Restaurant Review - 'Otto' ***‏

If there was a Montreal restaurant for celeb-spotting,
'Otto' would be it. There was a Bruce Willis sighting,
while in town looking to buy Mirabel airport for a movie
production facility. The branché eatery of the ever-swank
W Hotel is packed with guys who look like record producers
and gorgeous young ladies, the majority of whom on this
frigid Friday night are sporting tight jeans, mini skirts,
stilettos and tiny tops. There's plenty here to marvel at.
No surprise the W Hotel slogan is 'Welcome to Wonderland'.
Designed by architect Miguel Cancio, the visionary behind
the uber-trendy Buddha Bar and Man Ray in Paris, and Montreal's
Med Grill and Cavalli, 'Otto' is all eye candy. Multi-colour
stripes, black on blondy wood. Long, cone-shaped chandeliers
hang in a row, leading to curved banquettes framed in what
looks like giant bubble wrap paper, which is actually sea
shells were installed by personal from Mexico for a modest
800$ a sq. foot. Loud music, from David Bowie to Elvis Costello,
pulsates in the background, especially at the bar near the
entrance. Votive candles flicker throughout the low-lit space,
which makes the room feel more like a nightclub than a luxury
restaurant. Considering the prices, luxury is the name of the
game at 'Otto'.
The foodie in me is perplexed. In a restaurant this trendy
I would expect something like funky finger food. The hotel
literature describes the cuisine as Italian fusion, like the
décor, Otto’s menu is a fusion of styles. There's a little
Italian, some French, and a dabble of Middle Eastern, with
a number of upscale ingredients assembled into wonderful dishes.
With a starter set at 32$, a main dish at 60$ and a wine list
with stiff markups, 'Otto' is one of the, if not the, most
expensive restaurants in town. More power to them, if they
offer the best food and service in town, and all this eye-candy,
to boot.
One appetizer, ceviche of marinated tuna with peppers and
citrus fruit, poblano salad, cucumbers, tosaka and coca beans,
garnished with leeks, and fried tofu. Then therewas the Angus
beef tartare, a thin disk of minced meat with a green-onion
sauce, remoulade and Japanese mustard, the whole topped with
caper berries, poached quail's eggs and cubes of avocado. What
struck me was the dish's texture, with the hard-boiled egg topping
the meat, and interplay of spicy and neutral bites with a hint
of truffle oil. Was I blown away! The filet, topped with a foie
gras flan and Béarnaise, and served with a Madeira and truffle
sauce. Jerusalem artichokes and a touch of dark chocolate, was
another case of luxury. The meat, rare and flavorful, was the
highlight of the plate.
Score one for the kitchen, plate presentations are stunning.
Score two, ingredients are topnotch. Service was courteous,
professional, as expected, and our server, a beautiful and very
exotic Moroccan woman, who was as hot as the patrons, was like
that little bit extra. She fits right in this place, like part
of the decor & ambience. Bravo, boys!


* Otto Ristorante + Bar @ W Hotel
901 Square Victoria
Viger & St.Antoine & McGill
Edifice Caisse De Dépot
Montreal, H2Z 1R1
(514) 395-3183 Pasquale Ruffolo