Tonight we celebrated Kelly's birthday (son Stephen's young lady) at Stone River. This place just gets better and better.
The service was impeccable and the food was superb. Their salad was fresh and delicious. The candied pecans and goat cheese put the salad over the top.
We all had schnitzel - mine was the Neptune and it was perfect. The large plates of schnitzel are trimmed out with perfect portions of potatoes, red cabbage and broccoli. The presentation is true artwork. Honestly, their schnitzel is at least on par with my departed Hungarian Mother-in-law's. And it brings back so many nice memories. I go in, planning to try the beef but as soon as I see that schnitzel on the menu, out goes plan A. OK OK, so next time its beef.
We were seated on the main floor with a lovely view of the river and sunset. We had comfortable, soft chairs (thankyou so much). This nice room, with the view and the fireplace, will have even more appeal during the coming cool winter evenings.
Tonight we decided to have birthday cake and coffee at home, but I know from past experience that the desserts are delicious.
Another perfect evening. My sincere thanks to the owners and staff. I will be back soon.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Fresco Bistro Italiano - Elgin St, Ottawa
Last Thursday, Aug.16, a friend and I popped into Fresco Bistro Italiano, 354 Elgin St. downtown Ottawa, for an unplanned, quick lunch at about 1:45pm. We let our waitress, Amy, know that we had limited time. We both had ice tea and a chicken wrap with fries. Everything about this meal was excellent. This includes the interesting decor, table cloth seating, the pleasant service, the attractively presented food, and the timing. The wrapped sandwich was so large that my friend only ate half, and the rest was promptly packaged to go. As we left, everyone said a pleasant goodbye to us. We were out by 2:30. I definitely will go back.
I should just point out that these were $15 sandwich plates, so not the place to take the kids for a burger, but a good place for a business meet or a few minutes with that someone special. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
I should just point out that these were $15 sandwich plates, so not the place to take the kids for a burger, but a good place for a business meet or a few minutes with that someone special. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Stone River Revisited
We revisited Stone River Dining on the evening of June 29. Some of my comments still stand, except as mentioned in this posting. Stairs at this location continue to be a problem. We were a group of 11 with one hip replacement and one knee-brace. We were placed on the lower floor with many steps. I would urge these folks to start every reservation with "Please note that some areas have lots of stairs, so if that is a problem, please tell us know and we will try to accomodate you."
Having said that, we were seated in a truly comfortable, private, quiet, elegant area. Very, very nice! We had a dedicated waiter who was very good at his job and worked the table perfectly. The menu glitches are gone and no more confusion. The food was excellent and our crowd had a variety. Everyone was very pleased. Salads were fresh and crisp, the main course was perfect and dessert was very nice. Timing was good. Once again we had inexpensive wines. The first Shiraz was good, the second was not so good and was promply replaced. Had it been decanted or allowed to breath for a while, it probably would have been ok. The Chard was just fine. We still need cushions for those nice chairs. Maybe I will bring my own.
Thankyou Stone River Dining for fine food and a pleasant evening at a reasonable price.
Having said that, we were seated in a truly comfortable, private, quiet, elegant area. Very, very nice! We had a dedicated waiter who was very good at his job and worked the table perfectly. The menu glitches are gone and no more confusion. The food was excellent and our crowd had a variety. Everyone was very pleased. Salads were fresh and crisp, the main course was perfect and dessert was very nice. Timing was good. Once again we had inexpensive wines. The first Shiraz was good, the second was not so good and was promply replaced. Had it been decanted or allowed to breath for a while, it probably would have been ok. The Chard was just fine. We still need cushions for those nice chairs. Maybe I will bring my own.
Thankyou Stone River Dining for fine food and a pleasant evening at a reasonable price.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Stone River Dining near Rockland, ON
We chose to celebrate Mother's Day with a Saturday evening dinner, rather than endure the crowds on Sunday. We were anxious to try a new, higher-end restaurant just opening near us, Stone River Dining. The only other upper end, non-chain restaurant near us, The Heritage in Cumberland, disappointingly failed last year.
The grounds of Stone River Dining are very nice, grassy and still a work in progress. The panorama view of the Ottawa River, at the rear, is very pleasant. There is a nice patio with tables at the rear and I look forward to checking out this area further. There seems to be plenty of parking in various areas around a big circular driveway. We did not find any disabled parking, but that's ok. The driveway itself still needs work. They really need a big sign on both sides of the 80/90kph Highway 174 and lavish pillars at the driveway entrance, to mark the turn and set the tone of this nice restaurant.
The entrance to the restaurant is very nice. Outside there is a gradual ramp and no stairs. Inside its quite a nice, roomy, impressive entrance. Our seating was to the left. While we had specifically asked for no steps, and the reservation taker specifically acknowledged the request, when we were shown to our table, my ailing wife had to navigate 2 steps. We did not explore the entire building because we did not want to intrude on others dining but it certainly seems upscale and quite nice. Unfortunately, like many restaurants these days, there is no carpeting or tapestry to absorb some of the sounds. The area where we sat would benefit from a curtain, or soft wall between the entrance and the eating area. Just to close off the space and quiet down sounds from the entrance and from the serving staff. The noise level was tolerable but louder than I like, with the usual children running around. The table we sat at would have been perfect for 2, a little awkward for 3, and crowded for 4. My opinion. When paying top dollar, I like to feel like I own some real estate. I'm a big guy. The chairs are large, very nice and solid, but hard after 2 hours. Too bad they don't have some padding on them. Maybe later. My wife said that they are slippery.
While we had a reservation, and there was no earlier sitting at our table, the table was not set when we arrived 15 minutes early. The extra place setting (we had reserved for 3) never did get completely cleared, and so the table space was a bit crowded. There was no salt and pepper, nor any candle on our table, even though other tables were set with a candle and salt and pepper. One of our party eventually had to go and get salt and pepper from another table, during our meal. We did not get served any bread and butter, although other tables did.
The menu has a very nice selection but has an awkwardness about it: The main course which includes vegetables and potatoes, can be augmented with a lobster tail ($21) or shrimp ($15). For an additional $10, it can be further augmented with a salad, coffee/tea and dessert. Can I have the $10 option without the $15 option? - No! ..... This is a huge mistake - the answer should be Yes but without a lobster tail or shrimp, the cost is $15 for the salad, coffee/tea and dessert. Add-ons to add-ons is awkward. No domestic beer and prices shown on the menus. Not everyone wants to drink imports at $17 a bottle. The wine menu is good. We had an inexpensive Ontario Chardonnay (Greyhawk) which was perfect with the schnitzel. What I really like about this food menu is that it is not overwhelming with choices. With the exception described above, it is very easy to understand. The other thing that I really like is that for a fixed price I can have a salad, coffee and dessert. Excellent. The menu is presented very well, nice binding, nice pages. The prices are shown for each item, and that can work against an establishment. At first glance, the prices seem quite high, considering other factors. At second glance, they are still high, considering. At third glance, they aren't too bad when you add up the bill.
The add-on salad was very nice, light and attractive with fresh greens and veggies and a nice light dressing. Nice dishware too. When the main course was delivered, it was piping hot. Appearance was excellent. It was delivered with an appropriate flourish. My wife had the Basic breaded Schnitzel. It looked nice and tasted very good It could have been a little crisper. It may have been the butter or something that took the crispness off the breading. Anyway, very good and an excellent portion size. Our son had the Schnitzel Neptune. It was absolutely delicious. Crisp breading. Nice appearance and lots of food. I had the Schnitzel Stone Haus. It came with asparagus across the breaded schnitzel, and a very nice cheese sauce. All excellent! The potatoes were also very nice. My son and I had the shrimp tail add-on. Considering that we paid $15 for this shrimp tail, it was terribly over-priced. It was difficult to get out of its shell and did not amount to even a small mouthful of food. Neither my son nor I would order the shrimp again. Based on the shrimp, I would not even consider the lobster tail at $21. No buns and butter. Why?
For our add-on dessert (part of the $10 add-on, to the $15 add-on) our son chose Black Forest cake. It was excellent. Fresh and attractive and a generous portion. My strudel was likewise excellent. The coffee was hot, fresh and tasty and we were politely offered refills. Very good!
A very nice meal, in a very nice restaurant, in a very nice rural river setting. They have a few wrinkles to iron out, but these should work out ok. The prices are definitely on the high side for a new restaurant trying to build a clientele. That being said, I look forward to my return to try the beef.
Richard Bandla
The grounds of Stone River Dining are very nice, grassy and still a work in progress. The panorama view of the Ottawa River, at the rear, is very pleasant. There is a nice patio with tables at the rear and I look forward to checking out this area further. There seems to be plenty of parking in various areas around a big circular driveway. We did not find any disabled parking, but that's ok. The driveway itself still needs work. They really need a big sign on both sides of the 80/90kph Highway 174 and lavish pillars at the driveway entrance, to mark the turn and set the tone of this nice restaurant.
The entrance to the restaurant is very nice. Outside there is a gradual ramp and no stairs. Inside its quite a nice, roomy, impressive entrance. Our seating was to the left. While we had specifically asked for no steps, and the reservation taker specifically acknowledged the request, when we were shown to our table, my ailing wife had to navigate 2 steps. We did not explore the entire building because we did not want to intrude on others dining but it certainly seems upscale and quite nice. Unfortunately, like many restaurants these days, there is no carpeting or tapestry to absorb some of the sounds. The area where we sat would benefit from a curtain, or soft wall between the entrance and the eating area. Just to close off the space and quiet down sounds from the entrance and from the serving staff. The noise level was tolerable but louder than I like, with the usual children running around. The table we sat at would have been perfect for 2, a little awkward for 3, and crowded for 4. My opinion. When paying top dollar, I like to feel like I own some real estate. I'm a big guy. The chairs are large, very nice and solid, but hard after 2 hours. Too bad they don't have some padding on them. Maybe later. My wife said that they are slippery.
While we had a reservation, and there was no earlier sitting at our table, the table was not set when we arrived 15 minutes early. The extra place setting (we had reserved for 3) never did get completely cleared, and so the table space was a bit crowded. There was no salt and pepper, nor any candle on our table, even though other tables were set with a candle and salt and pepper. One of our party eventually had to go and get salt and pepper from another table, during our meal. We did not get served any bread and butter, although other tables did.
The menu has a very nice selection but has an awkwardness about it: The main course which includes vegetables and potatoes, can be augmented with a lobster tail ($21) or shrimp ($15). For an additional $10, it can be further augmented with a salad, coffee/tea and dessert. Can I have the $10 option without the $15 option? - No! ..... This is a huge mistake - the answer should be Yes but without a lobster tail or shrimp, the cost is $15 for the salad, coffee/tea and dessert. Add-ons to add-ons is awkward. No domestic beer and prices shown on the menus. Not everyone wants to drink imports at $17 a bottle. The wine menu is good. We had an inexpensive Ontario Chardonnay (Greyhawk) which was perfect with the schnitzel. What I really like about this food menu is that it is not overwhelming with choices. With the exception described above, it is very easy to understand. The other thing that I really like is that for a fixed price I can have a salad, coffee and dessert. Excellent. The menu is presented very well, nice binding, nice pages. The prices are shown for each item, and that can work against an establishment. At first glance, the prices seem quite high, considering other factors. At second glance, they are still high, considering. At third glance, they aren't too bad when you add up the bill.
The add-on salad was very nice, light and attractive with fresh greens and veggies and a nice light dressing. Nice dishware too. When the main course was delivered, it was piping hot. Appearance was excellent. It was delivered with an appropriate flourish. My wife had the Basic breaded Schnitzel. It looked nice and tasted very good It could have been a little crisper. It may have been the butter or something that took the crispness off the breading. Anyway, very good and an excellent portion size. Our son had the Schnitzel Neptune. It was absolutely delicious. Crisp breading. Nice appearance and lots of food. I had the Schnitzel Stone Haus. It came with asparagus across the breaded schnitzel, and a very nice cheese sauce. All excellent! The potatoes were also very nice. My son and I had the shrimp tail add-on. Considering that we paid $15 for this shrimp tail, it was terribly over-priced. It was difficult to get out of its shell and did not amount to even a small mouthful of food. Neither my son nor I would order the shrimp again. Based on the shrimp, I would not even consider the lobster tail at $21. No buns and butter. Why?
For our add-on dessert (part of the $10 add-on, to the $15 add-on) our son chose Black Forest cake. It was excellent. Fresh and attractive and a generous portion. My strudel was likewise excellent. The coffee was hot, fresh and tasty and we were politely offered refills. Very good!
A very nice meal, in a very nice restaurant, in a very nice rural river setting. They have a few wrinkles to iron out, but these should work out ok. The prices are definitely on the high side for a new restaurant trying to build a clientele. That being said, I look forward to my return to try the beef.
Richard Bandla
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