Where to Eat

• Navarra by Rene Rodriguez

  You can trace the ideas on this menu back to the chef-owner’s sojourns in Spain. Annual working trips have led to a cured chorizo dish with sherry glaze; meanwhile, duck breast is served with a mix of cocoa, roasted parsnip, apple butter, dry cherries and ancho chillies. Tastes will bloom in your mouth.

  93 Murray St., 613-241-5500, navarrarestaurant.com

• Melrose Groceteria

  The back of the Melrose Groceteria houses Helen’s Cuisine, a lunch counter serving shawarma, tabouli, delicious baklava – and pot roast.

  1082 Wellington St. W., 613-728-2566From: Canada’s Next Great Neighbourhoods

• Atelier

  In his workshop (he never calls it a “kitchen”), chef Marc Lepine explores the limits of his creativity using Adria-approved molecular-gastronomy techniques. Try his truly original eight-course tasting meal since there’s no menu to speak of anyway; guests are subject to the chef’s whims. Not for the unadventurous. Reservations required – and ask for directions. The restaurant has no exterior signage.

  540 Rochester St., 613-321-3537, atelierrestaurant.ca

• The Wellington Gastropub

  Marrying the informality and conviviality of an English pub with the raw ingredients and expectations of a top-end restaurant, this small, upper-level West Wellington joint hits all the notes. Late menus, “guest” beers, enomatic wine selection and sumptuous desserts have made regulars out of many locals.

  1325 Wellington St. W., 613-729-1315, thewellingtongastropub.com

• Beckta Dining & Wine

  Since its launch, the restaurant, located in an old Victorian house, has racked up a bevy of awards, including 4-Diamond awards and nods from Gold Metal Plates. We bestowed praise on it ourselves for its inventive use of Canadian ingredients and thoughtful wine-list – to say nothing of the down-to-the-details polish of the serving staff.

  226 Nepean St., 613-238-7063, beckta.com

• Le Tartuffe

  Owner-chef Gérard Fischer presides over this Gatineau, Quebec restaurant situated just a few minutes away from downtown Ottawa. You’ll feel Fischer’s warmth and pride of work just by looking at the plate presentation: sauce-laden French cuisine with hints of Outaouais culture graces his game-prominent menu.

  33 Notre-Dame-de-l’Île St., Hull sector, 819-776-6424, letartuffe.com

• The Whalesbone Oyster House

  If you crossed a Moe’s Tavern with an American Apparel ad, you’d get this fun, intentionally kitschy pub. There’s the requisite gold bust of Elvis, something that sounds like a Burt Bacharach-meets-Big Bird duet on the turntable and a tattoo parlour across the street. The confident kitchen has a way with brisket that eludes most restaurants this side of Montreal, not to mention an impressive Atlantic mackerel.

  430 Bank St., 613-231-8569, thewhalesbone.comFrom: The Next 20

Where to Drink in Ottawa

• Zoé’s Lounge, Fairmont Château Laurier

  This grande dame hotel is as elegant and refined as the ladies who assemble here each afternoon for tea. If the pianist is feeling rowdy, she may bust out with “Chariots of Fire,” but that’s about as crazy as it gets. The stately pedigree doesn’t prevent the bartenders from keeping on top of cocktail trends and using only the freshest ingredients. We loved their Basil and Honey Collins: Plymouth gin shaken with basil and honey syrup and finished with freshly squeezed lime juice.

  1 Rideau St., 613-241-1414, fairmont.com/laurier/guestservices/restaurants/zoeslounge.htmFrom: Canada's Top 15 Hotel Bars

• Mercury Lounge

  Hoping for the New York vibe proffered by its namesake, this welcoming two-level, loft-like bar has lush details: velvet curtains, stuffed banquettes, martini bars, and the requisite beautiful people to be reflected in the gilded mirrors. The musical selection favours highlife, soul, Latin and Afrobeat, and people come to dance – by last call many have doffed their shoes to add swing to their sway.

  56 ByWard Market Sq., 613-789-5324, mercurylounge.com

• Babylon Nightclub

  Ottawa Afrobeat all-stars The Souljazz Orchestra got their start here. You’ll often find the next up-and-coming MC making a case for himself on stage. A weekly mod night on Sunday runs the gamut from mid-century British rock to current iPod-commercial hits.

  317 Bank St., 613-594-0003, babylonclub.ca

• Zaphod Beeblebrox

  It’s dubbed “The Nightclub at the Edge of the Universe,” but the truth is, it sits in the middle of the centrally located ByWard Market. Many touring Canadian acts have played this stage, from the very famous (Sam Roberts) to the not-so famous. A relaxed atmosphere, funny drink names like the Pan-Galactic Gargleblaster (looks like toilet-bowl cleaner, tastes sweet and boozy) and reliable service make this haunt a favourite with the locals.

  27 York St., 613-562-1010, zaphodbeeblebrox.com

• The Carleton Tavern

  While occasionally reclaimed as a hipster hovel for rock shows, the Carleton Tavern is a good old dive with décor to match.

  223 Armstrong St., 613-728-4424From: Canada’s Next Great Neighbourhoods

Arts & Culture

Boutique galleries are popping up in downtown neighbourhoods. A major summer blockbuster can always be found at the National Gallery of Canada.

• National Gallery of Canada

  380 Sussex Dr., 800-319-2787, gallery.ca

• Pukka Gallery

  430 Parkdale Ave., pukkagallery.ca

• Cube Gallery

  7 Hamilton Ave. N., 613-728-1750, cubegallery.ca

• Dale Smith Gallery

  137 Beechwood Ave., 613-321-0101, dalesmithgallery.com

• Gallery 101

  301-1/2 Bank St., 613-230-2799, gallery101.org

• Ottawa Art Gallery

  2 Daly Ave., 613-233-8699, ottawaartgallery.ca

• Parkdale Gallery

  the QUAD, 613-614-4308, parkdalegallery.com

Shopping

• The White Shop

  Vintage linens, old drawer knobs, wrought-iron bookends and one-offs like The White Album are displayed throughout this century-old loft space, which was once a convenience store. It still has its original tin ceiling, and the interior has been refurbished with antique and shabby-chic furniture as well as artwork from Florida’s Art Fifteen Gallery.

  223 Dalhousie St., 613-241-1543, thewhiteshop.netFrom: enRoute, December 2007: Shopping

• Rideau Centre

  Find all the major retailers here, including Lacoste, Marciano and Harry Rosen and mass-marketers Old Navy and Club Monaco.

  50 Rideau St., 613-236-6565, rideaucentre.net

• Dalhousie Street North

  At the tip of the ByWard Market – where rent is cheaper – upstart entrepreneurs have opened a variety of shops catering to vintage-clothing lovers. Find anything from a great pair of worn-in Levis to a previously loved Pucci tunic.

• Ma Cuisine

  Broke your Bodum? No problem. In addition to a broad selection of gift-friendly dips, mixes, cookbooks and dishware, this grand emporium carries the spare parts you need to save your kitchenware. Offerings include Emile Henry bakeware, Riedel stemware and Rachael Ray mixing bowls, along with cutting boards in myriad shapes, sizes and materials.

  269 Dalhousie St., 613-789-9225From: enRoute, December 2007: Shopping

• Paper Papier

  Get your life in order with a Filofax organizer and calmly record your thoughts in a Moleskine journal. Find them alongside 6,000 greeting cards, Vergé de France stationery and other artifacts of the dying art of correspondence.

  18 Clarence St., 613-241-1212, paperpapier.comFrom: enRoute, December 2007: Shopping

Attractions

• White Water Rafting

  Explore the mighty Ottawa River over the summer season. Packages cater to both newbies and experienced adventure-mongers, and are particularly well-suited to groups. Camping and accommodation packages are available.
  
  RiverRun Rafting, 800-267-8504, riverrunners.com
  
  Wilderness Tours, 888-723-8669, wildernesstours.com

• The Urban Element

  Visiting cookbook authors teach the fundamentals of Slow Food or molecular gastronomy at the Urban Element, a retrofitted fire hall with an industrial kitchen. Bonus: Eat your work with your new pals and take recipes home.

  424 Parkdale Ave., 613-722-0885, theurbanelement.caFrom: Canada’s Next Great Neighbourhoods

Getting from the Airport

Expect a 20-30 minute drive in by car or bus from Ottawa International Airport to the heart of the city. Major car rental chains are well represented throughout the capital, especially at the airport and in the business district.

Taxis

Stick out your hand. In the core areas, taxis come by readily (though you’ll compete with revellers for a car at last call). Many taxis hover at hotel entrances, while two major companies – Blue Line and Capital – can be rung from a number of dedicated lines. The airport area has a dedicated fleet going to the city core.

Public Transportation

Buses run on a hub and spoke system all over the city and into the suburbs. OC Transpo has an online travel planner that will give you step-by-step directions, and at $3 a ticket it’s the most affordable means of getting to and from the airport. A day pass offers unlimited same-day travel for $6.50, if purchased from a vendor rather than on the bus. octranspo.com