Foods from eldon's
Comments
2019 May 17
This place has been on my “to try” list for a while, and we finally got round to visiting for dinner recently.
The space itself and the menu are both fairly small, but both appeared very inviting, so I really wanted to like this place.
The general consensus was that although the food was very fresh, it desperately needed some seasoning, and that it was quite pricey.
We started with some homemade bread. You pay depending on the topping of which there were several to choose from. We went for herbed cheese which was very nice, but would have been even nicer if it were complimentary. However, given the pace of the service to follow and the portion sizes, we were glad that we “splurged” out and had something to sustain us.
For starters I had the Digby scallops (top left). Very attractive, and I wasn’t expecting a pile of scallops for $16, but it seemed more like 1 scallop, cut into 5 thin slices. The herbs and accompaniments were nice & attractive but if I’d had this dish blind I wouldn’t have known the scallops were in there.
Mrs Rat had the mushrooms (top right), which came with barley. Pleasant enough (I had a small sample) but really needed a bit of salt or pepper - neither of which were available on the table or offered.
For mains, I had the pickerel (bottom right) with grits and tomato gravy. I was expecting a piece of fish with crispy skin (not that it was described as such, just my assumption), but it was more like several small, and somewhat dry pieces on a bed of grits. Pleasant but not much flavour. I’m not a big tomato fan, and it seemed like an odd match, but as I was fairly hungry and desperate to not miss out on any discernible flavour I had the tomato gravy. Also, if you can make out the white bits - that was popcorn. Maybe it was to provide a contrast in texture, but sitting on the grits just made them chewy and lead to a decidedly WTF were they thinking moment.
The steak (bottom left) was nice enough. The potatoes were described as “fussy” by Mrs Rat, and the whole dish could have done with some salt or pepper (spotting a trend yet …?) and something, anything, else. Just a bit of wilted kale or even a modest carrot. But no, $32 got you steak and potatoes. Thats quite a hike from when Peter Hum reviewed the place (ottawacitizen.com). I wouldn’t have minded paying $22 like he did, but $32 … it wasn’t worth $32.
We still had room (which is unusual for us after starter & main, especially with bread as well) so we both opted for the citrus tart. We both agreed this was the star of the show.
Service was … leisurely, but adequate.
We didn’t have wine, I had 3 beers. All in, including tax & tip the bill was just shy of $200 for 2 people. Thats on the upper end of my scale, and to be honest I think we could have got better for less (we miss you Allium).
The space itself and the menu are both fairly small, but both appeared very inviting, so I really wanted to like this place.
The general consensus was that although the food was very fresh, it desperately needed some seasoning, and that it was quite pricey.
We started with some homemade bread. You pay depending on the topping of which there were several to choose from. We went for herbed cheese which was very nice, but would have been even nicer if it were complimentary. However, given the pace of the service to follow and the portion sizes, we were glad that we “splurged” out and had something to sustain us.
For starters I had the Digby scallops (top left). Very attractive, and I wasn’t expecting a pile of scallops for $16, but it seemed more like 1 scallop, cut into 5 thin slices. The herbs and accompaniments were nice & attractive but if I’d had this dish blind I wouldn’t have known the scallops were in there.
Mrs Rat had the mushrooms (top right), which came with barley. Pleasant enough (I had a small sample) but really needed a bit of salt or pepper - neither of which were available on the table or offered.
For mains, I had the pickerel (bottom right) with grits and tomato gravy. I was expecting a piece of fish with crispy skin (not that it was described as such, just my assumption), but it was more like several small, and somewhat dry pieces on a bed of grits. Pleasant but not much flavour. I’m not a big tomato fan, and it seemed like an odd match, but as I was fairly hungry and desperate to not miss out on any discernible flavour I had the tomato gravy. Also, if you can make out the white bits - that was popcorn. Maybe it was to provide a contrast in texture, but sitting on the grits just made them chewy and lead to a decidedly WTF were they thinking moment.
The steak (bottom left) was nice enough. The potatoes were described as “fussy” by Mrs Rat, and the whole dish could have done with some salt or pepper (spotting a trend yet …?) and something, anything, else. Just a bit of wilted kale or even a modest carrot. But no, $32 got you steak and potatoes. Thats quite a hike from when Peter Hum reviewed the place (ottawacitizen.com). I wouldn’t have minded paying $22 like he did, but $32 … it wasn’t worth $32.
We still had room (which is unusual for us after starter & main, especially with bread as well) so we both opted for the citrus tart. We both agreed this was the star of the show.
Service was … leisurely, but adequate.
We didn’t have wine, I had 3 beers. All in, including tax & tip the bill was just shy of $200 for 2 people. Thats on the upper end of my scale, and to be honest I think we could have got better for less (we miss you Allium).
2018 Aug 10
Went here for brunch with the family a couple Sundays ago, so I apologize if my memory is a bit fuzzy.
It was a lovely little restaurant. They have fresh herb boxes on the walls which adds to the homey feel. The wood decor is nice, but it amplified the sound from a table behind us, making our conversation a little hard sometimes.
Pictures is their play on eggs benedict with beef brisket, which I see is no longer on the menu, which is a shame. It was really good. The beef full of flavour, the eggs poached perfectly, and the crema instead of hollandaise worked. The salad was really big on the plate, but the potato hashbrown was the star. Crispy, but tender inside, well seasoned.
My mother had the pulled pork one, which is still on the menu. She liked it, but not as much as the beef, as it was a vinegar based pulled pork.
It was a lovely little restaurant. They have fresh herb boxes on the walls which adds to the homey feel. The wood decor is nice, but it amplified the sound from a table behind us, making our conversation a little hard sometimes.
Pictures is their play on eggs benedict with beef brisket, which I see is no longer on the menu, which is a shame. It was really good. The beef full of flavour, the eggs poached perfectly, and the crema instead of hollandaise worked. The salad was really big on the plate, but the potato hashbrown was the star. Crispy, but tender inside, well seasoned.
My mother had the pulled pork one, which is still on the menu. She liked it, but not as much as the beef, as it was a vinegar based pulled pork.
Ratty