Hi-
I've read many of the post and they have been most helpful. My wife and I are going early September for 5 days. What should we expect the weather to be like? Also, any tips on dining would be appreciated... nothing too expensive. We will be staying at the Chateau Laurier. Can't wait! Thanks.

Out the door, turn left, cross the street,turn left again... and you are in Byward Market, which is full of a wide range of rastaurants -- wide int he sense of price, and wide in the sense of food offerings, but not all that wide in quality. My memories start at good and go to excellent, with noting int he bad, awful, or lousy categories.

Maybe a lcoal can chime in and tell us if Zak's is still there.

The Ottawa government just sent out a tracvel brochure with a restaurant table phtographed in front of the Chateau, with the Rideau Canal in the background. Great location, except peole will keep stealing food from your plate as they pass, since the table was placed right on the sidewalk of a bridge for the photo.

BAK

Zak's is alive and well: http://www.zaksdiner.com/

We ate there last month. Crowded for breakfast/brunch on weekends.

The weather in Ottawa in early September should be quite nice. It is likely to be in the mid 20's (celsius), but you will be too early to see the leaves changing.

As BAK mentioned, there are many restaurants very close by in the Market, most of them good. It would help to know what you think would be too expensive, and I can make some suggestions

Hi-
Thanks for the suggestions and weather info. Dining price wise, I guess we'd like to keep it around or under $50.00 if possible.

etraveler: I assume that by $50, you mean dinner for two, with no drinks. Many of the restaurants in the Market will be above that, but there are still a number of good ones roughly in that range.

Among these, I would recommend Mamma Grazzi (obviously Italian), the Black Tomato (eclectic), Haveli and Café Shafali (Indian), and Wasabi (Japanese). There are lots of pubs in the Market where you can get a decent pub meal. I like the Heart and Crown and the Earl of Sussex. Also close to the Chateau (but not in the Market) is D'Arcy McGee's

Besides the Market, there are quite a few inexpensive restaurants along Elgin Street, roughly from Gloucester Street south, perhaps a 10-15 minute walk from the Chateau. I can't vouch for any of them, however.

The main restaurant in the Chateau, Wilfrid's is very good, but it is relatively expensive. Across the street from the Chateau are two new restaurants, Milestone's (a chain, but good) and the Brasserie Metropolitain (overpriced in my opinion).

Your best bet may be simply to walk around in the Market and try a restaurant that seems appealing. In most cases, you shouldn't be disappointed.

Hi laverendrye-
I can't thank you enough for all your info. They all sound great, especially the Black Tomato. Definately want to try that place. I'll share our experiences with everyone when we get back. Thanks again.

etraveler: You're welcome. I think that you will enjoy the Black Tomato.

Just for interest, here's a good restaurant resource for Ottawa (and other cities as well). Jut be aware that the various restaurant descriptions are not reviews, but blurbs from the restaurants themselves. However, there's lots of good information here.

http://www.ottawaplus.ca/bars_restaurants

Ottawa also has a small 'little italy' neighborhood on Preston St, which is a little bit away from the downtown. We ate at 'La Roma', which was reasonable, and very, very good. The neighborhood itself isn't particularly interesting however.
PS: If you enjoy outdoorsy activities, Ottawa has lots of very scenic and safe biking trails.