Phase Three Festivities & Masked Munchies

Me and my abundance of emotion...

A few weeks ago, Ottawa entered Phase Three of its COVID-reopening plan, which meant, among other things, that restaurants could return to dine-in service, albeit with added safety measures. Just in time for my mother's 60th birthday!

While she probably would have preferred her usual vacation-birthday, that wasn't in the cards this year, so we took advantage of the re-openings and had a fancy dinner out at Beckta, a restaurant in downtown Ottawa my Mom's wanted to go to.

It was my first time sitting for a long period outside of my home since I left work in March and, to be honest, I was terrified (halfway through dinner, my family said I looked pale, so I guess it showed). But, I had my mask and some sanitizer on hand, the restaurant was extra safe, and with my Mom's birthday and the opportunity to be downtown again, the rewards outweighed the risks.

Beckta itself was a really nice higher-end restaurant, with great service and good food. We all splurged and got the Chef's Choice, a five course tasting menu. It was like being on one of those Top Chef shows!

We had scallop crudo, an amazing tomato and ricotta tart, lobster dumplings (pictured above), roast pork (or duck), and a gourmet strawberry shortcake. Absolutely worth it!

The following week, my Dad and I went back to The Works, our favourite burger place, for the first time this year (photo's at the top of the post)!

To ensure safety, they had taken out about half their tables, required diners to wear masks until seated, and left everything (menus, etc.) on each table until customers left. They had also cut their menu by about a third. But all my favourites and go-to burgers made the cut and it was as delicious as ever!

I'm still keeping safe and to myself as much as possible, but it's nice to finally have some options for the occasional reprieve.

Cheers!