Decadence: Atelier

There aren't too many restaurants in Ottawa where the first word that comes to mind is "decadent" but Atelier is certainly one of them. Or perhaps a better word would be "experience" - because it really is an experience you get by going to there. With 12 courses over three and a half hours, a visit to Atelier takes your taste buds (and wallet) on a journey they won't soon forget.

The owner/chef of Atelier is Mark Lepine, the first (and currently only) chef in Canada to win the Canadian Culinary Champion twice. His creativity is evident from the sea salt bread that first arrives to the  chocolate mouse that caps off the evening.

 
As you can imagine, Glosette Girl and I had quite an evening going to Atelier last Saturday. We went with friends of ours, D and E, and together we laughed, marveled and munched on each new dish that was produced.

This is a beet

I'll be honest, the experience wasn't perfect. While I liked most of the dishes, a couple were disappointing (in particular, the soup).  Here's a summarized menu from the evening (not including the aforementioned bread, which was an appetizer):

• Scallop and Guava
• Beets and Asparagus
• Halibut and Potato Spiral
• Sweet Pea Globe
• Duck Terrarium
• Soup of the Day
• Eel with Birch
• Foie Gras Wrapped Cherry
• Cornish Henand Black Garlic
• Quince and Clove
• Tombstone mousse*

A pea - after being frozen in nitrogen

The service at Atelier was generally excellent and Glosette Girl and I had fun overall. While I think they could liven up the atmosphere a bit and improve a couple of the dishes, Atelier is definitely a restaurant that forms a lasting memory in your mind and worth a visit.

* Something that isn't included in this list is the sugar helium balloon that we each got to inhale somewhere around course 10 (apparently a balloon doesn't have enough calories to count as a course).

Do you use a fork...or a spoon?

The Gardens of Sherbrooke

Spring is so fleeting in this part of the world. One moment it's snowing and then next moment it's roasting.

However,  the two or three weeks of real "spring" in Ottawa are glorious. The smell, the sun, the wind. It can make the crabbiest cynic smile.

A spoonful of colour makes the medicine go down

It's times like this when it's nice to take a walk and smell the roses or, more accurately, the tulips. There are tulips everywhere on our street! I didn't notice so many when I was living in Quebec. But this area has gads of them. They poke in and out and around the other flowers and add an unkempt, English-garden-style feel to the area.

Oi! I said plant Daffodils!

We definitely have to plant some next year. In the meantime we'll just enjoy other people's gardens!

Our little garden. Unfortunately sans tulips....this year!

7 Ans!

Setting up, stillness, anticipation.

Friends arriving, sympathetic looks from parents, quiet playing.

More arriving, candle blowing, wishes granted.

 

Boots on, marching starts, treasure hunt!

Park searched, clues deciphered, prizes found!

 

Returning home, package opening, smiles abound.

 

More games, bat hitting, Pinata busting.

Kids gone, sanity returning, day ending. Happy Birthday Margot!

7 Things I Hate about Ottawa (and 1 more I like)

It's so depressing here in Ottawa right now.

The brief ray of sunshine we had last weekend has given way to rain, rain, and more rain (and some snow). And not warm spring-like rain but barely-above-zero-cold-in-your-bones-rain.

Glosette Girl's friend, S, is about ready to move to Ottawa. I mentioned previously some of the great things the city has to offer. But I'd better be completely upfront so she knows what she's getting herself into. Here are seven things I hate about Ottawa:

• The fact that winter (or almost winter) conditions last almost half the year (November to April are tough months and May hasn't been much so far).
• Another weather one: the extreme weather. In the winter, it snows a lot. In the summer it roasts. As for spring...well most years spring is the fleeting weekend separating the bone chill of winter from the humidity of summer. This year is different. This time we are getting a bucketload of rain.
• Too many people in Ottawa work for the same employer (the Federal Government). 

"Hey have you got your BBB yet so you can keep that CO2 position?"

"No, but fortunately I am in an acting position seconded from PWGSC. My DM pulled some strings and I'm good for now."

If you can understand that, you are from Ottawa!

It's not that being a civil servant is bad (I was one, a lifetime ago). It's just that I think too many people doing the same thing causes groupthink.

• The road bottlenecks (not as big a problem for me now that I live within walking distance of work but a serious problem for the thousands of people who live in Quebec and commute to Ottawa and get stuck on the bridges).
• The topography is nice but not spectacular. No mountains or oceans or even big lakes nearby. 
• The fact that Ottawa is not an airport hub. It's hard to fly most places from here. And did you see what I said about the weather? Sometimes a good 2000 km of distance is what you need to appreciate Ottawa!
• The lack of zany billionaires with a fondness for megalomaniac pet projects. OK, maybe not billionaires, but sometimes I wish Ottawa was a bit more visionary and built iconic landmarks. Instead, we get respectable, responsible sports stadiums with chain restaurants.  

Grrrrrr. OK OK I'll end this gripe fest on a positive note. Despite the rain, we visited Hintonburg Park for The Happening, on Saturday. It's a local arts and cultural fair. It was a soggy affair.

But, I swear, there is always something going on in Ottawa - and this area in particular. It's cool to be a part of! So kudos to Ottawa for all the festivals: rain, snow or (rarely) shine!

Fairmont Park

What wild wacky weather we've been witnessing.

The last couple of days have been horrible with a capital "horrib". It's been windy and rainy and just plain cold. To Glosette Girl's chagrin, I promised myself I wouldn't turn the heat on now that May has begun. However, with the temperature hovering around 10 degrees Celsius I finally broke down and cranked on the juice.

Sigh. Canada right?

In contrast, Saturday was gorgeous with a capital "gorge". The sun was shining, the sky was blue and I think it was closer to 18 degrees. We took advantage of the day by visiting another of our nearby parks: Fairmont Park.

I've actually blogged about walking through this park in the night before. It's a little farther than our neighbourhood park, but nothing Margot can't handle. The interesting thing about this park is that it's on the other side of the Queensway, in the Civic hospital neighbourhood. The character of the park really reflects the posher, more gentile feeling of that area in comparison to the more rough-and-tumble-urban-meets-slow-gentrification feel of my own.

Fairmont park itself is nice though, there is no denying that. Really nice. There are tennis courts, a big playground, and random dog statutes scattered around.

Woof

What more could you want?

There is also a decent sized field, perfect for...kite flying!

It's alive!

Moments later Margot ran into the camera

Tough Cookies: Hintonburg Style challenge for the day: fly a kite and be grumpy. It's impossible!