Articles Tagged ‘Food and Wine’

THE BACKSTORY: How Oz Kafe’s Jamie Stunt discovered the zen of yak

By Shawna Wagman

This article appears in the Interiors edition of Ottawa Magazine, on newsstands now.

Chef Jamie Stunt competes in the Canadian Culinary Championships in Kelowna on Friday, Feb. 8 and Saturday, Feb. 9, competing against the gold medal winners from nine other cities from Vancouver to St. John’s.

Jamie Stunt visits with a yak at Rosemary's farm. Photography by Luther Caverly.

YAK TATAKI. Yak tataki. When I first spotted those two words on the menu at Oz Kafe four years ago, I couldn’t wait to say them out loud: yak tataki, yak tataki, yak tataki.

They are the kinds of words that a food writer dreams about — playful, whimsical, and deliciously unusual. They make you laugh, perhaps salivate, and dream. In a job that constantly battles against boring, repetitive, predictable menus and the constraints of the English language (how many ways can we talk about a great steak?), this dish was already infused with the makings of a great story, and I was determined to find it.

I mean, who has the nerve to serve yak in Ottawa? And how in the world did the chef get his hands on fresh yak meat? I would soon discover that a herd of Tibetan yaks was roaming the wilds of the Ottawa Valley.

When the plate arrived, the meat was  just barely seared, thinly sliced, and topped with anchovy mayo and bacon breadcrumbs. It was not the kind of dish I had expected to find in a meat-and-potatoes government town, but there it was — all crimson and succulent and drenched with soul-satisfying umami.

The dish had been prepared by Jamie Stunt, the creative young chef I had pegged a few years earlier as one of the city’s culinary up-and-comers. The restaurant where Stunt cooks is the late-night crash pad for fellow cooks, who swing by after their shifts to fuel up on smoked duck poutine and spicy grilled beef lettuce wraps.

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  |  February 7, 2013 at 8:16 am

SOUP’S ON! Black Cat Bistro test drives its new “Black Cat Luncheonette” Friday take-away lunch — starts today

A luncheonette pop-up at Black Cat Bistro on Fridays. Lunch is a bowl of hot soup and fresh foccaccia: it's what everyone's craving.

Chef Patricia Larkin says she came up with the idea of offering a fun, relaxed take-out lunch from the kitchen of Preston Street’s chic Black Cat Bistro. It starts today at noon. She’ll be selling containers of her braised chicken, vegetable, and rice soup with a hunk of freshly-baked focaccia while quantities last. A batch of chocolate chip cookies will be coming out of the oven in time for lunch as well.

Larkin, who is in charge of the Bistro’s fine dining menu, says she was itching to try something new. “It’s a way to keep me excited,” she says. But it was Richard Urquhart, Black Cat’s owner, who had his heart set on the name “luncheonette.”

Larkin says he’s been talking about it for years — he likes the association with old-fashioned diners where patrons park themselves on stools at the counter. Of course BCB isn’t exactly casual, nor is it known as a place to grab a quick bite, so the new Friday brown bag lunch aims to adopt that spirit.

“It’s a fun place to start,” says Larkin, alluding to the fact that the Black Cat Luncheonette could grow into something bigger. But for now it’s a dead simple endeavor. She’ll put up a big pot of wholesome homemade delicious soup, bake some focaccia and some chocolate chip cookies. If no one shows up, it’ll be a delicious staff meal tonight, she says with a laugh.

Cost: Soup & focaccia $6; Cookie $1; Soft Drinks $1.50.

Hours: Fridays only, noon till 1 p.m.

Black Cat Luncheonette, 428 Preston St., 613-569-9998.

  |  February 1, 2013 at 8:40 am

FOODIE EVENT: My Neighbourhood Bites showcases the city’s top amateur cooks with 12 neighbourhood culinary competitions

A new breed of cook has been causing a stir in the nation’s capital. These foodies may not have professional kitchens – or even certification – but Donna Henhoeffer thinks it’s about time we give them their due. The Taboo Eats founder launched My Neighbourhood Bites to showcase the city’s top amateur cooks. Over the next six months, 12 local neighbourhoods will take part, hosting cooking competitions from Vanier to Greely to Centretown. If the debut event at Cube Gallery is any indication (they packed nearly 175 guests into the Wellington West locale on Dec. 15), this project is shaping up to be a great success. Ottawa Magazine’s Erica Eades chats with Henhoeffer about her inspiration for the project, some exciting new partnerships, and how she plans to give back to the community.

The top three winners of the first round of My Neighbourhood Bites join organizer Donna Henhoeffer (middle left) for a photo.

So, tell us about your first event.
It went really well! We had such a nice turnout, and it was a really good mix of people there – some who live and work in the area, others who came from as far as Orleans.

What was the winning dish?
The winning dish was the Mary Had a Little Lamb Meatball [created by Chantal Albert]. It was a Moroccan-inspired meatball that had a roasted eggplant and tomato puree, with a spiced toasted chickpea and a little bit of mint yogurt.

How did this competition come about?
I’ve been planning events for about 20 years and I ran a catering company for 10 years. In that time I saw cooks come and go and met with staff at all different levels. It got me thinking: How do I bring all that together and give people a chance to expose their work?

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  |  December 18, 2012 at 10:29 am

WEEKLY LUNCH PICK: Behold the $20 mix-and-match lunch deal at Gezellig

Steve Beckta’s third restaurant, is on Westboro’s primo corner of Richmond and Churchill, in a former branch of the TD Bank

By Anne DesBrisay

Beckta has moved into my old bank. I’m not bummed about it. Truth is I’d rather walk to lunch than pay bills at this address. But I must say: I miss the books.

Gezellig, Steve Beckta’s third restaurant, is on Westboro’s primo corner of Richmond and Churchill, in a former branch of the TD Bank that happened to lend a table for used books browsing. Can’t remember exactly what the deal was: take one, donate one, leave a buck or two? Whatever. It was charming.

Still, Gezellig was necessary. I can see that. This neighbourhood is underserved, restaurant-wise. It has watched, pouting, as neighbourhoods to its east — West Wellington and Hintonburg — sprouted delicious places to eat, and muttered small obscenities when it was delivered of yet another chain pub or sports bar. Sure, Westborians have got lots of places to buy paddles and long johns and overpriced sports bras, but gastronomically-speaking, their ‘hood has offered some pretty bleak grazing.

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  |  December 3, 2012 at 8:42 am

IN DIGESTION: Women chefs put childhood on the plate for a good cause (with pix of each course!)

With the first sip of Welch’s grape juice, I was instantly transported — as promised — back to the days of skinned knees, PB &J sandwiches, and licking batter off of cake beaters. It was a great, nostalgic start to the first-ever Clam Jam, a collaborative dinner party prepared by a feisty crew of female chefs who came together for a fundraiser designed to riff on the theme of childhood. It was held at Union Local 613 and the proceeds from the dinner and silent auction were in support of Harmony House.

Before each of the seven courses was served, the chef that created it stood in the centre of the room and spoke in front of about 40 eager guests about the inspiration behind their dish. It was a lovely reminder of just how powerful and personal taste memories can be.

When the fried ravioli stuffed with spaghetti and tiny meatballs circulated as canapés, I was concerned that this meal might digress into a mash-up of cutesy and kitschy courses. Instead we were treated to a parade of thoughtful dishes, each with a corresponding tale from young women who demonstrated an early appreciation for the pleasures of cooking. The audience got to peek back in time to see the kernel of passion that presumably led each chef to their professional kitchen careers. Fascinating stuff.

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  |  November 27, 2012 at 8:50 am

CHEF SHUFFLE: New chefs in top spots at Hintonburg Public House, The Urban Element and the soon-to-open gezellig

On the move: The chefs are getting restless and Shawna Wagman has the latest on who's going where.

First we heard from Summer Baird, owner of Hintonburg Public House, that Kris Kshonze, her head chef, was leaving. He has decided to stay home with his new baby — trading in a life in the service of hipsters for one in the service of diapers.

Then, we heard that Anna March, Mariposa’s former chef, was returning to the kitchen this fall after her maternity leave to join The Urban Element where she is now the head cooking class instructor as well as leading the culinary team for in-house corporate and private events. (She replaces Candice Butler who left a few months ago to take over the food program at Elmwood School.) We have since put the pieces of the puzzle together and realize that March and Kshonze are in fact a couple. Their son’s name is Henry.

Now Baird has confirmed that Mark Currier, currently resident chef at Mariposa Farm, will replace Kshonze at the end of October. It’s a reunion for Currier and Baird, who worked together in the kitchen at The Urban Pear about seven years ago when Baird was chef and co-owner and Currier was her sous-chef. So far, there is no news about who will replace Currier at Mariposa.

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  |  October 1, 2012 at 9:18 am

INTRODUCING: two six {ate}, Preston Street’s new late-night munchies joint opens on Friday

First-time restaurateurs Emily Ienzi and boyfriend Steve Harris have transformed the former Lindenhof restaurant into a hip new small plates spot

It’s the mom-and-pop shop re-envisioned by a new generation. You take a front-of-house girl whose family comes from Italy’s Puglia region and a boy who cooks with roots in Nova Scotia and you give them access to an urban garden and an 80-seat restaurant; toss in a coin-operated vintage Ms. PAC-MAN machine and a DJ and you’ve got the ingredients for a fun-loving new Ital-Canadian snack food joint on Preston Street called two six {ate}.

It opens officially on Friday. When I stopped by for a sneak peek of the place on Monday, the full face-lift, which began on August 17, made it unrecognizable from its former occupant, the Lindenhof restaurant.

It’s got all the hallmarks of the new breed of hipster hang-out: the tattooed chef, the reclaimed barnboard walls, the old-school cocktails, the funky lighting, and the playful menu offering an upscale twist on trashy kid food like Pogos and poutine. Words like foie gras torchon, sashimi, and heirloom tomatoes add heft to a menu that is a giddy mix of snack food nostalgia and Italian classics. There’s a kitchen that won’t quit until the wee hours of the morning, talk of nose-to-tail and seasonal cooking and a commitment to keeping it affordable — so far nothing on the menu is over 20 bucks.

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  |  September 25, 2012 at 8:52 am

PLANNING A ROAD TRIP?: Forty-eight hours of food heaven in Montreal

By Shawna Wagman | Photography by Marc Fowler / Metropolis Studio

Frappé la rue: Forty-eight hours of food heaven in Montreal

Top left: Chocolate-making at Les Chocolats de Chloé; Bottom left: French toast with pear and cranberries from Lawrence; Right: Fairmount Bagel factory, open 24 hours a day

Montreal is the spiritual home of my hedonistic alter ego.

I go there to rock out, and I go there to fill up. I go there to surround myself with people who live to eat. And I go there to connect to history — the city’s and my own. I go there to be reminded of the ways that pleasure can be — and should be — a part of everyday life. Go ahead; roll your eyes. Accuse me of romanticizing Montreal. I have no defence. My Montreal is a mélange of old and new, French and English, sweet and salty, cheap and chic. I allow myself a guilt-free affair with la belle ville at every opportunity.

I have a strategy when planning a weekend visit, and it usually involves one researched dinner reservation, one stop at a select brunch spot, and a whole lot of walking, grazing, and nibbling in between. Here’s the key: park the car when you arrive, and then use it as a storage locker for the bagels, spices, chocolates, preserves, and cheeses you pick up along the way. That way, you can savour the distinctive smoky-sweet perfume of sesame bagels on the drive home and keep the Montreal food hangover lingering until the next visit.

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  |  September 19, 2012 at 8:40 am

BREAKING NEWS! Chef Matt Carmichael opening Ottawa’s first pop-up restaurant in Mellos vintage diner in the Byward Market

This photo of Mellos appeared on the Trip Advisor website, taken by a visitor to the city who proclaimed the diner "where the locals go!"

Rumours have been swirling for weeks but today City Bites confirms that Matthew Carmichael, former Executive Chef of Social, E18hteen, and Side Door will be opening a pop-up restaurant* inside the delightfully dingy Mellos Diner on Dalhousie Street in the Byward Market. It all begins on June 25, 26, and 27 with plans to then be open Sundays through Wednesdays after that.

*What’s a pop-up restaurant?

It’s a dining phenomenon beloved by Smartphone wielding foodies that is by definition temporary and transient — it’s a restaurant that might turn up without much notice in a private home, an abandoned space or at a festival and might run for one night, one week, or one month and beyond.

In this case Carmichael says he’s going to experiment with different nights and see what works best. If all goes well, the pop-up could become what’s called “a takeover” and go on indefinitely.

As for the food, expect it to be classic Carmichael — he says it’s a combination of what diners have come to expect from the three upscale restaurants he ran until his recent departure. “There will be good fresh pasta, curries, good steak frites, asparagus, and morels,” he says, “And I’ll be playing around with stuff. It’s a reflection of where I’m at right now with food.”

As for his choice of the quintessential 1950s greasy spoon? “I think Mellos is such a heritage institution here in Ottawa, I want to pay respect to that.” The music and lighting will be different, but he’s keeping the frozen-in-time classic diner décor just as it is.

Mellos Pop-Up Restaurant, 290 Dalhousie St.

  |  June 12, 2012 at 2:48 pm

INSIDE SCOOP: Chef Mike Moffatt talks about gezellig, Steve Beckta’s third restaurant, opening in Westboro later this year

Executive Chef Mike Moffatt adds a third restaurant kitchen to his list of responsibilities. This one is set to shake up the Westboro dining scene.

The ink has barely dried on the lease for 337 Richmond Road and we are already clamouring to know what will be on the menu of the new Westboro restaurant — the third sibling to join the Beckta and Play family. Steve Beckta announced last week that his new place will be called gezellig, a tricky-to-translate Dutch word that refers to things (and people and places) that create a cozy, homey, quaint, and comfortable vibe — it’s also that warm, relaxed feeling you get when surrounded by great people.

It comes as no surprise that Chef Mike Moffatt will be the executive chef. He remains at the helm of the kitchen at Beckta, where he has been for nine years, as well as at Play Food & Wine, where he has been running the kitchen since its inception in 2008. We snatched a few minutes by phone with Chef Moffatt between lunch and dinner service to chat about the new challenges ahead.

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  |  May 24, 2012 at 9:40 am

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