absinthe

my boyfriend and i went to absinthe for the first time for valentines day dinner. it couldn't have been a more perfect evening. the service was amazing, theatmospheremusic and decor as well. they prepared a special valentines tasting menu for the evening. every dish we were served was perfect from the taste to the presentation. the appetizer was a sake glazed pork belly & crispy oyster with spicy pear slaw and lime dressing that was superb, my boyfriend who has never liked seafood even tried and loved the oyster! for the main course we chose the filet mignon with leek mash, mushroom ragout and madeira sauce. we both agreed that the steak was hands down the best we had ever had! even the bread they gave us as a snack which was homemade and served with honey butter was extraordinary! we had a great time trying the different absinthe cocktails too. absinthe surpassed all our expectations on a special night, and we will definitely be back. highly recommended!!

a must-try. from what i've seen of the negative reviews, the most common complaint has been the service. we went to absinthe on a saturday evening when the place was packed, and if there were ever issues with the service, i'd say they've been worked out. i think we interacted with three or four different people, either bussing or taking our orders. they were all extremely friendly and enthusiastic to the point that i'd say the service actually enhanced the whole experience. thankfully theatmosphereof the place is decidedly non-stuffy. as for the food, it was incredible. for apps we had the charcuterie plate and the korean bbq quail. for mains, steak and frites, and the benevolent burger (which is indeed served with a side of duck poutine). the food was almost beyond description. one of the best meals either of us have ever had. we also really enjoyed the wines we both tried. it's also worth noting that unlike most other "fine dining" places, none of the food was weird for the sake of being weird, and the portions were surprisingly generous. despite how delicious our mains were, neither of us ended up being able to finish our meals. and to top it all off, the bill was completely reasonable too.

to sum it all up, absinthe is without a doubt one of the best restaurants in the city.

after having a bad first experience at this restaurant, i was contacted by the manager with a gift certificate to return and had a much better meal. our server was friendly this time- although he forgot to take our drink order and left us sitting for 15 minutes until we asked for them. food was good, started with escargot- delicious!, then we had salads- bland and just ok, main courses were the duck and stuffed chicken- plates were well presented and good, we finished with their famous creme brûlée - it was delicious and very rich...but for a true critic the consistency was off , it was not firm enough or 'set'.

the male server we had was very friendly with me- my partner on the other hand may as well have been invisible to him. he explained my plate, but just set down his and walked away, he asked me if i wanted something from the coffee bar- i declined and then just walked away without asking him, ect. he needs to pay a little more attention to all people at the table- seemed very nervous- he even leaned-elbowes on the table at one point to discuss the menu- big no no in the serving world.

so all in all food was good- still overpriced if you ask my opinion ($140 for 2)atmosphereis not good for an intimate dinner but great for a group, and servers need a little more training on the 'proper' table serving they seem to be going for there.


-----08 apr, 2012-----

very over priced and pushy. i ordered the steak and asked for it medium- it came well done in the middle and burnt on the outside to the point that the char taste was overpowering. will not go back.

expensive but good food, i enjoyed table d'hôte and suggested wine pairing. theatmospherewas great, service excellent and accomodative despite us being a table of 12 on a busy saturday night.

great all i have to say. you get what you pay for. the steak frites was the best steak i have had at a restaraunt in ottawa. expensive but i am a big guy with a good appetite and it took everything for me to finish it. theatmospherewas great and the waiter was also very attentive and friendly.

the food was amazing,the service was great and theatmospherewas non pretentious. i highly recommend this restauraunt for anybody who loves fine cuisine.

the food was absolutely delicious. theatmospherewas amazing. the service was super-attentive. the prices were shockingly reasonable.

come with an appetite though because the portions are emormous!!

the food is great, but i find theatmospherelacking. after the great intimate feeling of their previous location, the noisy, cavernous room just doesn't do it for me