ottawa foodies

Received a gift certificate for this restaurant and decided to go this week for a nice meal. Got to the restaurant around 6 pm and it was already crowded . We had a reservation so this was not much of an issue. I found that the decor was very nice and I liked that the tables were not too close together, but it was very noisy. I had the spinach artichoke dip and I really enjoyed it. They gave a nice mix of grilled pita bread and crustini's for dipping. My SO had the escargot with corn bread. Even though the sauce was different than what she was used to, she really enjoyed the flavour. I had the basic Margherita pizza. I thought that the crust was perfectly cooked, no soggy spots or burnt spots. SO had the chicken parmigiana and enjoyed the pesto cream sauce. Service was very good. The server we had was very informative and when he brought the bread over, he told us that our appetizers and mains were pretty filling so we may want to go easy on the bread and save room for dessert. He was right! Even without the bread I was too full for dessert. SO had the creme brule, which was fully enjoyed. I found the prices were a little high but would consider going there again.

While I don't like much of the Market restaurants, especially those inside the market, this one was clearly a good pick.
Decent wine (for the price), good dessert (not to sweet which is usually a problem in town) and good pastas. My friend (as fussy as me) was also pleased. We ordered different wines, pastas and desserts.
Elegant and quiet environment (at noon), tables not to close one to another.

Not a huge fan of this place - Saturday night was my second time dining here. Mainly on the request of my girlfriend's parents (who are Italian) but seem to be very fond of Vittoria Trattoria. Don't get me wrong, the food served here is pretty good, but it certainly is not better then Johnny Farina and it is much more expensive.

Not sure what 'fake bread' user 2847 is talking about. The bread we were given was a very nice baguette. Nothing 'fake' about it...

Amanda's Dad and I started off with the curried mussels while Amanda's mum had a pear and prosciutto starter. The mussels were alright. The curry tomato sauce was very tasty, but the mussels were small, and many of them were quite chewy. I could tell they were not top quality. Sorry to compare, but the last mussels I had were at Johnny Farina, and there is no comparison. Farina's were huge plump P.E.I. mussels that were juicy and tender – served in a coconut cream sauce. Trattoria wasn't too generous with the quantity either. These were 12 bucks.

The prosciutto and pear starter was nice, but nothing I couldn't throw together at home. Meh.

For my main I had the Gorgonzola tortellini served with grapes. This was actually very good. I enjoyed the sweet and savory mix and I would recommend it. Nothing to complain about.

Amanda had a prosciutto, red onions and goat’s cheese pizza. She said it was good, but for me it was not great. The prosciutto was not crispy, the pizza itself did not hold its integrity. It was a very decent pizza, but I have had much better pizza elsewhere in Ottawa. In fact my recent Pizza Pizza order was far better then this pizza.

Amanda's Dad had a sea food pasta that he really enjoyed. I didn't taste it, but it looked pretty decent and considering the fact that he is Italian, I'll take his word for it.

Amanda's Mom had the 'oven fired chicken supreme drizzled with gorgonzola and walnut sauce, accompanied by Parmesan mashed potatoes, snow peas and carrots'. I didn't try this, however she was not very happy with her order. That being said, she is a very picky eater – so I'm not sure what to make of this dish. It was presented nicely though.

For the finisher, the ladies ordered the white chocolate Crème Brûlée. They really enjoyed it, but they said the inside was cold. Not sure if the whole thing is supposed to be warm, but I'm not a desert connoisseur. It was really tasty and rich, but for me it was akin to custard with a hardened sugar lid.

Look, maybe I am being overly critical of this place since for the same money one can go elsewhere and get blown away. The service was good, the food was average (but the good kind of average) and the ambiance/location are great. I think the prices are a bit high, but it is in the market. Good but not great, and similarly, I would never choose to come here again. But on the other hand, if I do end up here, I will not be disappointed.

I visited Ottawa over the weekend with my girlfriend and had the misfortune to get taken in by the big fancy menu on the facade. In retrospect, there were signs that the exterior image of a fine Italian restaurant at attainable prices was just a sham.
The first sign was the bread which they put in front of us. It was like small stale hamburger buns cut in half. I guess they thought the plate of oil and vinegar would provide a sop for this poor excuse for pane.
See, I'm of Italian background. You can fake a lot of things, but not bread. I know when I smell and touch it, even before tasting it, whether it's good quality Italian bread.
We were greeted with smiles and friendliness, but handed fake bread. Bread is the basic thing you gotta get right. To serve bread like that in a restaurant that purports to be fine Italian dining, or even in any restaurant that purports to be Italian, is a sacrilege.
I don't normally go to Italian restaurants because all too often they are not even close to authentic. We happened to be tired and hungry at the time, and pasta looked like something few could get wrong.
I was wrong.
I ordered spaghetti and meatballs thinking that was a staple few could botch.
It was preceded by a house salad which I will grant we enjoyed. But I was not there for salad, I was there for a plate of pasta.
When they put the handful of spaghetti in front of me surrounded by a half-dozen meatballs devoid of sauce, I had a premonition which proved accurate. The meatballs were barely warm, bordered on cold in the middle and were the frozen variety. I'd bet anything they were nuked in the microwave. Hard, dry, and unappetizing.
As soon as I bit into the pasta, I knew it was not cooked by an Italian. It was cooked by a mangia-cake who grew up on Spaghetti-Os. Mushy and, furthermore, tasteless. I'm not sure what variety of pasta it was, maybe whole wheat, but nobody asked me if I wanted whole wheat. I don't happen to like whole wheat when it comes to pasta or pizza dough.
I thought maybe parmigiano would have compensated for a humdrum plate of pasta, but not in this case. The server had spooned clumpy parmesan on my pasta. It was not finely grated. Come on people! At these prices you can at least take the time to grate your cheese properly and make it presentable.
The sauce was the worst. Sweet, and canned or bottled, I presume.
My girlfriend was happier with her pescatore and she let me pick at her scallops and mussels as a consolation, but I walked away from the restaurante feeling hungry and taken. I had a gelato down the street a little later which helped calm my hunger, but then I woke up in the night at the hotel thinking of my disappointing dining experience and what an unfortunate choice it was.
It's a lesson learned. Don't be fooled by fancy menus.

The Sophia pizza ($19) — garlic oil, mozzarella, pancetta ham, mushrooms, red onion and asiago cheese — was flavourful and nicely cooked. This time we were given chili oil, which really helped the drier bits of crust. Good experience overall!

From the main dining area you can see a thick row of glowing embers in the pizza oven, making it difficult to consider ordering anything other than pizza. The prices of pies are mostly around $20, with the scantily topped Margherita Pizza ($16) being the low end outlier. These may be the most expensive restaurant pizze in Ottawa.

Mine was a solidly made pie with a well charred bottom. The sauce was somewhat more acidic than I like and the crust was a little too dry, especially at the rim. Some chili oil for dipping would have helped it greatly!

I'd have a hard time ranking the top ten Italian style pizza joints in town but I'm pretty sure this would be on that list.

I went to Vittoria for brunch with my girlfriend last weekend. I had "Siena" Brunch: Bacon and Fontina cheese omelet served with seasoned potatoes and nine grain toast. My girlfriend had "Francesca" Brunch: Poached eggs, smoked salmon, mascarpone cheese and dill sauce served on grilled toast with seasoned potatoes. Everything was tasty and fresh. My seasoned potatoes were excellent. Good service. Impressive wine list. It's cosy!