Ottawa City Magazine - 10 best restaurants [Food/Vendor]

2007 Nov 5
I expect some of you have come across the latest issue of Ottawa City Magazine. What do you think of Chris Knight's top-ten restaurant list for Ottawa? I have to admit I was a little bit disappointed to agree with so many of his choices. I wanted some controversy, but then I guess it's hard to be controversial and *right* at the same time. ;-)

Top two were Beckta and Baccara. I especially liked the writeup around the list -- very convincing. I'd love to link to the article but they don't seem to have it online... Anyway, this issue is really worth taking a look at if you love food!

2007 Nov 5
I was a bit surprised to see that Signatures (at Le Cordon Bleu) was not included in the list. I haven't been there yet, so I can't comment other than to just say that I was surprised not to see it (based upon what I've heard from others). I really couldn't fault him on any of his choices that I've personally been to. I also liked his list of restaurants to watch (six of them, if I recall).

I enjoyed the column on the history of Ottawa restaurants that was in the same issue. Brought back memories of going to the Green Valley with my parents (they're still around, but the Green Valley isn't!).


2007 Nov 5
re: Signatures, some friends of ours who absolutely raved about it several years ago went again recently and were very disappointed to discover that the menu hadn't changed since their last visit!

I don't know if that was Chris Knight's reason for leaving them off the list. He did mention their absence as a possible point of controversy, so I'd love to hear his reasoning. Of course, the whole point of these lists is that they represent one person's opinion and don't necessarily require justification.

2007 Nov 5
I saw the list yesterday and was disappointed with how predictable it is -- mostly the same restaurants that get lauded everywhere else. Maybe that just speaks to how small the scene is. And I was disappointed he listed Social even after admitting the service had issues. It shouldn't be in the top ten then!



2007 Nov 5
re: Signatures

Ummm....there is currently a completely different chef (hired about 1-2 years ago) than there was several years ago, so I KNOW that the menu is not the same since he changed everything when he was hired. Maybe some components, but def. not the whole thing....

2007 Nov 5
I would say the list is predictable since Ottawa is... well... predictable?! (ottawafoodies members being the exception)

Ollie, you're right to comment that the "scene" in Ottawa is pretty small. Unfortunately, Ottawa prefers its Milestone's, Moxie's, Cora's, Kelsey's, (Insert National Chain Name)'s, etc. As mentioned in other threads on this forum, we are a middle babyboom, bureaucrat family town. It's not to say these places are bad, they are just serving... generic, everytown fare? It's highly frustrating. We have yet to get a restaurant in Ottawa that really defines Ottawa, like Montreal with Au Pied du Cochon, or Toronto with... I dunno, Canoe, or Susur. Beckta comes immediately to mind when I think of restaurants of that caliber, but also for innovation and attention to detail. Eighteen and Baccara are also close to that. I wouldn't be surprised if those two are also on the top ten list. Maybe even Wellington Gastropub, Black Cat Cafe. I haven't seen the list to be honest. I've found a lot of restaurants make a remarkable opening only to fall flat on the palate a yea or two after opening. It's sad, it seems Ottawa just doesn't respond well to "new".

Getting back to Mr Knight, I've got some indirect connections to him, maybe I can get some more detail on the "down low"...

2007 Nov 5
Chimichimi, you guessed many of them (except Black Cat isn't mentioned). To quote the article: "This is the Top 10 in a somewhat meagre pool of maybe 15 contenders."

Chris Knight has an account here and of course we'd love to have him join in the discussion! His keen perception and awesome insider knowledge are most welcome here. In fact, it was seeing him here earlier today that reminded me to post about the magazine article...

The pickings *are* quite slim in Ottawa, but I believe we're significantly better off than we were ten years ago. In some cities, all restaurants have great food because if they don't they can't survive. Not so in Ottawa, and that's exactly why this site came into being -- we need to be able to find the best food! :)

2007 Nov 5
Excellent, I hope he has some time to join the discussion on this!

Ah, meagre pool of 15 contenders... it's like a knife to my heart. I wish it wasn't that way, but it is.

I wholeheartedly agree with you FF, Ottawa is better off now than it was years ago. It's funny how in some cities the restaurants have great food to survive, and that Ottawa doesn't really have that 'tude, almost the opposite seems to happen in fact. You've hit it square on the head. You'd figure with culinary schools like Cordon Bleu, and Algonquin, that this expertise, creativity, and attention to quality ingredients and detail would rub off a bit, like it has in the Burlington and Montpelier regions in Vermont, for instance. Ah well...

2007 Nov 6
Re: Signatures and FiH's comment;

When we went last month they told us they change the menu seasonally and the their fall menu would change in January.

2007 Nov 6
re: Signatures

Okay then! Goes to show we shouldn't trust second hand experiences. :-)

2007 Nov 6
So is someone going to post the full list?

2007 Nov 6
The list is:

1. Beckta
2. Le Baccara
3. Domus
4. Eighteen
5. The Wellington Gastropub
6. Ambiente
7. Juniper
8. Social
9. Perspectives
10. Les Fougeres

2007 Nov 6
Ah...somewhat predictable...most of usual suspects. But judging by the reviews on the site, and it's #5 placement - I really need to make it out to Wellington Gastropub one night!

You wouldn't happen to have the "restaurants to watch" list, would you? (username Inkling said there were ~6 or so)




2007 Nov 6
Sure...

1. Absinthe
2. Canvas Resto Bar
3. Allium
4. Benitz Bistro
5. Luxe
6. Whalesbone

2007 Nov 7
I will replace #10 by Arome at Hilton Lac Leamy. I personally don't think Les Fougeres is that great. I will provide my review once I clear my backlog.

2007 Nov 7
Definitely check out the Wellington! The only other ones on the top 10 that I'd even heard of are Beckta and Domus, and I'm a bit hesitant about them (and probably most of the others) because I'm afraid they'll be all snooty. But the Wellington is very, very far from snooty! But still classy - but classy in a down-to-earth way.

So I guess there may be hope for some of those other places (for me). If Wellington can make the list and not be snooty, perhaps there are others there as well.

2007 Nov 7
I think the controversy over the opening paragraph is great! All of the comments must be making Chris Knight very happy. I mean isn't the whole point of an article like this is to get people passionate about food, where they eat & HOPEFULLY make a difference in the food scene.

I would think it would make the restaurants that made the list as well as the ones that didn't step it up to be 'worthy' of such trivial recognition.

Although from the rumors I have heard, some of the places that made the list schmoozed their way in, really how else would they have? Try them & you will see what I mean. The ambiance might be nice but have we forgotten about the food quality &/or taste? Should be judged on the whole package not just one aspect of the business.

Think the comments on here about the list being no real surprise well...that's Ottawa. There really are just a small handful of decent restaurants, very small and when ethnic restaurants are not included (for some strange reason they never are) then the list gets even smaller.

It is funny/sad when people ask me where I like to dine, I mention the two fine dining places that I enjoy and the rest are all ethnic. It really is not that I just like ethnic food either I actually prefer fine dining. I have just had many bad meals at most of the restaurants and I am sorry three strikes & I am not wasting my money there anymore. Atleast I can say I have given them a chance.

Love his comment about the Tuesday night dining at the big box restaurants. It is somewhat true. A comment like this I feel will be good for the 'true' restaurants as people who would normally dine at the box restaurants mid-week will hopefully be too embarrassed to go after reading this article.

Someone mentioned to me that from a tourism stand point this article might harm the industry as people might be less likely to visit Ottawa after reading how the food scene is less than desirable. I agreed with him but then I remembered the reason I stopped normally reading this magazine, it makes the Ottawa scene look pretty boring. Especially the photo's of who is who. Should be the who, who cares.

If anything I hope this article will draw some new chefs to the city thinking they can change the scene & hopefully they will. Just glad my favorite places to eat have an ever changing menu!

2007 Nov 7
"Especially the photo's of who is who. Should be the who, who cares."

Thank you! I thought I was the only one. :)



2007 Nov 8
Not to be too disagreeable My Mom's A Foodie (I try not to disagree with attractive women.. but I digress), but I'm a little weary of Ottawa bashing. Ottawa is not Montreal, or Toronto, and I can count on BOTH hands and feet similarly sized American cities with fewer fine places to eat, let alone the cultural equity we have here (museums, arts, festivals etc). Ottawa is sleepy for a capital city, and prudish, and sometime even mean spirited towards the more flamboyent, but as we both know, it doesn't have to be boring. If we all wipe the sleep from our eyes and try some of the less known and great things in Ottawa. Reminds me of the Moxies thread, and how that whole thread would be treated as ludicrous in any of these cities we so strive to be like (Montreal, Toronto, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles etc)

2007 Nov 8
My sentiments exactly! I moved to Ottawa in 1988 after having grown up in Montreal and couldn't believe how dead this city was! I recall most of the restaurants that were around at the time were Mayflower type restaurants and most people seemed to eat out Friday right after work then go home. I recall going for dinner in the market one Saturday night with a friend during my first year here. We arrived at the restaurant around 7:00 pm and we were the only ones in the restaurant and the market was pretty dead. You can imagine at first I was wondering why I moved here! But I stuck it out and over the years I have been enjoying watching the city grow. As P-i-O says it's not Montreal or Toronto but we definitely have classier restaurants so as far as I'm concerned we're getting there... The only beef I have is that cuisines come in waves - one year British pubs were all the style so ALL the new restaurants that opened around that time were British pubs. Then it was Asian food then it was sushi etc. I really enjoy alot of these foods but variety is nice. But I guess that's all part of our culinary growing pains and I look forward to seeing the restaurant scene in Ottawa grow and evolve.

2007 Nov 8
Pete-in-ottawa, you were not being disagreeable.
I agree that there is a lot to do in this city. So many special events, especially during the summer. It is just that Ottawa city magazine doesn't really make it seem as exciting as they could have. Instead focus on well, the boring side of Ottawa?
As far cultural equity there definatley is that but not in many food articles I have read. Reviews yes, there are many but the ethnic restaurants should be judged as a whole dining experience aswell. Some have the decor to make the list. Although the best ones I have found seem to focus on service & food & not so much the decor so I can understand why those specific ones would not make the cut.
The only one I have scene that made any kind of list other than best ethnic, that I can remember, is Kinki. Not even a true asian experience either just another fad restaurant like pasta lover mentioned above. But these types of places are it in for the money and as long as you are aware that it is a place to be scene not enjoyed then you will have a nice time. Seems to be the case for many of our 'big city' type restaurants or 'mide as well be Moxies' restaurants as I call them, lol.



2007 Nov 8
I agree MMaFoodie that the writeups are kind of bland, but to tell the truth I didn't really notice the blandness as I don't give them much credit to start with. If you are not adventurous enough to walk into a restaraunt that you 'saw while driving by', then it can be hard to find new and exciting places in Ottawa (this website notwithstanding, of course is doing a good job to provide that information). Wouldn't it be fun to take a street.. maybe Preston, maybe Sommerset, or Wellington, and have lunch at every food establishment, in order, from East to West (or North to South) on a weekly basis? A slightly more drawn out food - crawl? A great way to experience the good, the bad, and the ugly.

2007 Nov 9
Ashley: It was sad for me to read that your trip to Les Fougères wasn't so good. We had a party of . . . six, I think it was, that visited last year, and it was absolutely fantastic. What a shame that you didn't have the same experience!

Zymurgist: I've been to Beckta a couple of times (it might be four right now,) and I've not run into snootiness. That I can remember, at least. Efficient, professional, but still warm.

Clearly I'm easy to please.

2007 Nov 26
Hi, nice to see people talking about the resto scene in sleepy ol' Ottawa. I don't have the time to get on this site very often but it is an important (and fun) way of getting good/bad news out about all things food here at home.

Writing for the magazine is a side line for me. My day job is making television shows & I do alot of them about food. This allows me to travel all over the world and eat very well in all sorts of places - from street vendors in Istanbul to Michelin star boites on the Cote D'Azur. Good food is not a function of location or size of city. Restaurateurs in Ottawa tend to serve mediocre food because they can get away with it. If we (diners) spoke up they'd have to adress changes in consumer demands like any other business would.

Anyway, I appreciate your comments and insights. Happy dinning. Happy cooking. Now if you'll excue me I have to go and braise some oxtail...

Chris Knight

2007 Nov 26
"Restaurateurs in Ottawa tend to serve mediocre food because they can get away with it."

I think this statement goes a little too far. I have had mediocre food at some restaurants in Ottawa but I have also had some mediocre food at restaurants in New York City, Toronto and Montreal as well.

I have also had great food in some restaurants in Ottawa.

Whether we are just writing on a message board or, in Chris Knight's case, publishing articles I think its always a good idea to avoid hyperbole.... IMO.

cheers

2007 Nov 26
I agree with medicinejar, but feel even more strongly. I now live in Toronto, and I can tell you that I've had a horrible time trying to find good food in this city. When I lived in Ottawa, quite often, I could just stroll into a nearby restaurant and at least have a fairly good meal. In Toronto, even with loads of research in advance (reading reviews, talking to people, etc) I'm more often than not disappointed with the restaurants I try here.

I've been in this city for about three years now and probably tried at least 300 different restaurants. I'd say that I've found maybe 10 that I thought were worth returning to.

It's amazing, too, that for such a multicultural city, there are so many things that Toronto just can't do right. Take Thai, for example. Ottawa has some fantastic Thai food. Up until recently with the opening of two new restaurants here, Toronto had no good Thai offerings at all.

I really miss Ottawa. I can't wait until my next visit so that I can go eat at all my old haunts again.

2007 Nov 26
"Restaurateurs in Ottawa tend to serve mediocre food because they can get away with it."

In defense of Chris Knight I must say that this is not hyperbole! The "tend to" part guarantees this. Let's face it, Ottawa has traditionally had a large dining community that is unadventurous and prefers big-box fare. A lot of people here seem to enjoy really bad food. Or maybe they're like me and they'll enjoy bad food as long as it's cheap. :) (Although I really did not enjoy East Side Mario's today at lunch even though my kids ate for free. The place was *packed* too... on a Monday!)

But Ottawa is improving all the time, which is great for those of us with tastebuds. Unlike vorpal, I've had excellent ethnic dining experiences in Toronto (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, Greek, Ethiopian). Never Thai though, I'll admit that. Maybe I just got lucky. Yes, Toronto has some terrible restaurants, but in my experience these often have superbly low prices.

I guess the fact is that anywhere you go there are good and bad restaurants. The number of good vs. bad isn't really important as long as the good are non-zero and you have a reliable guide. Hey, let me point you to a website I know! ;-)

2007 Nov 26
I'm an occasional fan of hyperbole as a rhetorical device (it can serve a purpose), so maybe i'm not the best judge, but i don't find Chris Knight's words in that vein. i don't know anything about him (beyond this thread), but since he's off braising oxtail, i'm going to guess he would agree that mediocre food can be found anywhere. Rather, perhaps he's reviving that old chestnut that we Ottawadians are a bit too complacent and polite for our own good? I don't think there's too much hyperbole in that, and knowing that i am guilty myself of not speaking up (and of lowering my expectations), I think he had a point.

Perhaps, he's also drawing Ottawa into a comparison with the locales he's experienced elsewhere suggesting that (as may be the case w/ Toronto) the potential is greater than the delivered good, and that we could and should expect more.

2007 Nov 26
Echoing our overlord's suggestion, Toronto's always served me well on the "ethnic restaurant" front, Thai included. But, i'll admit i wouldn't be surprised if the percentage of interesting Thai restaurants has diminished (since my reference period, 15 years ago), replaced by the more homogeneous restaurants that are cropping up everywhere.

In Ottawa, the menus at the various Thai restaurants are, with exceptions (of course), pretty inter-changeable. Likewise, too many pubs serve the same beer (day in, day out), most of the Japanese restaurants serve the same predictable sushi, tempura and udon noodle dishes.

i'm hopeful, though, that what we have now is the thin edge of the wedge, and Ottawa will improve in the culinary eco-system i inhabit (significantly lower on the price range than in that top 10 list, splurges aside).

2007 Nov 27
I also have no idea who Chris Knight is, but personally I am just filing his comments away under #12 on the FAQ

www.ottawafoodies.com/about

:-)

2007 Nov 27
Oh, as for serving the same beer day-in and day-out, I am pretty sure you will find that to be the case at just about any restaurant you go to in any city.

2007 Nov 27
didn't mean to suggest restaurants should rotate their beers on a daily basis (if that's the way you read it), its more that the pubs in Ottawa tend to serve the same homogeneous stuff peddled by the same you know which breweries. There are, of course, welcome exceptions, but in my 6 years in Ottawa, i haven't noticed an improvement.

And, yes, i would still contend that one can find better, more eclectic, selections in other cities. Bruges or Brussells, for example. :)

Or Vancouver or Victoria, for that matter. And i say this not to invoke a head-to-head comparison between our Pub Italia (for example) vs. the best in the other cities. I'm talking about the possibility of stumbling into a restaurant serving both an interesting, locally crafted beer on tap along w/ equally interesting food. But, maybe this is a different thread?

2007 Nov 27
zymurgist, Chris Knight is a professional foodie. Unlike the rest of us, he gets paid to be a snob. :-)

He's also executive producer for Knight Enterprises, meaning he's responsible for the creation of several TV shows including:
* The Great Canadian Food Show (with Carlo Rota)
* Cook Like a Chef
* License to Grill
* This Food That Wine

2007 Nov 27
w.r.t Beer cities : a comparison with Belgium is apples and oranges - they just have a beer culture that we simply do not. Victoria and Vancouver I can understand because there is a very strong craft brewing industry on the left coast, and that is reflected in local pubs (from what I've been told - never been there myself). Yes, I agree that most places in Ottawa (and I will argue most of the rest of Canada excepting BC) serve the same-old-same-old. But that is changing slowly. Heck, the new owners of the Elmdale Tavern in Hintonburg just started carrying 3 local beers from Heritage.

w.r.t. Chris Knight - duly noted. I guess where I don't have TV I don't know these things. Hmmmm, I've got a pitch for Mr Knight actually. I think I will PM him ...

2007 Nov 27
yeah, for all my pessimism, i've noticed more places serving Heritage and St. Ambroise also seems to be making inroads. Good to see.

2007 Nov 29
Am I the only one who doesn't Like Perspectives? Is it possible the 5 times I've eaten there just happened to be when Blackie wasn't in the kitchen?

2007 Nov 29
Luv2cook: Sorry, I'm totally a broken record here. I've quite enjoyed my meals at Perspectives, and there've been a couple. There have been a couple of missteps, or things where I would have done some things differently, but I haven't ever felt like I've been ripped off.

2007 Nov 29
luv2cook, I share your feelings about Perspectives... We gave it 3 tries to be fair before we write it off. However, one of my friends really like it. So maybe like you said - we manage to go when Blackie is MIA.

2007 Dec 2
We have been to Perspectives many times and we are going there next week for our friend's company Christmas dinner. (My friend wanted to change to Hilton's Aroma for a change this year, but the only available slot was 5:30PM).

We had good meal at Perspectives and we also had bad meal there. Mixed expereince. The service there wasn't impressive. I think consistency is an issue at Perspectives.

We also talked about our bad experience at L'Orée du Bois. My friend said that they are going to give L'Orée du Bois another chance since every Gatineau friends of her gave a very high rating to L'Orée du Bois. We may have an off night during our visit. I look forward to my friend's review from their re-visit there.

2008 Mar 23
I'm a part-time Ottawan -- my family lives there and over the last twenty years I've spent many months total taking in the Ottawa resto scene with my foodie family. They always beat it over the river to Les Fougeres (had not one, but two great meals there this summer) or Baccara. Had an enjoyable but overpriced lunch at Urban Pear, and fish and chips at several of the ubiquitous "pubs" because F&C is one of the only dishes it's hard to find in my own magnificent food town, Chicago. (The fish ranged from OK to great, the chips were uniformly disgraceful.)

What Ottawa is superb at is a place to source food -- so many treasures, not even counting the Market. I love shopping and cooking in Ottawa, even if the restaurant scene is admittedly skimpy compared to Chicago's. Any Ottawa cook has it great!