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MURRAY STREET
Every once and a while the cosmos aligns itself and it shines only on you.
Recommended by friends of ours we decided to try Murray Street, billed as a Kitchen/Wine/Charcuterie.
It also happened to be my birthday and Lynn is big deal person about birthdays where I tend to be a tad so whatish.
She offered to take me to Bekta, Benitz or anywhere else that was grand and elegant. It was my birthday after all.
I demurred and suggested that we continue on our quest of the unknown best.
We hit gold with Murray Street.
Their signage isn't clear that there is a dining room hidden in the small house that is Murray Street, but there was a chalk board with a large arrow that directed us down this narrow alley between two buildings towards a wonderful patio.
It was pretty full and busy, a waiter who was walking by with a full tray of wine bottles and glasses, stopped and asked, "What do you want?"
He didn't seem that pleased to see us.
I can understand why as the patio was almost totally occupied and he was busy. But, still balancing his tray of wine bottles and glasses, he said, "I'll see what I can do."
In no time we were seated in a nice corner table with a full view of the patio.
I will short hand the basics. The place is great, the patio a real hidden treat, the service is casual but very professional.
If I had stars to hand out I couldn't give enough of them to Murray Street.
Now having that out of the way I can get to the food.
What owners Steve Mitton and Paddy Whelan have created is something that is unique in Ottawa and perhaps in the country.
Some establishments, like Domus, push their concepts of Canadian and local produce.
Murray Street just cooks with them without the fanfare and the results are extraordinary.
If I had the space here I would reprint their entire menu.
We decided to share the Beet presentation, a salad of sorts, a piece of art really.
It was "Roast baby red beets, pickled baby golden beets, fresh herbs, spiced pecans, Brent Halsall's honey and Monforte sheep's yogurt." (9)
It was delicious. The beets, a favourite of mine, were perfect. This is such an unusual dish that I hardly noticed that the pecans were hardly spicy and the yogurt dressing had been replaced with a soothing vinaigrette. I asked for bread to sop up the remaining dressing.
I imagine that if we had been given the salad that was on the menu we would raving.
Lynn ordered the St. Canut Farms Porcelait. "Pork loin, espresso BBQ sauce, smoked confit cheek, apple jelly and pressed 'scalloped' potatoes." (23)
I opted for the Quebec Lamb Duo. "Braised shank meat shepherd's pie, parsnip-potato puree, baby leek and creamed corn, slow roasted lamb loin, Rideau Pines sugar snap peas and lamb jus." (24)
Our meals arrived on long rectangular plates. Normally I would dismiss this presentation as being silly modern - what's wrong with the round plates that have been used throughout history?
At Murray Street there is a rationale to their plating.
I am going out onto the thin ice here but bear with me.
There is a philosophy at work at Murray Street. On your elongated plate is a subtle ying/yang experience.
You order the lamb and you get two versions. On the right edge of the plate was the slow roasted lamb loin nestling on a hidden bed of whole snap peas. On the other edge of the plate was a freelance constructed shepherds pie flavoured with lambs shank meat, corn, leeks, potato and parsnips.
I had ordered lamb and received a musical score of complimentary tastes.
Lynn had the same experience with her Pork Loin.
She had asked me earlier about Pork Cheeks. I told her that if they were slow cooked they were delicious but made the mistake of saying that they were a meaty version of cod cheeks.
Lynn is a conservative eater and said that she could never imagine eating them.
Her Pork Loin plate had the loin posited on the right side of her plate, to the left was a pork cheek. Mixed into this equation were delightfully scalloped potatoes - concealing a dollop of spinach - and a spice I couldn't identify, perhaps nutmeg or a pinch of cinnamon?
The pork cheek that Lynn had imagined that she would never eat disappeared in a nano second.
I am just touching briefly on the treats that Murray Street has to offer. Their menu is a siren song to lure you back for more and more again.
There is a whole other side to the place.
It is also a charcuterie, a cold cut joint, which has meat and cheese selections that might make you consider giving up on your libido. Food sex.
Drop in for an afternoon draw of beer or a glass of wine and try their enticements.
I could easily say more, but enough.
Sorry, one more thing. I noticed that there were no salt and peppers shakers on the tables. They are available but not a single table requested them.
I love the culinary confidence of that.
Best birthday dinner ever!
Murray Street is a very rare treat.
MURRAY STREET,
Recommended by friends of ours we decided to try Murray Street, billed as a Kitchen/Wine/Charcuterie.
It also happened to be my birthday and Lynn is big deal person about birthdays where I tend to be a tad so whatish.
She offered to take me to Bekta, Benitz or anywhere else that was grand and elegant. It was my birthday after all.
I demurred and suggested that we continue on our quest of the unknown best.
We hit gold with Murray Street.
Their signage isn't clear that there is a dining room hidden in the small house that is Murray Street, but there was a chalk board with a large arrow that directed us down this narrow alley between two buildings towards a wonderful patio.
It was pretty full and busy, a waiter who was walking by with a full tray of wine bottles and glasses, stopped and asked, "What do you want?"
He didn't seem that pleased to see us.
I can understand why as the patio was almost totally occupied and he was busy. But, still balancing his tray of wine bottles and glasses, he said, "I'll see what I can do."
In no time we were seated in a nice corner table with a full view of the patio.
I will short hand the basics. The place is great, the patio a real hidden treat, the service is casual but very professional.
If I had stars to hand out I couldn't give enough of them to Murray Street.
Now having that out of the way I can get to the food.
What owners Steve Mitton and Paddy Whelan have created is something that is unique in Ottawa and perhaps in the country.
Some establishments, like Domus, push their concepts of Canadian and local produce.
Murray Street just cooks with them without the fanfare and the results are extraordinary.
If I had the space here I would reprint their entire menu.
We decided to share the Beet presentation, a salad of sorts, a piece of art really.
It was "Roast baby red beets, pickled baby golden beets, fresh herbs, spiced pecans, Brent Halsall's honey and Monforte sheep's yogurt." (9)
It was delicious. The beets, a favourite of mine, were perfect. This is such an unusual dish that I hardly noticed that the pecans were hardly spicy and the yogurt dressing had been replaced with a soothing vinaigrette. I asked for bread to sop up the remaining dressing.
I imagine that if we had been given the salad that was on the menu we would raving.
Lynn ordered the St. Canut Farms Porcelait. "Pork loin, espresso BBQ sauce, smoked confit cheek, apple jelly and pressed 'scalloped' potatoes." (23)
I opted for the Quebec Lamb Duo. "Braised shank meat shepherd's pie, parsnip-potato puree, baby leek and creamed corn, slow roasted lamb loin, Rideau Pines sugar snap peas and lamb jus." (24)
Our meals arrived on long rectangular plates. Normally I would dismiss this presentation as being silly modern - what's wrong with the round plates that have been used throughout history?
At Murray Street there is a rationale to their plating.
I am going out onto the thin ice here but bear with me.
There is a philosophy at work at Murray Street. On your elongated plate is a subtle ying/yang experience.
You order the lamb and you get two versions. On the right edge of the plate was the slow roasted lamb loin nestling on a hidden bed of whole snap peas. On the other edge of the plate was a freelance constructed shepherds pie flavoured with lambs shank meat, corn, leeks, potato and parsnips.
I had ordered lamb and received a musical score of complimentary tastes.
Lynn had the same experience with her Pork Loin.
She had asked me earlier about Pork Cheeks. I told her that if they were slow cooked they were delicious but made the mistake of saying that they were a meaty version of cod cheeks.
Lynn is a conservative eater and said that she could never imagine eating them.
Her Pork Loin plate had the loin posited on the right side of her plate, to the left was a pork cheek. Mixed into this equation were delightfully scalloped potatoes - concealing a dollop of spinach - and a spice I couldn't identify, perhaps nutmeg or a pinch of cinnamon?
The pork cheek that Lynn had imagined that she would never eat disappeared in a nano second.
I am just touching briefly on the treats that Murray Street has to offer. Their menu is a siren song to lure you back for more and more again.
There is a whole other side to the place.
It is also a charcuterie, a cold cut joint, which has meat and cheese selections that might make you consider giving up on your libido. Food sex.
Drop in for an afternoon draw of beer or a glass of wine and try their enticements.
I could easily say more, but enough.
Sorry, one more thing. I noticed that there were no salt and peppers shakers on the tables. They are available but not a single table requested them.
I love the culinary confidence of that.
Best birthday dinner ever!
Murray Street is a very rare treat.
MURRAY STREET,
110 Murray Street,
613-562-7244
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