ottawa foodies

I was thinking about navarra but if anyone has better recommendation I'm new to the awesome food scene

There aren't a ton of "fancy" places to eat in Ottawa. There are, however, many casual restaurants
that really put out great food. In no particular order:

Town
Supply & Demand
Union
Murray Street
Fraser Cafe
The Wellington Gastropub
Allium
Absinthe
Taylors Genuine
Oz Kafe
Atelier
The Whalesbone
Back Lane Cafe

Make a reservation.

Fancy:

Le Baccara
Cordon Bleu
Beckta
Shore Club
I'm sure the restaurant at Brookstreet is fancy

But I'd recommend the same as the entry above - go somewhere casual with excellent food.

I would also add Gezellig to the list of excellent food but not fancy

Yup, Le Baccara, LCB, Beckta Shore Club are all good picks. Also, consider Atelier, and Le Tartuffe.

Agree w/ most of the rec's mentioned but I would avoid Back Lane as my last two visits were underwhelming. Food was bland and boring.

Our visit to Allium was tainted by rude service and highly questionable restaurant policy/practice which really annoyed and ruined the special evening for our guest of honour and our table of 10.

I would also recommend Play and Stella.

If you really want to impress her ..take her to the Prescott Hotel in Little Italy ...beer ..meatball sandwiches ..square pizza ...yum .. ;-)

Fun long dinner date in a casual but cute place -> Meule et Craquelon in Gatineau. Fondu, BYO, great.

For 'fancier' any of the upthread recos are solid. If you want quieter, Shore Club, Gezellig and Taylors would top my list and i might add Carmen's Veranda and Jak's. For elegant, 18, Bacarra, Shore Club again. I deeply love and recommend Fraser Cafe, Wellington Gastropub, Oz Kafe and Union, but quiet they are not.

I agree with Beckta, Le Baccara, Shore Club, Atelier and Le Tartuffe but would add L'Oree du Bois to the list as well. Great food, good value and a lovely atmosphere.

I would add Juniper to the above. We have always had consistently good food and servive.

If you are young and don't dine out much, don't go somewhere you won't feel comfortable (like a fancy dress place). Your money would be better spent on great food and in an atmosphere where you will feel comfortable and happy. Fun, relaxed & excellent food will impress anyone worth a second date ;)

I'd second Gezellig. The service is great, so you'll feel totally at ease & the food is good too. The prices aren't insanely high and there is a mix of offerings if your date isn't an adventurous eater.

Union 613 is good, but will be loud & hip & not romantic if that is ok.

Allium is good too, slightly snobby (but maybe that was just my server).

Murray Street is personally not one of my faves (it's good, just prefer other places) but their patio is overgrown with vines and charming and very romantic, if you disregard the surrounding buildings and pretend you're somewhere other than the Market. It's laidback too.

Dress up a bit and go to Beckta or dress casual and go to Wellington Street Gastropub. Start late and take your time. Eat multiple courses. Drink well-paired selections. Take a taxi. Go home afterwards for a nightcap. An evening and money well spent.