When traveling to a new place, you can also combine history with a unique dining experience and great food. Literally steps from our temporary home at the Lord Elgin Hotel, we find Darcy McGee’s, which refers to itself as “Ottawa’s real Irish pub.” Darcy McGee’s is located at the intersection of Sparks and Elgin streets, a stone’s throw from Parliament Hill and all of Ottawa’s main attractions.

In reality, Thomas Darcy McGee was a prominent Ottawa politician and one of the Confederate Fathers. What made him famous were his moving speeches, which helped unite this new fractured country called Canada. On 7th April 1868 he was murdered outside his boarding house on Sparks Street, a few minutes from where the pub now stands.
When we entered the pub it was absolutely packed, every seat filled and the areas in front of the bar full of people standing. I found out later that there was a concert scheduled for 8pm with Lyle Lovett at the National Center for the Arts, which is literally across the street from the pub.

We got a comfortable seat in one of the corners of this cozy pub and relaxed after a busy day of skating on the Rideau Canal. Concertgoers began to file out at 7:45 pm and it became a little easier to breathe in this very popular venue.
Naturally, skating makes you very hungry, so I had a fairly reasonably priced pick off the menu and one dish in particular caught my eye: a “Melt Stilton Cheese Dip,” which consists of Stilton, aged cheddar and cream cheese mixed with fresh spinach. Served on a rye bun with toasted bagel chips and Granny Smith apple wedges. The flavor was actually reminiscent of a creamy blue cheese sauce and I really enjoyed it.

I followed the appetizer with a Mediterranean Tomato Salad of sliced ​​hothouse tomatoes with goat cheese, red onion, ground black peppercorns and extra virgin olive oil, with a side of garlic bread. Although Darcy McGee’s has plenty of traditional pub grub, I decided to cut back on the calories for the main course a bit.
After dinner I thought I should find out a bit more about the history and unique features of this place and sought out one of the people who run the pub. Jennifer Rafuse is one of the managers and she was kind enough to show me around and give me information about this unique place.

He noted that the furniture in the pub was designed and built in Ireland and shipped to Canada. In fact, the pub has a unique decor consisting of handmade reddish wood with uniquely decorated glass inserts. The atmosphere is cozy with dim lighting and several private seating areas that open onto the main bar area.
There is an area immediately to the left of the entrance that has a large window looking out onto Elgin Street. The view from this window on the northeast side is fantastic: you can see the Parliament buildings, the beautifully lit Chateau Laurier, the National Conference Center and the National Center for the Arts. It really doesn’t get more central than that.

Jennifer took me to a historic wall exhibit explaining the story of Darcy McGee and showing pictures of her funeral attended by 60,000 people. At the time of his death in 1868, it was Victorian practice to create death masks, an actual cast of the dead person’s head. However, because Darcy was horribly disfigured during the shooting, a cast was made of his hand instead. The cast of his hand is displayed in a glass case just below the historical plaque and I have to admit that seeing this guy’s hand cast was a bit creepy.
Jennifer went on to explain that Darcy McGees is the favorite hangout for politicians who come to cool off after a long day on Parliament Hill. She said the pub used to be a popular meeting place for Liberals, and now they are becoming more Tory since the election of Stephen Harper as Prime Minister.

He also told me about the Barmaster competition, where bartenders compete in a variety of categories. They are supposed to create Irish “craic”, which means a very fun atmosphere. The ability to serve a perfect Guinness, which must always have a clover on top, is part of this Barmasters competition.

Naturally, he had to see the technique of pouring a perfect Guinness and putting a clover on top. Jennifer was happy to demonstrate: first you pour the beer for about 45 seconds, then you let it sit for a while, then you fill it up and swirl the glass around to create a perfect clover-shaped swirl. In total, this process is supposed to take 119.5 seconds. (Time, of course, is measured not by a stopwatch, but by the perfect judgment of an experienced bartender.)
The atmosphere is enhanced by live music, and Jennifer said that the pub has musicians 3 days a week: Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The music on tap is a mix of Irish and rock music.

Jennifer also mentioned that in April, May, Darcy McGees opens a patio on Sparks Street where her guests can enjoy alfresco dining and drinks. Sparks Street is famous as one of the most important heritage streets in Ottawa. Nicholas Sparks was one of Ottawa’s city fathers and founded the street in the early 19th century.

Once Ottawa was selected by Queen Victoria as the capital of Canada, this street became a bustling commercial hub for the entire Ottawa region. Today, Sparks Street is a pedestrian zone, so cars are not allowed, allowing visitors to freely enjoy the boutiques, specialty stores, craft retailers, and restaurants that do business on Sparks Street. This area is also home to a variety of special events such as the Ottawa International Busker Festival, Tulips on Sparks (held in May), and the International Chicken and Rib Cook-Off pitting chefs from Canada, Australia, and the United States against each other. each.
So Darcy McGees is located right in the heart of historic Ottawa and we got a taste of that true Irish hospitality. Anticipating another busy day on Sunday, we finished our dinner early and walked back to our hotel and noticed that the action in Confederation Park was still going on. Now we saw the complete ice sculptures, all illuminated in different colors. From there we headed down to the Rideau Canal, where an outdoor concert at the American Express Sno-Bowl across from the National Conference Center was in full swing. Hundreds of people swayed to the music and the historic old railway station was lit up in shades of pink, orange and purple.

This city sure knows how to throw a great party…

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