Jane Corbett | Ottawa Magazine

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AUGUST DAYTRIPPER GUIDE: Events and happenings within a two-hour drive of the city

Classic Theatre Festival:
Perth, Aug. 5 to 28

This comedy chronicles a couple’s joys and challenges throughout a 35-year marriage. The play follows them from the nervous wedding night through to childbirth and parenting to the inevitable mid-life crisis and the final realities of aging. It is one of those rare plays that combine charm, depth of character, dramatic tension, and comic relief in a manner that makes audiences feel good about the promises of love. $30, people under 30 $21. Mason Theatre, 13 Victoria St., Perth, 877-283-1283, www.classictheatre.ca.

Williamstown Fair
Williamstown, Aug. 5 to 7
This rural event is described as “Canada’s Oldest Annual Fair” and is celebrating its 200th year. With a myriad of activities each day, must-sees (and dos) include hot-air balloon rides, beach volleyball, bingo, artisan displays, antique machinery, tug-of-war, foot races, midway games and rides, agricultural shows, and live performances. Day pass $8, weekend pass $15. Williamstown Fairgrounds, Williamstown, 613-347-2841, www.williamstownfair.com.

Thousand Islands Playhouse: Billy Bishop Goes to War
Gananoque, Aug. 5 to Sept. 3
One of the most famous and widely produced plays in Canadian theatre, this musical recounts the life of 20-year-old misfit and flying ace Billy Bishop. Played by Jacob James, Billy Bishop evolves from a mischievous ne’er-do-well to the nation’s most decorated pilot. $36.16, seniors $33.90, students and children $18.08. Firehall Theatre, 185 South St., Gananoque, 613-382-7020, 866-382-7020, www.1000islandsplayhouse.com .

Puppets Up! International Festival
Almonte, Aug. 6 and 7
Puppets Up! is a two-day international festival devoted to the art of puppetry and fun. Family-friendly professional puppet troupes travel from around the globe to entertain the thousands of visitors who attend the festival each year. The theme for 2011 is All Creatures Great and Small as the festival celebrates our natural world. Performances take place along the banks of the Mississippi River in tented and storefront theatres. Along with the puppet shows, there is a daily parade, street entertainment, and musicians. See website for performance and ticket information. Almonte Old Town Hall, 14 Bridge St., Almonte, www.puppetsup.ca.

Naismith 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament
Almonte, Aug. 6
Almost 100 teams participate in this basketball festival that takes over the streets of Almonte, making it the largest 3-on-3 tournament in eastern Ontario. Teams compete in men’s, women’s, elementary school, and high school competitions. Sign up a team of your own, or cheer on the athletes from the sidelines. Between games, take advantage of Almonte’s parks and stores. Almonte, 613-256-0492, www.naismithmuseum.com, www.mississippimills.ca

Pakenham Fall Fair
Pakenham, Aug. 13
In its 100th year, this fair offers exciting changes, including a new theme called Village Green. The traditional activities include horticultural exhibits, horse shows, dairy and beef shows, log skidding, craft shows, antique tractors and cars, and spinning and weaving demonstrations. Stewart Community Centre, 112 MacFarland St., and Fred Millar Community Park, Pakenham, 613-256-1077 ext. 22, www.mississippimills.ca.

Jane Corbett | July 29, 2011 at 11:00 am

THE DISH: In praise of Les Fougères’ passion fruit tart

By Cindy Deachman

Passion fruit tart ready for garnishes at Les Fougères. Photography by Marc Fowler/Metropolis Studio.

Twenty years ago, British food writer Jane Grigson complained of the high price of passion fruit in London. Few had tasted its virtues, and to this day, hardly anyone knows this fruit. The size of a golf ball and pitted like one, albeit irregularly, the passion fruit has a skin like an old, battered leather suitcase in purply black. Cut open and inhale the wild pungency of — candy! Scoop out the yellow-green pulp. Fruity, sour, and tropical flavours come at you, all in one go. At Les Fougères, pastry chef Ulrich Habbay (from France) makes a curd out of the fruit. (Just like lemon curd — which is also on the menu.) Tart shells are then filled — oh, what buttery pastry, as if to die and head off to heaven! Upon plating, garnish is added: raspberry purée, whole berries and, perched on top, a drizzled lattice of bittersweet chocolate. Don’t forget the dusting of icing sugar. Now, isn’t that a dainty dish to set before a king! Or a queen. $8.50.

Les Fougères, 783, rte. 105, Chelsea, 819-827-8942, www.fougeres.ca.

Jane Corbett | June 7, 2011 at 9:15 am

PROFILE: Patrick John Mills is an artist outside the frame

A prolific artist in his own right, Patrick John Mills brings a new edge to the local arts scene by packing his gallery with bold artwork and taking it back to the beaver pelt

By Allison Smith

Photography by Graham Law.

Tucked away on a residential street in Hintonburg, the gallery at 286 Hinchey Avenue might seem at first glance to be a simple detached home — albeit a well-landscaped one peppered with metalwork and other eclectic art. But pop into the space on a “first Thursday,” when the Patrick John Mills Gallery hosts its monthly exhibition openings, and it’s an entirely different scene. These vernissages, which regularly reach capacity, offer art lovers something a little different — not to mention a great party.

Tall and broad, Patrick John Mills is easy to pick out among the other art aficionados. His fiery red hair and wild blue eyes project an intensity that anyone who has met Mills can attest to. Often clad in paint-stained denim, Mills eats, breathes, and sleeps art. He also has strong views on the direction art (and artists) should be going. “I don’t think that in today’s society, an artist needs to go up to Algonquin Park and paint a landscape,” he says. “Life’s more complicated than that. That kind of art seems lost in our society.”

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Jane Corbett | May 25, 2011 at 9:46 am

Wine Picks: Say Cheese

The great Eastern Ontario wine-and-cheese road trip

By David Lawrason

Illustration: Li Hewitt

PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY IS ON A ROLL, having launched a stunning 17 new labels or wineries this past year to boost its total to 31. At the same time, eastern Ontario is undergoing a renaissance of cheese making, with at least four new artisanal sheep, goat, and cow’s milk producers joining the large existing community of cheddar specialists. And so the stage is set for an exciting new kind of weekend culinary excursion. On a meandering road trip from Ottawa to Picton, you could visit half a dozen cheese factories, then buy wines to match when you arrive in the County. I recently gathered over a dozen cheeses and County wines for a fascinating mix and match exploration, and I present my favourite pairings as a guide for your eastern Ontario wine and cheese excursion — and resulting party. For those who never seem able to get out of town, I have also listed Ontario-grown likely wine alternatives more easily available at the LCBO. As well, many of the cheeses can be found at speciality shops in Ottawa, including Farm Boy.

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Jane Corbett | July 13, 2010 at 9:55 am

Wine Picks: Chill Out

Ontario’s Nifty 2008 Whites

By David Lawrason

Illustration: Emily Chen

ONTARIO’S WHITE WINES ARE GAINING STATURE with every passing season. They have an energy and a fragrance that taps into the sap-stirring feelings we northerners experience every spring. This was never truer than with the 2008 vintage now on the shelves. Reset your body clock to the summer of 2008 — the warm and wet one (2009 was cold and wet). All that humidity, including the tail end of a hurricane or two in September, meant that grape growers had to be extra vigilant to remove leaves so that wind and warmth could fan away mildew and stoke more ripeness in the berries. The sunless conditions delayed ripening, although Niagara and Prince Edward County did breathe a sigh of relief with a warmer, drier October. In the end, 2008 turned out to be a challenge for the later-ripening reds but delivered nifty whites with all kinds of zesty acidity. I actually found many of them too tart when they were first released last spring/summer, but now, after a winter in the bottle, they are settling down and filling out. Here is a fine selection, either on the shelves of the LCBO or from the wineries. And in very much the same spirit, if not from the 2008 vintage, we include two new Prince Edward County sparkling wines — another style as buoyant as a spring day — showing magnificent promise for Ottawa’s backyard wine region.

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Jane Corbett | July 13, 2010 at 9:53 am

Wine Picks: Sweet Success

Ideal for sipping on cold winter evenings (preferably in front of a crackling fire),
these lush and lovely ports spread warmth and cheer

By David Lawrason

Photography: Marc Fowler/Metropolis Studio

THERE IS NOTHING MORE SOOTHING in the teeth of winter than a spine-warming glass of port. As you sip, the summer heat from the sun-baked Douro Valley of Portugal seems to transfer directly into your very being. All port is sweet, fortified to about 20 percent alcohol through the addition of grape brandy partway through fermentation, so there is no such thing as dry port. The flavours do, however, vary according to the length of subsequent aging in barrel and bottle. The more fruit-flavoured ports — ruby and vintage ports — are aged for the shortest amount of time (under four years), while late-bottled vintage ports are aged from four to six years. Although all ports are fine sipping stock, the fruit ports are ideally suited for pairing with chocolate-based desserts and cheeses such as stilton. The wood-character, or tawny, ports are aged seven years or more, with the length of time designated on the label (Ten-Year-Old, Twenty-Year-Old, etc.). The tawnies favour nutty desserts, cheeses, and dried-fruit mixes beside the fire. White port is more mildly flavoured, often showing some wood-induced caramel, while pink port strives to be the rosé of fortified wines.

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Jane Corbett | July 13, 2010 at 9:50 am

Wine Picks: Money Well Spent

Delectable wines that won’t break the bank
By David Lawrason

Illustration: Stéphane Denis

SO 2009 HAS BEEN ROUGH. But it is still the season to be merry, by giving and enjoying a good bottle of wine or three. The great news is that this year, it’s okay not to spend big. In fact, sales of very expensive wines have been slow at the LCBO this year, and it could be more than a slap-on-the-wrist reprimand. I belong to the camp predicting that the glory days are over for iconic wines with triple-digit price tags, perhaps for the next 10 years or even a generation. There are several reasons. First, many rarefied, and sometimes fossilized, wines are clearly overpriced, given the quality in the bottle. Second, wine buyers are better informed and more courageous than ever before, and there is now more status in the smart purchase of a less expensive, undiscovered, or simply delicious wine. And third, there is so much excellent wine priced at under $50 that it really isn’t necessary to spend $100, $200, or more to impress with wines that only prove your heart is where your wallet is. Here is an excellent-quality selection from the Vintages November releases, the Essentials program, and a couple of general listings that score 90 points or better based on quality factors such as complexity, balance, and flavour concentration. So it can still truly be “best of the season.”

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Jane Corbett | July 13, 2010 at 9:46 am