Last minute Ottawa restaurant selection help needed!

March 8, 2007 1:21 PM

I am travelling with my SO to meet my parents tomorrow in Ottawa, a city none of us live in or have lived in. I searched some city guides earlier for restaurants & found some places that looked good, but I hadn't yet made a reservation. Long story shortened, I've been ill & have not made a reservation yet for Saturday; I also no longer think the places I originally looked at are appropriate.

My mother has now, smartly, suggested that we eat somewhere that is quickly/ cheaply accessible by taxi, as we will all likely be drinking during the meal. I don't know the area but something walkable would be ideal. The hotel we are staying at will be the Embassy Hotel on 25 Cartier St. We are all foodies, so good food & a fair selection of wine is a must; however, we don't want anything overly expensive or stuffy. Any type of food is fine, we aren't picky. (I'm also not really a phone person, so calling the hotel & asking for recommendations from them is last on my list of ideas) Help!

posted by Laura in Canada to food & drink (13 comments total)

I liked The Black Tomato which is by the Byward Market and the food was great. Failing that - other Byward Market restaurants or a search by cuisine.
posted by meerkatty at 1:48 PM on March 8, 2007

We are all foodies, so good food & a fair selection of wine is a must; however, we don't want anything overly expensive or stuffy. Any type of food is fine, we aren't picky.

That sounds kind of contradictory. A price range to describe what you mean by too expensive would be helpful.
If not, I'll take a wild stab and say somewhere like Fratelli in the Glebe will fit your bill.
posted by cardboard at 1:52 PM on March 8, 2007

I didn't want to put a price range, as I didn't want to limit too much. My main concern is that it is close to the hotel, preferably walkable. As for price, I've been to restaurants where the bill for two people surpasses $200, before wine; we don't want that, we'd like a good glass of wine, some decent food & something we can quickly get to & from.

cardboard: it doesn't appear to be on the map, but is Fratelli close to the hotel?
posted by Laura in Canada at 2:08 PM on March 8, 2007

I would recommend Luxe Bistro. Great food and it's won a wine award three years in a row. Close to you - walking distance if it's not too cold, right in the Byward Markert. It's not cheap, but you can take a look at the prices (the last line of each menu item) and judge for yourself.
posted by Dasein at 2:21 PM on March 8, 2007

The Glebe's going to be a little far from your location. But anything on Elgin Street will be just a hop and a skip from your hotel -- a lot of restaurants, but many are in the diner/pub category.
posted by mcwetboy at 3:09 PM on March 8, 2007

Domus, in the Byward market, makes great food, has a decent wine list from what I recall, friendly staff, and you can dress up or dress down and you won't feel uncomfortable either way. Main courses are in the 15-20 dollar range. It's walkable if you're willing to walk for 20 minutes; a cab would take five. Here is Google's advice for getting from your hotel to the restaurant.
posted by louigi at 3:29 PM on March 8, 2007

Sorry, I underestimated the cost of mains; more like 25 dollars from the look of their site.
posted by louigi at 3:30 PM on March 8, 2007

The two must-visit sites:

ottawafoodies.com
restaurantthing.com

Genji might be the thing. Nice but not fussy-nice. Not much by way of a wine list, though, but you could easily walk there.

Assuming it's not too cold -- there's a cold snap here at the moment; you might be cabbing no matter where you go. Side note: there're very few restaurants in Ottawa that really need a reservation; I think I make one two or three times a year.

I haven't been, but The Urban Pear gets nice reviews. Not more than $10 each way by taxi.

Le Café is nice -- tableclothy; maybe too much 'nice'? -- good wine -- and it would make for a very nice walk along the canal if it's not too cold.

The Ritz? On the above-mentioned Elgin Street; quite walkable, moderate prices, Italian. The East India Company is just off Elgin; very nice to relax in, not overpriced, quite good food. The Whalesbone Oyster House has a good rep among foodies; this vegetarian can't comment, though.

Re. Fratelli, above: that's in the $10-cab-range; same neighbourhood as The Urban Pear.
posted by kmennie at 4:31 PM on March 8, 2007

Take the restaurantthing.com recommendations with a grain of salt. It does a good job the best brunch spots, but is less reliable for good dinner restaurants, in my experience.

The Urban Pear is great. They're about a 10 minute cab ride from your hotel. You will absolutely want a reservation for Saturday night though.

I quite like Allium. They're in Westboro, again about a 10 minute cab ride from your hotel. Small menu (six apps, six mains, six desserts), but very local and seasonal, quite reasonably priced. The chef changes the menu every month, so it's like going to a new place every time I go. You'll want reservations here too.

The Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro is a bit more expensive that the Pear or Allium, but it's really unique. Native-inspired (and prepared) food, it will probably be unlike anything you've ever tried before. A really good special event restaurant. They're in the Bytown Market, about a 5 minute cab from your hotel. You WILL want reservations for this place (call NOW).

The Luxe is good too, but I've only been there once.
posted by bonehead at 6:31 PM on March 8, 2007

The Ritz on Elgin is just around the corner from your Hotel, but I'd be careful. It can have great food, but I've also had the worst food poisoning in my life from that place (bad calamari).
posted by bonehead at 6:33 PM on March 8, 2007

If Allium is close enough, you could also skip south on Parkdale and east on Wellington to go to the Wellington Gastropub (ottawafoodies reviews). It's perhaps a 10 minute walk from the Allium to the Wellington (I work in the area). The food is great, the prices are fair. The menu changes every day. Although I'm not a wine person, friends seemed to like the wine list. Reservations are reccomended.
posted by splice at 3:06 AM on March 9, 2007

Make that west on Wellington, oops.
posted by splice at 3:06 AM on March 9, 2007

I've heard really good things about The Whalesbone, tel: [phone]. It's located at 430 Bank Street, 1.2 km SE from your hotel. I haven't been though I'm looking forward to checking it out. Depending on the weather, you could walk there from your hotel.

If you want a great and dizzying selection of wine, there is Vineyards in the Byward Market, tel: [phone]. They offer flight tasting, selections of 3 wines to taste test. It's located at 54 York Street in the cellar of the building, 2.7 km NE from your hotel. I really like their beer selection. You'd have to take a cab.

Fratelli's is located at 749 Bank Street, 2.2 km SE from your hotel. I would suggest taking a cab if you went there.
posted by KathyK at 6:21 AM on March 9, 2007