Taylor’s Genuine Food and Wine Bar

John Taylor’s second restaurant opened in Old Ottawa South just over a year ago, and I stopped by over the summer.  Like Domus, the menu features seasonal Canadian dishes and regional ingredients.  Reservations are a must because the restaurant is small and garnered quite a bit of attention recently over its “no kids” policy (some people loved the idea and others were offended – regardless, it doesn’t seem to be a very strict rule, as there actually were a number of kids there when I went and they were all very well-behaved).

We started off our evening with a charcuterie board made up of pork terrine, smoked duck breast and Blue Elizabeth cheese, and glasses of Cava (not that this was a particularly great pairing, but I just can’t say no to a fun, sparkly glass of Spanish goodness).  Everything was delicious, although we found the portions quite small and kept having to ask for more crisps.  For our mains we tried the daily fish, which was a local pickerel, and the Berkshire pork chop.  Again, the portions were on the meagre side, but everything was cooked perfectly.  The fish was tender and the pork was juicy and packed with flavour.  The wine list is good, with obviously lots of Canadian options.  I love Lailey Vineyard and we shared a bottle of their cabernet franc that didn’t disappoint. 

The dessert menu only had three items, and unfortunately they were sold out of the “chocolate factory,” which would have been my selection.   

Apart from the hostess, who seemed easily confused (our table wasn’t ready when we arrived and rather than offering, we had to ask if we could wait at the bar, to which she replied “Um, yeah, I guess so.”), the service was excellent.  Our waiter knew the menu very well and made some great suggestions. 

All in all, John Taylor hits the mark again and I definitely recommend Taylor’s Genuine Food & Wine Bar.

http://www.taylorsgenuine.ca/