Restaurants in Ottawa - 18 Bar

I guess I should not compare this restaurant to my Chicago experiences. This is a restaurant in the middle of the market with main dishes at 30-48 CAD. For this price one gets mouthwatering dishes in Chicago. It is a bit of a wanna be place where the service does not really match the prices.

So comparing this restaurant to other restaurants in Ottawa, it is surely one of the better ones. Do I think it is worth it? I don't think so. At those prices I expect something where I think wow, this is something I would come back for.

I tried the Mediterranean Sea Bass with fresh ground Thai curry which is good 35 CAD.

18 York Street

Ottawa K1N 5T5

www.restaurant18.com

Restaurants London - Nobu (very recommendable)

This is a great place to go to when you start exploring new flavours and dishes. I must confess though, if one goes several times it becomes less exciting and perhaps it is not such good value for money.

It feels a tiny bit formal, but one does not have to dress up if one does not feel like it. A lot of people go there very casually dressed.

It is definitely a place where it is necessary to make a reservation.

If you like people-watching, this is a place for you! I am not into people watching but I bumped into Cameron Diaz and Boris Becker there.

The dishes I like are:

Black Cod Den Miso 32 GBP

New Style Salmon Sashimi 12.50 GBP

Grilled Asparagus with Dried Miso. 9.50 GBP

Chocolate Bento Box with Green Tea ice cream is great too 9.50 GBP

I tried the Rock Shrimp Tempura with Ponzu which did not inspire me that much.

15 Berkeley Street

London W1J 8DY

+44 207 290 9222

www.noburestaurants.com

Restaurants in Chicago -Carlos (very recommendable for food not service)

The other time I went to Carlos, I was impressed by the whole experience: food and extremely attentive staff. This time the food was still excellent, however the service was very disappointing.

Regarding the food and wine selection at Carlos:

The extensive wine list is impressive.

We tried the salad with a mix of greens, pine nuts, watercress with a balsamic vinegar reduction. Even though it may seem like a simple task to make a good salad, this one was different and really worth trying.

As a main we tried the: Miso Marinated Halibut, Chanterelles Mushrooms, Bean Sprouts, Salsify and a Lemon Grass Emulsion

and New Zealand John Dory with Hawaiian Shrimp and asparagus Risotto.

The combinations were overall delicious and we would recommend the Halibut.

The only thing that was a little disappointing and one would not expect for a special restaurant like Carlos, was that the bread was a bit old and chewy.

Regarding the service at Carlos:

Unfortunately even though it was quite empty (only three other parties) the waiters did not attend us very well. It took 15 minutes for the waiters to take our order. When we wanted to order wine, we had to look out for them and try and catch their attention. They did not make an effort to explain anything and when some fruit was rotten and we let them know, they started mocking the comment so audible that we could hear clearly what they were saying in the kitchen.

Since dining is partly a whole experience, I am not sure if I would go there again due to the lack of service. However that is perhaps a good thing, since that will push me to try out new places such as Takashi & Mizu Yakitori which also are highly recommended for their food as well as service.

Carlos' Restaurant
429 Temple

Highland Park, IL 60035
Phone: 847 432 0770

www.carlos-restaurant.com

Restaurants Chicago - Alinea (very recommendable)

Alinea is another restaurant in the residential area called Lake View. All dishes are eye catching and some of the flavours literally exploded in the mouth. Delicious flavours tempt the imagination. However, for me, it is not necessarily an experience that I want to repeat. I found the flavours were sometimes competing against each other, but perhaps that is personal taste.

Service is pleasant, attentive, and yet not formal.

The menu also suggests wine parings to complete a memorable meal. $225 per person with wine pairing.

1723 N Halsted St

Chicago, IL 60614
Tel. (312) 867-0110

www.alinearestaurant.com

Restaurants Chicago - Charlie Trotter (recommendable)

Charlie Trotter is one of those restaurants that one has to try once in a lifetime. It is a little bit further away from the centre in a residential area called Lake View.

We had a long dinner with many small dishes:

• oyster with celery root & tomato ice
  
• poached cockles with brioche dust, serrano ham and roasted peppers
  
• scallop with braised kombu, sea beans & creamed lemon
  
• roasted duck with bitter melon confit & infused duck consomme
  
• lamb with curry spices
  
• sour cream sorbet with beets
• buttermilk with white pepper, milk ice cream & nutmeg
• venezuelan chocolate with spicy chorizo

An outstanding experience. The oysters, scallop and the venezuelan chocolate are certainly worth mentioning. The combination of chocolate with meat was delicious and inventive. Each dish had original combinations of flavours and complimented each other well.

For even more exotic combinations and for people who want to be more adventurous - Alinea is more daring and present the food in a very creative manner.

The wine list was outstanding.

Highly-trained staff, but not charming. Formal atmosphere.

Expensive but well worth it for a special occasion and living in Chicago one should have tried it once!

816 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60614-4308
(773) 248-6228

www.charlietrotters.com

NY Restaurants - Gotham Bar and Grill (recommendable)

Last week I went to the Gotham Bar & Grill, a fixture in the NYC restaurant scene. Zagat rates it 27 and I agree to some extent. This is a restaurant of subtle sophistication.

First I had black bass ceviche which was delicious and the combination of mango, organic beets and radish was original - a welcome reinterpretation of a classic dish. Second, I tried the fennel soup with warm goat cheese, apple and red beets - it was not exciting. In my opinion the menu is certainly not consistently fantastic, but what was spectacular was the miso marinated black cod. The cod melted on the tongue and the soy lemongrass ginger sauce was a blend of sweet and sour, but do not think Chinese! It was a delicate blend of Japanese and Thai cuisine - rice wine vinegar or something similar with lemongrass. This cod is a real palate pleaser!

Service was good and the waiters were very attentive. The only downside was our waiter's limited knowledge of the great wine list they had. I would have appreciated having a recommendation to the food I chose.

It is a welcome and elegant, yet not pretentious restaurant. It is refreshing to be able to go there spontaneously. In other top rated restaurants you would have to book a table weeks in advance.

A wine and three courses dinner will set you back $150.

12 East 12th Street

New York, NY 10003

Tel (212) 620 4020

www.gothambarandgrill.com