepper seared duck breast with sugar snap peas (I think?), celeriac/parnsip puree, cortland apple jelly and some kind of jus - which was very good, not stellar but definitely solid. The desserts are NOT to be missed - whoever does their pastries is amazing. I had the lemon tart and my companion had their version of a Reese type dessert. Very good, approaching excellent, almost a 10/10 for those desserts. The atmosphere was pretty nice (good reno job!), and the service was excellent (probably one of the best servers I've had in Ottawa). Total 3 course meal for 2 including 2 drinks came to $117 before tip.

Overall impression: Highly recommended for the steak frites, desserts should not be missed!

I had the Santa Margherita Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Doc Brut. It's a good Italian Sparkling wine from Veneto Region. It was a good choice for my appetizer, The Black Cat Dips( foie gras Torchon, slt cod pate', goose rillettes, and olive tapenade). Very clean nose, pleasantly fruity, with hints of apples and peaches blossoms. Delicate and crisp. $ 10 by the glass.