Dine with diamonds at Beckta Dining & Wine Bar

Dine surrounded by diamonds – CAA/AAA Four Diamond Awards, that is. Beckta Dining & Wine Bar is a not-to-miss culinary experience offering fine dining paired with the utmost level of hospitality.

Beckta is the big brother to Gezellig and Play Food & Wine, all owned by Ottawa restaurateur and philanthropist, Stephen Beckta. It is inside a gloriously restored 100-year-old heritage building on 150 Elgin Street and promises your tastebuds an experience they won’t forget for years.

Dine with diamonds

This year Beckta was awarded its 19th consecutiveCAA/AAA Four Diamond Award, one of only five in the Ottawa area in 2022. To celebrate, we are giving you the chance to win dinner for two at one of Ottawa's Four Diamond restaurants.

CAA/AAA Four Diamond Awards

Carlo Santurbano | CAA North East Ontario

The annual Four Diamond Awards winners are selected based on anonymous inspections. Four Diamond Award winners are amongst just 7% of hotels and restaurants reviewed by CAA-AAA in North America and the Caribbean.

To view the complete list of winners, visit aaa.com/diamonds/.

The venue

Carlo Santurbano | CAA North East Ontario

Walking into Beckta, you're greeted with a diamond-studded wall, grand staircase and a multitude of dining rooms. Are you celebrating a wedding anniversary? A major milestone? Opt for the dining rooms with crisp white tablecloths, floor-to-ceiling wood windows, and smaller table sizes for intimate dining.

Or are you thinking more casual while still enjoying the fine dining experience? Then the wine bar is your answer. You can enjoy the same menu the dining rooms offer and a unique snack menu in a laid-back cozy setting.

The food

Beckta offers a fine dining experience specializing in seasonal Canadian dishes. You can journey through a five-course tasting menu (plant-based or omnivore) or choose la carte. I opted for the blind five-course tasting menu because life is short, and I love surprises.

Carlo Santurbano | CAA North East Ontario

To start I got the Not Your Average Horticulturist to wake up the palate - and it delivers. Imagine an elevated spicy margarita with a touch of smoke. I sat sipping my green juice while admiring the hustle and bustle of Elgin street through the vast wood-framed windows.

Carlo Santurbano | CAA North East Ontario

First up, the beet carpaccio is delicate, flavourful, and zippy. It consists of shio koji cured beets topped with macerated radish, frisee, radicchio, dill and horseradish mayo. It tickled my taste buds in anticipation of the rest of the meal.

Carlo Santurbano | CAA North East Ontario

Meanwhile, the tomato salad is a work of art constructed from mirin marinated cherry tomatoes, compressed rhubarb, and fresh Rideau pines strawberries. In addition to a tasty green tea cashew crema and puffed rice. It tastes as good as it looks. Each bite promises a cherry tomato pop and a crunch of crispy rice.

Carlo Santurbano | CAA North East Ontario

Next, and definitely, the most surprising dish was the pan-seared sweetbreads. Sweetbreads are like nothing you've ever tasted and rare in Ottawa's culinary scene. They are served with corn, lime, and cilantro. You're in for a treat, and will want to lick up the rest of the sauce on the plate.

Carlo Santurbano | CAA North East Ontario

Onto the fourth dish which I'm very particular about was the duck, as I rarely enjoy it. However, this is a dish I stand by. Cooked to perfection with a medium rare finish and a jus that was so damn delicious, I was so sad to finish it all.

Carlo Santurbano | CAA North East Ontario

Last but certainly not least is the strawberry rhubarb layered cream cheese strawberry cake. Say that five times fast! This sweet treat is so good you'll want to buy a slab of it. Also, it's topped with a spicy almond crumble that ties it all together beautifully.

After dining at Beckta, it's no surprise to me why it's a Four-Diamond Award winner for 19 years (and counting)!