e18hteen
Foods from e18hteen
Comments

2013 Jan 3
Date of Visit: December 3, 2012

I must have passed by E18teen countless times without noticing it. The understated signage outside, and the rather imposing, yet featureless appearance of the building doesn’t really suggest a restaurant at all. I had taken a quick look at their web-site before deciding to visit, of course, but what I saw in those pages along with the ‘trendiness’ of the name, made be think it might be a bit of a ‘gimicky’ sort of place, with more emphasis on the ‘nouvelle’ rather than the ‘cuisine’. As it happened, I was far more impressed than I expected to be…

The Dishes
Complimentary Amuse-Bouche... Rating: 4 out of 5
Rodney Prince Oysters... Rating 5 out of 5
BC Spot Prawn Pasta... Rating 4 out of 5
Char Grilled Alberta Black Angus Rib-eye... Rating 5 out of 5

Overall
E18teen was a nice surprise for me. It was a thoroughly enjoyable meal with excellent service in very comfortable and pleasant surroundings. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone looking for a really fine dining experience without breaking the bank. Rating 5 out of 5

See full pictorial review at: sybaritica.me

2012 Oct 22
Tried this place for the first time last week. The appetizers were quite good with the tuna tartare made from really fresh fish and the beef tartare with harissa being good with a little something different. All main courses were equally good (cod with nice mix of vegetables, lamb racks that were really juicy and tender and the blue-cheese crusted steak with peppercorn sauce which was the highlight though maybe a bit too big at 12 ounces). The cheese plate I had to close the meal was humongous with a great selection of cheeses. I had been told this place was pricy and indeed this is not cheap but well worth at the end of the day for the quality of the food.

2011 Jan 1
My wife and I went to e18hteen on Thursday night, and I have a mixed reaction.

My food was great...braised foie gras appetizer followed by ample, tender, flavourful espresso roasted ostrich. No, my main course didn't keep me up at night.

I found the service to be a bit slow, with long gaps from bread to appetizer to main. We couldn't use the time to enjoy each other's company since the loud jazz music made it difficult to chat...some numbers heavy on the drums made it impossible. It's a large open space with hard accoustics, plus music, plus people trying to talk louder than the music. Back when I was young and enjoyed a loud place, I wouln't have been able to afford this one.

Walking down the hall, I wondered if it would have been possible to win all those awards for their wine list with a few more Canadian choices on it.

Alas, don't use the washroom on your way out since it seems a bit dingy and ready for a reno. You don't want that to be what you remember of the place.

They say you should always end on a positive note, and so I'll repeat that the meal was really delicious.

2010 Dec 30
Dined at Eighteen last night after a very disappointing "first course" at another market resto.

Both my friend and I had Dungeness crab rissotto appetizer. It was very good - large chunks of crab.

For dessert, I had the mille feuille (lychee cream sandwiched between light wafers of flaky pastry, passionfruit gelato and small cubes of poached papaya with black sesame). I wasn't sure I should get dessert but I was supremely happy that I did. The mille feuille was DIVINE!!!

My friend selected three cheeses (riopelle, patte blanche and one from Holland). Her tray was beautiful and she quite enjoyed it.

2009 Sep 23
Went to E18teen for the first time back in August for our wedding anniversary. It was on the holiday Monday in early August. We made our reservation just that afternoon for dinner at 6pm and were asked as we walked in to make the reservation if it was for a special occasion - to which we replied yes!

We did not order appetizers as we had gone elsewhere in the market for an 'appetizer' beforehand. We both ordered steak and found them to be delicious - extremely tender with great flavor.

We also decided to go elsewhere for dessert but before leaving we received a lovely white square plate with Happy Anniversary written in chocolate and two little cheese cake balls rolled in baked graham crumbs - a real nice touch.

I'd go back to E18teen again.

2009 Sep 15
Friends were married and had their reception at Eighteen in August. They were very accomodating of our table (dairy allergy and me, vegan). The service was impeccable, and the food was great! I had a greek style salad without the cheese, a potato fritter (similar in style to a latke - the proper name escapes me at the moment) and a wonderful fruit salad.

I look forward to another occasion to eat there.

2009 Apr 12
Visited her for the first time .It didn't start off great. I had a Mill Street Organic Lager, my brand but it was just turning skunky I shold have known they changed theri bottles months ago so I didn't drink it. I had just drank one before leaving the house so I could tell right away it's skunkyness. Great atmosphere. The menu was not that extensive. Lamb,Chicken breasts, Two types of steak and fish. I had the 18oz ribeye. It was average and was in a mushroom sauce. I don't really like sauces on steak but it was ok. Not the tenderest steak must have been the cut not a big fan of striploin. $42 for the steak mashed potatoes and green beans. Normal for steak in Ottawa. Big Easy's has much better steak for less and the food at Big Easys is much better. Another average restaruant in Ottawa.

2008 Nov 28
Went last night to Eighteen with a large group. Service was impeccable as usual, and the food was suberb.

I had the Golden Beet Salad to start, followed by the Grilled Octopus and then the Duo of Lamb. For dessert I had a little sampling of various pumpkin desserts.

The Grilled Octopus was simply amazing, it was the highlight of my meal.

2008 Aug 22
This review is long overdue...and I was previously a BIG fan of Ei8hteen, but am not such a big fan any longer.

Here is the reason why: Back in May I went out with a bunch of gals for a movie then to Ei8hteen to meet up with other folks for drinks and dinner. The organizer of this evening called the restaurant a few days before to make a reservation for the 12 people. She proceeded to tell them that we were going to have drinks then most of us would have dinner and some would have appetizers. The manager said they would seat us in the bar at first for drinks because all the dinner tables were booked, then give us a proper table to eat once everyone arrived around 9:30. This plan was fine with our group.

When the gals arrived first at the restaurant decked out in our finery, the waiter seated us at two of the high top tables (separate and not comfortable in heels and dresses) and stated that would be our place for the night. The organizer then recounted the conversation she had earlier on the phone with the manager (who happened to be there and interrupted the conversation) about how we wanted to have dinner and that we were to be moved to a regular table later. The manager flatly denied the conversation with the organizer then proceeded to tell us that there is a $75 minimum per person for the table and that is why we couldn’t have the proper dining table. The organizer convinced them that there was no problem on spending the minimum per person averaged over the table (many bottles of wine, champagne cocktails and expensive mains were had) and that we didn’t want to eat dinner at the bar tables. The manager, finally after much persuasion agreed to seat us at a proper table (already set, not reserved and empty at the time of arrival I might add).

I wasn’t impressed with the attitude of the manager and then to top it all off the server was not attentive in the slightest and we waited 45 minutes at the end to pay the bill. The food was mostly good but after fighting with the manager, I am not inclined to go back there again. The dinner cost my husband and I around $200 for the two of us and I much rather spend my money at other restaurants that are interested in taking it.

Also, the music after 9:00 pm gets cranked up and it is difficult to have a conversation (even though I enjoy the lounge music they play). I wish this place would figure out an identity for itself and decide whether it is a high-end restaurant with good service and fine food, or whether they are a martini bar for the 20-something set.

2008 Jul 8
My husband and I went last night for our first wedding anniversary.
We started off with salad, I had the tomatoe salad with c'est bon goat cheese, and my husband had the green bean ceasar salad. Both were GREAT. We ordered a bottle of CVS chardonnay to match our mains. I had the trout, and my husband had the hen, both were great, though the trout was a little too salty for my taste...

We then had the Creme Brule for desert, which was AMAZING!!

The price was decent, came up to 200$ for both of us, including the tip.

Great service, great atmosphere... I recommend it, and I would go again!

Older

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2008 Jan 10
I just popped by tonight and had some drinks and the General Tao's Chicken. Not bad, but Chinese restaurants do it best. Their website has it listed as $6, but it was $9 - poor value for the portion size (in my opinion) but a good snack nonetheless.

I was however pleasantly surprised to see they have some Beau's on tap, as well as a few beers from the Mill Street Brewery in TO...

2008 Jan 3
Never tried it but I see it's on their 'Bar Bites' menu which is reasonable priced with most apps between $6-$9. I'll have to drop by for a drink sometime soon...

2007 Dec 22
I really like the General Tsao's at Eighteen. You can get it at the bar or the lounge. Have any of you guys had it there?




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2009 Nov 13
They don't have a wine list, they have a wine bible!

2008 Mar 23
Pretty much all you have to do is walk to the bathroom and you can see all the wonderful awards that Eighteen has won for their wine list.
Outstanding to say the least, and all their menu items are paired very well, too.
I was very confused on whether to order by the bottle or glass seeing as I picked items randomly off the menu. Me and my date ended up with a bottle of pinot noir to match our main, and then received ON THE HOUSE, glasses of wine to accompany our other courses! Such great service and great wine knowledge as well. Those awards have come with a reason!