I went with Mag and her colleagues to the top floor revolving restaurant Merlot at the Ottawa Marriott for dinner last night.

if I may jump right to the conclusion, this restaurant is a must-try for dinner.

I will get the things I didn't like about the restaurant out of the way first:

1. only one washroom and it's on a different floor (if there were other ones they had not informed me about them)
2. no house wine: I have more faith in the restaurant's pick of a default wine than my own
3. the revolution, though extremely slow, made me dizzy sometimes
4. the chef put a bit too much salt (or seasoning) on my steak

it's a pricey restaurant no doubt, but I got every one of my pennies worth:

1. the service was excellent: the server was very attentive, patient, polite and helpful. even when it was apparent that I wasn't going to give more than a 10% tip, he gave me and the other guests the first class treatment (eg, he pulled our chairs as we sat down and helped us put on our jackets when we were leaving ... I ended up giving a ~20% tip).
2. their complimentary items are unique and served at the right moment to excite the taste buds: mini amuse-gueules before the entrée and butter cookies after the meal
3. the steak was phenomenal (<-- I don't use this word very often): I tried the 14oz rib-eye au jus. the steak was well aged, tender and grilled to my liking (medium-rare).

in short, money CAN buy happiness. I need to make more. .e  00:26