A Weekend in Ottawa, Ontario

First Nation "Beaver" Lodge Pole

In past years, Montreal has been our destination of choice for a long weekend in January.  This year we headed off in a slightly different direction, with some prompting from friends who have been singing the praises of the city of Ottawa. It is a four hour ride from Schroon Lake, twice the distance as the trip to Montreal. The weather was reasonably cooperative.  We had to deal with some snow squalls on the way north on Friday, but nothing that the Mini Cooper couldn't handle. We arrived at the Chateau Laurier midday on Friday and mapped out our itinerary.  The hotel sits on the banks of the Ottawa River, and a nearby bridge with a pedestrian walkway provides easy access to Gatineau in Quebec. Few cities are more pedestrian (and bike) friendly than Ottawa.  Paths line major thoroughfares, and the thoroughfares are not limited to roadways. The river and the Rideau Canal are major destinations for tourists and locals alike, especially in winter when skaters crowd the ice covered waterways.
Ottawa serves as both Ontario's Provincial capital as wells as Canada's, and the historic Parliament buildings along the river make for many photo opportunities. A ten minute walk across the bridge to Quebec will bring you to the grounds of the Museum of Civilization, which traces Canada's history from the First Nation settlements of its First Peoples to the modern Confederation. I could have spent an entire day just studying the displays of Inuit artwork and crafts. 

We only had two days in town, and we had made reservations for dinner on both Friday and Saturday night.  The weekend was also the kickoff for Ottawa's version of Restaurant Week, which they call Winter Bites.  I had emailed a few places to confirm that they were NOT participating, as we wanted to avoid the abbreviated menus that usually come along with it and the bum's rush - turn the tables - ninety minute meals.   

Smoked Octopus Appetizer at Black Cat Bistro

On Friday we had dinner at the Black Cat Bistro, and dined at the bar. The owner, Richard Urquhart, remembered our e-mail when we arrived and joked about the fact that we were trying to avoid the Winter Bite crowd. This place obviously did not need any special events to fill the seats. The chef, Patricia Larkin, had also laughed when she saw the email, and came out to introduce herself. Friendly people, these Canadians.  We started with a nice bottle of bistro wine, from a very nice bistro wine list, a Cru Beaujolais - Collin-Bourisset Cote-De-Brouilly for $45. The price may seem a little out of line to US readers, but the pricing of wine and spirits in Canada is considerably higher than in the states. Prices have actually come down quite a bit since a few years ago, thanks to an EU lawsuit challenging Canada's excise tax policies. I enjoyed a glass of wine with an appetizer that I never had before, but according to a number of sources was the kitchen's signature dish - smoked octopus. Two tentacles arrived with an artistic arrangement of accompaniments - tomatoes and olives and a paprika laced mayo dressing. Anyone who has ever cooked (or ordered) octopus knows how difficult it is to tenderize.  Batali has devoted chapters to the art of cephalopod cookery, the octopus being the most difficult of the lot. This was spectacular. It was first braised (I assume for hours), and then very lightly smoked; just enough to let you know that it had seen the inside of a smoker, and finally charred on the grill.  It was incredibly tender, still deliciously briny and sweet, and possibly the best I have ever tasted. I see why it is their signature dish. The main course was just as good.  An evening special of loin of lamb was a whole saddle, perfectly cooked to a medium rare, and served on a creamy mound of potatoes and sauteed rapini.  Mary opted for the pan seared scallops, also perfectly cooked, and plated with sides of spaghetti squash, green onions and beets.  The complete menu can be found here.  We added Black Cat Bistro to our list of favorites and look forward to our next visit.

On Saturday morning our waitress at breakfast told us we had a beautiful day for touring, although it was, in her words, "a little chilly".  A follow up revealed that "a little chilly" meant 20 below, but that was 20 below celsius, which was really only 5 below.  What a relief.  After a morning at the museum we searched for another place that we had heard about called Murray Street Kitchen, just a few blocks from the hotel.  Murray Street specializes in charcuterie and local cheeses, and the owners have developed a wine bar around that theme.  There is a kitchen and a regular menu if you insist, but one look at the display case of pates and sausages and fromages du Quebec, and I for one saw no need for a kitchen.  Just bring me the charcuterie / cheese combo platter and a bottle of tempranillo and color me happy.  And we did exactly that.    

On Saturday night we had dinner at a jazz club - Cafe Paradiso. From prior experience I have come to be extremely suspicious of jazz club kitchens.  As a general rule I put jazz club dining in the same category as hospital and airport dining, except at jazz clubs the tables are much closer together.  If I can arrange it I prefer to first eat someplace else, and then go to the club just for the show. We really wanted to hear Brian Browne on the piano, who was playing that night with Mark Ferguson, and the only way we could get a reservation was if we reserved a table for dinner. They didn't reserve seats at the bar. That was the only reason we ate there. I'm glad we did.  The food was great; a jazz club first for me.  I had an evening special of walleye pike (which they call pickerel locally).  Mary ordered the steak frites which was also very nicely done. The total bill for the evening, including cocktails, a bottle of wine at dinner, and including the music charge was $130.  Another candidate for my list of favorites ~ in the musical / kitchen / best value categories.  

We are already talking about another trip to Ottawa, perhaps when the temperature is somewhere north of the red numbers.  A walking or bike tour is very much in order.  The pedestrian walkways and parks are as welcoming as the people. It is smaller and more manageable in a weekend than Montreal, but still has lots of shops and galleries and theaters and restaurants to try.  And at least one really good jazz club.  



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