opinion

Aunt Olive’s: Laid back food with style

Written

on Monday, March 1, 2010

Photo Courtesy of Aunt Olive's Facebook Page

Post by Dominic Maggiolo, Ottawa food philosopher and blogger on vegetarian food and culture. Check out some of his other writings on his blog, Le Jeune Gourmand.

In a world dominated by multinationals such as Starbucks, McDonalds and company, the quaint, small, tucked away local business shakes in its little boots, afraid to shine and claim fame in its home town. Ottawa’s Aunt Olive’s promises to be different. Part café, part fashion store, Aunt Olive’s is uniquely pleasing business that allows patrons, regulars and aficionados of all kinds to shop for assorted and unique vintage treasures, all while enjoying to a scrumptious vegetarian meal.

I had heard of Aunt Olives through a friend who used to shop there while living in Ottawa, though I never took the time to go and discover this cute café. When I finally had a chance to explore her menu, I was pleasantly surprised: this hidden local joint is a must to visit.

My girlfriend and I made our way for lunch on a beautiful Saturday. We were immediately greeted with a smile and were told to sit anywhere we wanted and browse the menu. Amid the eclectic chairs and tables, we couldn’t help but feel totally relaxed, almost as if we were at home. The atmosphere was comfortable and stimulating.

On to the food… We ordered a childhood favourite of mine, the root beer float, all the while inspecting the menu. Served in a frosted mug, you’re greeted with this chalice of smooth root beer and topped with creamy vanilla ice cream. Ahh, to be 12 years old again! I could assure you, it did not survive our hungry rampage. Aunt Olives also serves up a daily soup, which is always vegan. On this exact day she featured “Tomato and dill”. The rich brick red soup was beautifully perfumed by the fresh smell of the dill.

Our main shortly arrived: Grilled vegetable panini with chèvre. This lip-smacking fabrication is a must-try for anyone who loves the smoky taste of grilled vegetables and soft goats milk cheese. Neil Young serenaded us and made this experience all the more pleasurable. Before we left, we munched on a ginger molasses cookie. What a perfect way to end a simple lunch on a beautiful day.

Before you go and spend 15$ on a crummy sandwich and coffee at Starbucks, take a short detour and make your way to Aunt Olives at Gilmore and Elgin for a laid back luncheon for only 8,50$. This includes your soup and sandwich, though I recommend trying their root beer float for added flare. It’s rare to discover a setting that dish up a good-sized bowl of (vegan) soup and sandwich for a fair price.

Aunt Olive’s is located at  209 Gilmour Street, Ottawa, ON K2P 0N9

(613) 565-0564

Hours of operation :
11am-5pm Sunday to Wednesday
11am-8pm Thursday Friday Saturday

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Dirty Laundry: Ottawa’s Newest Sex Column

Written

apartment613

on Friday, February 26, 2010

Photo Courtesy of Jessica Ruano

A professional sexual health educator with an alarming lack of tact, Nadine Thornhill is used to airing out other people’s unmentionables. Her new sex column, Dirty Laundry, will run the last Friday of each month on Apt613 starting this week. To ask your questions, or to say hello to Nadine, contact her at dirtylaundry613@gmail.com.

For the full smorgasboard of Nadine’s musings check out her blog, Adorkable Thespian.

_________________________

Dear Dirty Laundress,

I hate sexual identity labels. Only for myself; I don’t mind what other people call themselves. I find the words “straight” and “gay” limiting. And then “bisexual” seems to suggest “right-smack-dab in the middle of the Kinsey Scale”. Nowadays everyone is expected to define themselves according to sexual preference, so I feel obligated to find a term that suits me. Is there a word that captures that sense of “I just sleep with whomever I find attractive at any given time”? Or should I continue to resist labels altogether?

Absolutely No Odd Names

If you truly feel obligated to label your sexuality, you might prefer the term “pansexual” or “omnisexual”. Pan/omni sexuality is romantic and/or sexual attraction towards people regardless of their gender or biological sex. This is different from “bisexuality” because it does not assume a rigid male/female gender binary. You might also use the word “queer”. Once a homophobic insult, the word has been re-appropriated by the GLBTTQQ community as a positive term to describe any person or expression that doesn’t conform to hetero-normative standards.

But do you really need a label? Labels can be useful. At the grocery store, for instance. Without labels we wouldn’t know if we were buying corn or trout-in-a-can. When it comes to sexual expression, however, I’m of the belief that labels can be more limiting than illuminating. Perhaps designations around orientation wouldn’t be problematic if we simply allowed people to define their sexuality on their own terms. Unfortunately, humans have a tendency to get squicky with behaviour that falls outside the box. A straight-identified man gets down with a one guy one time and we’re all “ZOMG! Is he bisexual? Gay? Repressed?” Does it really matter? If you’re comfortable without a label, ANON…fuck it! Your sexuality has only to do with you and whomever you choose to press your bits against. You’re under no obligation to define it.

Dear Dirty Laundress,

Hello! I have a partner who was raised in a small town and has a stereotypically-small town outlook on a lot of things - including sex. We get along fabulously and for the most part have a great sex life, except for one thing: she expresses squeamishness and/or harsh judgment on a lot of kinks that I, personally, think of as pretty mild (some of which I’m into). How do we bridge this gap?

Small Town State of Mind

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SEX! Now that we got your attention…

Written

apartment613

on Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Photo courtesy of Jessica Ruano on Flickr.

Friday will be a special day for Apt613… the incomparable Nadine Thornhill is joining our team of writers and will contribute a monthly sex/relationship advice column - Dirty Laundry. All those questions you had about that third nipple or how to properly introduce your pie throwing fetish to your partner, Nadine’s there to answer them!

A professional sexual health educator with an alarming lack of tact, Nadine is used to speaking openly about the wonders of masturbation - even within earshot of your conservative relatives. When she’s not making you blush, she’ll be playing one of her many other roles, including mother, lover, actor, award-winning playwright, wannabe triathlete, poet and lifelong klutz. For the full smorgasboard of Nadine’s musings check out her blog, Adorkable Thespian.

Dirty Laundry will run the last Friday of each month starting this week. To ask your questions, or to say hello to Nadine, contact her at dirtylaundry613@gmail.com.

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Interview with the Souljazz Orchestra! Funkifying the NCR since 2002

Written

apartment613

on Tuesday, February 23, 2010

When I think epic Ottawa dance party, two names come to mind: Timekode and the Souljazz Orchestra. So you can imagine the fervor with which I’m dusting off my dancing shoes for this Friday, February 26 when both these funktacular forces hit the stage at Babylon. Souljazz has been an Ottawa staple since 2002, but their eclectic mix of soul, funk and afro-beats are gaining global recognition. The group is introducing their new album, Rising Sun, which promises to be as compelling as their past work. Francois and I (Katie) caught up with Pierre Chrétien, the group’s keyboardist, via the world wide web for a quick interview.

APT613: Rising Sun will be your first album with Strut Records, I believe. You must be pretty excited! Seems like a record company that brings in a lot of old reissues and old school artists. How did that relationship with Strut happen, and how do you see if affecting your careers?

SjO: Strut’s founder, Quinton Scott, first approached us in 2008 to do a remix for reggae veteran Horace Andy and producer Ashley Beedle. We chose to do the song “Watch We”, which we basically re-wrote, then re-recorded live as if it was one of our own, backing up Horace’s original vocals. I guess Strut was sufficiently impressed with the result that when we came out with a new album, they were interested. Needless to say, we’re very excited to have “Rising Sun” come out on the label: they have a great presence worldwide, and a phenomenal roster of artists as well.

APT613: Rising Sun will be your first acoustic album. Did this change anything in terms of the writing process? What’s different about the sound of this album compared to your past work.

SjO: Well, we’ve been thinking about doing this for a while now… It’s funny, the limitations that we set for ourselves pushed us into directions that we wouldn’t have otherwise taken. The subtlety required to play acoustically led us to try more jazz-oriented, meditative pieces along with the more heavy, dancefloor-conscious tunes. And rather than looking at different types of electric pianos, electric organs or electric guitars for colour, we looked at different orchestral instruments. We ended up with about thirty different instruments on the album: trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, flute, alto flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, piano, vibraphone, marimba, harp, accordion, double bass, drums, congas, bongos, cuica, shekere, gankogui, claves, guiro, tambourine, bells, flexatone, basket rattle, goat-hoof rattle, bamboo chime, glass bottles, and vocals.

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As we liked it - Review of Third Wall’s As You Like it

Written

Karen

on Monday, February 8, 2010

Photo courtesy the Third Wall Theatre Company website.

Shakespeare is always good for a laugh. But to be able to pull off Shakespeare’s cutting wit - and do it well - can be a bit of a challenge. Just ask Greg and Peter from my English 12 class - their rendition of the banter between Dromio and Antipholus of Syracuse was more error than comedy.

Thankfully, those at Third Wall Theatre Company have graduated far beyond any painful high school performances. In fact, their current performance, As You Like It, is a modern interpretation that pulls off the Bard’s humour rather well.

The minimal set and few props creates a scene that doesn’t distract from the rest of the play. They’ve chosen to feature a boxing ring as the focal point of the set, starting off As You Like It’s infamous fight scene in a bit more of a modern context. This boxing match has it all - scantily clad women, loud music, flashing lights and yes, a real-honest-to-goodness wrestler. For his acting debut, former CFL player and Gretzky bodyguard Glenn Kulka pulls it off rather well, no doubt using the same theatrical skills he picked up while with the WWF.

The play fades a little after the over-the-top fight scene, but keeps its energy going and the audience stayed engaged.

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Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa now available for download

Written

saxby

on Monday, February 1, 2010

Courtesy of RickCarroll from the Apartment613 Flickr Pool

Courtesy of RickCarroll on Flickr.

Good afternoon transit fans! We love talking about public transit. We actually launched Apartment613 in the midst of the transit strike last year - so complaining about public transit is really part of our blogging DNA. If you’re interested in a more smarty pants an actually intelligent discussion on the transit issues facing Ottawa you can now download the Journal of Public Transit in Ottawa online here.

The Journal of Public Transit is a community reviewed publication offering independent analysis from interested writers, researchers and members of the informed public.

You can find articles on the past and the future of light rail transit, the role of bicycles in our transit system and how Ottawa and Gatineau should work together on transit issues. Check it out.

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Aga Khan’s Bridges That Unite - Exploring Canada’s Global Leadership

Written

Francois

on Sunday, January 24, 2010

Bridges that Unite, an interactive exhibition showcasing Canada’s ability to bridge the developed and the developing worlds, is set to open in Ottawa next week as part of a cross-Canada tour.

Presented from January 28th to February 28th at the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the exhibit invites visitors to consider Canada’s role in the world through the lens of a remarkable 25-year partnership with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in some of the world’s most isolated and impoverished regions. Thought-provoking stories, spanning several continents, are told through powerful images, evocative soundscapes and multimedia components.

Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network, is presenting the bilingual exhibition, which provides an opportunity to share the experience of the past quarter-century and chart a way forward for Canada and the world, explained Khalil Z. Shariff, Chief Executive Officer of AKFC.

“The exhibition draws on our rich experience in the developing world to spark conversations about what Canada and Canadians can do to ensure a more peaceful, prosperous and pluralist world. We are delighted to continue this important dialogue in Ottawa and we look forward to teaming up with the Canada Science and Technology Museum and other key partners to present Bridges that Unite.”

The exhibition provides an ideal platform for in-depth exchanges on some of the most pressing questions of the 21st century and plays host to a range of on-site events including free film screenings, cultural events, and school programs. Guides are on hand to engage with visitors and animate special activities.

“While at the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the Bridges that Unite exhibition will highlight many of Canada’s contributions on the world stage. As one of Canada’s national cultural institutions, we are also pleased to provide a platform to generate dialogue and engagement for visitors of all ages with this revealing window on the human condition. Both Bridges that Unite and our concurrent exhibition, Hungry Planet will provide a unique opportunity to reflect on some of the great issues that challenge our planet,” said Denise Amyot, President and CEO of the Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation.

Bridges that Unite is presented Tuesday through Sunday, free of charge, at the Canada Science and Technology Museum, located at 1867 St. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa. The Museum will also be open on Monday, February 15, 2010, for Family Day.

For more information including details on the weekly calendar of events, visit www.bridgesthatunite.ca or contact Aga Khan Foundation Canada at info@bridgesthatunite.ca or 1-800-267-2532 ext. 8.

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Anti-Prorogation Protest

Written

Katie

on Sunday, January 24, 2010

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

While Apartment613 normally focus on city issues, from time to time the fact that Ottawa is the national capital just can’t be ignored. This weekend, as many as 3,500 people gathered on Parliament Hill to protest the closing down of parliament until March. The Ottawans were joined by at least 7,000 people in Toronto and 500 in Halifax, as well as a number of other groups around the country. The protests were organized by the people behind the Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament facebook group, which now boasts 214,000 members.

If you’re curious about the day’s events, check out these great shots of the day by photographer extraordinaire, Meaghan Walton. Let us know what you think… should our MPs get back to work, or does the government legitimately need some down time for sober reflection?

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Friends of the Hartman’s Piano Go from Facebook to the Streets

Written

Katie

on Monday, January 18, 2010

Hartman’s Piano PLayer

Dannoand CAT | MySpace Video

It’s often the little things that matter most to people. Case in point: the ongoing kurfluffle about the Hartman’s piano, or more specifically the lack thereof. Being about to shop for groceries to the sounds of Ragtime or the Moonlight Sonata may not be the most pressing municipal issue we face in Ottawa in terms of dollars, environmental impact or any of the usual measures of importance; nevertheless, it is mobilizing a significant amount of interest. If you want my two cents, it’s because the piano was a symbol of something we all want our city to be more like: a place where little touches of art and community are found in unexpected places.

Tomorrow, January 19th, the Centretown Citizens Community Association (CCCA) will be holding a meeting dedicated to this issue, and will most likely pass a motion supporting the return of the Hartman’s piano and community space. Councillor Diane Holmes is expected to be in attendance. The meeting will take place from 7-8pm, in the Honeywell Room at City Hall, and everyone with an interest in the now-infamous piano is encouraged to come and share your opinions.

At the meeting, the CCCA will also publicly invite Larry Hartman to discuss the return of the piano with the public on Sunday, January 24th. Not being able to resist the irony, organizers hope to book the Hartman’s community kitchen as the venue for that meeting.

Local bloggers are weighing in, mostly on the side of the piano. Check out these posts by Knitnut, Spacing Ottawa and the Ottawa Project. If you like your news from more traditional sources, check out these two articles (1 and 2) from the Citizen.

It’s times like these that we wish we had a survey widget (anyone know of one for wordpress?). In the meantime, we’ll have to poll you all the old fashioned way. Do you think it’s all a tempest in a teapot, or a rallying cry for a more caring community? Let us know either by commenting on this blog post or by email to editors@apt613.ca.

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The Conference Board thinks Ottawa’s pretty sexy

Written

Katie

on Friday, January 15, 2010

Courtesy of ViaMoi on Flickr

Few cities can resist the urge to engage in a little my-skyscrapers-are-bigger-than-yours style one-upmanship. Of course, it helps to have a little documentation on your side. Thanks to the latest Conference Board report, City Magnets II: Benchmarking the Attractiveness of 50 Canadian Cities, Ottawa can now claim to be better looking than both Toronto and Montreal, at least when it comes to attracting migrants.

The conference board analysed the attractiveness of 50 Canadian cities seven categories: Society, Health, Economy, Environment, Education, Innovation, and Housing. All together, 41 different indicators – such as the proportion of the population employed in cultural occupations or teachers per student population – were used.

Ottawa joined the likes of Vancouver, Calgary, Waterloo, St. John’s and Richmond Hill on the ‘A’ list on the strength of our excellent scores in education and innovation, as well as decent scores in every other category apart from health. Despite getting low marks overall, Montreal and Toronto nabbed the only two As given out in the arty ‘society’ category.

In other words, while Ottawa is the keener who works hard at school and nabs a good if unglamorous government job, T-dot and Mo-town are the cool art students who start a popular band that never makes much money.

Click to continue reading “The Conference Board thinks Ottawa’s pretty sexy”

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