NEW BISTRO MASTERS ABORIGINAL CUISINE
AARON SHAW

WARREN AND PHOEBE SUTHERLAND REFINE THE MENU AT SWEETGRASS ABORIGINAL BISTRO
"Sweet" is in the name, but Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro is definitely about the savoury too. Billing itself as Ottawa's first and only restaurant featuring First Nations cuisine, it's the inspiration of chefs and owners Phoebe Sutherland and her husband Warren. The two honed their skills at the New England Culinary Institute and took over the locale of dessert purveyor Oh So Good on Murray Street.
The chefs worked for a time in Arizona, and that influence is reflected in the chipotle glazed salmon and Pueblo grilled smoked pork chop. The menu is organized by "starters," "in betweens," "mains," and "sides" and features fare such as caribou, quail and buffalo. It was being revamped recently to incorporate new seasonal items like venison and rabbit.
The wine list covers the primary offerings from France, Spain, and
Italy, and also has house wines: a Cabernet-Merlot blend and a Riesling privately labelled under the restaurant's name from Harbour Estate winery in Niagara. I was interested to try one of their own selections, but shortly after ordering a bottle of the Cabernet-Merlot our server returned to say the wine was a bit "harsh" and did not match well with the food. This was honest, but I was puzzled why they had a house wine they couldn't endorse and didn't harmonize with the cuisine. In any case, I heeded the advice and I went with a plummy and well-balanced Zinfandel from Cline Cellars in California.
I started with smoked duck breast salad. Four slices of the tasty fowl paired nicely with the tart cranberry-apple sauce and the light vinaigrette drizzled over mixed greens. The butternut squash and bacon soup that was the daily feature was also impressive with its warm, rich and slightly smoky flavours.
For a main dish, I opted for the grilled buffalo steak. This meat can be tough - this is a muscular beast - but this was not the case with my very generous cut. The mashed potatoes that came with this plate were fluffy and flavourful with their celeriac seasoning. The rich-tasting brown sauce that lightly covered the meat proved fine fodder when soaked up with Navajo fry bread.
My friend had the roasted lake trout, which was deftly seared for a crusty exterior and a lightly cooked flesh. The wild rice and cranberries with green beans and fire-roasted tomato sauce harmonized the plate, bringing everything together nicely.
For dessert, I was curious to try the personally never-seen-before puutin - a Cree dish made by Phoebe's mother that resembled bread pudding. It was a moist and flavourful mixture of flour, lard, raisins, currants and spices that is steamed instead of baked. A satisfying end to a remarkable meal.
Overall, I was definitely impressed with the creative interpretation of First Nations-inspired ingredients and preparation. Sweetgrass Aboriginal Bistro is a fine and welcome addition to the Ottawa restaurant scene.
SWEETGRASS ABORIGINAL BISTRO
108 MURRAY STREET