Lac Leamy Oct 15th Gold Medal Plates Competition

Lac Leamy Oct 15th Gold Medal Plates Competition

See comments in Benitz, etal, Suisha Gardens, etal, and Chef at Chez Eric, write ups/sections of this blog, but I thought I would provide my comments on the 10 best chefs in Ottawa who are competing in this cook off, of presumably hors d'oeuvres.....

First of all, the really bad ones that I would not care for:

Ben Baird @ Urban Pear
Arup Jana @ Allium
Steve Wall @ Whalesbone

Ones I have not tried with comments:

- Stev George, @ Olivea in Kingston.... not able to try, if they have to get someone from Kingston, says something about the chefs in Ottawa.
- Yannick Anton @ Signatures... since this is a teaching hospital, would not want to go there unless the chef is cooking and chances are he won't be....
- Pat Garland @ Absinthe... have not been, but have not heard good things about him and am loath to try, considering my standards...
- Mike Blackie @ Perspective ... @ hotel brookstreet.... have heard good things, but a hotel restaurant... can't be good and it's way out in the west end....
- Matt Carmichael @ 18.... I have heard lots of things about him, but not all of it good and given his work habits.... and I tried to get him a number of times in reservations specifying him in particular... and that he is a disciple of Susur, who is truly a hero of mine... as opposed to Vardy... I will leave to serendipity to make an appointment to eat at his place....

And finally the two that I have been to but have caveated as so so, in the respective sections herein...

Benitz @ Benitz
Charles Part @ Fougeres.

So..... that gives a good idea of what I think of the bistro cooking in Ottawa and will probably not bother with this cook off....



2008 10 22

PS.... fougeres won.....the best of the best in Ottawa.... I guess so..... going to give up on the others then.... I thought the food at fougeres was OK at best....

Benitz, les Fougeres, Allium and Royal Treasure

Royal treasure, Benitz, les Fougeres and Allium



Went to these four places recently and wanted to post something before it became stale-dated.....

Royal Treasure... forget about it... this is a regular haunt of mine that has raised it's prices twice in recent months and it is just not worth it.... Szechwan sucks and the rest is Cantonese stir fry..... I used to go here all the time... like every day....but other than the sour and hot soup and the large singles plates.... it’s the pits...

Allium is an avoid.... terrible food, surprised it is actually on a list of 'chefs' in Ottawa to eat at...

Fougeres was a disappointment... and I did not have high expectations.... the sommelier sucked and the food was at best country style cooking.... and relatively expensive because of the reputation.... I would pass on this one, although it was after many years that I found the occasion to go again recently... as in a couple of days ago....

Benitz, I was there in the past week and I was really disappointed....I shall write more, but it would appear that Derek was drawn between the two kitchens and was not present, in mind, the night I was there…... the wine, a malbec…… was fine…., but did not really go with the food….. and some of the food items were either too bland, as in the rabbit… or too ‘tick’… as in the soup, and duck confit…..

To be fair, I will write more on the details of Fougeres and Benitz... but the other two, AVIOD.....