Ottawa Foodies

I went here about a month ago for a bachelorette party. Or really for a dinner PRE-Bachelorette party as we were not planning on being rowdy here (nor were we).

A few points:

1-The restaurant is VERY noisy and I had a hard time conversing with the people directly next to and in front of me.

2-The service was very cold. Polite but in a "because it's my job to be polite" kind of way. No friendliness at all.

3-There was only one vegetarian main on the entire menu and pretty much anything that could have been converted to something vegetarian (pasta really) had lard or broth in the sauce so it wasn't really an option

I could deal with 1 and 2 if three wasn't such a major problem for me.

I ordered the stacked tomato salad and the wild mushroom ravioli. The salad was really great. The layers from bottom to top were as follows:

Olive tapenade
Thick slice of a beefsteak tomato
Something I don't remember now
Another tomato slice
A round of breaded and fried chevre
Arugula
Dressing

The ravioli I was not happy with. I am not a mushroom fan. When I ordered it I said so and mentioned that I was only ordering it as it was the only vegetarian option and our server said something along the lines of "Well it's good that you're willing to try something new".

I ate about three ravioli pieces before I couldn't go any further. The cream sauce was really great so I used some of the (FREE) bread to soak it up and eat that. The filling was just dry ground mushroom and the pasta was overly al-dente and very starchy.

Needless to say, I was fairly disappointed.

Went here today for brunch with my husband, mother-in-law and her SO. Two of us ordered the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and light salad on the side. Two ordered omelettes, one with gruyere and herbs and served with some fruit, the other with gruyere, bacon, potato and onion and served with a light salad. All included several pieces of toast. We also ordered cappuccinos and coffees.

Verdict? Delicious! All four of us enjoyed the food and we thought the restaurant was comfortable and cute inside. It does have a bit of a Paris cafe feel. Service was friendly and attentive.

Would recommend trying here for brunch.

It's a real shame about this place. I have been here many times in the past and had some pretty good times. On my last visit (last weekend), I didn't have such a good time. We did not have a reservation and the hostess made us feel like we were idiots, even though the place was pratically empty at 10 p.m. She was very rude, threw our menus on the table and walked away. Our waiter, stunk like an ashtray and couldn't answer any questions about the wine list. This restaurant is supposed to make you feel like you are in Paris. Isn't that one of their slogans? I have to wonder why there are no Provencal Rosés on the wine list. This is prime rosé drinking season. If you can find me one restaurant in Paris that does not serve a Provencal Rosé in summer, I will drink Hochtaler for the rest of my life. I had the moules - they were not so fresh, and the fries were hard and cold. The washrooms were filthy and there was no soap or paper towels. This made me wonder how on Earth diners and staff are washing their hands post-pissoir. Lucky for me, my dining partner had Purell in her purse. One does not expect to have to use Purell in such an establishment. Not even the brasseries in France - and I have been to a few not so spotless ones.

Also, if you have ever been to Balthazar in NYC, the resemblence is freaky (except the service, food and wine list).

It will be awhile before I decide to spend money here again.

Maybe management should pay another visit to Balthazar and copy the service, food and wine list this time.

We've been twice now and have come to the realisation that some menu items are great and others not so much. The value for your money is also highly variable.

Anyways, I think I've figured out two optimal meal plans that will be delicious, impressive, and won't make you feel like you got ripped off:

1. Poutine plus a selection of raw oysters. The frites are really good here and we saw people at a neighbouring table having the poutine -- it looked great and is priced very reasonably. The oysters are presented on a beautiful multi-tiered tray and seem to be very popular.

2. The Moules et Frites. Priced very reasonably ($15 if I remember correctly), you get a pile of mussels in your choice of sauce and a separate generous serving of frites. It looks like it would make a great light meal -- maybe with a salad thrown in.

For dessert, you can't go wrong with the Pot de Crème or the Crème Brûlée.

Polished service and excellent food can best describe my recent experience at the Metropolitain Brasserie. I am a big fan of French bistros and have found a place in Ottawa that can rival many a decent spot in Montreal.
The atmoshpere at this restaurant is casual and at the same time upscale.
Food:
Excellent oysters. Those from B.C. impress most.
Good wines by the glass. Try the Zinfandel from Sonoma - the manager's choice.
Decent beer selection. They have Stiegl bier on tap.
Possibly the best steak in town - order the "bar" steak medium rare - you will not be disappointed.
Service is friendly and relaxed.
Would recommend this restaurant to large groups or small ones - they can handle all comers.
Sit at the bar for extra special service.
Thank you for an enjoyable evening out.

I agree with Fat Cat about the noise level. It seems that we are noticing this trend a lot in new restaurants. That being said we are huge fans of their burgers. EXPENSIVE, at $13.99 - $15.99 (with cheese). They have been consistently moist, tasty and not over-garnished. If you ask they will bring you Dijon and their aioli sauce is delicious. They serve the burger with a generous side of delicious frites, thin, crispy, just the right amount of salt and a side of aioli for dipping. I usually opt for a 1/2 frites and 1/2 salad and there are still plenty of frites!

I have also enjoyed their beef salad, tender beef sliced thinly over spinach with a delicious blue cheese fondant dressing. It seems that they are often "sold-out" of our first choices for wine, but we have enjoyed our servers suggestions.

Best of all their kitchen stays open really late. (Which is important for those of us who work evenings.) I would call before you head out, but we have had dinner on a Sunday night at 10pm. (which is almost unheard of in Ottawa) :)

We ate dinner here on the first night of the Wine and Food show when we couldn't get in (due to the throng waiting in line outside the Congress Centre). The food was good quality and our server was excellent. The wine selection was good as well.

I was a bit bothered by the noise level myself. I found that It seemed somehow amplified (maybe the addition of background music...not sure). Fortunately we were in the back room which was slightly less noisy (although still was a little much). And the temperature (even in the back room near the kitchen) was too cool. I had to put my jacket on while we waited for our meal.

I enjoyed the Parisienne-style brasserie atmosphere, just wish they had more sound absorption. Also, I found the cost of the food was almost what you would pay in Paris. A little much for the simple preparation of some of the dishes.

I had the beef short ribs which were very tender and tasty. The warm baked bread was also very appreciated.

The best here are the mussels in white wine cream sauce. I always want to order something else but end up deciding on the mussels. So good.

I love the food here, and the atmosphere...but the service is hit and miss.

A bustling parisian style eatery. Attentive, friendly service (was the french accent real?) and the great food ! I liked the fact that the menu is based on simple French classics (bouillabaise, coquilles, frite) and the ingredients are top notch quality. The fusion type menu is getting overdone and it's refreshing to return to the classics. I believe one of the owners was the founding chef at Domus? We enjoyed the casual atmosphere, the noise levels were high but that just added to the atmosphere (I like not being overheard by all the surrounding tables).

I like most crème brûlées, but the version at the Metropolitain is one of the best. It is huge and rich but somehow it goes down as easily as vanilla pudding.

Did brunch here again last weekend, and it was pretty darn good. Service was fast and attentive, and the food was tasty.

I got a croque monsieur, since I was in the mood for a brunch-that-was-more-like-lunch. While the sandwich itself was really delicious, I didn't have my socks knocked off by the sides I got with my dish. The fries were good and crisp but (as FF says down below) pretty salty. I think part of the reason why is because they use kosher salt instead of table salt? It makes the salting a bit uneven. Also, the sauce they served on the side for my sandwich was odd. I wasn't sure what it was, and it didn't taste like much.

Didn't see how much the bill was, because we were being treated by friends of ours. Maybe one of these days we'll even do dinner here!

A friend of mine was in town from London (Ontario, sadly!), so a bunch of us (7) went out to the Metropolitain Brasserie for brunch.

Service was great: our server was knowledgable, attentive, and fun. A little bit scatterbrainted, but not a dealbreaker in any way, shape, or form.

Among the dishes we had:

- Eggs en cocotte forestière (two eggs baked in demiglace with cubes of double-smoked bacon; delicious)
- Crèpe of the day (duck, asparagus, sauce Mornay with smoked Gruyère; really good, but the asparagus was a bit icky, since it's obviously not from here)
- Daily special (a vol-au-vent filled with wilted spinach, sautéed oyster mushrooms, lobster (a whole claw and some other delicious bits), and sauce Mornay; definitely a hit.)

Plus an assortment of mimosas, cafés au lait, and crèmes brûlée.

We will definitely be returning; it's a nice change from the greasy spoon breakfasts, though I love them so.

At 25$ for a bowl of soup (albeit a soup made with expensive ingredients) it better be close to perfection...

and I can say that the Bouillabaisse at Metro was up to snuff. Strong base with the right consistency (not too thick or thin), and beautiful mussels, scallops, shrimp and fish. Pricy but worth it. I have only been disappointed with Canadian takes on this French Med classic before having it last night.

My beefs would be: croutons and rouille should be served on the side(as it is traditionally served, not a single mayo drenched crouton as it was here), and there were tomatoes with skins still on in the soup. If you are going to cook a tomato, skin it first.

Still I can't complain, it was quite good. Thumbs up.

I had this on a visit about a year ago. It was tasty just the way it should be. Not huge and not cheap though, with just a few pieces of fish. Recommended nevertheless.

Wifey's Pot de Crème (dark chocolate custard with sweetened crème fraîche) was sensational. Smooth, chocolatey, and satisfying without being sickly.

I was at Metropolitan on Sussex last week for a work lunch, and the Mojito (plain) was quite tasty, and definitely had a kick (alcoholic) to it. I will order it again next time I go. I don't know if it had an effect, but I did mention to the server that I had been disappointed with Mojitos from other places because they didn't seem to have any alcoholic kick.

The Orange Mojito is so delicious and refreshing! My only complaint is that there was little detectable booze and the price is pretty steep.

I had enjoyed this on my previous visit over a year ago and ordered it again this time. It's still great!

The Bar Steak was perfectly cooked to a medium rare with exceptional precision. Unfortunately, it didn't have much flavour. The fries were really salty and that was awesome... for a while. This is probably the first time in my life that I feel I was given too many fries. The 1/2 fries and 1/2 salad option that tnt mentioned would definitely be the way to go!

This was an overpriced plate, at $26.99 + $4 (or was it $5) for the mushrooms.

This unimpressive plate of whole romaine leaves drizzled with dressing cost an equally unimpressive $14. No bacon or parmesan cheese here.