Beckta Dining & Wine — Restaurant in Ottawa

Beckta, in a word: disappointing. I came here with my wife on August 7th for our first wedding anniversary. One might think that a restaurant with so many awards on its walls would be a good choice, and one would be wrong.

Our order: We ordered community biscuits, an apple and endive salad, soft shell crab, the steak and the quail.

The atmosphere: This restaurant is very warm, uncomfortably warm, and the water they served is room temperature and not refilled often given the number of times the waiter came to look at us. I felt uncomfortable. Everything else was otherwise unremarkable except for the bathroom, it was gross.

The food: We began our meal with the community biscuits, one of them was completely raw in the center the other was just barely edible which I and my pregnant wife shared while we waited for the waiter to return. Upon being informed that the biscuit was raw he said he would replace it.

After a long wait, and growing appetites, the waiter returned with two more biscuits which were both raw. At this point we were informed by the waiter that the kitchen follows a recipe and have a specific formula for baking the biscuits, an apology would have been sufficient instead of an excuse. Again he took them away, this time returning a little more quickly with the salad which my wife had ordered.

So I am now sitting there while my starving, pregnant, wife eats and feels guilty because I have nothing.  My wife described the salad as good enough but was missing something to make it really good. After another awkward amount of time after the salad was finished and we waited for our main course.

I received my steak, it was well cooked but the seasoning was lacking. It was served on a bed of green beans which I would describe as the kind you get from a grocery store that are precut in a frozen bag. This was surrounded by 3 large blobs of pimento cheese with some sparse chimichurri drizzled on top which made for an unavoidable and unfortunate pairing for my meat and beans. There were no green tomatoes on my plate as described in the menu. The corn on the cob was the star of the dish, delicious although awkward to eat in a fine dining setting.

At this point we were served our third round of community biscuits which, finally, were fully cooked. It looked as though the kitchen staff had already torn them open to see if they were fully cooked. I might recommend that they test it with a wooden toothpick next time.

My wife received her soft shell crab, the crab itself was bland and the sauce was very spicy. This did not agree with her palate. My wife was not offered a menu to decide on a new dish when she informed the waiter that she regretted her selection. Upon the suggestion of the waiter she changed her dish to the quail. Which my wife described as adequate. One thing however, struck us both when it came to the presentation of the quail. It is served with fried wild rice, which my wife was not aware of. For those of you that don't know, fried wild rice looks very similar to dried mealworms. I found the menu online to reassure her that she was not in fact being served insects, although she felt the presentation was unappetizing.

Upon finishing our food we promptly left as I did not want to be disappointed by their desert offerings as well.

Overall impressions: This was a very poor show, I really expected more and I am dissatisfied with the experience. I took my wife here for our first wedding anniversary and I regret it. The food was mediocre, the timing on the arrival of dishes was awkward, it's too hot in the dining room (the water didn't even have ice). I included that it was our first wedding anniversary in our reservation and the only person to say anything was our hostess when she checked us in. I don't expect fanfare or anything but I think as a point of hospitality it would be good to congratulate your guests or thank them for choosing your place of business for such an important occasion. I would not recommend this...

SUMMARY: My partner and I went for the plant-based tasting menu at Beckta. There were some strong offerings that came with weird caveats. We had a good night but are unlikely to return, since the experience didn't seem to match the price point.

I'll start with the positives.

GREAT SERVICE: We were well-tended. There were a rotating cast of staff members, but everyone was professional and present (without being overbearing), and our main server was very charming and pleasant.

DELICIOUS SMALL PLATES: The first three courses were tasty and inventive. I won't spoil it for anyone considering the plant based menu, but each dish felt well-considered and portioned.

Now caveats.

STEEP VALUE PROPOSITION: The plant-based tasting menu is the same price as the standard tasting menu, coming in at $135 per person before tax.

Right off the bat, it's a little high for what you're getting. Their standard cauliflower couscous is also the main course in the tasting menu, which also comes with three small plates, bread and a dessert course.

Let's be real here: cauliflower costs a heck of a lot less than steak. It feels a little opportunistic that the veggie offering is the same cost when the input ingredients are on a very different level. I recognize that you're paying for the service, venue, reputation and atmosphere, but it's hard to walk away from a $400 night out (after tax, tips and a couple drinks) and feel like it makes sense.

To be clear - we certainly didn't need more food! But that price tag needs something elevated to justify it, and it just wasn't there.

BOOKING CONFUSION: You have to schedule the plant based tasting menu 48 hours in advance (we communicated it twice) and it would have been reassuring to not be given the a la carte menu. The hostess seemed confused when we said we were doing the plant based tasting menu. It was awkward and not exactly reassuring.

ODD ATMOSPHERE: The heritage home architecture for Beckta is part of its charm, but between the murky green carpet and orange patterned curtains, the decor felt dated. The room layout also resulted in a little awkwardness - the enclosed space made it very easy to hear everyone else's conversations when the room was less full or a table had a boisterous guest.

I DIDN'T COME HERE FOR NUTRITION, BUT... : It's weird that there was no protein offering? Tofu, seitan, tempeh, beans - there's a lot of options there. The closest you'll get is a couple of mushrooms.

BAFFLING DESSERT: This is the big one. Dessert was a scoop of chocolate ice cream with a series of increasingly strange apple-based garnishes... and sprigs of dill to top if off. It was oddly sweet and... gloopy? Honestly, it's such a weird and unsuccessful dish that we walked away with raised eyebrows.

All in all, mixed experience. Nice to have a plant based option for fine dining, but we're not going to be...

My husband and I have visited Beckta for our anniversary almost every year since 2015 (2020 being the notable exception, of course), and they never disappoint. The food and service are always exceptional and the restaurant itself is absolutely gorgeous. If you've never visited, Beckta is located within a converted heritage home on Elgin street in Ottawa. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and every person you encounter is always extremely professional and makes you feel taken care of.

If you're a fan of cocktails, I encourage you to look at their cocktail menu which rotates on a semi-regular basis. They're always so unique (with the most fun names!) and are absolutely outrageously delicious.

This year we ordered the buttermilk biscuits to start (which were divine - especially with the whipped butter), the scallops and the tartare appetizers, and the smoked duck and chicken for our mains. As always, everything was cooked to perfection. The beef tartare was one of the best I'd ever tasted!

For dessert we had the lime cake and the eclair and, again, they were delicious. The lime cake in particular was plated so beautifully - almost too beautiful to eat. Our server, Josh, was great. The restaurant was having an updated dessert wine listed printed so none were available for us to look at, so Josh recommended a few and they were both absolutely delicious and paired beautifully with our desserts. We were there closer to closing time and had an opportunity to chat with him and he was so sweet and friendly.

I read a few other recent reviews on here and TripAdvisor and noticed some lower-rated reviews which mentioned how some things have changed, like the lack of complimentary bread. While yes, I admit that my husband and I noticed some changes during our recent visit, I would encourage everyone, particularly those who are repeat guests, to try and remember that the last two and a half years have been particularly brutal on the hospitality industry -- not only due to the pandemic but now with skyrocketing inflation. It's very possible that Beckta has had to cut back on certain things in order to help them recover. Restaurants are one of the most difficult businesses to turn a profit in, even without the added stress of a global pandemic and looming recession.

I'd also like to encourage anyone who visits - if you ever have an issue with something during your time here, speak up! The staff here want you to have the best experience and they will correct any issues you may be having. In the 7 years I've been coming here, I've never encountered a single staff member who hasn't made me feel like my experience was their top priority.

We look forward to our next...