If I had to go out of my way... [Food/Vendor]

2007 Feb 2
If I had to purposely go out of my way (my way is anywhere near Sandy Hill, City Center, Byward Market) to get a dinner, where is the one place I should go?

Let me give you more information:
-My budget is maximum $25, no drinks
-I'm a student that's never really travelled anywhere out of my way
-I'd have to use the bus so no backcountry roads or anything where I'd have to transfer busses a lot
-I'm lacto-ovo vegetarian
-I'd like it to be somewhere fancy but not so much that I'd have to dress up
-I'm looking to eat there for any meal of the day (breakfast/lunch/dinner all welcome)

All suggestions are welcome. This will probably take place sometime in March since I'm too busy these few weeks.

2007 Feb 2
Personally, if I were you, I would head to Absinthe Café.

It's a *tiny* bit out of your way, but it's very easy to get to (simply take the bus to the Tunney's Pasture stop and walk a block south on Holland). It's very cool, urban and fun.

The menu is small though, so as a lacto-ovo vegetarian, you would probably not have a choice of the main course (there are only five thigns on the menu usually - poultry, beef, game, fish and veg). Adding the soups and appetizers though, there would be a great selection.

www.absinthecafe.ca

I LOVE this restaurant.

If you want to walk a block further in the same direction, there is a vegetarian restaurant called The Table (I think?) - I've never been, but you'd definitely have a lot more choice.

Just some ideas!


2007 Feb 2
Absinthe is a great idea, although in that neck of the woods I must admit I prefer Allium, one block further down on Holland. Allium probably has more options for a vegetarian diner. The Table (corner of Holland and Wellington) is nice, but it's a buffet, so items are not always at their optimal temperature, freshness, etc., and if you've been to one of the Commensal locations in Montréal, you'll feel you're not getting much bang for the same amount of buck.

2007 Feb 2
I am with fossettes - Allium is the way to go and they have great vegetarian choices (not sure what being "ovo" limits you to?).
Their menu changes every month and is fantastic. I will post the site so you can see for your self what the options are - and their prices are more than reasonable for the quality of the food that you get.

I am also positive that if you needed to make any subsitutions due to diet, they would be more than willing to comply. Enjoy!

www.alliumrestaurant.com/

2007 Feb 2
Hi:

Some time when you DON'T want to go out of your way, and you DON'T care if it is fancy or cheap (and depending if it still exists!) there's a vegetarian place on Somerset East in Sandy Hill, related to the Krishnas I think, called Govinda's, (I think). They don't push any religion on you, and you just get a nice buffet menu of lentils and rice, that sort of thing. Used to be popular with U. of O. students, and the price was very good. Anyone know if it still exists? It was/is between King Edward and Sandy Hill Community Centre on the south side. As I recall, it was only open for dinner, with pretty strict hours, like 5 to 8 or the like.

I know I'm not answering your question, but...

Cheers anyway!

2007 Feb 3
According to the OttawaExpress review, Govinda's was still around last October and Govinda's website states that they're Ottawa's oldest vegetarian restaurant (est. 1981).

For easy access, here's the list of suggestions so far:

Govinda's Govinda's
The Table The Table
Allium Allium
Absinthe Absinthe Café Resto Bar

2007 Feb 3
But Govinda's doesn't count?

2007 Feb 3
Bah.. sure, it doesn't count for this specific request, but it still counts in the grand scheme of things! ;-)

2007 Feb 3
I get the impression that they're a little inconsistent, but the Fourth Avenue Wine Bar is worth eating and relaxing at; I'm also a lacto-ovo* vegetarian, and had no problems with the menu. In the Glebe, so not a big hike OC Transpo-wise.

I found a used copy of 'Cheapeats Ottawa' yesterday -- see www.cheapeatsottawa.com/ -- and I think it's worth at least a browse in a bookstore for what you're looking for. Some reviews are a little too enthusiastic, but if you cross-reference it with this site and restaurantthing.com, you can probably add a few more places to your list. The other caveat is that notes like "vegetarians may be disappointed" should be taken seriously -- that sort of low-key warning showed up a few times on places that I just walked out of/never ordered from because they had nothing vegetarian (save for maybe one appetizer). "Disappointed" was not, I thought, a strong enough word...


* lacto-ovo: eat eggs and dairy