[Suzanne F]

Any updates? Paul will be in Ottawa sometime in April to teach for a day or two. Alas, I can't go with him. Otoh, I think that's when I'm in Portland, OR. Although of course I'm dying to see Ottawa.

[flyfish]

Any updates? Paul will be in Ottawa sometime in April to teach for a day or two. Alas, I can't go with him. Otoh, I think that's when I'm in Portland, OR. Although of course I'm dying to see Ottawa.

Where will he be teaching and staying? I'm very happy to help to the extent needed or wanted!

[flyfish]

I actually ate out somewhere! O frabjous day!

I'm not experienced at writing reviews as I never eat out, so bear with me. Plus all of the places I am likely to eat are many many miles from trend-setting NYC, so any combinations I claim to like will clearly be out of style...

Bella's Bistro Italiano
Wellington Street just east of Island Park.
Open since 1995, Chef Raffaela (Bella) Milito

Family run, with impeccable, pleasant service. I was with a fairly large group for a working dinner, in the upstairs room (their web site photo doesn't really do it justice, as it has a lovely bar at the other end of the room). For starter/snacks there were Crostini di Pane al Pesto, breads topped with pesto, tomato and cheese. Basically mini pizzas, but substantial and very very hot,

Soup of the day was a spinach cream thing, which was pleasant but not outstanding. Second course was Gamberi in Camicia, black tiger shrimp wrapped in proscuitto, in an Amaretto cream sauce, served on a puff pastry. The shrimp were very large and a touch rubbery. This was a substantial second course. For my main I chose roasted rack of lamb with a red currant and pot wine sauce. The lamb, a generous portion, was done exactly to spec. The sauce was tasty but it was served with a rather odd medley of veggies and a potato puff the like of which I haven't seen in years. I passed on dessert and had a nice cappucino.

All in all it's hard to judge too much on a group service like this. The food was good but not wow. The service on the other hand was delightful and we felt very well treated.

[flyfish]

Wow, nearly a year later and I ate out again! (with the same group)!

This time to LAGO Bar/Grill/View, at Dow's Lake Pavilion, which has been open for two years and was recently renovated. The view of the lake is one of the selling points of the restaurants in the Pavilion, except our group didn't have one because it was a working dinner and we were in a separate meeting room. Lago has had a personnel change recently, with former chef Robin Bowen moving to some trendy new Irish place called The Druid, and sous chef Joe Pirie moving up.

Lago has introduced a new "naked" menu, which may be old hat in more trendy places but pretty new for Ottawa. They have a selection of carefully sourced proteins, which you can mix and match with two sides and a sauce. I was a bit puzzled by some of the nomenclature ("confit of fingerling potatoes" looked like normal roasted fingerling potatoes to me) but the tastes were nicely done. The really nice thing for us was that they did not force a group to choose from a limited set menu.

We started with fairly standard calamari, a naan platter with hummus, baba ghanouj and pesto offerings (also fairly standard although I liked the pesto), and some very nice lamb popsicles served with mashed potato, a cream sauce and a tomato jam (I am SO making tomato jam this year). Lago is intent on serving things like naan strips, kebabs and fries upright in those tall metal ice cream servers, which looks pretty nice actually.

I chose the corn fed, free range chicken breast and selected a roasted garlic chipotle butter sauce, the aforementioned confit of fingerling potatoes with garlic and oregano, and sauteed broccolini with brown butter and lemon succotash (again, another confusing use of a term; I have had succotash and you, sir, were no succotash). My broccolini was a little raw for my taste but the chicken was very pleasant. I get the impression I should have selected a mashed potato, though as the chef seemed to have an affinity for them and the taste of the one served with the lamb popsicles was divine - but the fingerlings were okay too (although not a confit).

For dessert I chose their ice cream selection: pistachio, milk chocolate, Tahitian vanilla and sweet dark cherry. these were presented in small white bowls and were unadorned and perfect.

I had nothing to do with choosing the wines and had only one glass of red - and managed to drop a calamari in it right off the mark, so really not fair to comment (the steeping did neither the wine nor the calamari any favours).

I think it would be nice to go back and sit in the regular dining room and experience it outside of the working-group environment.

LAGO Bar-Grill-View
Dow's Lake Pavilion