IA> Greetings and salutations! Let's be brief. I'm a chef's apprentice in IA>Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and I'm desperate for new ideas!!( By the way, my IA>name's not Martin Baier, I'm Steve Wilson and I'm just using my buddy's IA>address while I wait for mine to be processed.)
IA> Since this newsgroup is called restaurants, I assumed I would find IA>something on the subject here. I guess I was wrong.
IA> ANYONE OUT THERE WHO IS INTERESTED IN SHARING IDEAS, FINDING NEW IA>RECIPIES/CONCEPTS OR JUST WANTS TO TALK TO ANOTHER COOK, GET IN TOUCH!!!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The above message was seen here, posted by Steve Wilson, from Ottawa. In reply, I would like to say, "hi, Steve..." And, I would like to ask you, what is your complaint? This newsgroup **is** called restaurants, and isn't that what we are discussing here?
I am not a chef nor a chef's apprentice myself, but I have been a gratified customer (from time to time) of some excellent restaurants in the province of Ontario. I've never been to Ottawa, so I cannot tell you which restaurants to look at in order for you to pick up some new ideas... but I believe that I **can** mention a few excellent restaurants that are in Toronto, and some in Niagara-on-the-Lake, one in Niagara Falls, Ont. and one in Queenston.
If you are looking for an outstanding example of eye-appealing presentation of cuisine along with appetizing palette... go no further than to sample the fare at the Queenston Heights restaurant in the Niagara Parks Commission recreational area, right under the shadow of Brock's Monument. It is amazing to me that a government-run establishment can actually present itself in a way that is worthy of a four-star or five-star restaurant.
I realize that you are located in Ottawa... perhaps Toronto would be a bit closer for you to get to, when you have some holiday time. (Closer than Queenston, that is.) In the city of Toronto, you might want to investigate a restaurant called Fenton's which is located on Gloucester Street. Fenton's menu offers continental cuisine and some dishes which might be thought of as nouvelle cuisine. For Italian food in Toronto, try La Fenice, located on King Street West. For Chinese food, you might want to sample the menu at the Pink Pearl (two branches... one located in Queen's Quay Terminal at Harbourfront; one near Avenue Road). Do you want to see how to make Middle Eastern food that is absolutely out-of-this-world? Then, hop over to the Jerusalem Restaurant located on Eglinton Avenue West (a couple of blocks from its intersection with Bathurst Street). They have a sauteed eggplant-in-garlic appetizer that will put your taste buds in Heaven. What more do you want to know?
Recipes? Hey... I'm just a customer... I don't know the recipes... but, hey, you're a chef... maybe you could figure it out from the flavour?
Enjoy!
[email removed]Newfoundland, Canada