It’s an ever-changing dining landscape out there. Why, just a year ago, if you’d said you were planning to head to Hintonburg for an evening of fine food and drink, your friends would have wondered what you were talking about. And just three or four years ago, if you’d floated the idea of joining the gang for small plates, few would have understood the concept.
Trends change fast. Chefs move around, restaurants revamp their menus and dining rooms, and the city’s ever more cosmopolitan diners are always on the hunt for restaurants — and food shops — that reflect their evolving tastes and knowledge. Older notions of fine dining have given way in 2012 to a more casual approach to eating. Though we still respect the great cooking techniques, we’re also looking for food that offers comfort and whose provenance can be traced to local producers.
The premier issue of Ottawa Magazine’s Eating & Drinking Guide regales you with a list of 300+ enthusiastic recommendations — food shops that stand above the crowd, new restaurants we hope will prosper and older ones we’d recommend to our best friends, and great wines from near and far. Think of this book as your culinary go-to guide for the city — a compendium to inspire your eating, drinking, and food sourcing choices for 2012. Bon appétit!