Excellent Seasonal Cusine in... Ottawa?!

John Taylor At domus cafe
87 Murray Street, Byward Market Ottawa, Ontario (613) 241-6007

Previous attempts at finding a decent restaurant in the Ottawa market area (not including bagels) have been a complete failure, and the last time I was in town, I just gave up and just went to the Keg.

However, on a recent visit weekend visit to our nation's capital city, this sad losing streak was broken when we visited the small and trendy At domus cafe, which specializes in the use of fresh regional ingredients. I liked that we could watch the chef and his assistant working in the small and open kitchen at the back of the restaurant, and the service was efficient and professional - but not snobby (we showed up dressed in jeans).

For appetizers, we had two orders of the "Chaud Froid" of Quebec Foie Gras ($20). In terms of both quality and quantity, this dish scored top marks. The hot portion of this duck liver dish was seared perfectly, and served with a fried quails egg. The cold piece was served with house chutneys and reductions, and Melba toast. The contrast and variance within this dish was very original. My sister ordered the Canadian "Taste" Plate ($18), which consisted of a seared Atlantic sea scallop, warm smoked trout, and spicy crab maki roll. It was good, but the scallop was on the small side. The trout was most flavourful, almost melting in my mouth, and the roll was above average.

For the main course, I had the Black Pepper and Smoked Paprika Black Angus Beef Tenderloin. ($38), served with Yukon Mash, and Roasted Portobella Mushroom. Overall, the dish was simple, and fulfilling. It was served as requested, medium rare, and was nicely presented in five, 1/2 inch pieces. The potatoes were creamy, and vegtables were not over cooked, which is a good thing. I ate it all, and would order it again. My sister had the "Crispy" skin slow roasted mariposa farm duck breast ($36) - she was happy, and I had a taste... very tender, and satisfying.

Wine list was extensive, but not over priced... my only regret is that we didn't leave any room for dessert!

Since the ingredients used by the restaurant change regularly, the menu changes as well. At the end of our meal, I asked for a copy of our dinner menu, and our waitress was kind enough to provide one! At domus cafe is worth a visit if you are in Ottawa and looking for a good meal.

A Little Taste of Peru

Boulevard Cafe
161 Harbord St.
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 961-7676

On a cold Thursday evening, Isabella and I made our way to The Boulevard Café , a local family run Peruvian restaurant that we have visited more than a few times.

Brightly decorated in bright and bold colours, the cozy Café offers daily specials that are presented on hand written on board, in addition to the regular menu offerings.

This time, we skipped appetizers (to save room for dessert), and ordered our favorite Aticuchos - Sea Bass on a skewer, served with perfectly deep fried potatoes and a salad. This simple fish dish is deliciously warm and light. Highly recommended if you like fish. We also tried one of the daily specials - a rack of lamb served that was served with baby red potatoes and steamed vegetables. Cooked medium rare, it was full of flavor – as a result of the meat being slightly fatty – a good thing!

The bread served with every meal comes from a local bakery down the street. While it is slightly on the heavy side (we found out it is 80% corn meal) - you can’t just have one piece when it is served warm.

Unfortunately, our highly anticipated homemade pecan pie was on the burnt side. We didn’t eat it, but they didn’t add it to our bill either. Our previous experiences with desserts here have been very positive. The wait staff are always very friendly and attentive.

While they don’t offer guinea pig on their menu (yet), the Café is a great place to go for an affordable and casual dining experience that is not corporate in any way - you walk by the open kitchen if you sit upstairs. It can especially busy in the summer when the large patio is always filled with regulars. Cost of dinner with tip was $60. Make a visit!

East End Bistro - Oh Joy!

Joy Bistro
884 Queen St. East Toronto, Ontario
(416) 465-8855

Dinner at Joy Bistro, a local east end neighborhood restaurant provided a rewarding and satisfying dining experience. This was my second visit in the past 6 months, and we were not disappointed. However, was too cold to sit on the large patio that is set up during the summer months (minus 9 tonight).

Alex and I ordered the prix fixe menu ($35), which consisted of a sweet potato soup, braised berkshire pork with grilled wild scallops, mixed mushrooms, spetzle and wilted spinach, and crème brule for dessert. The soup was served hot, and had a nice consistency with little pieces of sweet potato, but was not too creamy, heavy, or sweet. The presentation of the main course was balanced – as were the different tastes… the pork was sweet, and was balanced by the more neutral spetzle and spinach. The warm grilled scallops were a reasonable size, but were not overly memorable. The crème brule was creamy – once the caramelized sugar top was broken, you could see the specks of fresh vanilla bean without looking too hard.

Isabella ordered the grilled stripped bass. The portion was a little on the small size, and it was accompanied lots of vegetables, which were soft and sweet – not over cooked. Vera had the braised lamb shank, which literally fell off the bone. If you like lamb, this dish is worth trying. Accompanied by a hearty serving of mashed potato, it wasn’t a light meal, but satisfying. She also had the soup of the day - the creamy potato and leek. We shared an order of lightly fried calamari, that were dipped in a garlic aioli.

The décor of this cozy restaurant borders on the romantic; with candles, dimmed lighting, heavy white cloth napkins, and a dominating dark wood bar. The wine list is quite extensive, and the service was very attentive and efficient. We didn’t feel rushed, even though we closed the place down (last table to leave) at 11 pm. Joy Bistro was a pleasure to visit, and we’ll definitely be back for another visit in the near future.