When you talk to a local about brunch in Ottawa, there are several restaurants you will more than likely be recommended: Benny's Bistro in the ByWard Market, Jak's Kitchen in Centertown, Fraser Cafe in New Edinburgh, and StoneFace Dolly's in Little Italy (Preston Street). While Benny's Bistro is legendary for its high-end brunch fare and butter rich bakery from the adjoining French Baker, Fraser Cafe is quickly gaining ground in the same arena. Fraser's single page brunch menu features dishes of comparable quality, but at lower prices. There are seasoned cooks in both kitchens, overseen by chefs. Both Benny's and Fraser's cooks are adept in classical French cooking techniques, especially when it comes to handling eggs. However, Fraser's are more chef's interpretations of usual brunch suspects: eggs Benedict, the "breakfast sandwich", or scrambled eggs with sausage. At Benny's bistro, you can expect less traditional breakfast dishes. But, for straight brunch "usuals", our recommends are Jak's or StoneFace Dolly's. Neither takes reservations. Both have lines going out the door shortly after they open.

StoneFace Dolly's is where Jenn and I took friends Vicky (@momwhoruns) and Paola (@cestboncooking) for brunch several weeks ago. Vicky is a fellow food blogger from Toronto and former Ottawa native. We discovered Jak's together several months ago. Paola is one of Ottawa's most passionate food enthusiasts. Through C'est Bon Cooking, she and her chef offer cooking classes and culinary tours of Ottawa. I hear Paola's tours of the ByWard market are a lot of fun.

StoneFace Dolly's resembles a modern bistro. High ceilings, neutral colours, and lots of exposed wood, glass, and ceramics, everything meant to make the dining room look open and airy. Its decor works with the large windows at the front of the restaurant, letting light spill deeply into the restaurant.

Bright and Open Interior
The restaurant also features an exposed kitchen.

Open Kitchen
It extends to the bar and ends with the cash and till.

Bar
I can only imagine how StoneFace Dolly's looks in the evenings. It is a great place to start a weekend day with brunch.

Its brunch menu is multi-paged and each is covered in well worn plastic.

Menu
Inside, we discovered StoneFace Dolly's serves Bridgehead coffee ($2.75), a local purveyor of fair trade coffee beans and some great local desserts.

Hot Drinks on the Menu

Bridgehead Coffee

Besides coffee, it serves freshly made fruit juices and juice blends. Jenn ordered an apple juice, which was eventually marked on our bill as "pop" ($2.50)

Fruit Juices on the Menu

Apple Juice
She found the apple juice refreshingly sweet. Accordingly, it tasted better than the "from concentrate" varieties, but not as good as the Black River brand Organic Apple Juice Jenn invariably buys when we frequent coffee shops.

For brunch, Jenn and Vicky ordered pancakes. Jenn, blueberry pancakes with fruit ($9.99). Vicky, ricotta blueberry pancakes with lemon curd and whipped cream ($10.99).

Here are the pancakes Vicky was served.

Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes
Jenn's pancakes were thicker and somewhat larger.

Blueberry Pancakes

Underside
Jenn found her pancakes extremely filling, light and fluffy yet substantial. Each pancake sported a handful of blueberries. They were however unevenly spread out, so not every bite tasted of blueberry.

Paola and I ordered omelets ($10.99). Mine, Omelet No. 5 (capicolla ham, cheddar, and mushrooms), with a side of breakfast poutine (house-made potato home fries, cheese, and milk gravy somewhat akin to sawmill gravy). Breakfast poutine is an optional add-on for any breakfast plate ($2.00).

Omelet No. 5

with a side of breakfast poutine

Poutine for Breakfast?
The poutine was a little much, even for a foodie who would attack a good charcuterie plate for brunch. Though, the sawmill gravy on home fries take is rather innovative. As a poutine purist, I think cheddar cheese curds would have worked better.

The omelet was pretty much cooked through, but neither its top nor bottom was overdone.

Omelet Doneness
I prefer my omelets slightly more runny in the middle. Still, it was a great 3 egg omelet. The accompanying salad was fresh and its oddly thick looking balsamic dressing not overly acidic.

We completely overlooked StoneFace Dolly's specials.

Specials
I would later discover StoneFace Dolly's twitter account (@stonefacedollys) tweets each weekend's brunch special the Friday before.

The most interesting thing we saw on the menu: Breakfast ribs ($13.00). It consists of 2 eggs (any style), home fries, a half rack of barbecue ribs, and a slice of "molasses toast."

Service-wise, we were given a slight runaround by someone who looked like the owner. He seemed dubious about giving us a four person table when Jenn and I arrived. Luckily, Vicky walked through the door as he looked behind us at another group whose members had already assembled. Paola arrived shortly thereafter. Our waiter was polite. With the entire restaurant turning over quickly, she checked back on us somewhat seldomly. She also did not point out any of the specials. We found them afterward, Paola lamenting she would have chosen the quiche had she known. Still, we did not wait long for drinks or food. Every dish was freshly made and served hot, not one spending very long under a heat lamp.

Total: $59.85 (after taxes, including 2 omelets, 2 pancake plates, 2 coffees, one juice, and a poutine add-on)

Brunch at StoneFace Dolly's has strong fundamentals. Are the dishes culinary masterpieces, no. Are they value-conscious and filling, yes. They rival Jak's in centertown.

Update: Check out recent thoughts on Stoneface Dolly's from one of our favourite food bloggers, Rachelle of the Rachelle Eats Food blog.

Found another recent review from Eva of Eva's Food World.

Apparently, StoneFace Dolly's ricotta blueberry pancakes are number 84 in the Ottawa Magazine's list of 101 Tastes to Try Before You Die (September 2009, edition).

Particulars:
Stoneface Dolly's
416 Preston Street
(613) 564-2222

More after the jump...

Towards the end of February, I attended a Thursday session of Case Study Jam at German restaurant, the Lindenhof, on Preston Street (268) in Ottawa's Little Italy. It would be the second time creator Joe Boughner convened the event. Dubbed "Case Study Jam 2: Jamming Harder", Case Study Jam gathers together "do-ers", people who work in public relations, communications, or information technology, essentially "anyone who gets their hands dirty." According to the event's primer, while there is no featured speaker, several quick oral presentations start the event, leading to break off discussions on "Wins" (success case studies), "Fails" (less-than-successful case studies), and "Works in Progress" (ongoing case studies). The goal is to encourage people to share ideas and allow attendees to leverage lessons learned, all in an informal environment.

That evening's presenters follow:

• Ian Capstick (@iancapstick) of MediaStyle: His presentation on a "fail", involving a bloggers' resource for blog ideas
• Kelly Rusk (@krusk) of MediaMiser: Her presentation on a "fail", involving organizing a Social Media book club
• Bob LeDrew (@bobledrew) of Translucid: His presentation on a significant "win", involving rallying Ottawa via social media to help the Cornerstone women's shelter

Because the event was held at the Lindenhof, Boughner encouraged attendees to come early to enjoy "a schnitzel or a bratwurst" before the presenters spoke.

Having read several past tweets from local tweeps about their enjoying great dinners at the restaurant, both when it was previously on Carling and at its new location on Preston, I arrived early to sample some German fare. I however polled some trustworthy sources beforehand. One of the project managers I work with is of German decent. He told me the Lindenhof can be a little unpredictable, he having been served both great and forgettable plates. Never regrettable, he warned me to expect large servings. A friend told me there are better German restaurants in Ottawa.

The event was held in the second floor dining room of the restaurant. The Lindenhof, itself, looked like a converted two story house. With hardwood floors, yellow painted walls, and dark wood accents, the atmosphere matched the generous home-style dishes we were served.

Second Floor Bar
Even the bar looked warm and welcoming.

Off the menu, I ordered the sauerbraten in lieu of either schnitzel or bratwurst. A former colleague of mine once asked me if I had come across the vinegar marinated beef dish in my local restaurant adventures.

Lindenhof Menu

Entrees
Described as "cured and marinated roast beef, served with a tender potato dumpling and sauteed vegetables", I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. I did take note of the schnitzel though...

Schnitzel
Boughner recommended the combined bratwurst and schnitzel plate. His German beer recommend: Warsteiner Dunkel.

Warsteiner Dunkel

Every entree is accompanied with either salad or soup.

That evening's Salad

That evening's Soup
Ian ordered the salad and graciously let me take a picture of it. I ordered the soup. Thin brothed, peppery, and slightly over seasoned, the vegetable soup tasted of tomato and was forgettable.

My sauerbraten plate was indeed generous.

Sauerbraten
The sliced beef bordered on tough, but was manageable with the savory jus-based gravy. The potato dumpling is the largest I have ever come across. When it arrived, I thought it was a scoop of mashed potato. Expecting something yielding, my fork cut into a tender dumpling that paired well with the sliced beef. The vegetables tasted steamed and finished in butter. They were fork tender. The entire plate was rustic and filling.

Arriving at the restaurant ravenous, my dinner quickly filled the gap, allowing me to enjoy the following presentations.

Total: $25.43 (including a Coke ($2.50), a coffee, and taxes).

I would later speak with Bob LeDrew about encouraging members of Ottawa's foodie and food blog community (over 50 blogs strong) to come together and help him hold another dinner for the Cornerstone women's shelter. His idea: a chili or stew dinner. My thoughts: Ottawa has a vibrant foodie community with food enthusiasts who defy author Michael Ruhlman's thoughts that foodies don't cook. Jenn later suggested to include a canned food drive for the Food Bank as well. More on this later.

Many thanks to the Lindenhof for hosting Case Study Jam. Many thanks to Joe Boughner, the presenters, and the attendees for some insightful discussion. I am excited to attend the next one.

More after the jump...

Before we begin, for those readers of foodiePrints who know me personally, you know I am not a fan of Valentine's Day. I think it an artificial holiday, originally intended to benefit greeting card and mass-produced candy companies. In fact, I used to celebrate Valentine's Day with other detractors, many single and some in relationships, and an Anti-Valentine's trip to a pub. There, we would toast the couples who find themselves obligated to dine in fancier than usual restaurants for one evening of the year.

According a Wency Leung piece in the Globe and Mail, restaurants' front of house staff hate working Valentine's evening because of the heightened sense of tension amongst two-seater tables. The socially imposed ideal of a candlelit dinner on Valentine's Day, complete with flowers and chocolates, is not for everyone. Yet, couples engineer a night out that they end up spending in uncomfortable silence or loud bickering. The piece includes an account of public debauchery that I won't get into.

Now that I have found my better half, I am a proponent of embracing the aspects for which Valentine's Day seemingly celebrates with over-sized red plush dogs who have pink and white hearts sewn on them. That is, appreciate your significant other throughout the year. This includes everything from making them breakfast spontaneously on any given weekend to picking up flowers for them on the random occasion. Maybe the sun is shining especially bright one day.

Needless to say, I prefer not to celebrate Valentine's on February 14th. Last year, Jenn spent Valentine's Day with friends, skating the canal during Winterlude and shopping. I did have dinner awaiting everyone when she got home. But...I have been known to take her out several days before. This year, I am keeping that tradition. My gift to her: I'm leaving foodiePrints' camera and notebook at home.

Speaking of restaurants, I know some of my readers will have been rushing this past week to negotiate reservations for Valentine's Day. The day when a dozen roses costs 4-times to 10-times what they regularly cost. The day when store shelves are bereft of boxes of chocolates. The day when bins of red plush dogs are mysteriously empty.

Here are some suggestions for your last minute plans. Firstly, Ottawa has a large number of fine dining establishments, but bear in mind they vary from lower end sit down to higher end sit down. The following recommendations also happen to be the same as I give for the rest of the year. But, I do have one caveat. If your better half has a favourite restaurant, go there. Otherwise...

Small Plates
For small plates, something that won't break the bank, try Stephen Beckta's and Chef Michael Moffat's Play Food and Wine (1 York Street). The difference between the small plates format and traditional table d'hote or a la carte is structure. You have less structure and many more options with small plates. Having gone to Play twice, I really enjoyed the freedom of being able to order two plates (completely ignoring courses) and leisurely eating them amidst great conversation. If I were still hungry, I ordered another. Expert wine suggestions were even printed on the menu. Stephen Beckta was once somelier for the legendary Chef Daniel Boulud.

Bistros
For bistros, try Chef/Owner Arup Jana's Allium (87 Holland Avenue), which happens to be my favourite restaurant, or Chef/Co-Owner Steven Mitton's Murray Street Bistro (110 Murray Street). What I absolutely adore about bistros is the fact that you will eat great food, but in a more laid back atmosphere than higher end expensive restaurants. Heck, signature dishes to judge bistros by are steak and fries (steak frites) and mussels and fries (moules frites). I would normally recommend Black Cat (428 Preston Street), but its chef, Steve Vardy, recently departed, so I consider it a new restaurant, which I have yet to try.

High End
For something high end, there is Le Cafe, currently operated by Chef Michael Blackie. Le Cafe is the restaurant my better half and I visited on very special occasions when we started dating, then under the tenure of the late Chef Kurt Waldele. We have since returned to be served good, but not spectacular, food. Why do I recommend Le Cafe? Because it is a restaurant in Ottawa that aspires to provide the candlelit dinner ideal Valentine's Day perpetuates. If you need to go that far, Le Cafe meets all the necessary requirements: white linened tables, multiple sizes of forks and spoons, tea cozy lights, small floral center pieces, and classic French food.

Brunch?
Here is a suggestion that is somewhat avant garde. Given Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday this year, take your better half out to brunch. My suggestion is Benny's Bistro (119 Murray Street). As the Urban Foodie (@whisk_food_blog) wrote in her Metro Ottawa review, it is a little piece of Paris in downtown Ottawa. Only, the service is better and the dishes use local ingredients. Besides, with the French Bakery on the same premises, you know the bread will be good.

Links to write-ups on Allium, Play, Le Cafe and Benny's.

Here are some prospects for eateries I consistently hear great things about, but have not yet tried. For high end, there's Chef Rene Rodriguez's Navarra (93 Murray Street) and Stephen Beckta's eponymous Beckta Dining and Wine (226 Nepean Street). For a bistro option, there's Chef Chris Deraiche's Wellington Gastro Pub (1325 Wellington Street). Another brunch option is Jak's Kitchen (479 Bronson Avenue), in which I have only had coffee, but marveled at the menu and the plates served to tables around me.

Catered Valentine's
If dining out is out, it may be a little late to schedule a catered meal at home, like Andrea Tomkins of "A Peek inside the Fish Bowl" writes in her blog, but here are two caterers I know will put out an amazing spread: Epicuria Fine Foods and Catering (Chef/Owner Tracey Black) and Essence Catering (430 Parkdale Avenue) (Chef/Owner Jason Laurin). Linked are their Valentine's catered meals.

As for me, I'm taking my better half to Atelier (540 Rochester Street) for a 12 course meal that should prove another wondrous epicurean adventure. She and I foodies, we will have fun figuring out what Chefs Marc Lepine, Sarah Allen, and Michael Holland intended by the dishes. We also expect to have next to no idea how the dishes were prepared. Oh, I made reservations a month ago...

(The idea behind the images of the gummy bears out for a Valentine's dinner comes from the "á la discothèque" blog.)

Particulars:
Play Food & Wine
1 York Street
(613) 667-9207

Allium Restaurant
87 Holland Avenue
(613) 792-1313

Murray Street Bistro
110 Murray Street
(613) 562-7244

Black Cat Bistro
428 Preston Street
(613) 569-9998

Le Cafe
53 Elgin Street, Ottawa
(613) 594-5127

Benny's Bistro
119 Murray Street
(613) 789-6797

Navarra Restaurant
93 Murray Street
(613) 241-5500

Beckta Dining & Wine
226 Nepean Street
(613) 238-7063

Wellington Gastropub
1325 Wellington Street
(613) 729-1315

Jak's Kitchen
479 Bronson Avenue
(613) 230-2088

Epicuria Fine Food Store and Catering
419 Mackay Street
(613) 745-7356

Essence Catering
430 Parkdale Avenue
(613) 850-4776

Atelier
540 Rochester Street
(613) 321-3537

More after the jump...

And without further ado, the remaining 7 course from last week's dinner at Atelier.

The first five have their own blog post elsewhere on foodiePrints.

Sixth Course: Choose Your Weapon (strawberry and rhubarb)
This course was just plain fun. First, our host came to our table with a tray of "implements", asking us to choose between them and eating with our bare hands.

Weapons
On the tray were spoons, forks, and plastic bendy straws. With four people at my table, we each chose something different.

Me, I chose bare hands. Mine was by far the most spectacular to watch. It came with a table-side demonstration, involving a galvanized steel bucket of liquid nitrogen and a plastic encased tube of strawberry and rhubarb puree.

Nitro Freezie

Freezie, served
What amounted to a seasonal "nitro"-freezee pop (freezee) was frozen right before my eyes. Unfortunately, the liquid nitrogen worked too well, causing the freezee to harden into a long block of ice. Its flavour was exquisitely spring, but only after my better half melted it enough for me to eat.

At first I thought adding a liqueur to the puree mixture would improve the freezee's texture the same way alcohol does sorbets. Then, I realized that everything and anything freezes in liquid nitrogen.

My better half chose spoon.

Warm custard with Strawberry and Rhubarb Nitro Noodles

Sprinkled with ground Pistachio

Test Tube Spoon
She was served a lovely bowl of warm custard with liquid nitrogen frozen strawberry and rhubarb noodles. Her spoon was equipped with a cork stoppered test tube, containing ground pistachio. To eat, she emptied her spoon's contents onto the custard and dug in. She told me the juxtaposition of textures and temperatures was great. She thoroughly enjoyed her dish.

My dear friend Yannick chose straw.

Strawberry and Rhubarb Soda
Yannick was served a strawberry and rhubarb soda with a star anise froth. He happily drank his with the straw, smiling at the whimsy.

His better half, Alex, chose fork.

Rhubarb Compote, Cheese, and Sliced Strawberries
He was served sliced strawberries, rhubarb compote, and a raw milk cheese from Quebec, called La Sauvagine. La Sauvagine happens to be Chef/Owner Marc Lepine's favourite cheese. Alex enjoyed his dish, pairing fruit and cheese with every bite.

As a fan of raw milk cheeses and pairing them with fruit, were I to choose again, fork would be my weapon of choice. It looked delicious.

Seventh Course: Pork Belly

Sous Vide and Sauteed Caramel Pork Belly
The pork belly was my favourite dish of the evening. I also sent pictures of it onto Twitter along with the tuna sashimi. Chef Allen wasn't kidding two weeks ago when she tweeted "It's all about the pork belly."

It was cooked sous vide at 82°C for 9 hours. Then it was marinated in a caramel sauce and sauteed. Each piece was served with a raw apple relish with jalapeno, snow peas, a piece of textured puree of snow peas, and a cube of purple potato.

The pork belly was impossibly tender.

Texture
Sauteeing it on high heat seemed to make the caramel even more complex. Topping it off with a few large grains of kosher or sea salt made it perfect. The accompaniments complemented the pork belly well: sweet and fruity salsa with a very light bite; green flavours from the snow peas; and a perfectly cooked piece of potato. There was only a minor textural exception with the partially overcooked snow peas.

Here is my perfect bite:

Glorious little bit of everything

Eighth Course: Muskox

Muskox Sashimi
Two reasons I will always be excited to go to Atelier involve my having absolutely no clue what will be served and, for the most part, my having no idea how each dish is made. I very much enjoy not being able to have preconceived ideas. For instance, when I walked into the restaurant with a dripping umbrella to greet assembled guests, I had no idea the evening's menu would take me to Nunavut!

The eighth course was wild arctic muskox, prepared sashimi style and marinated in tamari. Tamari is an very richly flavored Japanese soy sauce that is made from soybeans. Whereas, shoyu, which you are normally served in a sushi restaurant, is made from a mixture of soy beans and wheat.

Before our host explained to us what was served, I thought I had a plate of kobe or wagyu placed in front of me. Sliced thinly against the grain, the muskox was well marbled and dark. I am unsure if the colour was due to the tamari or if it were the meat's natural colour. Red meat darkens when treated with soy.

Whatever the case, those of us at my table who were used to soy, just loved it. Those of us who have cut out soy sauce from our diets, found the marinade strong. The texture, on the other hand, was enjoyed by all. It reflected the incredible ratio of meat to fat, literally falling apart in the mouth.

The muskox sashimi was served with sauteed shiitake mushrooms, dehydrated onion, caramelize onion leather, and a few pieces of lamb's quarter (chenopodium album).

For reference, this is what muskox look like in the wild:

Family of Muskox
Source: "The best of readers' Canada Day photo submissions", Globe and Mail

Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth courses follow after the jump...

More after the jump...

For those of you who don't know, Jenn and I organized a pre-Canada Day dinner at Atelier, inviting everyone to join us, be they foodies, gastronomes, gourmets, or simply adventurous eaters. In total, 9 people attended, including several local twitter personalities (@spoonsie and @epicuriadotca). Our intention was to support a local restaurant on a traditionally slow day of the week.

Our 12 course meal included an appetizer/amuse bouche, 8 savory courses, and 3 dessert courses. It culminated with what has become a signature dish for Atelier's pastry chef, Chef Michael Holland: the Elvis Truffle.

However, before we begin, let us start with the restaurant itself.

Unassuming Building
Located at 540 Rochester Street, Atelier is situated in an unassuming building with purposely aged iron grates and no signage. This is for two reasons. Firstly, the word "atelier" is French for "workshop" so the building resembles one outwardly. Like other avant garde restaurants, such as Chicago's Alinea, Atelier's food speaks for itself. Secondly, when the restaurant opened, signage simply wasn't a priority. When time permits, Chef/Owner Marc Lepine has said he will look into something subdued.

Here is Atelier's utilitarian kitchen with its compliment of ubiquitous equipment to make highly imaginative dishes, which are best described as "avant garde."

Left to right: Chefs Allen, Holland, and Lepine
It is amazing to think that approximately 552 dishes (12 course x 23 seats x 2 days) are produced in this small space during Friday and Saturday service alone. It is a very efficient space.

Atelier's dining room is elegant with its simplicity. Its walls and ceiling sport shades of white. Its tables, a dark stain. Its chairs, white leather upholstery.

Dining Room

Local Art
The chairs were specifically chosen to allow patrons to sit comfortably through Atelier's 12 course tasting menu. A meal can easily last 3 hours.

I feel the intention is to take nothing away from the meal, whose individual courses are meant to be experiences for the senses. As such, the wall decorations, furniture, and colours chosen are meant to be neutral. They mimic a canvas. They also encourage patrons to dispense with any formalities, speak to each other, and enjoy themselves. Regarding the wall decorations, all of the paintings come from a local Canadian artist, Chef Lepine's (then 3 year old) daughter.

For a little history, Atelier's Chef de Cuisine, Sarah Allen, directed me to a thread on the E-Gullet forum that includes pictures of what the restaurant looked like before. With permission, here are before pics.

Formerly Chaba Thai

Kitchen before renovations
The transformation is striking: repaired masonry, painted brick, gutted and entirely re-built kitchen.

Now, on with the food!
As we were seated, we were presented with Sour Cream and Onion Bread with Flaked Butter and the Wine List.

Sour Cream and Onion Bread with Flaked Butter

Wine List
The sour cream and onion bread is a dish that Chef Holland discussed on twitter (@pastryoverlord) several months ago, even asking his followers what "flavour" he should try next. Before, he baked up loaves of barbecue bread, which Chef Allen (@sarah_j_allen) assured me was delicious, even attracting local wildlife to the restaurant's garbage bin. To make the barbecue bread, Chef Holland replaces all of the liquid from a regular bread recipe with barbecue sauce. I have absolutely no idea how he makes his sour cream and onion bread.

Nevertheless, with its baguette-style texture, oven freshness, and "from my childhood" flavour, I was grateful just to eat it.

Sour Cream and Onion Bread Texture
The bread was served warm and perfectly sliced. The warmth actually just softened the butter flakes enough to allow them to be spread smoothly onto the slices. My dear friend Yannick, who writes the Endorphin Buzz blog and who joined me for dinner, told me the butter was actually sprayed onto the serving tray. This attention to detail (spreadable non-softened butter) and creative take on a traditional restaurant element (table bread), demonstrated the innovative whimsy of the dishes to come.

Regarding the wine list, I should point out that Atelier has two sommeliers on staff. The first is Steve Robinson, who presided over our meal. The second is Chef Lepine (@marclepine). Besides being a celebrated chef, he carries sommelier credentials and trained at Ottawa's Algonquin College.

For an additional $55, Atelier includes a wine pairing to go with its 12 course meal. The wines chosen represent a veritable multi-continent tour, with a partial preference towards Canadian wineries. While members of the other table opted for the pairing, I chose not to. I was however assured by those who did that the pairings were well chosen.

First Course: Pretzel Pop

Pretzel Pop
When our host explained what went into this first course, I immediately thought "creamsicle." The "pop" portion was attached to an authentic rolled-paper lollipop stick. It consisted of a Dijon mustard cream that was frozen on an "anti-griddle", dipped in honey, and then covered with crushed salted pretzels.

Cross Section
An anti-griddle is the opposite of a regular griddle, rapidly cooling foods instead of heating. It gave the cream an ice-cream texture.

The dish's flavour pairing is classic (Bavarian pretzels with hot mustard), just completely revisioned: slightly sweetened, with contrasting textures, and cold. It was great. Even my better half, who dislikes dijon, enjoyed this appetizer/amuse bouche.

Second Course: Halibut Cheek

Halibut Cheek
This fish course served a portion of fish that is extremely prized in Asian cultures. Cooked sous-vide for several minutes with star anise, it sat atop Jerusalem artichoke puree and was accompanied with asparagus heads, pieces of crumbled bacon, and drops of olive paste (finely ground tapenade).

Overall the dish was good. Its flavours worked well with one another and everything was expertly plated. For unfamiliar patrons, this would have been an excellent fish course. However, since my better half and I grew up eating this portion of fish, we found it slightly overdone. While it was by NO means harsh, we are just used to this portion being softer and much more succulent. Interestingly, before dinner started, my table even discussed a Chinese meal of fish heads.

Aside: It was after the second course that we started seeing subtle differences in the service between Atelier and other restaurants.

• Our hosts were extremely knowledgeable about the dishes, demonstrating an understanding about them, not just reciting facts. With the sheer number of different dishes and constantly changing menus (sometimes weekly), we assumed they must be food enthusiasts. Else, Atelier employs two of the best front of house staff in the city.
• The cutlery changed with each course, ensuring no leftover flavours or textures.
• While each course came promptly after the previous, the ladies of our party were served theirs first, a courtesy that other restaurants seem to have lost.

Suffice it to say, despite the number of courses, we were tended to very well.

Third Course: Lobster

Atlantic Lobster
The third course was a wonderful multitude of textures and flavours. Butter poached Atlantic lobster came served atop truffle oil pancakes. It was topped with a very thin slice of black truffle and a chardonnay foam. It was accompanied with cinnamon mushrooms, a dehydrated leek ring, a piece of chive, and two sauces: watercress mayonnaise and egg yolk.

This course made up for the previous one. The lobster was perfectly cooked and the earthy truffle and mushroom flavours, a wonderful compliment. The onion, raw chive, and watercress provided a nice green and onion contrast, all carried well by the rich egg yolk and mayonnaise. My perfect bite: lobster, with several bubbles of foam, a sliver of truffle and pancake, a bit of chive, a scant touch of mayonnaise, and some egg yolk. Yum!

Fourth and fifth courses follow after the jump...

More after the jump...