This week’s deep-freeze got you down? Perhaps a little Oka cheese raclette or a Beau’s Bog Water-braised brisket taco would be just the thing to warm you up — along with some vintage red wine, of course.
The offerings from the dozen restaurants that will be providing dishes at the Winterlude kickoff event, Dine Wine Wintertime, to be held Jan. 30, have been revealed, and they sound tasty.
Château Laurier chef Louis Simard will offer braised deer-cheek ravioli and roasted loin, white chocolate and parsnip purée, with local blueberry jam and shaved root vegetables at Wine Dine Wintertime on Jan. 30.
Tickets, available at capitaltickets.ca, are $79 for the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association-sponsored event, which goes from 6 to 8:30 p.m. next Thursday at Ottawa City Hall; your ticket gets you admission and food samples, paired with wines. Proceeds go to the Youth Services Bureau and Ottawa Food Bank.
And if all that food and drink gets you overheated? You can head outside to an outdoor icewine and dessert bar.
Here’s a taste of what the hotel chefs will be cooking:
The Albion Rooms (in Novotel): Mushroom on toast — braised rabbit, leek, Riesling, roasted mushrooms, toasted broccoli purée, anchovy radish relish
ARC the hotel: Rabbit-lobster “porchetta,” warm frisée, crispy smoked apple, pancetta, pickled-ramp ranch dressing
Brookstreet Hotel: Cold-pressed short-rib ssäm (a kind of Korean wrap, usually in a leafy vegetable), black cherry “paint,” foie gras, black olive and fingerling pulse
Courtyard by Marriott East: Vietnamese sandwiches and chicken and srirachi sandwiches
Delta Ottawa City Centre: Roasted squash, buttered leek and foie gras bread pudding with balsamic drizzle
Fairmont Château Laurier: Braised deer-cheek ravioli and roasted loin, white chocolate and parsnip purée, local blueberry jam and shaved root vegetables
Four Points by Sheraton Gatineau-Ottawa: Duck-breast roulade stuffed with mashed potato and cranberry with port demi-glace
Holiday Inn Kanata: Mussels “alla griglia” in saffron Moscato cream served with a herbed goat-cheese crostini and fig brûlée goat-cheese crostini
Lord Elgin hotel: Trio of homemade sausage with Canadian bison, Quebec lamb and Quebec duck, with winter bean salad, barley, mung beans and adzuki beans with Grill 41 savoury barbecue sauce
Ottawa Marriott: Beau’s Bog Water-braised taco, pickled relish, bird’s-eye chili
Westin Hotel: Oka cheese raclette with duck confit, warm apple walnut and cherry compote
Shore Club (in the Westin Ottawa): Oysters and shrimp cocktails
