ottawa foodies

I'm always on the lookout for new dishes to try. I finally bit the bullet and tried the Lobster poutine at P'tit Bills, and honestly, I think it's actually worth they hype. I was dubious at first, but I stand corrected. If you haven't tried it yet, you should. So what dishes have you had recently that I should try? I really need to expand my horizons : )

You MUST try the Grilled Tatonka (Buffalo) steak at Sweetgrass Bistro in the market - it comes with their steak sauce - made in house. You can actually order more if you like - they will charge you, but it is SOOOOO worth it. :-)

anyone in the mood for fish? please try fish and chips at Clocktower Brew Pub. that's the only thing i order there whenever i go!

I had a Dungeness crab last night at Yangtse...it was awesome and almost too much for two to share. The thing is, I think that their soft-shelled crabs are slightly better, which is high praise coming from me.

Other recent (i.e.: within six month) highlights would be Koreana's spicy intestine stew and Whalesbone's foie gras tart. Actually, the tart was a while ago but it was fantastic and worth mentioning again. I also figured out my favourite pho joint of the many options on Somerset which drops soft boiled quail's eggs in the soup; definitely a treat.

Oh yeah, recently had Metropolitan's steak tartare; it is done as a legit classic I loved it.

Spicy intestine stew? Tracinho, I think you are more brave than I ; ) My New Years resolution for this upcoming year is to try things out of my comfort zone, so I may give that a try as per your recommendation. These are great suggestions!

Good start with the lobster poutine!

My favourite tartare has been at the Gastropub. Navarra is a close second. IMO it is one of the quintessential restaurant dishes (too scared to try and do it at home). The only issue is it is not always on the menu.

Another fairly unique experience is a Pupusa, or preferrably more than one, at La Cabana (and Frejoles Y' Crema).

Of course... the big one is Atelier. You are guaranteed to try something new and exciting there.

Have to agree with hhh, the tartare at the Gastropub is downright addictive, whether its the beef or the tuna. The 7-year cheddar at Murray Street is another one that I always crave, so perfect with their apple jelly.

A quick mention also for Pintxo, a tapas restaurant in Montreal - their stuffed fig with serrano ham and mahon cheese is definitely one of the best dishes I've had this year.

Went to 'Play' on Sussex (Stephen Beckta's follow-up restaurant to 'Becka') for an organized business meeting, that I planned. It was my first time there. My fav. dish that I tried was the scallops with bacon and spinach and apple butter. Scallops were cooked perfectly and apple butter was great! The abundance of Niagara wine we had, wasn't to shabby either :)

I would have to say the Risotto with chanterelles drizzled with truffle oil at The Wellington Gastropub. However the menu changes daily... but I still dreams about it...THAT good!

Tracinho, where is this pho place that does quail's egg in the soup?

Best dish I have recently had was a tandoori tuna appetizer @ Beckta

PorkBelly: I've been to a few places that serve a quail's egg in pho (but only the chicken pho). Thu Do comes to mind first. I don't think it's a specialty of one particular pho place.

Porkbelly, it was at the place next to Manphong Grocery with the green sign adjacent Lebreton street. The window shades are always drawn but the lineup is usually out the door...if anybody else had a "Best Pho" recommendation I'd gladly hear it...

Best Pho - Pho Ba Ga 2 or Pho Bo Ga LA IMO.

Tracinho: for me it depends on what kind of pho I'm going for. If it's beef, I think Thu Do makes the richest tasting broth, but if it's for a chicken or seafood pho, I'd go with snoopy loopy and say one of the Pho Bo Gas except for 3, which I've found to not be as up to par as the others.

I visit Little Turkish Village in Orleans once in a while. Great stuff.

Bibimbap at Le Kim Chi with a close second being their kimchi hot pot. We've been there twice this fall and loved it both times. Great cool/cold weather comfort food. Yum!!!

Went to The Black Cat Bistro in October and had the Pork Belly/Maple/Apple dish. It came with caramelized parsnip, brussel sprouts, walnuts, cedar jelly and grainy mustard. Salty, sweet and rich all at the same time.

The menu has changed since then but it was quite the experience at the time. I've been to a few other great restaurants lately, including Le Kim Chi, Murray Street and the GastroPub, but this dish stood out from all of them.

Went to Social in the early fall. The "mushroom on toast" starter was a real treat. One of those dishes that I try to duplicate in my own kitchen.

So many choices!

It's a toss-up right now, between:

- The steak frites at Black Cat (the bordelaise sauce! I can still taste it on my lips after two weeks!)

- The crazy charcuterie board I had at Murray Street: roasted elk marrow bone with persillade, shaved beef heart (in a cute little Reuben sandwich), smoked whitefish rillettes, lamb collar terrine, rabbit terrine with pistachio, and this killer mystery meat croquette. Grainy champagne mustard, cornichons, and crostini on the side, of course.

The croquette wasn't actually mystery meat, since they said what it was: a sausage made from lamb heart, liver, kidney, and lung that was breaded in panko and then fried. Words cannot describe just how good it tasted, but I'll try. It was a bit earthy, it was a bit funky, it was a delightful texture marriage of crispy and unctuous. I should have brought my camera!