Contributing editor Mark Bourrie ponders ageism and job security in an era when old age security eligibility is set to rise to 67.

Politics Chatter is late this week because I’ve been struggling with this topic. It hits pretty close to home and sparks a bit of an existential crisis. In a couple of months, I turn 55.

I’m an author of 10 books, with another coming out this fall. I have a PhD — my thesis was published to great reviews in just about every newspaper in the country. Excerpts ran in Esprit de Corps, the Halifax Herald, the National Post, and the Ottawa Citizen. I’ve had academic articles published. I was invited, as a scholar of the media in the Second World War, to contribute to a collection of essays to commemorate the work of the renowned historian Terry Copp. My co-authors are among the best historians in Canada. I’ve won a whack of media awards, including a National Magazine Award. I’ve written for every big paper in Canada and most of the small ones as a freelancer.

And I’m unemployable.

As I said, I’m pushing 55. The very few jobs that open up in the news media are given to kids who work cheap and are completely pliant. In academia, young PhD grads are preferred, despite that they’re quite likely to become deadwood after they get tenure and spend 15 or 20 years teaching the same old courses.

I’m not alone. A recent survey found almost 28 percent of workers aged 45 or older felt they had been discriminated against on the basis of their age. I suspect the number of  people over 50 would be even higher.

The first story I wrote for Ottawa Magazine was about Olive Dickason, a brilliant historian pushed out of her job because of her age. Dickason had been a journalist most of her career, but went back to school when she was middle-aged and earned her PhD. Her writing was fantastic. Her book, Canada’s First Nations, is probably used as a text at the University of Alberta, which fired her because she was old. It’s required reading in Native history courses everywhere else.

Dickason took her case to the Supreme Court of Canada. She spent her forced “retirement” writing and updating her books and advising students as a volunteer adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa’s History department, which had the good sense to make her feel welcome.

Now, I suppose I have no one else to blame for having spent my time learning two buggy-whip trades — journalism and academic history. But what I see in my life is becoming the norm through the workplace.

Older workers are expensive. They aren’t always pretty. There’s a misconception they can be stubborn — that they don’t understand younger people and their trends. Often, they’re older and more qualified than their potential bosses. Yet they tend to be eager, especially if they’re changing careers and are given a break.

What does that have to do with politics? We all know that governments have a tough time preventing discrimination in hiring — even for government positions. And, to be frank, fairness in hiring has never been an obvious government priority.

This is the problem: the old age pension eligibility date is about to rise to 67. Changes to the Canada Pension Plan will make it more difficult to retire early, even though often the present choice for older workers is welfare or early CPP.

So what happens to the person who loses their job at 50? Head to Walmart and get a job as a greeter? Flip burgers? Try to start a business?

I’m not griping about the proposed change to increase the OAS age to 67. I think, though, if we’re going to adapt to the new demographic reality, we need to look at the lack of value for, and the outright discrimination against, workers who are 45 and older.

I’m more than capable of supporting myself because my skills are portable and I’m adaptable. My books sell well, I have some great magazines that will run my work, and I teach the odd university course. But there are so many blue- and white-collar workers who have specialized skills that don’t translate to consulting, self-employment, freelancing, or whatever you want to call it.

And, unless that workplace mentality changes, we’re going to see an awful lot of people falling into poverty if they lose their jobs in late career, and that hardship will last even longer as the government expands that limbo period between middle-age and the arrival of the first pension cheque.

Getting creative with a classic breakfast combo
By Shawna Wagman

Tiring of serving up ordinary bacon and eggs, local chefs are waking up to the possibilities of the most leisurely meal of the week. In fact, two of our most beloved sandwich shops are using weekends to revisit the basic brunch ingredients and show off their owners’ culinary chops. Here are two good reasons to get out of your jammies.

Breakfast Gnocchi. Photography by Photoluxstudio.com - Christian Lalonde.

Art-is-in Bakery’s Breakfast Gnocchi: $11.95
When we hear the names Kevin Mathieson or Art-is-in, we think one thing: bread. But visitors to the bakery’s industrial takeout shop-café are discovering that the mastermind behind the city’s celebrated sourdoughs and baguettes can really cook! Luxurious brunch dishes like breakfast gnocchi, straight from the Mathieson imagination, demonstrate a penchant for culinary decadence. A hot pan of sizzling butter gives a slightly crisp exterior to the homemade Yukon Gold gnocchi, which have the ultimate melt-in-your-mouth texture. These nuggets nestle in a quick sauté of fresh vegetables — whatever inspires the chef at the moment — brussels sprouts, chanterelle mushrooms, cauliflower, beans, with some crispy chopped bacon and fresh thyme. A three-minute perfectly poached egg rests on top, napped with classic buttery made-from-scratch hollandaise sauce, a pinch of smoked sea salt, and snipped chives. This, my friends, is what weekends are made for.
Brunch hours: Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Art-is-in Bakery, 250 City Centre Ave., Bay 112-114 (from Scott Rd.), 613-695-1226, www.artisinbakery.com.

Dutch Baby. Photography by Photoluxstudio.com - Christian Lalonde.

Edgar’s Dutch Baby: $10.75
Imagine a golden pancake that puffs up high like a soufflé but is crispy and golden around the edges like a traditional crepe and custardy inside like a flan. The bowl-shaped Baby is gently nudged out of a cast-iron pan that has been slicked with delicious duck fat (only bacon fat would make it crispier, says Edgar’s owner, Marysol Foucault, but her fried potatoes get all the bacon love). It is served hot from the oven, topped with a succulent slice of gooey caramelized slow-cooked pork belly, a crumble of five-year-old cheddar, chunky apple purée, and a glug of maple syrup. The sweet-savoury marvel is one of three brunch options served at the 11-seat Edgar. “We wanted to do something a bit out of the ordinary,” says Foucault, “something
extra yummy.”
Brunch hours: Saturday  10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Edgar, 60, rue Bégin, Hull (Gatineau sector), 819-205-1110.

Sound Seekers by Fateema Sayani is published weekly at OttawaMagazine.com. Read Fateema Sayani’s culture column in Ottawa Magazine and follow her on Twitter @fateemasayani

The Johnnies, L-R: Mel Sturk (Johnny Jump-Up), Sarah Wotherspoon (Johnny Tonic), Christine Majid (Johnny Mental), and Devin Cook (Johnny Money). Photo by Steve Taylor

HERE’S … THE JOHNNIES!

Johnny Ramone was a hard-ass. Johnny Lydon reminded us all that “anger is an energy,” while Johnny Marr, during The Smiths’ heyday, was known for his boundless enthusiasm. The lore of Johnny Cash, meanwhile, is firmly entrenched in his Man in Black moniker.

Thinking about the Johnnies of rock history— and there are many — conjures up images of Brylcreem and bad boys, of simple chord structures, and getting soused.

Tapping into that arcana is Ottawa four-piece The Johnnies. They formed in 2009 and play three-chord rock tunes about drinking, fighting, and making out. The songs are set in Ottawa locales and play up all the good vibes of group dynamics. Centretown Porch Sit is a feel-good, yay-for-summer tune that incorporates the names of their friends in each verse.

Sparks on Sparks is about a first-date at Ribfest, while Broke Down Flora is about getting your gear stolen — a true tale of woe, based on the theft of a pile of guitars and amps that belonged to The Allrights, the band that Johnny Jump-Up (aka Mel Sturk) plays with.

In addition to the band name The Johnnies, there are other shout outs to rock history. Johnny Jump-Up cranks out tunes on a Joan Jett Signature Melody Maker, Johnny Mental (aka Christine Majid) has a down stroke that recalls Johnny Ramone’s legendary strum style, Johnny Money (aka Devin Cook) has the low-end covered, while Johnny Tonic (Sarah Wotherspoon) gives the punk’s birdsong countdown of 1-2-3-4 with her drumsticks.

With a common name like The Johnnies, you can perhaps tap into the so-called blood harmony implied by a shared moniker à la Ramones.

The bruddas influence is front and centre in the music of The Johnnies. They wear it as fondly as The Riff Randells did. The Vancouver band formed in 1999 in homage to the central character of Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, the movie starring The Ramones. (Diehard fans may note that Johnny Money has an uncanny resemblance to Kate Rambeau, Riff Randell’s BFF in the film).

The Riff Randells were all an all-girl band for most of their duration (they had a male vocalist for a stint) and often had to answer to the novelty of it all. That’s something The Johnnies are hoping to shake off.

“It’s frustrating that it’s a novelty,” Johnny Jump-Up says. “We never wanted to play up that aspect, but it’s really hard for people to get that because it’s marketable. When we get introduced on stage or on the radio, the host will say, ‘up next the all-girl band The Johnnies.’ It always comes out.

“That’s why the name reflects that concern. We don’t want to perpetuate the idea that an all-girl band is a novelty.”

But there is plenty of novelty in joshing around about Johnny monikers, like an offline name generator game that the band tends to play. A fan who dances at all of the shows was crowned Johnny Gogo, for instance. A family member in Newfoundland is Johnny St. John’s, and so on.

The Johnnies name taps into a rock and roll spirit and offers a kind of guise.

“It’s fun to have Johnny names, because maybe people can’t tell we’re women,” Jump-Up says. “I don’t want people coming to the shows because I have boobs. I want them to go because they like what we’re doing.”

This weekend, The Johnnies are releasing two songs with Pretty Bad Records, an Ottawa label that releases only singles on 45s.

Saturday, Feb. 4. 10 p.m., $5. Dominion Tavern, 33 York St. With The Shakey Aches and The Polymorphines.

By Paul Gessell

One large outside wall of Gallery 101, during its days on Nepean Street, was covered for years by a billboard-sized photographic portrait of Jean Augustine, a Liberal MP at the time.

The Gallery 101 mural of Jean Augustine by Althea Thauberger. Photo courtesy www.g101.ca

Augustine did not have a high public profile in Ottawa those days, despite holding some junior cabinet posts and serving for years as the parliamentary secretary to the then prime minister, Jean Chretien. And so many a person driving or walking by Gallery 101 must have wondered who was this regale figure dominating a particular stretch of downtown. Surely an African queen? Or perhaps the president of some Caribbean island?

The giant portrait was the work of Althea Thauberger, a Vancouver artist originally from Saskatoon. She is really one of Canada’s finest artists and unfortunately is not seen enough in the national capital, although subscribers to Canadian Art magazine would have noticed last year the cover story on her work among female Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. This series of photographs showed those soldiers in uniform and fully armed but doing rather unwarlike activities. One shot, for example, showed the women, rifles askew, gaily romping through a field near the Kandahar airport.

The photographs were obviously staged. Thauberger required the soldiers’ co-operation. The resulting images were not Thauberger’s first collaborative project with photographic or cinematic subjects. She has done similar collaborative projects with British Columbia tree planters, a group of Italian villagers, and American military spouses in San Diego.

I have seen most of these projects. The most striking one is called, in German, Zivildienst: Kunstprojekt, which translates as Social Service: Art Project. This 18-minute black-and-white film is on exhibition at Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal until Feb. 19. It was the best thing I saw on a recent tour of Montreal galleries. It is definitely not to be missed.

A still from Zivildienst: Kunstprojekt (Social Service: Art Project) by Althea Thauberger.

A bit of background on the project: while Thauberger was an artist in residence at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin in 2006, she reached an agreement with the authorities to work with conscientious objectors. These young men were engaged in a form of civilian service instead of doing what was then compulsory military service. The men helped Thauberger write and produce a film exploring the ideas of civilian service, questions of national identity, the power of the state, and the work ethic.

The film stars eight young men who act out various scenarios revealing the pluses and minuses of group activities, the power of co-operation and the harm of rivalries. Each little drama lasts only a couple of minutes and is like a visual poem, enacted upon a multi-tiered scaffold.

You are constantly aware that the “actors” are amateurs rather than professionals. But that adds a genuine, more human quality that might not have occurred with trained actors.

I saw the film with about a dozen people in a large screening room. Judging by the comments overheard afterward, the audience was gobsmacked. So, get to Montreal before Feb. 19 to see this film — or write a letter to the National Gallery of Canada suggesting Thauberger’s masterpiece be brought to Ottawa.

As for Jean Augustine, she announced in 2005 that she would be retiring as MP for the Toronto-area riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore. There were reports at the time she was being shunted aside so that Michael Ignatieff could get what was presumed to be a safe Liberal seat. In the long-run, the voters of that riding, and Canadians generally, might have been better off if Augustine had told Ignatieff to go fly a kite.

Zivildienst: Kunstprojekt (Social Service: Art Project). Until Feb. 19 at Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, 185 rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest. www.macm.org

Shop Talk is written by OM senior editor Dayanti Karunaratne and Sarah Fischer, OM account executive and fashion maven.

Every day we seem to receive another announcement about a casting call or new up-and-coming model in the area. We’re not sure if it’s because of the steady growth of Ottawa Fashion Week or the skyrocketing success of models like Herieth Paul — either way, we figured it was time to poke our nose into the world of modeling and take the pulse on the local scene.

Veronica L. recently won a full modeling contract with local agency MIM. Photo courtesy MIM.

This week, we tracked down the latest name making headlines: Veronica L. She’s just 13 years old, but has just landed a free modeling contract with Models International Management (MIM). At 5’11″, she easily surpasses the industry standard of 5’8″ and sports an athletic frame honed from years practicing synchonized swimming and gymnastics.

While MIM spokesperson Jessica D’Angelo describes Veronica as humble, she made no mistake about her talent:

“In front of the camera, Veronica had a serious fire about her,” says D’Angelo. “She was very shy, but so open to putting herself out there.”

Veronica beat out over 60 people — men and women, kids and teens — at the event, held at Bayshore Shopping Centre.

She describes the event as fun and “not stressful at all.” She found out about the contest through her friend, Megan W., who currently models with MIM — plus her mother has some modeling experience, so maybe it runs in the family!

Next up for Veronica: the Ottawa Fashion Week casting call.

We touched base with OFW spokesperson Christine Achampong to gauge Veronica’s chances — and get this scoop on this event, which takes place this weekend.

She certainly fits the height requirement — Christine also mentioned the 5’8″ industry standard, though she added that some designers make specific model requests that reflect their current collection.

“Fashion designers are artists – they’re inspired and influenced by beauty, regardless of its form,” says Christine. “Certain designers like to diverge away from the industry standard and because of this, we like to encourage models of all sizes, ethnicities, ages and experience to come to our open casting.”

Last season nearly 400 people came out for the OFW casting call, and 100 were chosen. For those interested in participating, Christine has the following advice:

1. Be confident! It can be a little bit nerve-wracking to be put on the spot, but the worst that can happen is getting a “no” from designers.

2. Have a good attitude. Designers have worked hard on putting together their collections, volunteers, and staff have worked hard on putting together this casting and negative energy shows on the runway.

3. Have fun! Fashion is not rocket science — we’re not saving lives, we’re all coming together to celebrate an art form and enjoy ourselves in the process.

As for Veronica, she has her three-inch heels picked out for the occasion and we wish her the best of luck!

The OFW casting, which is open to signed and unsigned models, takes place Saturday, Feb. 4 and Sunday, Feb. 5.
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Executive Meeting Space, Westin Hotel Ottawa, 11 Colonel By Dr.
For more information, contact ahughes@ottawafashionweek.ca

The issue was billed as original, innovative, dynamic. And so it turned out that the guests at the launch party for the 2012 Interiors edition mirrored that tagline. The worlds of architecture, art, business, writing, and photography intersected at the offices of Ottawa Magazine as 170 guests mingled, chatted, reconnected — and looked for their work or their homes in the new edition. Here, a few snaps from the busy party. Photography by Brent Gervais

Left to right: The ‘Modern Love’ issue awaits the guests’ response; Question Period’s Kevin Newman, profiled in the November/December issue, hangs out with Sage Development’s Salem McDonald, who was featured in the Interiors edition; Johannes Welsch, whose state-of-the-art performance studio appeared in the issue, chats with editor Sarah Brown.

Left to right: Dylan O’Keefe and Thu Vu of VoK Design Group; Photographer and stylist Jonathan Hobin, whose work appeared in the table settings feature, hugs it out with featured artist Anna Williams; Maureen Cunningham and restaurateur Stephen Beckta check out pictures of their new kitchen.

Left to right: Krista Norris, Janet Buchan, and Ottawa Magazine senior editor Dayanti Karunaratne; Chuck Mills of Chuck Mills Residential Design and Development chats with Amy Talbot of Avenue Design Group; Featured artist Jessika Brunet catches up with photographer Jamie Kronick, who shot her portrait for the Interiors edition.

Left to right: Homeowners Anne Maheux and Greg Hill, whose country home appeared in the magazine, sip wine with their architect, Paul Kariouk; Susan Finlay and Emma Blakely of Windmill Developments share thoughts with Globe and Mail writer Karan Smith; Alëna Konyk gets the prize for best dress.

Left to right: Photographer Jonathan Hobin, Ottawa Magazine art director Jane Corbett, and photographer Luther Caverly see if they know anyone in the nudes of Mississippi Mills calendar; Ottawa Magazine contributing editor Fateema Sayani makes a point; Architectural photographer Amanda Large and Where Ottawa editor Misa Kobayashi.

Left to right: Architect Barry Hobin catches up with fellow architect John Donkin; The boardroom was turned into a very popular Candy Room courtesy of The Candy Store.

Left to right: Featured homeowners Globe and Mail political editor Ryan MacDonald and his wife, Lori Doran, check out their spread with architect John Donkin; An overview of the busy party scene at the Ottawa Magazine offices.

WINTER JAZZFEST
It’s Ottawa’s first ever Winter Jazzfest. Chill music will be performed by internationally-recognized jazz artists and heaps of local talent; acts include Oliver Jones, the Quinsin Nachoff’s Quartet, the Christine and Ingrid Jensen Quintet, Rémi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble, Megan Jerome, and Renée Yoxon. Visit the Ottawa Jazz Festival website for tickets and schedule information. The festival runs Thursday, Feb. 2 through Saturday, Feb. 4 in venues across downtown.

After the Dance (18 x 24, acrylic on panel) by Andrew King will be part of the After 8 exhibit at Wall Space Gallery.

AFTER 8
After 8 is local artist Andrew King’s fourth solo show. It was inspired by a recent trip off the highways of the U.S., specifically the ‘after 8′ scene, when small town diners and motels are take on a surreal atmosphere. His media explores the journey through an era of Americana that is now fading. The exhibit marks eight years of painting for King. Vernissage: Saturday, Feb. 4, 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Exhibit runs until Saturday, Feb. 25. Wall Space Gallery, 358 Richmond Rd.. www.wallspacegallery.ca

STEW COOK-OFF
Fancy yourself a culinary critic? This Friday, sample stews from Byward Market businesses and pull for your favourite entry in the People’s Choice Awards. Bundle up, bring the family, and be a part of the 20^th anniversary of this annual celebration. For $10, it’s all you can eat stew, with all the proceeds going to a local charity. In front of Café 55, 55 ByWard Market Square. Friday, Feb. 3, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. www.byward-market.com

NAUGHTY NOVELISTS (FREE!)
Get hyped for a happy Valentine’s Day with scintillating readings from three Ottawa novelists. Barbara Sibbald (The Book of Love), Jasmine Aziz (Sex and Samosas), and Patricia K McCarthy (The Crimson Time — a Vampire Crawl) will discuss sexy subjects and read from their provocative novels. Thursday, Feb. 2. 7:30 p.m. Venus Envy Sex and Bookstore, 320 Lisgar St. www.venusenvy.ca

WINTERLUDE OPENS (FREE!)
Watch fireworks light up the first night of Winterlude. This year’s theme is “Fire and Lights From 1812 to 2012: Forging the Canadian Spirit.” The official opening ceremony will feature historical characters, drummers, and storytelling around cozy firepits. Fireworks are at 9 p.m., followed by an outdoor DJ dance party with Kytami and The PhonoGraFF! Friday, Feb. 3, activities start at 5 p.m., Canadian Museum of Civilization, 100 Laurier St., Gatineau. http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/celebrate/winterlude

NEW BRUNSWICKERS IN WARTIME
Get interactive with this exhibit that explores history through the touching stories of maritime Canadians: build your own miniature para-trooper using household materials, get a closer look at some of the equipment and clothing displays, or take a walk along the Ottawa river in snowshoes. (A guide will take you through the history of snowshoe technology, but bring your own snowshoes.) Activities take place on weekends throughout the month of February. Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place. www.warmuseum.ca

WINTERLUDE COMES TO OTTAWA THEATRES
Suburbanites can enjoy Winterlude closer to home this year thanks to a partnership with community theatres. One of the highlights of this series is Alberta-born country singer Paul Brandt, who brings his Give It Away Tour to Centrepointe Theatre’s main stage to kick off the festivities. Other events will run through Winterlude’s three weekends at both  Centrepointe Theatre and Shenkman Arts Centre. Paul Brandt tickets: $56.75. Friday, Feb. 3, 8 p.m. Centrepointe Theatre, 101 Centrepointe Dr.

Whalesbone’s popular “Chicken” and waffles: Cornflake-crusted albacore tuna with cornbread waffles, fresh whip, Jerry’s syrup, and blueberries. Photo by photoluxstudio.com/Christian Lalonde.

When I think of The Whalesbone, I think organic. But not in the sense of chemical-free certification that, say, government agencies or veggie buffet restaurants wish us to define it. It’s easy to forget that organic also refers to that gritty, primal, sometimes messy stuff that goes on below the surface of life. Somehow, dining at The Whalesbone connects me to that place: a delicious, raw, and vulnerable place.

I’m not talking just about the act of slurping fresh oysters out of their shells, though it’s an apt analogy for the letting-go attitude that permeates this place. Experimentation and a more-is-more ethos has always been the domain of the young artiste, and there is no doubt that the creative burn of youth is the source of the energy in this kitchen.

Chef Charlotte Langley, who led the crew until leaving for Café Belong in late November, is one of the most audacious young chefs in the city today. Her menu is Maritime chic, featuring imaginative items such as Arctic char bouillabaisse and mackerel lasagna. Who else would think to reinterpret the soul food classic chicken and waffles as chicken-fried tuna with fluffy herb-flecked cornbread waffles infused with boozy syrup and slathered with whipped butter? It will be intriguing to see how the menu develops goes in the wake of her departure.

Yes, we all know Whalesbone as the source for sustainable, ocean-friendly seafood options, but it is also one of the few places that pulses with genuine vitality. Love to see that its gregarious servers equally embody the hedonistic vibe.

430 Bank St., 613-231-8569, www.thewhalesbone.com.

Restaurant E18hteen’s caramelized black cod with coconut-carrot purée. Photo by photoluxstudio.com/Christian Lalonde.

Matthew Carmichael has a way with his ingredients that makes it seem as if he has employed magic to will them into submission. I hope he never reveals his secret; that is so much of the pleasure of eating his food.

In his hands, fish behaves like tempered chocolate, melting on the tongue and blooming with hidden flavours. Braised crispy octopus with dark, drippy honey is a mesmerizing appetizer. Fork-tender chunks have a hit of spice and are a satisfying chew.

A fixture in the trendy ByWard Market, E18hteen remains unapologetically fashionable and expensive. Plates are not particularly balanced, but that’s not the goal. The seasonal vegetables appear like a farmers’ market stall in miniature: a few corn kernels, a few fresh green peas, a leaf or two of sautéed chard, a few tender turnips, and a pair of snap peas. Everything is lovely, of course, each one tasting of itself, but the plate seems to say, You are not here to eat your vegetables. Instead, it’s merely intermission before submitting to the big moment of satisfaction.

This is a meal that teases and tantalizes; it is sensual food — voluptuous, creamy, silky, and moist. It is served in a timeless, cultureless, placeless space — looking around, you could be anywhere. In that sense, eating at E18hteen is almost an out-of-body experience: the food and decor conspire to usher your senses inward rather than out.

11 York St., 613-244-1188, www.restaurant18.com.

This lunchtime dish of trout is described simply as "terrific".

By Anne DesBrisay

Play is young and cheerful and fresh: precisely what lunch on a wintry day requires. Its prime mover, Stephen Beckta, is manning the coat check as we stomp through the York Street door, shaking flurries off parkas, handing over soggy mitts. He takes on our burdens with habitual grace, and then leads us to a sunny upstairs table by a big, old window where we bask in the competent ministrations of a perceptive staff.

We are here to taste Play’s any-two-plates-for-$20 lunch, and drink a glass of wine suggested by a menu that pairs every dish with a proposal for best match, in three and five ounce pours. The presentation on the plate of the ‘S2S’ chorizo is striking, and the sausage is very good. We don’t plan to eat it all, but hand goes from plate to mouth to plate again with embarrassing repetition, sometimes dunking the marbled, well-spiced sausage in the curls of dijon mustard, sometimes not.

Pretty and tasty. A pretty chorizo sausage platter disappears quickly — there are no leftovers when a dish is this good.

Next course, trout, yielding just right, in a sweet cider pool surrounding a silken squash purée. Layered above this, a few bitter disks of well peppered turnip (I love turnip), some soft ribbons of leek, and a toss of chewy proscuitto for a bit of meaty, salty yum.  A terrific dish. Feeling we’d had a deal of a meal, we splurged on dessert ($8): a stunner of a chocolate terrine, generous enough to pass around (and around).

Cost: $20 for two plates

Hours: Lunch from noon to 2 p.m. daily (open daily for dinner, too).

Play food + wine,  1 York Street, 613-667-9207. www.playfood.ca.