WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: A delightful club sandwich at Hintonburg Public House (shame about the price)

HPH's club sandwich is a superior rendition of the classic — well seasoned, incredibly moist chicken, with yummy bacon, tomato, lettuce, a full flavoured aioli on lightly toasted white bread.

By Anne DesBrisay

Although it’s been a few years since the culinary gentrification of this corner of the city began in earnest, it still must be startling for Hintonburg’s old timers to see the steady flow of well-dressed uptowners stopping in for a bite — to see Volvos where Volvos never parked before.

I’m trying to remember the order of things. It seems to me Tennessy Willems, Burnt Butter, Alpha Soul, and Back Lane launched the foodie revolution in this hood. Then came this place, the Hintonburg Public House, shortly thereafter in late 2011.

I have been a few times to the HPH for an evening meal, but hadn’t stopped in for lunch. So I found a friend — whose Volvo has heated seats necessary for an unneccessarily cold day in June — and remedied this.

Read the rest of this story »

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Working near Dows Lake/Little Italy? Stop by for Morning Owl’s panini

Tucked between a 12 grain Art-is-in bun, a thick slab of Owl-made porchetta as well as asparagus, bacon, mustard, rosemary, and parmigiano

By Anne DesBrisay

I have long been green with envy over the MO’s retro orange fridge. In fact, I looked into acquiring one for my kitchen after my very first Morning Owl visit, but decided I’d have to give up my espresso habit if I were ever to afford it. So I settled for a dull and ordinary fridge that does the job but gives me no pleasure. But I climb the stairs of this place for a great cup of coffee and a crusty scone often enough that I feel some kinship with that Big Chill machine and for now, that will have to do.

Last week I had a Morning Owl panini for the first time. Tucked between a 12 grain Art-is-in bun (purchased now at Farm Boy, as Aii no longer sells its bread wholesale) was a thick slab of Owl-made porchetta stuffed with asparagus, bacon, mustard, rosemary, and parmigiano.

The meat was roasted up moist and juicy, the asparagus still had some spine to it, and the flavour was bold and big. As for the rest —  lettuce, tomato, a smear of pesto mayo, a bit more dijon, all delivered by that great seedy bun — it was a sandwich to brighten a rainy day, enjoyed fully and thoroughly in a great little place with a very fine fridge.

Cost: paninis all cost $7

Open: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Morning Owl Coffehouse, 583 Rochester St., 613-680-8336.

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Don’t miss lobster season at May’s Garden Restaurant

It's lobster season! Fresh lobster with ginger and onion at May's Garden Restaurant in Chinatown/Little Italy

By Anne DesBrisay

It’s lobster season: time to walk around town with a bib on, ’cause you just never know when the craving for the red backed crustacean’s gonna bite.

It had been my plan to check out May’s weekday lunch deal — but the offerings seemed a bit ordinary — and I happened to spy the notice of specials on the white board.

The only item written in english read “fresh lobster with ginger and onion or spicy” —Market Price. I asked the price. Twenty dollars and ninety five cents. Sold.

Read the rest of this story »

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Pizza e Panini anchors a new food truck lot in Westboro with its wicked wood-burning oven and Illy espresso machine

The proscuitto pizza with arugula cooks in under a minute in a blistering wood-fired oven

By Shawna Wagman

Living in a city with bona fide food truck culture is something we’re all still getting used to. Writing this post, I realized my vocabulary has some catching up to do when it comes to food truck terminology. I had to turn to the twitterverse to find out what it’s called when several food trucks get together and share a parking lot. I felt better that there was no real consensus.

I received the following answers:

  • — Food truck round-up
  • — Food truck lot
  • — Food truck court
  • — In Portland they use the term Pod
  • — In San Francisco, a travelling food court of food trucks is called “The Grid”

Whatever you call it, Ottawa’s got one. In the parking lot that was once Nick’s Service Centre at 236 Richmond Rd., there are now three food trucks — Pizza e Panini, as well as Relish and Artie’s chips.

Read the rest of this story »

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Attacking The Table’s lunch buffet with gusto

"What had started out as a careful, cost-cutting approach to The Table's buffet turned into a full-steam-ahead and damn the weigh scale attack on its hot and cold offerings"

By Anne DesBrisay

Unpitted olives, as much as I craved them right then, right there, I walked right on by. I figured they’d weigh me down and spike the bill. Instead, I headed for the baby spinach salad. Light and breezy stuff.

And then I dabbled with a bit of kale and swiss chard (heavier greens, to be sure, but worth their weight in gold). The organic tofu fritters beckoned — mostly for the vegan, gluten-free onion chutney that made them seem edible — and so did the cornmeal crumble with rosemary and roasted parsnips and all that crusty-gooey cheesey goodness on top.

A bit further along The Table‘s offerings was the pan of roasted vegies — mostly onions, charred peppers, and purple skinned eggplant — and on they came. The all-veggie jambalaya promised a bit of heat (and delivered) so that was scooped, and from the cold section, an arame seaweed salad (vegan/g-f) with snow pea shoots. Finally, a healthy dollop of the g-f house hummus. No bread though.

What had started out as a careful, cost-cutting approach to The Table’s buffet turned into a full-steam-ahead and damn the weigh scale attack on its hot and cold offerings.

Read the rest of this story »

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Delivering on the promise of a real, big, messy burger at Beech St. Burger

The new Little Italy burger joint takes the Five Guys burger experience up a notch

Happy National Burger Month!

What — you didn’t mark your calendar?

Okay, technically it’s an American holiday, but I bet there are plenty of people in the National Capital Region who would be willing to join in the festivities. We do love a burger.

It’s no surprise to see new burger joints popping up like crazy, even as we gear up for the invasion of a new fleet of food trucks to help diversify the world of fast-food eating in this city. The burger trend is indeed mushrooming (mmmm, mushrooms are great on burgers) and shows no signs of burning out. Ottawa’s own burger chain, The Works, at 19 locations and counting, has apparently had about 600 franchise requests from across Canada. Holy cow!

I wish I could find some local statistics on our burger consumption habits, but I suspect we’re in line with the results of a recent foodservice consultancy survey of more than 2,250 online US and Canadian consumer: it revealed that 91% of people that responded said they eat a burger at least once a month, and 44% said they consume burgers at least once a week. The report claims: “burgers are one of the hottest trends on today’s dining scene.”

Again, no surprises there.

I had TWO burgers last week. Both of them were from the new Little Italy gem, Beech St. Burger.

Read the rest of this story »

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: The salad roll days of summer at Chez Bien

Lots of Vietnamese restaurants make their salad rolls ahead. At Chez Bien, they're made to order — and that makes all the difference.

By Anne DesBrisay

Chef Bien of Chez Bien used to cook in Italian restaurants on Preston Street. My first visit was lunch, but if you come back for dinner (recommended) you should give his Asian marinated lamb (lemongrass, ginger, garlic, star anise) served with Italian style roast potatoes (rosemary, garlic, olive oil) a try. Pretty successful fusion fare!

But on the first summer-like days of the year thoughts naturally turn to summer rolls. Goi Cuon, also called salad rolls, of softened rice paper circles wrapped around grilled meat, greens, vegetables, noodles and fresh herbs. Lots of Vietnamese restaurants make these, and make them ahead. At Chez Bien, they’re made to order and that makes all the difference.

The grilled pork is warm and fragrant, the vermicelli at room temperature, the vegetables fresh and crunchy in their sweet and sour marinade, while the chopped mint lends a burst of summery vigour to the package.

Read the rest of this story »

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Mitla reinvents the sandwich with Mexican tortas and cactus quesadillas

Mexico's answer to the sandwich, tortas start with a crusty white roll stuffed with fresh goodies and it all gets grilled on a panini press.

By Shawna Wagman

For me, Mitla is a classroom. I go there to learn about the flavours of Oaxaca, Mexico, from someone who lived there and immersed herself in its food culture. I also go there for a damn fine lunch.

I immediately fell in love with agua de fruta ($3), cold refreshing “fruit water”— in this case, it was mango; the other option was passion fruit — beloved in Mexico for helping to beat the summer heat. I found the amount of sweetness, and the appealing consistency — thirst-quenching drinkable sorbet — just right. I polished it off before my lunch arrived.

Entering the festive red shop (blue from the street) nestled in the heart of residential Vanier, it feels like I am having lunch at the kitchen table in someone’s colourful little home. That someone is owner Ana Collins, who was flying solo in the Oaxacan-inspired kitchen on the afternoon I recently visited for lunch.

Looking up at the chalkboard menu, I quickly noted that many of the Spanish words were unfamiliar and details are few so I asked Collins for some direction. She recommended the torta ($5), a Mexican sandwich — chicken, chorizo or veggie — grilled into crusty-gooey submission on a panini press.

I also wanted to try something made with her homemade corn tortillas so I opted for a pair of quesadillas ($3), intrigued by the cactus and cheese option.

Read the rest of this story »

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Anne DesBrisay takes a trip down memory lane with a visit to Cyranos in the city’s west end

The warm avocado salad included a quartet of grilled shrimp with a half ripe avocado, a pile of greens, and a warm stew of onion, tomato, and cilantro smothered on top

By Anne DesBrisay

I’ve been packing up my sons and putting them in boxes. Removed from shelves and walls, they’ve been protected with bubble wrap, labelled, and stored on a basement shelf. This is a process real estate agents call “depersonalizing” and apparently it’s necessary before you sell your house. De-clutter and get rid of the boys, they tell me. I’ve been quite enjoying it, I must say.

One of the framed photos I stashed away was of my youngest, in an infant seat at Cyranos. I knew it was Cyranos because behind him were the giant murals of fruits and vegetables that plastered the walls of this Bells Corners Mediterranean restaurant.

I’ve no idea who took the picture, or why, but there you go. Both kid and restaurant were pretty brand new.

Read the rest of this story »

1 Comment

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Cross the river for real original thin-crust pizza and homemade ice cream. Fresh air is free.

Back in 2007, the original Cheezy Luigis transformed the main street in Wakefield, Quebec into a major pizza destination. That location has since been sold and remains a pie joint renamed Pizzeria Mama Gen. However Cheezy himself (a.k.a. Luigi Meliambro, also a partner in the new Bootleg Portchetta Co.) continues to hand-toss his excellent homemade pizzas in a charming bright yellow painted house on Chelsea’s main road.

It’s a perfectly pleasant 18-minute drive from the Byward Market and happens to represent an excellent afternoon excursion in the fine weather; a delicious urban diversion that offers with it a medicinal dose of fresh country air. I speak here from experience.

I love the charming homey ambiance of Luigi’s shop in Chelsea as well as the creative and fresh topping combinations on the pizzas — catering to preferences for thinner or thicker crusts (don’t we all prefer thinner?).

I also appreciate the fact that there’s a “bambini” option so that the junior eater or afternoon snacker can have their very own wee-size pizza for 4-bucks rather than the $14 investment that other gourmet pizza places tend to charge for a one-size-only minimalist Margherita.

Read the rest of this story »

« Older articles
Food + Wine
Shopping
Homes + Gardens
Society