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?