StoneFaced Dolly’s quietly opened at the corner of Bronson and Beech Streets in the mid 1990’s. Business was slow and the original owner would sit after lunch with her mother, Dolly, and play cards to pass the time away. Dolly, as it turns out, was an exceptional card player. This was at least partly due to what her daughter referred to as Dolly’s poker or “stoneface”. The nickname stuck and Stoneface Dolly’s was purchased in 1999.
As far as the history of Dinner and dining goes, Capitalism, colonialism, and then the industrial revolution were changing the world's economy. The tumultuous wars and revolutions of the 1600s had been part of a shift in power. Nobles were losing their status as independent powers as kings and central governments took more power for themselves. Fewer and fewer nobles were playing really strong roles in government. As new professional classes of politicians, diplomats and citizen armies began to occupy many of the roles nobles used to fill, nobles had more time to play. And with all the economic changes that were occurring, many people had a lot more money to spend.
These developments and others, such as the enclosures of the 1700s, the end in England at least of the devastating wars of the 1600s, the lessening of plagues, and also the fact that nobles had been brought under control by the kings of England and France led to more settled conditions, as nobles were no longer conducting their personal and local wars. The nobility and gentry became a class of leisure and began to spend more time in the cities, where they had parties and entertainment night after night. They had, or at least most of them had, no more work to do.
People had more money, and in the cities at least, more goods were available, including candles and lamps. People began staying up later with the better lighting, and many of them didn't have to get up so early in the morning anymore. There was also more to do at night. The 1700s were a time of entertainment as well as enlightenment. Theaters and operas were suddenly available on a wider scale in cities like London and Paris, with most performances at night. In Shakespeare's time they had usually been in the day, in sunlight. Now they were in enclosed halls, illuminated by hundreds or thousands of candles and lamps. These were not just affairs for the upper class, either; middle and lower class people went in large numbers.
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
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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.
