Ottawa Magazine's Top 10 Restaurant List 2011 [General]

2011 Oct 27
The much anticipated November/December issue of Ottawa Magazine hit the stands at Brittons in the Glebe today. Inside it's cover is the 2011 Top 10 restaurants list by food editor, Shawna Wagman.

Here is the list (and it appears to be numbered):

1. Black Cat Bistro (Patricia Larkin)
2. Navarra (René Rodriguez)
3. Town (Interesting, there was no talk of who is doing the cooking now. Steve Wall recently moved to Luxe)
4. OZ Kafe (Jamie Stunt and Simon Bell)
5. Canvas Resto Bar (Charles Beauregard)
6. Fraser Café (Fraser brothers)
7. Restaurant E18hteen (Matthew Carmichael)
8. The Whalesbone Oyster House (Charlotte Langley)
9. Murray Street Kitchen Wine Charcuterie (Steve Mitton)
10. Sidedoor (Matthew Carmichael and Jonathan Korecki)

Repeats from last year: Town, Fraser Café, The Whalesbone Oyster House.

Returning from the 2009 list: Navarra and Restaurant E18hteen.

Pick up the magazine and hear Shawna's thoughts on it all. I quite enjoyed the article.

Let the discussions begin!!

To read more about my contemplations on the list, you are welcome to check out my blog post. ottawafood.blogspot.com

2011 Oct 27
Kind of puzzling that they talk about inconsistencies at Sidedoor, and the poor service, yet it still made the list? I'm more surprised by which places are not on the list (Atelier? Beckta?)

2011 Oct 27
Disappointing that Domus isn't on there. I've found it to be consistently excellent; more so than the sometimes but not always good Fraser Café.

2011 Oct 27
Wellington Gastropub, Beckta and Atelier have a bye. :)

2011 Oct 27
Nice to see OZ on there. It tends to fly somewhat under the radar.

Am a bit surprised at Sidedoor's inclusion. I don't think it's been open long enough or been consistently awesome enough to rate Top 10.

2011 Oct 27
Wow, the implication that Sidedoor is somehow superior to Le Baccara, Atelier, and the Wellington Gastropub is astounding to me.

This is just one list. Take it with a large grain of salt! :-)

2011 Oct 27
Ottawa Magazine billed the theme as "Ideas on the Plate". On the cover the reference is "10 restaurants with imagination". Their context for this year's Top 10.

Probably the phrase "Top 10" can be misleading as it causes most to think the Top 10 Best. Top 10 Restaurants with Imagination, well that takes you in another direction. And as Shawna points out, having that theme, put restaurants on her list that weren't without their pitfalls.

For those interested, here are Ottawa's Gold Medal Plates contenders next month.

Matthew Brearley - Castlegarth Restaurant
Matthew Carmichael - E18ghteen *
Ross Fraser and Simon Fraser - Fraser Café *
Michael Hay - Courtyard Restaurant
Caroline Ishii - ZenKitchen
Patricia Larkin - Black Cat Bistro *
Marc Lepine - Atelier
Charles Part - Restaurant Les Fougères
Lili Sullivan - East and Main (Wellington in Prince Edward County)
Steve Wall - Luxe Bistro

* Those that made Shawna's Ideas on a Plate, Restaurants with Imagination list.

As Fresh Foodie says, it's just a list.

If you can, do read Shawna's article. She offers some accurate insights into these places and might encourage you to head out to a place you have yet to try. And that's probably a good thing.

2011 Oct 27
The "with Imagination" clause does explain some of the choices in the list, although it makes the absence of Atelier that much more jaw-dropping!

I guess the positive side of all this is that we now have so many excellent restaurants in Ottawa that we find reason to squabble about which ones are missing from a Top Ten list. :-)

2011 Oct 27
Frankly, I think that both lists are completely worthless as neither includes Blue Cactus.

2011 Oct 27
I hear you Fresh Foodie! Let's get together and build that 'Top 45' list. When I first came to Ottawa back in the 80's, it was SLIM pickings. So great to see the plethera of solid choices. Now if they could just nail the consistency thing, wow.

Hope you get to read the article. Shawna has a lot to say.

2011 Oct 27
Surprised to see E18ghteen on this list. I use a three strikes rule for restaurants and this one has struck out. I have had consistently poor service and poor food here. I never judge a place on one night, but after 3 strikes and a long period in between visits, I returned with a group of six. Same thing, poor service and very average fare at above average prices. Is this just me? Ottawa has so many other great places to eat. I won't waste my time there again. Social is also on my hit list for the same reasons. Have not tried Canvas or OZ yet, but am inspired to now....

2011 Oct 27
I don't get the mag. But I'd love to see if there is any correlation between resto's that have (or will) advertise in the mag and thoser that make any of the 'Top Ten' lists.

Very common to see correlations in these industries.

2011 Oct 27
For what it's worth, not brilliant, but my observation on subjective Top 10 resto lists on FB at www.facebook.com/ronlorneeade It really is a mug's game tailored to sell magazines. Full stop right there.

2011 Oct 27
Wow... that's about all I can say about this list... it's dreadful.

2011 Oct 28
Interesting list!

I'd like to see a top ten for the people on a "budget" who like good food.
I probably won't make it to all the top ten places partly because of budget,but also time (and that I like cooking too).

I don't really go by lists for eating out-but this does give me some ideas for where to maybe eat lunch this weekend!

2011 Oct 28
One of the best things about Ottawa Foodies for me is that it is a great resource for finding places to eat in Ottawa. I trust the opinions that are expressed here, and when there are in conflict, it often makes me want to try a place to see for myself. I also think that reviews here are more timely than in other media. I often hear about new places on here long before they hit any of the foodie columns in the print media. And the sometimes long threads full of varying opinions really do inform about what specific dishes to try or avoid at a given place. Best restaurant review resource in Ottawa right here.

2011 Oct 28
Loving hearing what Ottawa's food lovers have to say about Shawna Wagman's 2011 restaurants list.

As editor of Ottawa Magazine, I just want to respond quickly to Captain Caper's comment/query. There is no link between advertising and editorial in the magazine. In fact, the sales team does not even see this list before it is published. Businesses — restaurants and otherwise — choose to advertise in the magazine based on the quality of the product.

2011 Oct 28
Been to three of the places on the list. I have to scratch my head and wonder about that list. A salt lick would be more appropriate than a grain!

2011 Oct 29
My two cents – yes definitely important to make sure you take into account the subtitles used for the list - “ideas on the plate” or "10 restaurants with imagination" - however with that in mind, I am still having a hard time figuring out why some of these restaurants appear.

Don’t get me wrong, having tried all but 2 of the restos, I agree that most of these should appeared on a “regular” top 10 list. For me though, #1, using these subtitles, would have to be Atelier – this is what they are all about and there is no one in the city that tops them!

2011 Oct 29
It is just one list. It is a subjective list, absolutely. (Just as Ron's views about Le Cafe or Domus or wherever else are subjective.)

But. What I do have to applaud Ottawa Magazine for is making an interesting list. Given, as Fresh Foodie said, that there are so many great restaurants in Ottawa to choose from, it would be easy to flake a Top Ten. Or at least easier than saying "what are ten incredible restaurants that are doing X."

In her introduction, Ms. Wagman lays the ground rules: 2010 was about small plates, a return to bistro fare. 2011 is about ideas on the plate. And, personally, I think that her list reflects that theme very well.

But, then again, it's just one (subjective) list.