Karen Henderson, Centretown News
Chef Jon Svazas works in his kitchen at Fauna.Two Centretown restaurants have received national recognition after being named to a list of Canada’s best restaurants in Canada’s 100 Best magazine.
Little Italy’s Atelier was Ottawa’s highest-ranked restaurant on the list at No. 69, while Bank Street’s Fauna finished a close second at No. 75.
“It’s absolutely a good thing,” says Atelier’s owner and executive chef Marc Lepine. “It’s great to know that there are people from outside of Ottawa that think highly of us.”
Fauna finally opened in 2014 following a lengthy delay, making this its first appearance on the list.
Fauna’s menu is filled with a collection of Canadian-inspired small plates that range from ling cod cheeks to an 80-day dry-aged rib eye steak.
“There’s some really good company on the list,” says Jon Svazas, Fauna’s co-owner and executive chef.
“I’m very happy with the restaurant, so it’s nice to be noticed obviously.”
The two were the only Ottawa restaurants featured on the list, raising some questions about the selection process from the local chefs whose dining spots made the top 100.
A 72-member panel of Canada’s top chefs, restaurateurs, foodies and industry leaders throughout Canada judged the list.
It’s the second annual ranking produced by Canada’s 100 Best.
Atelier has won numerous awards since opening in 2008.
It placed No. 19 on the list last year and is the only Ottawa restaurant to appear on both editions.
Almost 70 restaurants included on the list are located in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Both Calgary and Edmonton had greater representation on the list than Ottawa.
Of the 72 judges who voted, only two were from Ottawa.
“Almost half the judges were from Toronto, and it’s certainly not like they have a dining scene that’s so much more deserving of that than Ottawa or of any other city,” Lepine says.
“I was a little disappointed to see that.”
Ottawa freelance food writer Anne DesBrisay was a judge for the Canada’s 100 Best list in 2015 and 2016.
“I’m not expecting Ottawa to have the same number of restaurants on the list as Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, but two is not acceptable,” DesBrisay says.
DesBrisay looks at Ottawa’s success at the Canadian Culinary Championships as a way to gauge the city’s restaurant excellence. Lepine won the national championships in 2012 and 2016—the only chef to win the gold medal twice.
“Atelier just being given a nod at the bottom third of the list is a joke. It’s ridiculous,” says DesBrisay.
“Lepine is brilliant, and there’s so many other marvelous restaurants in Ottawa.”
Despite the dissatisfaction, Jacob Richler, editor-in-chief of Canada’s Best 100, says that while Ottawa’s restaurant total was low, it’s not necessarily an accurate representation of the strength of the city’s restaurant scene.
“The idea of the list is not to pit one city against another,” says Richler.
“It’s really a celebration of quality coast to coast and it’s supposed to draw attention to good restaurants on the list.”