As per last week's relatively wordless Wednesday noon-time post, please find below photos of another of Ottawa's restaurant's patios.

Petit Bill's Bistro

Multi-Seater Table

Particulars:
Petit Bill's Bistro
1293 Wellington Street
(613) 729-2500

Well, another foodiePrint went up on Ottawa Tonite. Its subject: Petit Bill's Bistro's annual Newfie Night Dinner."

Here is a screen capture for posterity:

Dining in Newfoundland Tradition: Newfie Night at Petit Bill?s Bistro

To re-iterate, Jenn and I had great fun and enjoyed our dishes. We shared the cod tongues and pickerel cheeks appetizers. I had the Jigg's dinner for my main and figgy Duff, lassy mogs, and jam jams for dessert. Jenn, the rabbit stew and the Newfie pound cake for dessert.

Also, after we posted the entry, Melissa Dimock of Refashionista (@refashionista) exclaimed on Twitter how familiar she was with the dishes served. She even forwarded me a link to her Great Grandmother's recipe for Molasses Cookies. She, a maritimer hailing from Nova Scotia, says they make great jam jams.

I think jam jams using Melissa's Great Grandmother's cookies will be this year's Christmas cookie. Stay tuned for my attempt :)

Particulars:
Petit Bill?s Bistro
1293 Wellington Street W.
(613)729-2500

More after the jump...

I woke up atypically early this morning, so I decided to check the blogs I subscribe to via RSS on Google Reader before breakfast. A new piece from Ottawa Citizen's food writer Rone Eade popped up. When last I e-mailed him, he replied that he was going to this past Wednesday's BC Scene event, hosted by Whistler's Gold Medal Plate recipient Chef Melissa Craig and Ottawa's own Chef Michael Blackie. Given that I couldn't fit tickets to the event at the National Arts Center (NAC) ($120/ticket) into this month's budget, I have been eager to read Eade's determinations.

Between the plates of "Okanagan Pear Mousse, Agassis Hazelnut Ganache Hemp Seed Nougatine, and Ice Wine Elderflower Jelly" and "Duck Confit Sage Dumplings, Wild Mushroom Duck Broth and Fresh Asparagus", my yogurt and granola breakfast didn't quite satisfy. I vaguely remember Fettuccine's on Elgin serving duck confit ravioli years ago, but Chef Craig's looked spectacular.

Afterward, to my surprise and sheer delight, I found a foodiePrint above the BC Scene piece.

Seafood Poutine
Source: Captured from Ottawa Citizen's Omnivore's Ottawa

He even quoted me (Don "the blogger") on why I thought Allium's seafood poutine superior than Le Petit Bill's, which Eade blogged about earlier this week.

To Ron Eade, many thanks for the mention! Cheers!

BTW, for those of us who follow you on Twitter, it is not difficult to guess what restaurant will be hosting your inaugural supper club dinner. I've a feeling that the glass of wine with the 12 course meal is generously contributed by the restaurant you've chosen. Though I'm dying to try what wonders its executive chef or his staff will make with that "well traveled" grill, I look forward to the next dinner.

During our visit to Le Petit Bill's Bistro last week, an item on the tasting menu had us discussing the virtues of choosing artisanal bread for dishes. The tasting menu was meant to celebrate the bistro's first birthday. The menu item that had us discussing bread was a two ways serving of lobster: bisque and creamed. The creamed lobster was served on a rather stale piece of pan fried rye bread. It was an unfortunate dish. Were the bistro to have employed fresh artisanal white bread such as a baguette, the base of the creamed lobster dish would have been lighter. It would have fried up crisper, and it would have been slightly more resilient to handling. Instead, we found ourselves thinking about requesting a knife and board to cut through the soggen slice of toughness. I spent so much effort chewing that the lobster flavor was completely lost to me.

I strongly recommend the chef re-think bread-based servings and consider the texture, flavor, and aroma that comes from artisanal bread.

When it comes to artisanal bread, my thoughts immediately goto one bakery and the oft-sought after skills of its master baker, Kevin Mathieson. During the past 2 years, it has become difficult pickup a foodie magazine in Ottawa without seeing some mention of Mathieson, his wife Stéphanie, or his Art-is-in bakery. I first read about this bread virtuoso in the November 2006 edition of the Ottawa magazine. He had just closed up shop in the Thyme & Again catering kitchens on Wellington and started a venture with Chef Robert Bourassa, former executive chef of Café Henry Burger, in Hull.

Today, Art-is-in baked goods are prized commodities and grace the shelves in many stores. According to its website, Mathieson's hand crafted wares can be found year round at Thyme and Again, the Ottawa Bagel Shop, Il Negozio Nicastro (Wellington West location), Epicuria, Jacobsons, and Pastina (Gatineau). From May to October, Art-is-in bread is sold at the Ottawa Farmer's Market at Landsdowne Park. Of course, you will also be served Art-is-in bread when you visit Beckta, Social, Juniper, and Le Café (National Art Center).

According to dictionary.com, the following is a definition of an artisan

a person skilled in an applied art; a craftsperson

What does an artisan's bread look like? It looks like this:

Art-is-in Display at the Ottawa Bagel Shop

Potato Onion Bread

Sliced

Amazing Texture

The experience Mathieson developped from working in New York, Monaco, and Paris shows and you can taste it. A slice of Art-is-in bread betrays the expert care taken to work and raise the dough. Just try holding a slice of factory-made bread to the light. Art-is-in bread's taste reflects the organic flour used and the fact that Mathieson takes two days to bake it: 1 day to develop a mature pre-ferment and the next, to work, score, and bake it.

As the Art-is-in entry on ottawfoodies.com site states, "every time you pick up a loaf of bread from Art-is-in, you are not disappointed." They're absolutely right. The bread carries a well developed flavour and exceptional texture. Most importantly, it is fresh, usually baked the morning of.

Can you live on bread and water alone? No, but artisanal bread once in a while enriches the soul.

One of the proudest entries I have ever posted on foodiePrints is the write up of a sneak preview dinner at Le Petit Bill's Bistro (1293 Wellington St.). It was one of my first restaurant-related entries. One of the most interesting aspects were its circumstances. One Friday afternoon, my better half and I happened by the location of the soon to be opened Le Petit Bill's. An owner, Terry, saw us peeking through the window and welcomed us in. Seeing an virgin reservation book, we asked to eat there that night.

A year later, Jenn and I were again on our way to the grocery store when we happened by a flier advertising Le Petit Bill's anniversary dinner in the restaurant's window. Terry again saw us through the window. He invited us in. He gave us a copy of the flier to take with us, and, we made reservations to attend. Besides, how many foodies can turn down a 5-course tasting menu?

Here's the signage that appeared in front of the restaurant the evening of the dinner:

Signage

Here's the menu:

Menu

Here are my determinations:

First Course
Our menu described the first course as being garnished with a mustard sprout and herb aioli. We found the sprout. If the aioli were present, it was just as discernible to the palette as it was to the eye. Conversely, the Waldorf Timbale was apparent. True to its namesake, its apples were sweet, but tart. Its half piece of walnut provided a nutty crunch. Its intention was likely to cut the savoriness of the ostrich. Unfortunately, whatever texture or flavour contrast was intended were lost to an unyielding piece of ostrich.

Ostrich meat is red, so serving it as sashimi is a novel idea. However, it would have been better served sliced thinly across the grain. This way, each slice mimicks more traditional tuna sashimi, which falls apart in the mouth. There is a reason that the classic steak tartare is thoroughly chopped. You cannot expect your diner to bite through a quarter inch thick piece of ostrich meat. I had to swallow mine almost whole. My better didn't fair so well.

Second Course
Yarmouth lobster is lobster that hails from a major fishing town in Nova Scotia. According to wikipedia.net, Yarmouth is sometimes called "The Gateway to Nova Scotia." My question: Why would anyone use lobster from a reputable source to make such unremarkable preparations? Overcooked lobster, served in an overpowering cream sauce, on stale fried bread was the first preparation. Soggy bread, hard (impossible to bite through) crust, and tough lobster meat make a mediocre dish, bordering on bad. The better tasting of the two preparations was the vanilla lobster bisque. This was more because it confused my palate. While it is not unknown to sauce lobster with dairy flavoured with vanilla, the high concentration of vanilla in the bisque made it a peculiar complement.

Third Course
This de-constructed cannelloni includes a slice of buffalo mozzarella, a red pepper sauce (seasoned with parmesan), and two squares of fresh pasta. It was finished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Sweet, sharp, and savory, it was pleasant compared to the previous courses.

BTW, while I am not Italian, isn't the point of Cannelloni to serve rolls of thin pasta, stuffed with a savory filling? Two squares of stacked pasta, fresh or otherwise, do not make a roll. Perhaps, the dish should have been renamed: open face ravioli?

Palette cleanser
The palette cleanser was by far the best part of the tasting menu. Consisting of a lime-basil sorbet and carbonated Elderflower water, it is a brilliant take on the classic root beer float. Because it was served in a thin champagne flute, you eat/drink your sorbet as you inhale the scent of elder flowers. The scent, carried by bubble of CO2 escaping, was heady and sweet. The tartness from the limes indeed cleansed the palette for the final two courses.

My only previous culinary reference for Elderflower was a champagne that was made by Hugh Fernley Whittingstall on an installment of River Cottage. This sorbet was a particular treat for me because, when elderflowers are in bloom, my allergies ususally prevent my enjoying their scent.

Fourth Course
With Easter just past and Thanksgiving upcoming, I looked forward to this dish to provide novel inspiration. I was disappointed by what was essentially a re-worked frozen turkey dinner. Instead of shaved turkey breast, I was served a roulade-type preparation with embedded pieces of shitake mushrooms. Happily, it was tender, but slightly dry. The gravy tasted authentic, likely owing to it coming from real pan juices. Instead of scalloped potatoes, the turkey was accompanied by a potato pave (gratin by another name) whose only distinct flavour came from the scant shavings of truffle. Everything was accompanied by a roasted heirloom carrot. Passable, yes. Great, no.

Fifth Course
The chocolate mousse was light and rich as a mousse should be. It was served with a tart raspberry puree and a fresh raspberry on top. Both cut the richness of the chocolate and provided a punctuated fruity sweetness.

Jenn was served a slice of blueberry pie instead of the chocolate mousse. According to her, the filling was made from local blueberries. They were sweet and fresh. The crust was slightly dense, but flaky and buttery.

Unfortunately, better executed desserts do not redeem a meal whose best part was a palate cleanser. On the bright side, Terry actually recognized me and my order from a year ago: a bison burger. Apparently, the bison burger is no longer on the menu.

I guess I'll check back in another year...

Cost of 2 tasting menus, drinks, and taxes: $87.15

More after the jump...