Ottawa dinner in Byward market

I am going to be in Ottawa Wednesday night, and am looking for recommendation for dinner in the Byward market area. I know there are some pubs/restaurants, but hoping for a local or someone who has been several times to recommend a good one? Thanks in advance!

[Sam Ottawa]

My votes would be:

Thai: Khao Thai
Japanese: Kinki (for scene & sushi), or Wasabi (less of a scene, but better sushi, IMHO)
Market-based cuisine: Black Cat or Domus (focus on regional products)

[gigi]

My man and I went to Stella last night for dinner - we were wandering around on a Sunday night in the capital, not knowing where we would end up - and decided to go in to Stella simply because there were people, and the decor was to our liking!
Not the best way to pick a restaurant surely, but it turned out to be a wonderful evening.

We started off with the risotto fritters ("a duo of wild and tame mushroom risotto fritters, crispy proscuitto and arrabiata sauce"), followed those by the caesar salad (usually a disappointment in most places, but at Stella the crispy pancetta and the shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano added the required kick to make it stellar), and for our mains my hubby had the
tagliatelli gamberi ("tiger shrimp, braised leeks, roasted peppers, Parmigiano-Reggiano, rosé sauce") and I had the yellowfin tuna ("grilled peppercorn crusted tuna steak with portobellini mushrooms, baked polenta, rapini and veal jus reduction"), which was cooked rare, just as requested! The veal jus almost made me not order it, as I cannot bring myself to eat veal...so I just pretended it was made with something other than veal. Thank god it work, because it was absolutely amazing! Pair this dreamy food with a lovely Cali sauvignon blanc from the Santa Barbara Winery & we have all the ingredients needed for a perfect meal!

I am so glad that I hadn't read the comments from other posters on this site about Stella or else I would never have gone in. It's not cheap to eat here, but the food is outstanding and the portion sizes are very fair for their price. We really wanted to have dessert, but we didn't have any more room! We'll save that for the next time we're in Ottawa.

Menu: http://www.stellaosteria.com/site/men...

The market has a wide range of place to eat, for both the type of meal and the price. What are you looking for in terms of cuisine, atmosphere and cost?

Well, I am open to anything, but I did read a couple of articles about Haveli online today - opinion? Price range moderate. Really just interested in someone's top choices, just to get an idea of what is good and then I can choose. Thanks!!

Haveli is good just not the best Indian in town, but still pretty good.

If you like Thai, Khao Thai on Murray is really good.

If you are looking for a fine dining atmosphere, Black Cat is said to be good. I am still awaiting a chance to get down there.

Thanks so much!! I will report back on where we end up going.

I second Khao Thai.

Other options: Kinki does trendy Japanese (and it has a nice patio); Meditheo is a more upscale Italian-ish restaurant that goes beyond the usual suspects for that type of cuisine; the Heart and Crown does great pub food.

If you're willing to stray from the core of the market, there's a couple Ethiopian restaurants on Rideau across from the Bytowne. Or you could hit Elgin St. for some good Italian at FrescoCielo (more upscale/trendy) or Johnny Farina (stick to the pizza or salad).

Domus Cafe on Murray is excellent too. Pricey - but would be an excellent choice for a special dinner or lunch.

Sweetgrass on Murray Street is one of only two aboriginal restaurants in Canada, serves a lot of game meat, such as buffalo and elk, both local.

The Black Cat and Domus are also excellent choices. Another to consider is Azteca Mexican on William street, some of the best mexican food i have ever had.

Definitely stay away from Stella.