Ottawa's first and favorite wine bar in found tucked beneath "The Fish Market Restaurant" in the historical Byward Market. This quaint candle lit cellar features a traditional bistro menu featuring $14 French Fries (with a magnificent side order of striploin steak and caesar salad included) Seafood, shrimp, scallops, lamb, artisanal cheeses, salmon, halibut, chicken Parmesan, Gorgonzola tortellini, deep fried Camembert, calamari, fresh oysters, smoked chicken poutine, charcuterie, steak & frites, an array of mussels are prepared daily by our chefs. Wine Spectator Award winner every year since 1989. We feature 80 wines by the glass, with another 200 bottle selections, from cabernet sauvignon to pinot grigio, 200 Imported Beers,40 Belgian Beers, craft beer flights, 30 single malt scotches, 25 assorted wine flights tastings nightly. Live Local Jazz artists perform every Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm, no cover charge. more...See more text
Served with Red Seafood Sauce Mignonette Sauce | One only $3 | Half Dozen $17 | Full Dozen $3
Caprese Salad
Vine ripened tomato slices, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil leaves are displayed across the plate and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic glaze and sea salt.
$15.00
Caesar Salad
add chicken $16 add shrimp $20 Crisp romaine tossed in asiago garlic dressing with shaved red onion, bacon, croutons and parmesan
$12.00
Bruschetta
Our housemade fresh tomato black olive salsa over crisp crostini with goat cheese. Drizzled with balsamic glaze.
$11.00
Fried Camembert with Blueberry Compote
Panko breaded and deep fried camembert, with a soft center, served with a blueberry port wine caramelized onion reduction
$15.00
Mediterranean Trio
Our own Mediterranean salsa with zesty tzatziki and traditional hummus. Served with grilled pita bread.
$14.00
Vineyards Nachos
add chicken $19 Classic tomato salsa with jalapeño peppers, black olives, red onion, tomato, sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheese melted over crisp tortilla chips. Served withour cream.
$15.00
Spicy Crab Cakes
Fresh crab meat blended with herbs, shallow fried and fi nished with our lemon and garlic aioli.
$12.00
Fried Calamari
Seasoned and deep fried tender calamari with a sour cream dill sauce
$9.00
Smoked Chicken Poutine
Fresh smoked chicken with caramelized shallots and cheddar cheese curds draped over french fries and rich gravy, fi nished with a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
$13.00
Mussels $13/with Fries
Steamed fresh Canadian mussels in your choice of sauce: White wine, garlic bell peppers OR our spicy Cajun style Creole tomato sauce OR creamy mushroom leek sauce.
$17.00
French Fries
served with our lemon garlic aioli.
$5.00
Sweet Potato Fries
Served with a roasted red pepper aioli.
$7.00
Assorted Artisanal Cheese Plate
A selection of Quebecs fi nest cheeses served with our house bacon jam, mango chutney et candied nuts.
$25.00
Cendrillon
ash covered goat cheese
Bleubry
a soft version of blue cheese
Le Triple Crème DuVillage
a velvety soft cheese
Cantonnier
a semi-soft ripened cheese with a hint of hazelnut fresh apples
Laurier
a soft washed rind cheese
Le Saint-Raymond
orangey red moist body that melts in your mouth
Cheese Board of the Day
An assortment of fi ne cheeses served with mango chutney.
add chicken $24 add shrimp $28 Tortellini pasta stuffed with three cheeses: parmesan, ricotta and romano. Tossed in a rich gorgonzola cream sauce with gently sautéed cremini mushrooms and sweet red grapes, fi nished with fresh grated parmesan cheese
$20.00
Chicken Parmigiana Vineyards Style
A panko breaded chicken breast, fried and topped with mozzarella and marinara sauce with a blend of Italian herbs. Served with a creamy alfredo linguini.
$23.00
Cajun Seafood Jambalaya
Succulent shrimp, squid, mussels, chicken, chorizo sausage, assorted fresh fi sh, sautéed in our tangy Creole sauce laced with southern spices and tossed in Cajun seasoned rice.
$23.00
Lamb Chops with Spicy Red Curry
Tender chops grilled and topped with a spicy red curry with coconut milk and fresh basil
$22.00
Atlantic Salmon Fillet
Lightly seasoned and grilled, fi nished with a lovely lemon dill cream sauce.
$21.00
Shrimp Scallops in Herb Garlic Butter
Succulent shrimp deep sea scallops sauteed with bell peppers, onions and mushrooms with fresh garden herbs in garlic butter
$24.00
12 ounce bone in Rib Eye Steak
add shrimp $36 cooked to perfection with a rich wild mushroom cabernet sauvignon sauce
They got the best beer and wine selection in this area. The ambiance brings you back in time and gives you the feeling of comfort. Hats off to the owner for maintaining a great place. Will be back for sure.
Veggies : over sweatened
Meat: unseasoned
Starch: Bland
service: bad
My server was bad. Forcing a customer to pay 18% when the service is bad is unheard of. My bill came up to 626$. I paid cash, counted 3 times to make sure I had the correct amount. The waiter said I was missing 5$. She didn't want to count it again with me, she was to busy. She gave me an awful service and she received 18% but couldn't loose 5$ at the end of the night. If it was up to me, she would of had less than 10%.
If it wasn't for the death look when I told her it was impossible that I hadn't given enough money, I would not have written this comment.
Expensive, felt hustled constantly for drinks,waiters and bar staff arrogant and unhelpful. Service slow and food served cold. Will not return and will tell others to avoid this restaurant.
The service was not great - waited for service-waited for bussing. Oysters could have been scrubbed, kept picking stuff off the shells. Dinner was awful. My lamb rare came medium, his steak medium came rare. Overcooked veggies - served cold. Very disappointing. If not for the live Jazz and extensive beer and wine selections, I wouldn't bother if I were you.
This is not a bad place, unlike some of the reviews claim. However, the restaurant's website and awards won, make it seem much more impressive than it is. The restaurant is set in the lively and happening ByWard Market, in a basement cellar. As we came to Ottawa for the long weekend, we should have went somewhere else to enjoy a patio instead of sitting in a cellar. This would be a great place to come to in winter. The great bonus about this restaurant is the LIVE Jazz, if it wasn't for the music there wouldn't be much charm about the place. Although the exposed brick add to the ambiance. I had the $12 fries (which is basically 6 oz steak, fries and caesar salad - don't be expecting a huge steak - it is about the size of a palm). My fiancee ordered mussles, which I thought should have been more substantial (luckily we had some food before we came over). The flights of wine were OK, we chose Tour de France and Rib Eye. The best part was the dessert - the raspberry cheesecake. To die for. Delicious, light, with strawberry puree drizzling out of the crust. What really takes away from the experience is the fact that you have to walk over to the bar to order and bring your own flights of wine, beer, coffee (YES!). The waitress takes your food order and brings is over. I'm not quite sure why the food prices are soo high for the food, probably the location. Oh, by the way some of the other reviewers were right - my food (steak) arrived cold. Bottom line - come to hear the music, enjoy the experience of the flights of wine, be prepared to get your own drink, and lower your expectations on what the quality of food or service will be.
