Story and Photography by Barbara Penny Angelakis
 

The culinary arts are alive and well in Ottawa. Starting with the ne plus ultra Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures, through Murray Street Kitchen/Wine/Charcuterie, to the trendy restaurant e18hteen, I literally ate my way through my short visit to Ottawa, ostensibly for the Tulip Festival. While the festival was a disappointment, in view of non-cooperation from Mother Nature, the dinning opportunities more than made up for the lack of blossoms. There are in fact so many high-quality dinning establishments located throughout Ottawa’s downtown and neighborhoods that, like her more famous foodie sister cities of Quebec and Montreal, she should also be considered “destination gastronomic” when planning a toothsome getaway.

Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures

Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute is a premier cooking school where French techniques are taught by Master Chefs. The Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures is an extension of the hands-on training the school offers. The restaurant is located in the historic Munross Mansion, which was handsomely restyled to offer intimate dinning in a series of appealing rooms. There is also a richly appointed and well stocked barroom off the main entrance.  The bistro offers lunch and dinner for prices far less than you would expect for such sybaritic cuisine. The waitstaff also deserves accolades for understanding the cuisine and being able to describe dishes, but the kudos definitely go to the master chefs for their creative use of locally available ingredients.

Morel mushrooms were in season and Stéphane Brihay, Maître d’hôtel, recommended I try them for my appetizer - and once I had settled on filet de doré (pickerel) for my main course – he suggested a Sancerre 2008 from the Loire Valley to compliment both dishes. The platter of fresh morels braised with asparagus, topped with a poached egg and truffle emulsion was as attractive to look at as it was to ingest. The striking presentation was art as much as artifact with the cut asparagus creating a bed for the morels and poached egg and the emulsion decoratively glazing the plate. The egg was perfectly poached with a solid white and runny bright yellow yoke and once pierced, presented a colorful and delicate foil for the earthy morels, truffle flavoring, and crunchy asparagus. 

The doré filet entrée also was a picture of vibrant contrasts served with crispy skin-up, the thick white-fleshed fish was covered with a colorful citrus fruit salsa, a glaze of creamed butternut squash on the side, and roasted Jerusalem artichokes flanking the filet. The mild flaking flesh and crisp skin were cooked to perfection and with the unusual citrus salsa countering the creamy buttery squash the dish was wildly successful. And for dessert, another unusual combination of blueberry and maple syrup crème Brûlée served at room temperature was creamy and crunchy at the same time, and although I was so full that I didn’t think I could more than taste the dessert, I was wrong and licked the spoon clean. www.lcbottawa.com

Murray Street Kitchen/Wine Bar/Charcuterie

Murray Street Kitchen/Wine Bar/Charcuterie features Chef Steve Mitton doing the food thing and Paddy Whelan in the front of the house. This dynamic partnership’s notion of sharing the spotlight with the local farmers and producers that supply the quality raw materials that Chef Steve turns into some fantastic eating, revolutionizes the farm-to-table, restaurant dining concept. Under a heading on the menu of “Meet what you Eat” you will find the food purveyors that supply Murray Street’s kitchen their ‘regional and seasonal ingredients’.

Located in the Byward Market neighborhood, the rustic looking front room features a well-equipped bar, tables and decorations - all produced locally - and leads into a small side room for overflow seating. The menu is funky and fun and features items like Poutine – hand-cut herb spatzle, shredded mariposa duck confit, roast duck gravy, Glengarry “Fen Squeaks” fresh cheese curds or Molasses pickled, smoked & grilled Cayer lamb liver, Acorn Creek cucumber yoghurt salad, balsam fir jelly, $10 and $12 respectively. They also do a local pork head to tail, raised respectfully, or How to Get a Head; whole smoked roasted & garnished pig’s head to order.

Since I was there for lunch I opted for the chefs special of open-faced savory pan-fried calves liver on grilled baguette topped with cubed bacon and fried onions, and served on a pig shaped wood plank with a cup of cheddar cheese/potato soup. The generous slice of liver was rich, creamy and flavorful and perhaps the best I have ever had in any restaurant. However, I felt the side dish of soup could have been in a lighter vein to counteract the richness of the liver. www.murraystreet.ca

Restaurant e18hteen

This trendy eatery is the dream child of Caroline Gosselin, Sommelier, Artist, and Entrepreneur. Located in the heart of the Byward, restaurant e18hteen’s kitchen is overseen by Executive Chef Matthew Carmichael whose innovative creations have won him numerous awards and accolades. Like all the other restaurants I visited Chef Carmichael uses only fresh local seasonal ingredients and names his sources. Locals are familiar with the quality of the local producers and can order according to their favorites. The multi-level layout of the restaurant was designed by Ms. Gosselin and its overriding feature is a massive bar on the upper level. The walls are adorned with a series of her paintings “Caught on Camera”, a collection of oil, charcoal, and mixed media that define the modern affluent nature of the restaurant. 

The dinner began with a flute of Chilean sparkling white wine and an amuse bouche of British Columbia spot prawns; one pealed and served raw, while the other two were cooked in their shells in a spicy olive oil seasoned with fresh chopped herbs. Since morels were in season I selected Chef Carmichael’s version of shallot butter sautéed asparagus with chopped fresh herbs and the just picked brown morels from across the river in Gatineau, Quebec Province, cooked in a sweet sherry sauce. The layers of flavors was awesome and a wonderful pairing of these two seasonal delicacies.  Next came Ostrich steak with brandied cherries, wild shitake and King Oyster mushrooms, Brussels spout leaves for color, and to balance the sweetness of the cherries, a sprinkling of rock salt on the meat which was served on a bed of creamed onions. For those readers as unfamiliar with Ostrich steak as I was, the meat was a tender version of a very lean, very good cut of sirloin steak presented thickly sliced like a Chateau Briand. Unfortunately it was presented a little too Black & Blue for my taste but the dish was perfectly balanced and beautifully presented. After dinner I made my way to the kitchen for a brief chat with Chef Matt and caught him preparing a rack of lamb topped with seasoned bread crumbs for a very lucky customer. After such a lavish feast I reluctantly passed on dessert and settled on a cappuccino to end the meal which at restaurant e18hteen was rich enough to quality as a sweet.  www.restaurant18.com

 

 

 

© July 2010 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.

 

Issue:
January
2012