The Black Dog Bistro may be Top Dog in Manotick!

For the last decade or so, around this time of year, we make our annual pilgrimage to Manotick. Dorothy’s father Ian, was interred in Capital Memorial Gardens on Highway 16 in 1998 and we visit him most years to pay our respects. Since it is quite a trek from the distant climes of our home in Beacon Hill, we usually make a day of it and take the opportunity to do some Christmas Shopping. Two of our favourite stores, right on Main Street are McCaffery’s Clothing Store and Lasting Impressions. We almost never come away empty-handed and this year was no exception. After a couple of hours and laden with the fruits of our browsing, we realised that we were feeling peckish.  

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Where we went: Just a stone’s throw from McCaffery’s, where Dorothy had been fortunate enough to find clothes that were both fitting and that fit, we stumbled across The Black Dog Bistro. We quickly perused the menu posted outside and decided that there was plenty that looked good enough to eat and thus decided to venture in.

What we ordered: Since main courses were only available starting at 4:30PM, our choices were limited to ‘starters’, ‘salads’ or ‘mids’. As it turned out, this was a good thing on two separated levels. Firstly, there were plenty of interesting options available without venturing into the ‘mains’. Secondly, as we later discovered, the portion size of a ‘mid’, left one wondering how much food would be in a ‘main’. You can view the entire menu and wine list on-line here. In any event, Dorothy ordered the salmon baguette and I opted for the curried lamb burger on flatbread. As is my wont, I chose to accompany it with a glass of Strongbow cider! 

What we got: Just as we had placed an order, we met a colleague of Dorothy’s who happened to see us. She and her husband joined us at our table and hence the fact that there are pictures of four dishes below. Bruce tried the salmon bisque to go along with his Philly Cheese Steak, whilst Andrea selected the Meditteranean Chicken sandwich. All four were thoroughly enjoyed. My only slight complaint would be that the curry seasoning was a little too strong and completely overpowered the flavour of the lamb burger.

Salmon Baguette

Curried Lamb Burger

Philly Cheesesteak

Mediterranean Chicken

Worthy of note:I must admit to the feeling that although the food was everything that one might expect to find in a bistro, the wine selection was not. The only French wine available was a red bordeaux and no German wine was to be found at all. A little strange for an establishment specialising in wines. Fortunately for us, we were not looking to drink wine mid-afternoon!

Summary

• Positives: Cosy and friendly atmosphere. Reasonably priced for the quality of food. Wide selection of interesting dishes 
• Negatives: Nothing major to note!
• Recommendation: This was another of those chance discoveries that make me what other gems might be lurking in Ottawa’s outskirts! If you find others worthy of mention, feel free to let us know!

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