Ottawa Foodies

Always a decent meal to be had here. I haven't been in awhile, but I will be going sometime soon for sure. I have always liked how you can pick music to play in the restaurant, and even buy something you enjoy as well.

Vegetarian tofu noodle bowl!

One of my favourite places to grab a bite to eat in the Market. Great service, delicious food, and a good selection of beer on tap and wine at the bar.

I could go on, but instead I'll show you some food!

Pictured: Grilled Tomato and Artichoke 'Flatina' (which I guess is their made up term for flat bread with tasty things on it).

My partner and I had dinner here Saturday night. We arrived around 5:00 and I think it's best to arrive early. Fifteen minutes after we were seated the place was packed and although we had friendly, timely, and professional service some of the late-comers were left waiting. As for the other comments about the place being cold – My partner and I also noticed this. We were sitting by the door and they had the door to the patio open although it was much too windy for the breeze to be enjoyable.

Our food was excellent. We started with the toasted naan bread with tzatziki which we both enjoyed a great deal. We enjoyed how crunchy the naan was but my boyfriend pointed out that we could easily make this at home for half the cost. (We are definitely not equal in our passion for food!)

I had the smoked salmon antojito which is smoked salmon, goat cheese, cream cheese and spinach toasted in a wrap. It was very rich and I could only finish half of it (I filled up on naan bread); however, the leftovers were excellent cold the next day. My boyfriend had the Cajun Chicken sandwich with Cheddar cheese melted on top. He really enjoyed it. The only criticism we had was about the dressing on the salad. It was a citrus scented dressing and it just did not work with either of our sandwiches. The roasted potatoes were yummy though!

My boyfriend and I have been here three times and each time it has been ok. Not worth the money - we probably won't be back - and no matter where you sit it is cold. The first time we went we were beside a window, the next time beside the door and the next time beside the walk-in fridge behind the bar. I was freezing through all three dinners! I guess the solution is to go back in the summer, but while the steak is excellent I didn't find the spicy thai noodle bowl or the salmon to be all that spectacular. Not to mention the service has never been great. One time the waitress took our orders for drinks and apps and we had to ask if it was ok if we ordered mains too, before she walked away!

The only dish on their menu that I've had is the sauteed tofu salad. I quite enjoyed it especially the pineapple! It does have subtle flavours, but I didn't think that was a bad thing. I would definitely order that dish again.

I went here on Jan 25th and had forgotten to write a review. Unlike to poster below I was very impressed.

I had chicken stuffed with prosciutto and pesto with gnocci and grilled veggies. The chicken was flavourful and moist and all the flavours were fresh and mixed well.

I'd never had gnocci before so I don't know how that stands up for comparison. It was almost the same texture as bocconcini. I thought it was really good.

I went with my mother and she ordered the crab cakes and they were enough for her as they were quite large. She said she liked them a lot because they were not as spicy as others she has had and she has a 'delicate constitution'.

I have been to the Black Tomato twice and have been disappointed twice! Not good. I give them credit for their menu, the book looks cool and the descriptions sound good, but they don't deliver the goods! Unfortunate. First visit was for brunch, it was a while ago, but I recall a really dried out omelette and some other things that were unecessarily greasy, without being particularly tasty.

Second time I had a noodle salad. When you have noodles in broth and it's hot, I wouldn't call that a salad. In any case, had it been good I wouldn't complain, but alas, it wasn't good. It lacked any sort of interesting flavour. Bland, bland, bland!

And the service was slow too. I don't understand why so many people seem to like this place.

Great food -- high quality, and good variety on the menu. Great brunch food, too; there's usually a special on Sundays at lunch. Their bread is great -- just the right temperature, and tasty whipped and seasoned butter.

Not a big selection for vegetarians, unfortunately. There's a veggie wrap (good), a warm tofu and noodle bowl (excellent), and a squash agnolotti (haven't tried it yet).

One nice touch: near the bar, they have a small but eclectic selection of CDs available for sale.

And here's a photo of Brent's veggie wrap thingy.

I've only been here once about 5 or 6 years ago and the selection was good. But the venue is well-known amongst local homebrewers as a spot for great beer.

Besides the usual suspects, the Black Tomato usually has a few gems from nearby microbreweries available on tap (notably Church Key and Scotch Irish).

I had brunch here several weeks ago. They do a table d'hote brunch menu.
The day I was there the options were:

Black Bean Soup OR
House Made Granola

Breakfast Burrito OR
French Toast with Bananas and Chocolate Sauce

Choice of Dessert

I opted for the Granola, followed by the French toast.

I had a latte to start, and the granola which was really good, and fortunately in a small portion because it's pretty heavy as a starter. It was nicely carmelized and really tasty.

The french toast was unusual...it was a large wedge of brioche type bread that had been coated in oats before frying. It came with sliced bananas and chocolate sauce, 2 large pieces of thick cut bacon that were a little too crunchy for my taste and 2 sausages that were slightly longer and thinner than the standard breakfast sausage, and a lot less greasy. I wish I knew where they get them. There was also a nice salad on the plate, and fried potatoes (not deep fried, either!).

Upside: The latte was included in the price, which was about $17 so there was a lot of food for the price. And almost everything was tasty. I had to have them box my dessert (Peanut Butter Pie) to go, as there was no way I could eat it after all that.

Downside: This is not the place to go if you have plans after. I was seated shortly after 12:00 and had my bill dropped at 1:40. Also, it is a lot of food, so go hungry, or with someone who has a bigger appetite than you. Also, I liked the table d'hote format, but probably wouldn't have if they'd offered choices that didn't appeal to me.

All in all, I'd go again.