New Ottawa Street Restaurant Offers Speakeasy Vibes and A Rotating Menu of Culinary Delights
Ryan Odette is never happier than when he’s in the kitchen.
From slinging Southern favourites at Georgia Rae’s to crafting upscale, charcoal grilled fare at Vine & Ash to dreaming up unique topping combinations at MamO Burger Bar, the Red Seal chef has always relished the opportunity to create fun, flavourful dishes for all his restaurant concepts.
While his career as a restaurateur often requires him to shift focus to the business side of the industry, he continuously finds himself yearning to flex his creative muscles and return to the back of the house.
Eager to cook and looking to better utilize the space adjacent to the MamO Burger Bar main dining room Ryan, and wife Tina, recently devised a new restaurant concept that would allow his imagination to flourish without pigeonholing them into one particular type of cuisine: PDR.
PDR (a common industry acronym for “Private Dining Room”) has now officially opened their doors on Ottawa Street and features an upscale but approachable feel, cool cocktails, and a rotating menu based on seasonal ingredients, various regional cuisines, and Chef Ryan’s current inspirations.
The small, 24 seat restaurant is accessed through MamO, giving it a sort of secretive, speakeasy ambiance; guests must weave their way through the hustle and bustle of the burger bar before entering the relaxed, intimate dining space of PDR.
“We always had thoughts on doing something in that other room,” shares Ryan. “Even when we were Smoke & Spice, we thought that side room would be perfect for something I could do creatively, but it just got so busy, we never had the chance.”
After the pair decided to close Georgia Rae’s earlier this year, their attention turned back to the space at MamO and how they could use it to create a unique culinary experience.
“We really went back and forth on what we wanted it to be; did we want to bring Georgia Rae’s there, did we want to go back to like a Vine & Ash concept?” he recalls. “Tina came up with the name ‘PDR’ and I really liked it because we’re able to change the style of cuisine and kind of do whatever we want.”
PDR really provides a blank canvas on so many levels, he explains.
“Even the room itself is designed to be whatever we want it to be there are no pictures on the wall, we play all kinds of different music,” he shares. “It’s got a bit of a formal feel, but it’s also informal too. I want people to be able to pop in and have some drinks and a couple of appetizers. It doesn’t need to be a special occasion, but it can be.”
For their inaugural menu, Ryan says they decided on an Italian inspired offering, with a focus on traditional recipes with a twist, using fresh, locally sourced ingredients including tomatoes and corn.
“Since I started my career, the restaurants that I worked in were always guided by the seasons, whatever cuisine it was,” he reflects. “Everything always had to be in season and fresh and local, if possible. And that, to me, is still always top of mind.”
Ryan points to the Black Pepper Cavatelli pasta dish on the latest menu, which is made with local corn and Cremini mushrooms.
“Corn is amazing right now. Everyone should be using corn, but in like another month we’re probably not going to have any more, so we’ll move on to something else.”
The current menu will exist until the cooler weather blows in, then the focus will shift to the next style of cuisine, potentially French. He also hopes to explore themes like classic or “retro” dishes, Spanish, Cajun, and even new takes on some of his past endeavours, including elevated Southern fare.
“I probably have ten years’ worth of menus that we could go through before we run out of ideas, and we’ll probably get more ideas after that,” he laughs.
Ryan says he has thoroughly enjoyed being back in his element; plating dishes in unique ways, tweaking recipes, and greeting diners at their tables. He’s also excited to be passing on his knowledge to some of the younger, up-and-coming chefs he’s been working with at MamO.
“This has really given some of them a creative outlet as well,” he says. “They want to grow, and they want to learn more, and it’s just been a lot of fun.”
PDR is meant to be just that, he says, fun; a creative space that gives diners a new experience every time they visit, all while keeping things approachable and affordable.
“We know right now, money’s tight for people and going out isn’t always easy,” Ryan says. “So, if people only come out here three times a year, they’re getting three different menus, and I think that’s really cool. I want the food to be approachable and at a decent price point and good quality so people can enjoy themselves.”
