Al Thee Weed

I was in Ottawa for a wedding on Thursday. This was slightly unexpected since I thought my wedding-attending days were over for the next little while. This particular mah-wiage took place on the campus of a post-secondary school for two reasons: one, to take advantage of the gardens maintained by the botany department; two, to rent out the restaurant ran by the hospitality department.

Some may question having students in charge of the kitchen for an important event, but there there were perks. When the back-of-the-house came out for acknowledgements, it was clear you get access to a large kitchen fairly cheap, unlike your typical caterer. The waitstaff was also eager, but not as polished as they were working there for pay (even if they were also students) and not credit.

The 4-course meal itself was average. But then I've rarely had memorable food at weddings so it was par for the course. The presentation itself was "fine-dining". I suppose all those chefs-in-training wanted to show off their skill. It was all pretty to look at but most restaurants in Toronto have stepped away from this level of fussiness.