The Best Dinner in Ottawa, but only if you include the atmosphere, the service, the price, the quality and the company you keep, as a part of the equation. But, then again, who doesn’t? Did you know that at one time dinner was the lunch time meal and supper was only enjoyed after dark by those that could afford candles? As strange as it may seem, the ritual of seeking the last meal of the day, after the sun has set is a Noble affair. It seems that we have all become Noblemen in this day and age.
The names of meals and their general times were once quite standard. Everyone in medieval England knew that you ate breakfast first thing in the morning, dinner in the middle of the day, and supper not long before you went to bed, around sundown. The modern confusion arose from changing social customs and classes, political and economic developments, and even from technological innovations.
In the Middle Ages, great nobles ate the most formal dinner, around noon or one p.m. Their dinner was more than a meal; it was an ostentatious display, a statement of wealth and power, with dozens of servants attending in a ritualized performance. Cooking for this grand, daily show began hours in advance, and the preparations for presentation began at 10 or 11 a.m. The meal might take hours, and be eaten in the most formal and elaborately decorated chambers. Lesser nobles, knights and manor holders ate a far less formal dinner, but at the same time of day.
Middle-class tradesmen and merchants, however, had to eat a little later. Their day was bounded by work, not by feudal rituals. They couldn't leave their shops to see to their own dinners until clients and customers had gone off to their own. So merchants and traders would eat at one or two in the afternoon, and then hurry back to meet the afternoon customers. The middle-class dinner might be served by one or two servants and consisted of bread, soups, pies, and perhaps meats and fish. The dishes varied with the season, and from country to country.
Dolly’s evolved from a single diner into two unpretentious café’s serving home-style gourmet food with an international twist - the type of food you might serve guests at a dinner party. Stoneface Dolly’s is a casual and affordable restaurant catering to a local neighbourhood clientele of all ages. In the heart of Little Italy Ottawa, find us at 416 Preston Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 4M9 or 613 564-2222
http://www.stonefacedollys.com/ in Little Italy Ottawa. 1 of the Best Restaurants in Ottawa. Home to Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch and Dinner in Ottawa. Like all good stories, StoneFace Dolly’s is a tale that is better served over dinner with friends and in this case, delivered with your favourite entrée by owner and Chef Bob Russell. Don’t forget to ask about Dolly. When it comes to Food in Ottawa, StoneFace Dolly’s accommodates its guests with a casual dinner-party style atmosphere, interesting guests and gourmet food with an international twist. Find us at 416 Preston Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 4M9 or 613 564-2222 or reservations@stonefacedollys.com.
