ottawa foodies

Domus Café has great food, great presentation, great service, great atmosphere! Last time I went was for Valentine's day (evening menu is almost twice the price as the lunch menu), I had seared foie gras (one of my favorites).
If you want to try it out on a budget, you should go there at lunch time ;-) Try the soup of day, it's always very tasty!
(A similar place with similar prices is the bistro at the French Baker on Murray too, only opened at lunch time).

I am ashamed that it has been several months since posting a comment even though we haven't stopped dining out. Too busy after our trip to France (wow....LOTS of GREAT dining to be had there!!). I digress....

Had a fabulous meal here several weeks ago (or was it a couple of months ago...can't remember, too much wine!). We were a group of 6 and the service was superb as well as the meal, wine and atmosphere.

I don't remember the specifics but will definitely go back again (maybe after the holidays) when I'm looking to spend a few bucks and be sure to get a satisfying experience!

Agree that this is one of the best bistro places in town. Foie Gras to die for. Beef tenderloin also very good... and saucy... mmm

Have heard that Anne Hardy thinks it's worse than Black Cat next door....

must try the latter...

I went to Domus and was amazed by all the delicious food that that they served. I left nothing on my plate! The white asparagus soup was beyond amazing and the Goat cheese tart was just was yummy. Dessert was truly a treat! Not one complaint about the food, atmosphere or service from the staff. The best meal i have had in a long time!!

Domus got 4.5 star rating (out of 5) by Ottawa Magazine (the July/August issue). Any one read that review yet?

The secret to the taters is the massive amount of butter they use ;)

And here's the gorgeous maple tart he had for dessert :)

BF had the pork tenderloin. it was to die for. he said the mashed potatoes rivalled his own - and believe me, he guards that mashed potatoes recipe with his life.

And here's my salad - just the hand-picked greens from Bryson Farms. LOVED the mustard dressing.

We want to try their "Crazy Good" Warm Chocolate Cake originally. However, we were told that this will take about 20 minutes preparation time.

So, we changed our mind and tried their Carrot Cake ($10) instead. Delicious as it looks!

I'm still thinking about this chocolate truffle cake.

Sure. I posted it in the Forum.

Care to share that recipe with us? :)

I remeber being in charge of the desserts the first night I was there, and I must say that the Creme Brulee was hands-down the most popular item. It's almost as good as my Chocolate Banana Strawberry Creme Brulee ;)

Desserts here are made-to-order, as should be expected from a restaurant of this caliber. I ordered the vanilla creme brule, and my husband ordered a cranberry and white chocolate tarte. My creme brule had the perfect amount of 'crust' on top. His tarte had a lovely, flaky crust. Both were wonderful and beautifully presented.

I asked our waiter to recommend a robust red wine, and he immediately suggested a Cabernet Sauvignon. Well played, sir - it was absolutely to my taste (delicious!) and I thoroughly enjoyed every drop :) Next time I may order a bottle of something and just ask them to bring the food slowly throughout the night so I have a chance to finish it!

Domus offers one of the best Canadian wine list in Ottawa downtown. Here I realized that the quality of many Ontario white wines is improved a lot. I match my fish selection (scalopps + mushrooms+ spinachs) with a Canadian no-oaked Chardonnay from Niagara region. It was crisp, with a refreshing acidity, well balanced with hints of citrus and floral notes with a medium finish.
My girlfriend had a good Sauvignon Blanc from the same region. It was very complex with aromas of tropical fruits and grapefruit, full body and with a long finish. It was very crisp. Those wines were good choices for our fish selections. Even the ice-wines list was wide with many good labels.

Like a few other restaurants in Ottawa, Domus tries to focus on local and Canadian cuisine. This is also true with their wine list, which features some wonderful bottles from all over Canada, focusing most on Ontario (and therefore the Niagara region).

I drooled over the first page of the list, which was rare/'last call' bottles of various vintages. We might have been celebrating my birthday, but we also didn't want to drop $70+ on a single bottle of wine, no matter how delicious it might be. Instead, we turned the page over to the local reds choices, and went with a Stonechurch Cabernet Franc. It was a balanced wine with flavours of blackberry and fresh pepper, and a hint of vanilla. Probably not the best choice for my salmon dish, but paired nicely with the risotto and my husband's duck.

I can see why they have won wine awards.

The bread arrived on our table hot with smoke! Fabulous bread. I gave 5 stars for their bread! (I forgot what it was. But very filling and tasted like homemade.) Too bad that I didn't take the photo of their bread.

This was their house chowder ($25). Not too rich and this was what my friend wanted.

This was their Warm House Smoked Ontario Rainbow Trout ($22).

This was the Daily Market Soup I ordered. I forgot what it was. A little bit sour. Good to start! Isn't it beautiful!

The server also asked me if I wanted to have another slice of bread to go with my soup. No doubt about it.

This was the Endive Beet Salad ($14) my friend ordered.

Because we got a window seat, the picture turned out pretty nice with natural lighting. I think this is the best food photo I have taken.