Anthony’s On Elgin

We decided that back to basics was the way to go.

Lynn had recovered from a month long battle with her flu and was ready to step out again for a dinner date.

Go somewhere we knew was her thought, somewhere downtown. Her suggestion was the Ritz on Elgin between Somerset and MacLaren.

This restaurant has occupied its thin narrow space on Elgin Street for 25 years. It began as the Ritz number three, part of the Ritz Restaurant Empire. That Empire has since fallen but remaining is Anthony’s On Elgin, same address, same staff and the same cook/owner, and more importantly the same dedication to great food.

Nothing beats the three basics of a successful dining experience: excellently prepared and presented food, seamless service and a comfortable space to tie everything together.

The room resembles the dimensions of a dining car on a train. Instead choosing a paint color to open the room up owner Anthony Ford went the other way picking a milk chocolate brown which makes the room even more intimate. The space is designed to focus on the food and the company you are sharing it with. There are no distractions to divert ones attention to anything other than taste.

Anthony’s is an Italian restaurant – sort of. Pasta is its mainstay, made fresh daily on site as are the desserts.

But Pasta Alla Jambalaya or Spaghetti with Curried Seafood Marinara isn’t the kind of fare you would find in Mama Teresa’s kitchen.

Chef Ford adds contemporary twists to his dishes while remaining true the basics of Italian culinary tradition.

To start we decided to share two appetizers. Lynn ordered the Inslatta Al Antonio. A fabulous light salad of Pear, Provolone, Walnuts and Mixed Greens splashed with red wine vinaigrette. (7.95) Also try the house standard, Inslatta Mista which has to be the best in the city. (5.95)

I ordered the Mussels. They are two options, either cream or tomato based. I have had both but this night I opted for the tomato, tarragon and ginger sauce version. (8.95) The plumpest mussels available peek out from a perfectly balanced sauce with a hint of butter to bind it all together.

Lynn and I are both small eaters and at this point I was satisfied, almost ready for a cognac and a cigar but we decided to press on.

And lo and behold salvation was at hand in that the first three pasta dishes on the menu came in half sizes.

Lynn chose the Pasta Alla Calabrese which was a spicy tomato sauce with Calabrese sausage. (9.95) I decided on the Pasta Con Pesto, fettuccine with a basil pesto, a dollop of Goat Cheese and sprinkled with freshly cut tomato. (9.95) Although each dish was different the sauces were both superb. Each held a delicate balance that gave each of its ingredients a voice.

The real success, however, was the freshly made pasta. Even though pasta seems like a simple thing to cook, and it is, it is the quality, the right mix of egg and flour that makes a truely great pasta a real treat. Anthony makes truely great pasta.

The half sizes we were served amounted to pretty substantial portions. Now I was definitely ready for that cognac.

If there if a fault with Anthony’s it is that you don’t want to leave. I actually felt like ordering more if only to just get a taste. I wanted to try some of days specials like the Grilled Trout with black and green olives, and cherry tomatoes with garlic. (16.95)

We decided that coming back was the better idea than ordering more and asked for our bill. That was another treat $54.00 for two with a juice and a glass of wine. It was the half orders that dropped the price but even still I felt guilty knowing that we would have paid double that amount without question.

The basics work every time.

Anthony’s On Elgin
Monday to Friday 11:30 – 10:00
Weekend 5:00 – 10:00
613-235-7027

http://www.anthonysonelgin.ca/

Staying Home
April 8, 2008

We are doing our dining at home these days, when we can. Lynn has been afflicted with a vicious strain of the flu which has robbed her of her energy, her voice and her taste for dining out.

She is on the mend and, hopefully, now the worst is behind her.

But we aren’t taking any chances for another week or so.

As a consolation prize we offer two places that we have visited before we began writing this blog and highly recommend. We hope to get back to them in the future so we can offer more details.

Infusion Bistro

A small welcoming place in the Glebe with a simple menu. The food is good and the ambiance makes you want to hold hands across the table. Great washrooms, actually great terrible washrooms, unique in their own way.

Infusion Bistro
825 Bank Street
613- 234-2412

The Pepper Garden

Call ahead. This jewel amid the strip mall blandness of Vanier is very popular with the local community. They have a flair for Italian and a bit of everything else and they do it all well.

Watch for it just beyond St Laurent on the North side of Montreal Road – next to the Pizza Hut.

Definitely worth the trip.

The Pepper Garden
681 Montreal Road
613-749-2999

www.peppergarden.ca

Hat Etiquette

April, 03, 2008

Men wearing hats indoors is an Ottawa epidemic. There seems to be a faux macho fashion culture in Ottawa that demands hiding ones hair or eyes under the brim of a baseball styled cap.

In some cities this is a signal of gang affiliation, where the colour of the cap, the angle it is worn at or even its wear and tear means something.

In Ottawa it only means poor manners. And I don’t understand the signals that cap wearing Ottawa men are sending.

The activities that we partake in at night should be different from our daytime pursuits.

One might wear a cap on the way to work but never even consider keeping it on at work, unless your employment requires you to spend most of your time underneath an automobile or nailing up drywall.

Regardless of one's profession, after work, for a drink, a date or even dinner somehow wearing baseball head gear is curiously acceptable.

The up side of the hat epidemic is that one can use it as an indicator of the establishment you are entering. If you see men sitting at the bar or worse at a table with a date and they are wearing hats, you can be assured that you have entered into a nacho, chicken wing heaven.

A somewhat nicer place, with men sans hats, might mean that the service and the food would probably be better. It would at the very least mean that the tenor of the establishment demands some respect. Respect for the experience they offer and respect for the person you are with or even, dare I say it, respect for those others around you.

The other side of the coin, a sadder side, is the possibility of degraded self image. One could normally assume that any opportunity to dress well should be embraced enthusiastically.

As my father is always saying; Look sharp, Feel sharp.

Guys, remove your hats and become transformed into gentlemen.

The Village Café
March 27, 2008

Old friends of ours, Allen and Liz, have lived in Westboro for years now. Liz in particular has been suggesting various local spots for us to try on our date night. She has tried most of them and has an impressively long list of places in Westboro that she recommends. At her and Allen’s urging we decided to head for The Village Café, on the north side of Richmond Road just east of Churchill.

Parking is always an issue in this part of town but with a little patience you can find a spot.

We are always surprised whenever we venture into Westboro, which is only a few times a year. The area keeps changing in subtle ways and has a comfortable, neighbourly sense of spirit to it. There always seems to be a new store front popping up that artfully and subtly entices that you come in and browse.

Ignoring the big box Loblaws monstrosity, this western end of the city is an established and growing destination for people to eat and shop.

The Village Café was an early pioneer in the transformation of Westboro. Since the Cafe first opened their doors 20 years ago it has reportedly offered local residents good lunches, dinners and good times throughout their history.

The décor is a bit dated and thrown together like your first apartment. There are interior designer type fabric art pieces on the wall and some of them are even under lights. The room is long and narrow with a bar in the middle. And that is basically it. Nothing particularly jumps out at you but nothing offends either. It is haphazard that works.

The menu is actually a tome that contains everything the Café has to offer from brunch to dinner and desserts. They also have a very adequate wine list with a good number available by the glass.

The menu options vary from simple Salads to Mussels and a great sounding Mediterranean Plate while the dinner menu has a full compliment offering the usual choices from pasta, fish and meats.

We chose to share a Grilled Romaine Hearts salad with a house Caesar dressing. This was a great take on the traditional Caesar salad. Whole leaves of romaine were very lightly grilled until just barely warmed and then served with pancetta and shaves of parmesan cheese. (11)

The dressing was a tab sweet for my taste but to be fair it is almost impossible to find a good Caesar dressing anywhere these days since chefs abandoned making the real thing with raw egg yolks.

Lynn ordered the Pasta Pomodoro Secchi which was Linguine dish with pan seared caramelized chicken and toasted pecans in a sun-dried tomato pesto cream reduction. (19)

The dish was large, the chicken succulent and the pecans were an excellent compliment. I thought the sauce was a little sweet – again with the sweet.

I ordered the stuffed pork tenderloin which came with terrific mashed leek and potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The tenderloin was a perfect pink and moist tender. The stuffing was basic, cheesy and a great companion to the meat. (23)

We felt more than fed and continued to talk for awhile before we were approached and asked if we would want dessert. Against my best intentions and Lynn’s advice I ordered a slice of chocolate cheese cake. Big mistake. The cake was delicious and dangerous to one’s health.

Someone once said to me the every neighbourhood needs a spot like The Village Café. I agreed then and would agree even more today.

The reason Lynn and I are out on these dates is to spend more time with each other doing new things, to discover the best that Ottawa has to offer, from the 5 star to no star. We search for places where one can bring a date or a good book and feel appreciated and well fed.

While certainly not a no star place The Village Café is the kind of place you would want to spend time in, with someone you want to spend time with.

The Village Café
295 Richmond Road
Ottawa
613-728-2162
www.thevillagecafe.net

Black Cat Cafe
March 20, 2008

I had been looking forward to dining at the Black Cat since Lynn planned the dinner. We were first going to see the Joe Fafard exhibit at the National Gallery and then wend our way down to the Café just blocks away in the market.

Our visit to the Gallery was postponed by a political protest marching on the Embassy of China, also just blocks away from the Gallery. The protesters were supporting the struggle of Tibetan people and Lynn was predicting that there would be a large contingent of people championing this important and pressing cause. We decided that we could see Joe’s exhibit at some other time.

We reached the café for our reservation after meeting for a drink in Centretown.

As soon as we were in the door we were impressed. The Black Cat is the epitome of dressed down cool. The décor is soft beige pastels with fabric accents posing as art pieces. The tables are cleanly lined and simple with thick wooden tops. The chairs are plastic and look stackable. All of the décor is basic and very classy. The space exudes a comfortable mood.

We were seated, our coats whisked away by our server who promptly returned with glasses of water and our menus.

Ah, the menus. The Black Cat has been around for a long time and gone through a few number of chefs. I had scanned their old menus on the net and read through the reviews that they had garnered in the past – including a glowing appraisal from the NEW YORK TIMES. But those were days now gone.

Today’s menu is the creation of Trish Donaldson and it is a joy to peruse, in a way. As I worked down the list of offerings I found myself trying to match the culinary concepts to what the dishes might actually taste like.

First off was an appetizer, Isaac’s Tempura Veggies, which was described as “Plum/Passion Dressed Baby Frisee, Tempura Veggies, & Eggplant Mousse Stuffed Caps.” ($12) Hmmm.

And the exotic descriptions of all the Black Cat offerings just keep on coming making a choice feel more like taking a test.

The Main Course offered six choices, two pastas, two meats, a tuna study and a duck breast. I hovered over the Beef Tenderloin which was “Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Parsnip/Marscapone Butter, Black Pepper Hollandaise & Pulled Chai Oxtail Yorkshire Pudding.” ($33)

We decided to share a first course, Kobe Samosas. Lynn had never had Kobe beef before and I was singing its praises at length as the dish arrived. Two Samosas wrapped in a light pastry stuffed with Curried Kobe Beef with Carrot – Orange Marmalade & Tomato Saffron Coulis. ($12)

Lynn loved it, I was less than impressed. Curry is for meat you want to hide while Kobe Beef is a meat that deserves a spotlight and a full orchestra. But the sauce dips were tasty.

For our main courses Lynn chose the Thai Noodles - “Sweet and Sour Thai Spiced Noodles with Soft Tofu, Baby Bok Choy, Eggplant Sous-Vide, Kafir, Smokey Peanuts & Chilies.” ($24)

I decided on the Lamb Ravioli – “Braised Lamb Shank & Silky Ricotta Stuffed in Mint Pasta with Bitter Orange/Earl Grey Glaze, Navy Bean Puree, Carrot Chips and Mint Butter.” ($28)

I love Lamb but in this dish it could have been ground beef. The concept of Mint pasta seemed like a great idea but I yet to have a flavoured pasta that actually tasted like the flavour it advertised.

I can’t count how many times I have had spinach pasta and not once did I get a snippet of the taste of spinach across my taste buds. As for the sauce it was like watching Quasimodo and Ginger Rogers trying to waltz together, just not going to work out. The carrot chips were exceptional and a tasty sidebar.

Lynn liked her Thai Noodles but found that they presented more of the sweet while ignoring the balance of the sour. I wondered what the heck is a Smokey peanut anyway?

Most things about the Black Cat work with precision. The service is seamless and exceptional. Everything brought to the table is explained in detail, even the four small slices of bread as well as the butter mixed with virgin olive oil and two spicy olives that come with them, have a background story.

The problem was that concept and aspiration runs ahead of taste. In her attempt to be newer and different from the last chefs Ms Donaldson might have not relied so heavily on writing her menu and spent more time creating and tasting her food at a stove.

What she offers seems to sound good on paper but falters on the plate. The food isn’t bad by any means, but it misses the essence of the products being cooked. Basics are okay, tweaking the basics is okay, but enhancing the value of the tried and true should be the goal, not infusing the recognition out of the produce.

Any meal is a chance at savouring and experimenting but it also should be a robust adventure
that both inspires and satisfies.

We will go back as the weight of their history and reputation far surpasses anything I could offer here. All the right requirements are in house, great location, great space, remarkable service and all the necessary ingredients for the menu to re-embrace and maybe even re-jig some of the past kitchen classics.

Finally the bathrooms. Lynn insists on checking out the washrooms of where ever we go. She has a theory that an interesting, or at least spotless washroom is indicative of how much management really cares about their clientele.

Returning from her inspection she insisted that I check out the Men’s facilities, no she demanded that I go the bathroom whether I had to go or not. Trust me they were cleaner than clean but also they have a truly unique feature that we will have to leave you to discover.

Black Cat Cafe
Monday to Saturday 5:30 – 9:45
93 Murray Street,
Ottawa
613-241-2999
http://www.blackcatcafe.ca/