Articles Tagged ‘Hintonburg’

OPENING: Introducing Richard’s Hintonburg Kitchen, poetry in motion

At home in his Kitchen at last, Richard Nigro started feeding the Hintonbourgeois on Saturday

On Saturday, Chef Richard Nigro, one of the founding chefs of Juniper, opened the door to his very own Richard’s Hintonburg Kitchen, a much-anticipated new take-out/home catering shop on Wellington.

I say much-anticipated because Nigro has been drumming up my interest with a series of stream-of-consciousness email updates from the chef detailing the progress and inevitable delays related to City permits, construction, building inspections etc. over the last several months.

During that time, I’ve had a glimpse into the chef’s creative mind, quirky sense of humour, and offbeat approach to business that will no doubt make his kitchen unique to the neighbourhood and the city. In the first email he wrote:

“I feel as if I’m writing from deep in the big empty… Little steps, little steps that together make a leap, a bound and a jump across the finish line… I am hoping that like a snowball at the top of a hill, the renovations will slowly build momentum and speed as the work continues and will rush to a conclusion. “

How many chefs do you know who would describe construction delays in such poetic terms? The next email continued this theme:

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  |  March 25, 2013 at 10:00 am

STORE PROFILE: Fabrications finds niche market with unique textiles and evening classes

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

We know the crafting community is strong in Ottawa, as is the support for independent designers. We know people love retro fashion and that some of those people are also drawn to a more modern aesthetic. And we have a hunch that there are govies out there who hate their desk jobs but are passionate about their hobbies. But we didn’t know that there is a place that brings all of these Ottawa truisms together — until now.

Fabrications sells fabric and sewing accessories that you won't find at national chains.

Fabrications opened December 1st on the eastern fringes of Hintonburg. It’s a fabric store and more, with an impressive schedule of sewing classes and a very pretty website that shows off their carefully chosen fabrics and sewing accessories. And Fabrications is the dream-come-true story of Curtis Blondin and Carrie Alexander.

The owners are both photographers — Carrie is originally from Sudbury, Curtis from Wakefield — who love crafting and sewing. The two were enjoying plugging away at their projects in the evenings while spending their days at desk jobs with the federal government. They would spend hours searching out cool fabrics online, ordering metres with bated breath, and sometimes be disappointed with the results. One day, Curtis suggested they open their own store that offered unique, vintage, and reclaimed fabrics and, as Carrie says, “there was no good reason not to.”

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  |  March 1, 2013 at 8:45 am

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: From Hintonburg Public House’s new menu: French Onion Soup that would make Julia proud

The tasty union of bread, onions and cheese sing in sweet harmony at Hintonburg Public House

I’m so tired of talking about the weather. Can we talk about French Onion Soup for a minute?

In Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child taught a generation of home cooks about the importance of the very long caramelization of onions that carries Soupe à L’Oignon Gratinée — 2 ½ hours, at least, from start to finish.

Yet too often when I order this cheese-crowned darling in a restaurant, I want to weep into my ramekin at the sight of pale stringy onions that have yet to develop any of the rich, rustic sweetness of their caramelized cousins.

“The onions need a long, slow cooking in butter and oil, then a long, slow simmering in stock for them to develop the deep, rich flavour which characterizes a perfect brew,” writes Julia.

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  |  February 11, 2013 at 8:40 am

FOOD BUZZ: Ex-Juniper chef gets set to open Richard’s Hintonburg Kitchen — a take-out shop dedicated to “worldly home cooking”

Richard Nigro is aiming to open his take-out food shop in February

Nobody has a laugh quite like Richard Nigro. It’s higher-pitched, louder and more jovial than you’d expect, and it erupts from him during conversation without warning like a splash of hot sauce on scrambled eggs.

It’s nice to see Nigro looking so cheerful after our last meeting, which had a more serious tenor, coming on the heels of a seemingly abrupt ending to his 17-year tenure as head chef at Juniper Kitchen & Wine Bar.

This week he’s fired up to share the news that renovations have begun on the retail space on Wellington St. that was last Emerald Pastry & Food Shop, where Nigro is preparing to open Richard’s Hintonburg Kitchen in the New Year.

He describes the concept for his shop along the same lines as popular catering and take-out operations like Epicuria, The Red Apron, and Thyme & Again, with an emphasis on offering heat-and-eat meals for time-starved customers who appreciate restaurant-quality food. He hopes to differentiate himself by offering an innovative, eclectic, and internationally inspired menu. “And because I’m in the kitchen,” he says with a grin, “the food will be flavourful.”

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  |  November 22, 2012 at 8:55 am

TREND ALERT: Go gourmet with these pogos that are a grown-up version of the childhood staple

By Shawna Wagman

Brut Cantina Sociale serves up signature pogos with a house sausage made from duck confit and foie gras. Photo by Photoluxstudio.com-Christian Lalonde.

When Hintonburger opened in 2010, it was the first time in at least 30 years that I had seen a batter-dipped hot dog on a stick outside of the grocer’s freezer. I thought it was pretty clever that the burger shack was making them fresh, from scratch, rather than serving the frozen ready-made Pogo brand many of us devoured as kids. Not wanting to deprive my daughter of the experience, I ordered a Fat Cat corn dog for her and watched her eyes light up with glee as she gripped the stick in her tiny hand and dunked the whole monstrosity in ketchup before gnawing away at the thick deep-fried coating and the steaming wiener within.

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  |  November 7, 2012 at 8:45 am

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Simply Raw Express provides an innovative take on the trendy taco

Simply Raw Express in Hintonburg is the brainchild of husband and wife team of Mark Faul and Natasha Kyssa

By Anne DesBrisay

It had been a week when everything on every restaurant menu I happened upon seemed to be wrapped in bacon and doused with cream. And I appear to have jumped in whole hog. By week’s end, I was thinking a kale salad was clearly in order. My goal was to find a lunch where there’d be no chance whatsoever of pig creeping into any proffered dish.

Simply Raw Express, newly delivered to the Hintonburg community by the wife and husband team of Natasha Kyssa and Mark Faul, seemed to me a safe landing. It’s a sunny spot, with a big open kitchen, shelves filled with goji berries, and chia seeds, and sprouting things, and though it seems to be used mostly for shopping and taking away, there are a few tables for eating in.

The taco I found in a plastic container in the fridge. My knee jerk reaction was to ask for it to be heated up. They must still be laughing at the raw food counter…

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  |  September 10, 2012 at 9:09 am

EAT THIS: Suzy Q’s ice cream doughnut sandwich—I dare you!

The doughnut ice cream sandwich: why didn't I think of that?

As if a Suzy Q gourmet doughnut isn’t already enough of an overindulgence, now you can get it sliced in half like a bagel and stuffed with chocolate and/or vanilla soft-serve ice cream. A sandwich can be constructed on-demand using any of the available doughnut flavours.

The question of how then to eat it becomes a messy and marvelous problem to solve. From my experience, I’d say that picking up the whole thing like a sandwich and taking bites is not advisable. The ice cream all squishes out the sides. I had more luck removing the “lid” (for separate eating) and devouring the sandwich open faced. Alternately, a plastic fork can help in the frantic stabbing, pulling, and shoveling required to get ahead of the melting process on a warm summer’s day. Sticky business.

The first bite brings back a flood of memories of birthday cake and ice cream from childhood. But the sophisticated flavours of lemon and jasmine in my doughnut give it gravitas. At least that’s what I told myself as I shoved a doughnut ice cream sandwich down my gullet.

Suzy Q, 991 Wellington St. , suzyq.ca

 

  |  June 28, 2012 at 8:45 am

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Tender beef short ribs at Hintonburg Public House

You could choose lunch from the entree menu. Or... combine two apps to make a meal. Soucie combined a bowl of silky puréed celeriac soup with a plate of button mushrooms (shown above), sauteed in butter and served over a soft-coddled egg on toast

By Riva Soucie

Hintonburgers have always prided themselves on the practicality of the group of little neighborhood(s) just East of Westboro (where, as the joke goes, you can buy a comb for your cat, but not batteries for a flashlight). Within walking distance, there is a hospital, hardware store, cobbler, two dry cleaners, a post office, drugstores, a couple computer doctors, and countless food shops.

The downside is that many drinking establishments also tend to be utilitarian, not to mention old-fashioned and a little worn. Especially lacking has been a spot to go when you want somewhere fancier and more food-forward than a plain old pub, but you don’t feel like changing out of your holey jeans. In short, somewhere between a gastropub and what the Brits call a “local.”

Enter the newly opened Hintonburg Public House, an instantly comfortable Wellington West fixture, decked out in Asian-inspired furniture, vintage signage, church pews, and a long, L-shaped wooden bar. Owner Summer Baird (formerly of Urban Pear) is a thoughtful publican, chatting warmly with patrons at their tables and proffering insights about the rotating art collections on the walls. Meanwhile, Chef Kris Kshonze’s seasonal menu is happily reminiscent of his days in The Whalesbone kitchen.

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  |  March 12, 2012 at 9:06 am

A HOUSE WE LOVE: A modernist gem in Hintonburg

A lot that was just 23 feet seven inches wide demanded a very innovative house design. Photography by Peter Fritz.

Luminous Modernism: A couple designs and builds a streamlined house on a very slim lot in Hintonburg

This house is one of five innovative modern designs featured in the 2012 Interiors edition. See more photographs and read the full story in the print edition.

Lee-Ann Zanelli still laughs when she recalls her first drive-by past the lot that would eventually become the site for their modernist gem of a house. Her husband, Rick Shean, had called her at work to tell her he had found the perfect lot in Hintonburg.

“We drove over, and Rick points out what was basically a driveway,” says Lee-Ann. “I just looked at him and said, ‘Are you kidding me? There’s no way!’” The parcel of land, severed from the lot belonging to the neighbouring house, was a mere 23 feet seven inches wide.

Not a lot of space to squeeze a house into — especially when you figure in space between the neighbours on either side.

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  |  March 9, 2012 at 9:03 am

WEEKENDER: Lost in Yonkers, BeerFest, Home Reno Show, plus three great ways to embrace the winter weather

HINTONBURG SHINNY
Hintongburg residents will slap sticks and square off against their neighbours in the first first annual street hockey tournament in the hip ‘hood. Nets will be set up on Hamilton Avenue North and Spencer Street (immediately next to the Parkdale Park). Funds raised will be used for youth programming in the community. Teams must have one person who lives in Hintonburg as well as at least one male and one female, and one youth under 14. If you can’t put a team together, bring the family down to watch the excitement unfold. Visit http://hintonburg.com/hockey12.html to sign- up. Organizers will be accepting team registration until Friday night, but registration is capped at 30 teams. Saturday, Jan. 21. 11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. $10 per team.

 

A still from the Ottawa Little Theatre production of Lost in Yonkers. Photo courtesy www.ottawalittletheatre.com

LOST IN YONKERS
Lost for what to do this weekend? Quench your culture craving with Ottawa Little Theatre’s run of Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Lost in Yonkers. The show stars Thomas Nyhuus and Ven Djukic as two brothers who suffer the damages of an eclectic and dysfunctional family in the early 1940s. A stern grandmother, a mentally soft aunt, and a thug uncle make for an entertaining cast of family members. The play is Chantale Plante’s third time in the director’s role at the Ottawa Little Theatre. Until Jan. 28; matinee performance Sunday, Jan. 22. $25, $22 seniors, $10 students. Ottawa Little Theatre, 400 King Edward Ave. www.ottawalittletheatre.com

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  |  January 18, 2012 at 10:18 am

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