Todrics Fine Dining is a well-hidden gem in Eastview

Dorothy and I recently celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary, and I felt that we should do something a little out of the ordinary to mark the auspicious occasion. For our 30th we splurged at the Lac Leamy Hilton and blew $300+ for a meal. As a poor blogger, I did not feel that I could quite stretch the purse-strings that far in this instance and so decided to take advantage of one of the many Ottawa Daily Dining Deals available.
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Where we went: Recently, I had noticed that DealFind was offering a great deal on Todric’s Fine Dining and Catering. I have already used various of these offers and have yet to be disappointed, so I felt that this was a good chance to enjoy a good meal at a substantial discount. If I had not read about Todric’s on Urbanspoon, I would likely never have even been aware of its existence, since it is tucked away way at the bottom of MacArthur Road in Vanier just a couple of blocks down from the Loblaws Superstore. I should warn you that their parking lot only accommodates 4-6 cars and there is no street parking. There is, however, a public parking lot at the end of MacArthur on River Road. Since it was a Saturday evening, we took a chance and parked in the dentist office lot adjacent.

I am not quite sure how to describe the interior of Todric’s. Certainly, from the exterior, you would not guess that this building housed a restaurant. Originally established in 2001, Todric’s would seem to have been primarily planned as a catering outlet and that the restaurant came as an afterthought. Whatever the case, the interior decor, whilst not unpleasant, is not exactly what one might expect in an upscale establishment but rather-more like a cafe.
What we ordered: As I often do, I had checked out Todric’s online and had discovered that several reviewers had raved about a dish called ‘Lamb 3 Ways’  and I was looking forward to this in particular, since lamb is one of my favourite meats. The menu is varied but not particularly extensive, so it did not take me long to realise that my preselected dish was no longer being offered and had instead been replaced with rabbit 3 ways. When we asked our server why the rabbit had replaced the lamb and he said it was because they had changed to a spring menu. Knowing that they prefer to use local suppliers and produce for their cuisine, I am seriously considering trapping and selling some of the neighbourhood bunnies, who seem to have both multiplied and become much bolder over the winter. Unfortunately, the rabbits can’t dine at Todrics so they are snacking on our tulips instead.

In any event, perhaps to spite our garden visitors, I opted for the rabbit, while Dorothy selected the flank steak. She chose the chilled avocado soup as a starter, while I decided to try the chef’s hors d’oeuvre plate sampler. We felt that it would be too much for us to consume an entire bottle of wine since one of us would have to drive home, so we each selected a glass of the house Sauvignon Blanc which was very pleasant.

What we got: The food here was very good. So much so that rather than put our pictures in-line as we normally do, we will put them in gallery format so that you can get a better look. The rabbit 3 ways was very good but I probably still would have preferred the lamb. Dorothy enjoyed her steak which was tender and cooked to her liking. We both found the selection of vegetables a nice complement and the banana or plantain chips served in place of potato, rice or pasta was a lighter but pleasant alternative. Since the mains were fairly substantial, we share the dessert sampler plate and both had specialty coffees (Dorothy cappuccino and myself Latte).

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Worthy of note: Our total bill was almost $120 but we had a $45 but our total cost was $75 due to the DealFind coupon. It is really worthwhile to take advantage of the Ottawa Daily Dining Deals.

Summary

• Positives: Really good food. Cozy and relaxing atmosphere ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’.
• Negatives: Rather pricey! Hard to find if you don’t know the area.
• Recommendation: A good spot for that special night out!

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