1951 West Kitchen and Bar
1951 Robertson Rd., 613-596-1611, 1951west.ca
Open: Monday to Wednesday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight, Sunday 10 a.m. 11 p.m.,
Prices: main courses $16 to $28
Access: No steps to front door or washrooms
Since at least the turn of the millennium and until last fall, the Cock ‘N Bull Pub and Eatery was a fixture in Ottawa’s west end, first on Richmond Road and then in the thick of Robertson Road in Bells Corners.
From what I can see, it was never reviewed in the Citizen’s food pages. What applied was the unwritten, but consistently followed, reasoning that sports-bar fare and pub grub, beginning with zucchini sticks and chicken wings, fell below the culinary bar.
But in mid-November, the Cock ‘N Bull re-opened, renamed as 1951 West Kitchen and Bar and, based on a menu that stressed among other things, “comfort food with a modern twist,” I decided to give it a try. Just how updated and gastropub had the former pub’s food become?
Since late January, I’ve had dinner at the expansive re-branded eatery three times. Overall, I wish the food impressed me nearly as much as the physical renovations.
Thanks to One80 Design, the firm that has made such Ottawa restaurants as Union 613, Supply And Demand, Salt Dining & Lounge and MeNa both attractive and distinctive, 1951 West mixes upscale and rustic aspects in its ambience.
The previous eatery’s brick wall and arches remain. But the new dining room is more sleek and contemporary, with large wooden tables, a barn-wood wall and dimmed lighting. A few banquettes are better lit. By the lengthy bar, which serves 20 beers on tap, and in a large back room, there are tables for 12 or more. There’s also a lounge in the front. When I was there, the soundtrack for dining was usually gritty blues.
My first visit to 1951 yielded food that might not be the most exciting fare in town, but neither was it terribly flawed. I had no complaints about a short rib and grilled cheese sandwich ($17) with a salty Caesar salad ($3) on the side.
Short rib and grilled cheese sandwich with Caesar Salad at 1951 West
Meatloaf ($16), wrapped in crisp pastry was lean and well-gravied. These were dishes for those who eschew bold flavours and prefer their food safe and even on the bland side.
Meatloaf at 1951 West
But on a more recent Saturday night visit, much went wrong. There was just one piece of prime rib, the weekend special, and we were warned away from it since it was well done. Service, after an initially friendly flourish, went missing in action. A large party in the back was taxing the kitchen, we learned. We waited and waited, with scarcely an apology or check-in.
When most of the food did arrive, it turned out to be not worth the wait. There was a reasonably cooked salmon filet ($20) — not terribly interesting, but not a flop either. Seafood chowder ($9) was grey and unimpressive, with rubbery, overcooked scallops.
Seafood chowder at 1951 West
Worse was the plate of chicken and waffles ($18), which cheated with boneless chicken and erred seriously with soggy waffles. Fried haddock ($18) was as mediocre as it was mammoth, served with no sauce of any kind, tartar, ketchup or otherwise. A pork chop ($22) was shamefully dry and wan in flavour, with a dollop of cold-from-the-fridge chutney on top and potato wedges that were either burnt or close to it.
A final visit last Sunday, when 1951 was scarcely busy, was better because of brisk service. But again, most of the food disappointed.
Once more, a sandwich was the most satisfying, in this case a “1951 club” sandwich ($16) containing moist pulled pork and avocado.
Club sandwich with pulled pork at 1951 West
Its side salad was fine, as was the Greek salad accompanying the chicken souvlaki ($17). But those souvlaki skewers were unfinishable, tasting little of chicken, registering mostly as unpleasantly sour and harshly grilled. I’ve had far better souvlaki at shopping centre food courts.
Chicken Souvlaki at 1951 West
The so-called “gastro” chicken pot pie ($16) was more like chicken à la king, with two puff pastries in a bowlful of sauce. (From the menu description, the restaurant’s shepherd’s pie would seem like a similar, puff-pastry-adorned construction.) This main was very much underseasoned and felt like food that had been assembled rather than cooked.
Chicken Pot Pie at 1951 West
For dessert, I tried the only one made in house. Other desserts, a server told us, were from “wherever,” which did not exactly inspire confidence. The berry crêpe ($10) missed the point with its off-puttingly cold, stodgy pancake doused in too-sweet jams, a sludgy lemony sauce and too much whipped cream.
Very berry crepe at 1951 West
Congrats to 1951 on the new, updated look. It would be a pleasant place to sit a spell, grab a beer and watch the game. But beyond a few OK sandwiches and salads, too much of its comfort food left us disgruntled rather than comforted. To measure up in terms of taste and value, the food needed to feel just as fresh and well-executed as the renovations.
phum@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/peterhum
ottawacitizen.com/tag/dining-out
