drinks

The second annual Big Sexy O-Town Survey: Sex in the Capital City

Written

on Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Photo courtesy of TaniaSaiz on Flickr.

Trudeau once famously quipped that “there’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation”. Of course, he never said anything about bloggers. Once again Apartment613 and Venus Envy are sticking our noses in where they don’t belong. The second annual Big Sexy O-Town Survey will get the intimate details of what really goes on in Ottawa’s bedrooms, bars and bordellos. Our goal: ~~to satisfy our own voyeuristic streak~~ to provide a safe and serious place to discuss sexual issues of great import, such as what’s your favourite Ottawa burlesque troupe and whether you’ve ever made out on Parliament Hill.

Last year, over 700 people completed the survey (you can see the results here and here). This year’s survey, authored once again by our Dirty Laundry columnist, the incomparable Nadine Thornhill, will focus on the sexy places of the NCC: the bars, parties, restaurants and landmarks that put that little extra swing in your step. The survey’s 22 questions cover four key areas: Pleasurable Places (where you go to get jiggy in the city), Getting to Know You (places to meet up or make out); Sexy Shopping (where to you go for that special butt plug) and Provoking Personalities (crush-worthy city councillors and more).

The survey will remain open until Tuesday, January 31 and the results will be released on Apartment613 on February 14 (aka Valentine’s Day). No one will know who you are (not even us!), so be as honest as you like.

Fill out the entire survey for a chance to win an excellent prize courtesy of Venus Envy – a top notch Lelo sex toy worth over $100.

Disclaimer: Apartment613’s Big Sexy O-Town survey is intended for kicks and giggles. No fancy statistical techniques were harmed in the creation of this survey.

(Click here to take the survey if you have trouble with the embedded version).

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.

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Things to do for New Year’s Eve in Ottawa

Written

saxby

on Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Photo Courtesy of renwest from the Apartment613 Flickr Group

I love New Year’s Eve. I always treat it like a second Christmas — one without the messy traditions and other baggage that goes along with the regular Christmas. It’s a night where parties are the norm, everyone goes out, and people are willing to go a bit overboard to splurge on a great night out.

I’ve always been partial to house parties for the new year. They give you a chance to eat at midnight and get some use out of those champagne flutes that are boxed up in your storage locker. It’s a great night for take-out and some of the city’s best catering spots will be designing special menus. The Red Apron is closed for the season, but Thyme and Again has a special menu you can order for a little under 50 bucks a person. If you’ve had a bit a “liquid holiday” so far, not to worry, the Beau’s delivery service is available in time for your New Year’s Eve party.

There are a few big parties happening at some special venues around town. The NAC is hosting the Blue Man Group for a New Year’s party. You can combine the show with dinner at Le Cafe to make a full evening out of it. If you haven’t been to the new Conference Centre yet, it will likely make a glamorous venue for Dancing in the Stars, an evening of gourmet dinner and dancing for $159.

The Sala San Marco in Little Italy is hosting a gala evening that includes a meal of Italian favourites and a 40 foot long midnight buffet. There are no tickets available at the door and the event has been sold out for the past two years.

The Casino will be trying to recreate the feeling of the famed Esquire Show Bar in Montreal, with their New Year’s Eve event. The show starts at 10:30pm and you can add dinner to your ticket for a total of $211.22 (it includes parking, coat check and taxes).

If all of this sounds a bit “high-brow” for your tastes, you might just be looking for an awesome party in the Market. Head to Zaphod’s where tickets are $10 and you won’t need a black tie. Also, a special edition of Timekode, Ottawa favourite dance party, will be hitting the Eri Cafe for the big night… get your tickets ahead of time. Of course, all the big clubs and bars will be throwing a party or two, so check out Babylon, Ritual, the Mascarade Ball at the Mercury Lounge, Barrymores and the Elmdale just to name a few. Basically, all you need to do is throw a stone and the first bar that you hit will likely have something going on.

For Queers and their allies, a special edition of G.R.I.N.D.D.O.W.N with dj yalla!yalla! will be taking place at Fall Down Gallery.

I have no idea what to expect from “Rick Chiarelli’s Alcohol-free Family New Year’s Eve at Ben Franklin Place” but it seemed worth mentioning if that’s your style.

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Raw Sugar blows out its third candle

Written

Katie

on Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Photo by Ben Welland, courtesy of Raw Sugar

Post by Lauryn Kronick
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Raw Sugar has become a staple for many Ottawans, whether it’s simply picking up a cup of joe, throwing back a pint, discovering a new band, checking out local artists’ work or dancing until the wee hours. The café has certainly filled the void for a much-needed space where art and culture can convene in one environment.
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And now, three years down the road, Raw is finally diving in to the social media pool with the recent creation of its Tumblr and joining the Twitterverse (follow @rawsugarcafe). Accessibility is key, explains Raw Sugar’s owner Nadia Kharyati. This includes keeping the window chalkboard alive with upcoming event listings as Kharyati remarks that it’s the focus on community which keeps Raw alive and kicking.
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“People tell me that they can’t imagine the city without us – it does impact daily life with it being a place they want to be,” she says. “The community has really taken to it. It’s not just the music; it fills a need for a space that has interesting things going on.”
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Despite the current foray into social media, the beautiful aspect of Raw Sugar being a coffee shop without dozens of laptops greeting you when first walk in is here to stay. “We don’t have wireless – and we’re going to stay that way,” maintains Kharyati. What will come as further exciting news, to be officially announced in the coming weeks, is Raw Sugar’s extended evening hours and the possibility of integrating a weekend brunch.
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Plans for the café’s third birthday will be consistent with past epic anniversary parties – prizes, free cake, live music and of course, “it always ends up in a dance party,” Kharyati laughs. For her, each birthday feels like a milestone – it’s more than just marking the end of another year, it’s throwing a big bash to show appreciation for customers old and new. “There’s something magical about this night; it’s the energy from the different communities here. It’s a big giant Ottawa love-in.”
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Raw Sugar’s 3rd Anniversary Party and Blog Launch is Friday, November 11 featuring performances by Andrew Vincent and Rouge and beats by DJ Male Nurse. Location: 692 Somerset St. W, doors at 9:00pm, entry is $5. Check out their blog at http://rawsugarcafe.tumblr.com.

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The Ottawa Wine & Food Festival

Written

Katie

on Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The Ottawa Wine & Food Festival will raise a glass to 5 taste-filled days with over 40+ events in the Nation’s Capital, which runs November 9-13, 2011 at the Ottawa Convention Centre. The Festival celebration will take the wine and food experience that Ottawa has come to love over the past 25 years to a whole new level! “We are excited to be hosting the Capital’s most celebrated wine and food event at the new Convention Centre,” says Joan Culliton producer of the festival. “It allows us to expand our programming to include a cornucopia of special events for both the food and wine lover alike on all four floors of the centre”. The festival will feature international renowned names in the wine world as well as celebrity chefs, cooking demonstrations and educational tutored tastings to enjoy.

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Opening Night, Wednesday, November 9th will feature the Ottawa Wine Challenge & Holiday Entertaining with Food Network’s Chef Lynn Crawford. The evening will start with blind tasting of gold medal winning wines from the Ottawa Wine & Food Festival co-chaired by Rod Phillips and Janet Dorozynski. Votes will then be cast for Ottawa’s favourite red and white wine! Join Food Network’s Chef Lynn Crawford, host of Restaurant Makeover and Pitchin’ In as she prepares a delicious four course holiday themed tasting plates paired with wines from Inniskillin.

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If beer is your beverage, our special event Beer from Here will take place on Thursday, November 10th at St Brigid’s Centre for the Arts. Ottawa’s local microbreweries will be serving up the best craft beers for you to taste, joined by Food Network’s Anthony Sedlak, The Main. Come and meet the local craft brew masters who make beer around here, sample their finest, and enjoy artisanal munchies created by Chef Anthony. The cornerstone of the festival is the immensely popular Ottawa Wine & Food Show. “The show has also grown this year” says Culliton, “with 200 booths featuring over 1500 wines, beers, spirits and gastronomic delights, it will even be open an hour longer”.

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The Ottawa Wine & Food Show takes place at the Ottawa Convention Centre, November 11-13, 2011. The show annually attracts 25,000 attendee. All new for this year’s festival is the Culinary Theatre, it is located on the tasting floor at the Ottawa Wine & Food Show. Hosted by the Chef’s from the Canadian Chef’s Culinary Federation, their team will prepare a 4-course food and wine pairing that was created for the famed James Beard House in New York City.

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Put on your boots and coats and hop aboard the bus for an all new event that takes the food experience further afield! Foodies in the Field, Saturday, November 12th will travel and tour three local farms, Upper Canada Cranberries, Clarmell on the Rideau- a goat cheese farm and O’Briens beef farm. The final stop at O’Briens there will be a delicious 3-course locavore lunch served in their driving shed, paired with award-winning wines from Huff Estates.

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Join culinary adventurer Bob Blumer, for an extraordinary evening filled with fun, surprises and a fabulous 4-course menu served with wines from Argentina! Bob will transform ordinary ingredients into wow inspiring dishes. His innovative menu includes an ahi sno-cone appetizer followed by crackerjack soup and lamb cupcakes as the main course finishing off with the existential eggs which is a white chocolate mousse with passionfruit. Creator and host of two award winning Food Network shows, Glutton for Punishment and Surreal Gourmet. Bob Blumer’s Surreal Culinary Adventure will take place at the Ottawa Convention Centre on Saturday, November 12th.

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On Sunday, November 13th join award winning wine author Natalie MacLean for a wine and food pairing Vintner’s Brunch. Natalie will share her wine stories and take you though her latest book, Unquenchable, A tipsy search for the world’s best wines. Tour and taste your way thought 8-international wine and food pairing stations and walk away with an autographed copy of Natalie’s book! For more information about the Ottawa Wine & Food Festival visit us at www.ottawawineandfoodfestival.com

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Globetrotting with Happy Goat Coffee

Written

apartment613

on Friday, August 12, 2011

Photos courtesy Yasmin Nissim

By Yasmin Nissim and Chris Cline

Are you looking for one last trip before summer runs out? How about taking your taste buds on a global, flavour adventure? Whether you’d like to savour a bit of the Dominican, explore what Peru has to offer, or get exotic with a little something from Burundi, Happy Goat Coffee has your one-way ticket to flavour paradise. This modest, out of the way coffee haven is, hands down, one of the best places in the city to grab a cuppa joe. Don’t let the unassuming exterior dissuade you, this one-time garage is now an exciting hub for even the most stringent of coffee connoisseurs.

When we arrived on a warm day earlier this summer, we were greeted by wide-open garage doors, out of which the heady aroma of fine coffee slowly drifted. Inside were books, comfy chairs, guitars, drums of all kinds, a happy little dog and a bustle of people who had arrived to purchase fairly-traded artisan coffees. Sitting at the heart of this collection of comfort was a grandiose, red coffee roaster. It’s a new addition to the neighbourhood business, one that has replaced an old, homemade roaster that served Happy Goat well until higher demand resulted in a much-needed upgrade.

Click to continue reading “Globetrotting with Happy Goat Coffee”

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Ontario Craft Beer Week

Written

Katie

on Sunday, June 19, 2011

A week long celebration of beer from the members of Ontario Craft Brewers.
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See all the great events happending in Ottawa here.
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Mission: To promote Ontario Craft Brewers with a week long celebration of great beer. Kicks off fathers day every year.
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Products: Ontario Craft Beer
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Dear Interweb: Where should I go to catch Game 7?

Written

trevor

on Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Photo courtesy iwona_kellie on Flickr

The interweb is a series of magical strings invented by Al Gore in the 1990s. Through our ‘Dear Interweb’ column, Apt613 will use its awesome powers to poll its readers on questions of import. If you have a query to make to the interwebs, screw Google – ask Apt613 readers by emailing apartment613 [at] gmail [dot] com or tweeting @apartment613.

We got this tweet from hockey fan @nskbelanger earlier today:

@apartment613 what’s the word on good places to watch game 7 in otown?

As a Canucks supporter still reeling from yesterday’s debacle, I know where I’ll be watching Game 7: from behind my own tightly-clenched fists, which will be pressed worryingly to my forehead every time the puck comes within 10 metres of Roberto Luongo, assuming he gets the start in the first place. But perhaps that wasn’t the answer you were looking for, @nskbelanger? Fear not: we’ve got a few other suggestions – complete with our patented bro rating scale, the Bromidex – after the jump.

Click to continue reading “Dear Interweb: Where should I go to catch Game 7?”

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Where can you taste the new Kichesippi 1855?

Written

saxby

on Friday, May 20, 2011

Photo courtesy Apt613

In the midst of an election campaign a few weeks ago, some local Ottawa politicians, community leaders, media and beer lovers converged on the new Kichesippi brewery off Carling Avenue to celebrate the launch of the brewery’s second beer – 1855. The name is a reference to the date Ottawa was founded, reinforcing the deep commitment the team at Kichesippi has to the region.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been asking my usual places for the 1855 and had yet to find one with it on tap. Being the community-service orientated gumshoe reporter that I am I went right to the source on this and asked Kichessippi owner Paul Meek were we could get the dark brew.

Below is the official list of vendors for 1855. Have a taste and let us know what you think. It’s great to see the local beer culture developing in Ottawa and congrats to these vendors for making space for an Ottawa-only beer in their line-up of taps!

Click to continue reading “Where can you taste the new Kichesippi 1855?”

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Aloha Room back in business!

Written

Francois

on Sunday, April 17, 2011

Photo courtesy of mobob on Flickr.

Another sign Ottawa’s night life is picking up? The folks behind Barrymore’s have decided to re-open the legendary Aloha Room. In a recent Facebook message, Barrymore’s Manager George Syriannis writes:

On Wednesday April 20th – ALOHA ROOM is re-opening its doors 7 days and nights a week. To some of you this little room meant alot. When it closed its doors it made you really depressed .Well its BACK n BETTER than ever. We haven’t changed much…. (dusted it up a bit and cleaned the washrooms).

Open every days at 2pm noon. A team of 7 different people will be oparating it 7 days/nights a week.
We added a few HD TVs. A slushy machine so you can enjoy some tropical drinks (it is the ALOHA ROOM after all). We have added a little special lunch n post dinner snack menu that included some delicious press sandwiches. Some fancy DJs will be playing every night, we will also have Special LIVE music, Some Boardgames, Draft beer, A JUKEBOX for you to pick your own tunes, PLUS MUCH MORE.

So this is good news in principle for all the folks that have lamented the absence of the Aloha Room. Let’s all go and try it out and see what the new Aloha Room is like. Aloha Room is inside Barrymore’s Music Hall at 323 Bank St.

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Wine fair brings a taste of California to the capital

Written

apartment613

on Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Photo courtesy Stuart Barr on Flickr.

Post by Andrew B., Apt613′s resident wine expert

April 6th marks one of my favourite days on the Ottawa wine scene calendar: it’s the day of the annual California Wine Fair, hosted at the Westin Hotel on Colonel By Drive. The event provides a unique opportunity to taste over 300 wines from all regions of California under one roof – and for one price. Your $70 ticket gets you in the door, and allows you to sip to your heart’s content from 7-9:30 pm – all without having to wait in line for drink tickets.

As a wine writer, I use this event to gauge vintages, chat with the industry folk and explore new trends in winemaking. For most attendees, however, the reason for showing up is far simpler, and quite frankly much more exciting: the fair gives you the opportunity to taste a bunch of wines and determine what you like. It’s much better than playing an expensive game of Russian roulette by going from bottle to bottle at your local shop. If you go to the tasting and take some decent notes, you can make more informed choices next time you buy. Additionally, a lot of the winemakers are there in person to pour their wines, and it’s a treat to be able to chat with the people who produce your preferred juice.

Think the price tag is too hefty? I beg to differ.

Click to continue reading “Wine fair brings a taste of California to the capital”

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