Canadian Cusine [General]

2007 May 10
Hello, i was hoping i could get some insight within the restaurants and general dining culture in Ottawa. I will be moving to Canada at the end of the year from the UK and would like to work in the best restaurants Ottawa has to offer.
I was wondering if there is an award system Canada has that rates restaurants such as Michelin does here, can anyone recommend a place that is Ottawas leading restuarant? Is there alot of work, what are the employment agencies like?
Any direct discussions about food would be great, i have two years in Ottawa it would be good to make the most of it!

Harvey :)

2007 May 10
"The best" is subjective of course. As far as "rating guides", most people in Canada either go by the CAA guide (Canadian Automobile Ascociation, like AAA in the USA) which originally was a guide for travellers rating road-side restaurants and hotels, but had now morphed into a more extensive guide. CAA rates by "diamonds", 5 diamonds being the highest. "Signatures" restaurant(attached to Le Cordon Bleu)is the only 5-diamond restaurant in Ottawa, but there are several 4-diamond ones as well. Another guide that people follow is the "Where to Eat in Canada" guide by Anne Hardy which is published each year. It rates using "stars" and the highest rating is 3 stars. This guide does not waste time talking about ALL the restaurants in Ottawa, it simply mentions those worth going to. Simply being listed means it is a good restaurant, so some have zero stars, those with stars mean they are exceptional. Here are the listings from my 06/07 edition:
Beckta (**)
The Black Cat (**)
Domus (*)
E18hteen (**)
Mamma Theresa ()
Perspectives (**)
Signatures (***)
The Urban Pear ()
Le Baccara (**) Note: this is located across the river in a nearby Quebec community and not in Ottawa proper)
Les Fougeres ()Note: this is located across the river in a nearby Quebec community and not in Ottawa proper)

You can probably pick up either guide on amazon.com, or try to CAA website. Also, there is a jumping online review community here. You an check out patrons reviews of restaurants on this site, and on restaurantthing.com

As for finding work, there are several websites that should show you job postings if you filter for Ottawa. Try www.monster.ca , www.ottawajobshop.com , www.workopolis.com and www.jobbank.gc.ca

Hope that helps!

2007 May 10
Another book that you may want to check out is the 3rd edition of Frommer's Ottawa. In addition to travelling information about Ottawa (downtwon, Sandy Hill, the Glebe, China town, Gatineau, ByWard Market, rideau Canal), the book also talks about recommendation for dining. They use 3 star system (no star, 1 star to mean recommended restaurant, 3 stars to mean exceptional restaurant).





2007 May 11
Thanks that was a really fast reply, ill look into those restaurants and have a look at thier menus and see whats going, have you managed to find yourself a job yet 'Food is Hot'?

2007 May 11
Yep! But I'm not going to disclose where quite yet to the masses. It's a fairly new restaurant and I want it to get it's (and my) sealegs first before unleashing the general foodie population of this site on it :) Unfortunetly I stepped on some glass at home at the beginning of this week, so I've actually been out of commission since some glass is still imbedded in my foot and I have to wait until this Tuesday to get it out - so I can't put weight on it - hence 8 hour shifts on the line are not possible until it heals. Sigh.

Just so you know how I found my job - I wasn't having much luck with the postings in the paper/online as there were several jobs listed for "chefs" but not many for sous-chefs and cooks which is more along my experience level (or lack thereof). I ended up just dropping off my resume at a variety of places whether they were hiring or not, to see if anything would come up, and I was offered 2 jobs within the week.

2007 May 11
Im glad you found work that way, caus its only way to do it here, just go straight in and speak to the head chef. Shame about the glass, especially when you just want to get out there, first job out of college?
Could you tell me what line cooking is, here its where theres hundreds of chefs cooking for hundreds of people, not the most exciting, but maybe there its just a term for a section in the kitchen.

2007 Jun 28
HOT...is it possible to see/read an electronic copy of Anne Hardy's rating book on where to eat in Canada?

2007 Jun 28
Hmmmm....I've never seen one myself - I imagine the publishers would try to avoid that since it would mean that people would have no reason to buy the book year after year.

2007 Jun 29
Thanks FiH, I googled it and found a bunch of references to her.. Amazon has some used ones for sale and there's always the library...

It sounds like something from the Michelin Guide... maybe a little lower standards because in general, it's Canada and, if Black Cat and Beckta,s can get 2 stars....

I was at a place in Bordeaux Region called Cordaillon Bages, a two star michelin place and I raved about it for months.... Can,t see Beckta fittng in even at 1 star for the michelin guide...


2011 Mar 25
Yang Sheng at the corner of Bronson and Somerset has a Michelin() approval. Compared to the other restaurants listed here this is a steal. My family (3) eats there for under $30. Student and kid friendly.

2011 Mar 26
check out the book Where to Eat in Canada probably one of the best (and most honest) guides to Canadian restaurants