36 hours in ottawa [General]
2007 Aug 26
Eating your way around the city does sound like a great way to spend 36 hours!
As far as the the 'government stiffs' comment, lets be honest with each other before we start pretending. Look around the next time you go in there, all suits, steaks & seriousness. Nice space but not very lively.
As far as the the 'government stiffs' comment, lets be honest with each other before we start pretending. Look around the next time you go in there, all suits, steaks & seriousness. Nice space but not very lively.
hipfunkyfun
day 1
6pm
Come quitting time, government stiffs and others in the know descend on Métropolitain Brasserie (700 Sussex Drive; 613-562-1160), with its ruby-leather banquettes, hammered zinc bar and très Paris vibe. During Hill Hour (weeknights from 4 till 7), it dishes up plates of steaming Prince Edward Island mussels (8 Canadian dollars, or $7.41 at 1.08 Canadian dollars to the U.S. dollar), fresh Malpeque oysters and jumbo shrimp (both 1 Canadian dollar each) from Ottawa's largest bar cru
8pm
The small, homey Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro (108 Murray Street; 613-562-3683) is one of the most innovative, specializing in traditional foods like tangy wabush (that's Cree for rabbit) dumplings (8 Canadian dollars) and Nunavut caribou medallions (35 dollars).
10 p.m.
Get a late-night sugar fix at BeaverTails (613-241-1230), a ByWard Market tourist landmark. The tiny kiosk on the corner of George and Williams Streets fries up XL whole-wheat pastries in the shape of a beaver's tail (squint and you'll see), dusted with cinnamon, sugar and a spritz of lemon (3.50 Canadian dollars).
day 2
10:30 a.m.
You've earned your breakfast at the sunny and simple French Baker (119 Murray Street; 613-789-7941), home to the flakiest croissants (1.50 Canadian dollars) in town. Order yours en français at the counter, pull up a stool by the door, and watch the locals wander in.
2 p.m.
Cruise Bank Street through the Glebe, a tony family neighborhood — think Upper West Side, only leafier. The all-natural Wild Oat Bakery and Whole Foods (817 Bank Street; 613-232-6232) is a tasty stopover for an apple-brie-and-caramelized-onion panini (5.95 Canadian dollars).
4 p.m.
Traditional afternoon tea is serious business at Zoe's in the Fairmont Château Laurier (1 Rideau Street; 613-241-1414), a grand railway hotel choicely located between Parliament and the Rideau Canal, but the experience is anything but stuffy. Come as you are, and when the tea wagon rolls around, sniff from 14 loose-leaf black teas — like organic vanilla orchid — brewed in a pot at your table and served with a meal's worth of Nova Scotia lox and tiny bagels, Canadian white Cheddar and just-baked scones with Devonshire cream (Canadian High Tea, 35 Canadian dollars). The formality is simply meant to help you relax and savor the afternoon. It works.
8:30 p.m.
The scene is more serene at Domus Café (87 Murray Street; 613-241-6007), a high-ceilinged, green-powered oasis where the chef and owner, John Taylor, has been offering virtuous “regional seasonal” cuisine since 1997 — back when “eating locally” meant hitting the hamburger joint around the corner. Most of the menu is sourced from farmers in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Save room for the warm Ontario maple tart (9 Canadian dollars).