Last month, Toronto hosted the 7th annual Terroir hospitality and food industry symposium. This year’s theme was stories, memories, and culture that surround food. Invited speakers included renowned chefs Rene Redzepi of Denmark’s celebrated Noma and Mangus Nilsson of Sweden’s Faviken. Redzepi’s restaurant has claimed the top spot for the past three years on San Pellegrino’s list of the World’s 50 best Restaurants. He often refers to Nilsson as his “successor.” Needless to say, both Noma and Faviken have taken the culinary world by storm, reinforcing the pillars of what is fashionable in modern food:... | Continue reading article

When was the last time you gave lunch a second thought? Seriously, the midday meal most of us take for granted, hastily packing whatever isn’t nailed down in the fridge or scrounging up a couple bills and change to spend at the office cafeteria. No, Saturday or Sunday brunch with three egg omelets, bacon, sausage, and biscuits doesn’t count. But, our reverence for weekend brunch underscores how much we neglect weekday lunch. Usually, navigating the guidelines issued by schools about what not to pack in the kids’ lunch boxes is the upper limit of our... | Continue reading article

By comparison Ottawa’s local economy is less turbulent than that of many European cities. Countries like Cyprus and Greece risk defaulting on their respective national debt. Still, the Government of Canada, the national capital region’s primary employer, is two-years into implementing austerity measures. It has rationalized both the services it offers and how those services are delivered. Continued employment uncertainty and budget cuts have resulted in an almost permanent lull in dining out. Put simply, already conservative diners are now skittish. Yet, in this challenging environment, no fewer than forty-eight restaurants have signed on to... | Continue reading article

Index: Atelier, Odile During the Easter weekend, we submitted our regional “ballot” to Vacay.ca for its second annual Top 50 Restaurants in Canada List. Needless to say, our suggestions for great food, ignoring service and decor, were somewhat specific to the National Capital Region, Ottawa and Gatineau. We considered the entire gambit of options from fast food to higher end fine dining, even food trucks. Coming to a consensus on the list, scoring the restaurants, and justifying our top 5 choices proved more difficult that we expected. When Vacay.ca asked us to be be part... | Continue reading article

Members of the “MTV”-generation, having come of age during television’s heyday, were bombarded with commercials. The thirty-second “spots” showcased the familiar Golden Arches and, of course, Coca-Cola. Winner of the “cola wars,” it is a tall glass of “Coke,” brimming with ice, that many of us associate with “thirst quenching.” Sports stars drank coke. Celebrities, from singers to actors, drank coke. Coke and Coca-Cola products were popular “placements” on sitcoms, even Hollywood blockbusters on the silver screen. Paul Meek, owner of Ottawa’s Kichesippi Beer Company (866 Campbell Avenue), wants to share a different memory. It... | Continue reading article

February 14th passed fourteen days ago, but a number of you are still likely suffering inflammation related to cases of “forgotten valentine-itus.” Symptoms can manifest themselves in a number of ways: angry emotional outbursts, dry mouth, numb tongue, and minor skin irritation. Temporary allergies to roses (especially long-stem varietals) and sensitivity to the colours pink and red are not uncommon. Sufferers are asked not to self-medicate. Normally, the inflammation passes when warmer spring weather arrives. However, psychological effects may be longer lasting, randomly expressing themselves should a birthday or anniversary approach. At no time should... | Continue reading article

Index: Stone Soup Food Works, Relish Food Truck, Bite This, Trailer Pork Boys, The Flat Bread Pizza Company This past Friday, the City of Ottawa released the list of successful candidates from its “New Street Food Vending Program.” Of the sixty-one applicants, eighteen were given the green light to move ahead with novel food trucks and carts this coming May. The licenses issued entitle the selected food truck and cart operators to fixed physical presence on public streets. Previously, streets were restricted to vendors of hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages (sometimes pogos), and fries (including poutine).... | Continue reading article

Remember that Chumbawumba song from the 90s? The one with the chorus, “I get knocked down. But, I get up again. You’re never going to keep me down…?” While the song is dated, its meaning isn’t lost when considering Ottawa’s growing food scene. Despite setbacks and challenges to stay solvent, independently-owned and -operated eateries persist, everything from mom and pop shops to finer dining restaurants. New ones open. We find local chef/entrepreneurs and restaurateurs share several qualities: a great sense of humour; good organizational skills; and tenacity. There are myriad reasons not to enter the... | Continue reading article