restaurants

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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The Best Pancakes in Ottawa - the Twitter-poll edition

Written

saxby

on Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Photo courtesy of stevensnodgrass on Flickr

I love pancakes. Their light and fluffy texture topped with a drizzle of intensely sweet maple syrup makes them a perfect dish for a relaxing weekend brunch. Imagine my surprise to learn that I get to eat them for dinner tonight! It’s pancake Tuesday… which I know has l ots of significance and meaning for many as a religious marker leading into lent. For me… it’s more about an excuse to have breakfast for dinner.

To help those of you looking to satisfy your pancake craving this evening - I asked our twitter community for some recommendations.

Click to continue reading “The Best Pancakes in Ottawa - the Twitter-poll edition”

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Amanda Lunan (aka Aunty Loo) dishes out creative treats

Written

apartment613

on Thursday, February 4, 2010

Photo Courtesy of Alyssa Iswolsky

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.

Disclosure: Aunty Loo’s Bakery will be participating in a fundraiser for Apartment613 this Valentine’s Day.

No eggs, no milk, no butter or cream: Amanda Lunan of Aunty Loo’s Bakery creates wonderfully crafted baked goods for a small yet discerning niche of individuals with dietary restrictions or ethical concerns. Though this is not an easy task, especially considering the competitive nature of small businesses, Mandi proves with that with much passion, love and good ole’ fashion cookery, you can tackle any challenge.

Greeting every customer with warm grace and a bright smile, just as her grandmother would, she’ll customize a treat to be dairy, gluten or egg free to meet any and all of your dietary needs. I think it goes without saying that Mandi is passionate about her craft, but if there was any doubt, her refreshingly charismatic air and passion for baking shines through in Aunty Loo’s tasty cinnamon buns and scones.

I sat down with Mandi to talk about food, her struggles and what really motivated her to start living her dream.

When did you first become interested in baking?

I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t. I’m fortunate enough to be from a very large, young family. When I was a kid, my mom stayed home with me and we baked all the time. Ditto for when I hung out with my Nana. A lot of the recipes I use at the bakery actually belong to them. (With the necessary vegan alterations, of course!) All of my Aunts and Great Grandmothers baked around me all the time too; it’s a huge part of my family.

What is your food philosophy?

Kick it old school. There’s a reason that recipe has been in your family for years. If you’re going to tamper with it, keep it as simple as possible.

Click to continue reading “Amanda Lunan (aka Aunty Loo) dishes out creative treats”

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Chef Wars for Charity: Juniper takes on Ottawa!

Written

Katie

on Monday, January 25, 2010

sirwiseowl on flickr

Ever since the Food Network imported Iron Chef from Japan, cooking is becoming more and more like a competitive sport. Just like their non-edible counterparts, culinary sports come in a wide variety of flavours. At the WWF end of the spectrum is the hot dog eating contests, in which ‘reversals’ does not mean a string unexpected of goals. Perhaps more to the taste of the tennis and golf set are events like Juniper Restaurant’s Dueling Chef’s Food and Wine Pairing Event

Like a heavyweight on steroids, Juniper is challenging every other restaurant in its class to duke (or more accurately dice) it out for the title of cooking champion of Ottawa. Every Monday until March 15, the restaurant will invite a competing kitchen to come by to prepare a three course tasting menu. Each team will present their menu, along with wine pairing, to the dinners, whose vote will then determine the winner.

While the $135 plus tax and tip price tag makes this tournament a bit more expensive than watching the Super Bowl at home, all the proceeds for the night go to charity. So far, the home team lost to Whalesbone (proceeds go to Ottawa Humane Society) on the 7th and won against Allium Restaurant (The Snowsuit Fund) on the 18. Tonight Juniper will be taking on The Courtyard Restaurant (Quickstart).

See below for a list of the remaining matches/charities.

Click to continue reading “Chef Wars for Charity: Juniper takes on Ottawa!”

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New Year Comedy Extravaganza at Shanghai

Written

Katie

on Tuesday, January 12, 2010

New Year Comedy Extravaganza! Get ready to laugh your rice sacks off! (Oriental Joke)

Friday, January 15, 2010 at 8:00pm - 1:00am (KARAOKE to follow)

$3 at the door! Bring your friends and family! Show starts at 9, seating starts at 8.

Incidentally we’ve been voted as the number one place to get a laugh in Ottawa. Coincidentally, Shanghai also serves classy Asian cuisine at ridiculously justifiable overpriced prices. In conjunction with the classy, scrumptious food, we’ve got a comedy night that’s pretty damn funny so far.

Throw two and two together and what we got? We get tons of people choking on wantons and rice chunks a plenty whilst listening to some cool comics strut their stuff.

Jesus! Sounds like there’s so many things to do! Is there anything else you should know?

Stay for Karaoke after the darn comedy show! We want the whole o’ Chinatown to know that we got talent in our quaint little city of Ottawa!

Also, here’s our star studded lineup with professional/amateur comedians.

Vei Chong, Joel West, Matt Gallant, Emily Oh, Trevor Thompson, Anto Chan, Special Guest - China Doll

For more information and directions, call Vei at (613) 265 0928 or the Shanghai at (613) 233-4001.
Five great places to have a good laugh… Click the link below for Ottawa Citizen article.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/Five great places have good laugh/2279611/story.html

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Taste in the Glebe

Written

Karen

on Saturday, January 9, 2010

Love all of the restaurants in the Glebe? Want to eat from all of them at once? Head over to Taste in the Glebe at the Glebe Community Centre (175 Third) on Thursday, Jan. 14, from 5:30 to 8pm. For $40, you can eat and drink to your heart’s delight.

Participating restaurants include Fratelli, Domus Cafe, Infusion Bistro and more. There are even some outside-of-the-Glebe restaurants sneaking in to participate, so this is one event you won’t want to miss!

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The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline and Dave

Written

apartment613

on Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Caroline Ishii and her sous chef pose for the camera at Zen Kitchen. Photo courtesy of John Wiseman on Flickr

It’s no secret that we are big fans of ZenKitchen here at Apartment 613. The little vegetarian restaurant on Somerset has become a welcome addition to Ottawa’s culinary scene. When we first wrote about ZenKitchen back in the summer we reported that the restaurant’s executive chef, Caroline Ishii, and co-owner/sommelier David Loan were followed by a camera crew as they tried to fulfill their dream of opening the place and making it a success.

That adventure has now been documented in the new show from Mountain Road Productions titled, The Restaurant Adventures of Caroline and Dave. The first of 13 episodes will premiere on the W Network, this Wednesday night at 9PM. (Click here for a sneak peak). The co-owners are planning a small party (media event/tasting/episode watching) that evening to kick the series off - invitation only, we’re afraid (more on that later).

According to the shows’ producers, Caroline and Dave did not have an easy voyage turning ZenKitchen into a reality.

Though Caroline is an excellent chef who prizes the freshest ingredients, she did not have much experience with the business side of running a restaurant. Dave too, a former political staffer, was a little wet behind the ears on business front.

Their inexperience was compounded by early financing problems, real estate issues, faulty equipment, absent contractors and “staff walking out the door.”

Somehow, they made it all work and came out with a great product. If you want to see exactly how they managed to make their restaurant one of the city’s best culinary additions this past year, you should tune in to the show. We will.

As a very special treat - ZenKitchen has invited two lucky Apartment613 readers to their party/ screening tomorrow night. If you want to get your vegan on and celebrate with the team at Zen, email us at editors@apt613.ca and we’ll enter your name in a draw for the chance to attend! Get typing… we draw names at 6:00pm!

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New Year’s in O-town

Written

Karen

on Monday, December 28, 2009

Photo courtesy dps on Flickr.

To be perfectly honest, the New Year’s of my early youth were always a disappointment. These parties were supposed to be awesome - it was New Year’s, for goodness sake! - but they never quite lived up to my high expectations.

Now, in my older youth, I’ve lowered my standards a bit and have been pleasantly surprised with how great New Year’s can be. While my favourite is ringing it in with friends over good food and even better wine, Ottawa’s pubs and restaurants will apparently be throwing some pretty good bashes. Zaphod’s (27 York) has their no-stress party, which is guaranteed to be great. And the Black Sheep Inn out in Wakefield will be pumping out the tunes for a great dance party.

For more live music, The Elmdale House Tavern (1084 Wellington) will feature Good 2 Go and the Kingmakers. MonkeyJunk will be playing down at Irene’s (885 Bank), and the Caroline Gibson Trio will provide a bit of jazz for your celebration at Cafe Paradiso (199 Bank).

If you’re feeling a bit classier, the NAC has a few events happening. And some of my favourite eateries, including Zen Kitchen (634 Somerset W) and Play (1 York), have incredible menus planned out - well worth the extra money that New Year’s prices always involve.

If you want to re-live a past New Year’s, head over to Barrymore’s (323 Bank) for their 80s, 90s and Top 40 dance party. Shanghai (651 Somerset W) will be having a karaoke party starting at 9pm, with a $5 cover.

Regardless of what you do, remember that drinking and driving are not the perfect pair - and the buses are free after 11pm, with service running past 3:30am!

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Movie Night at The Imperial

Written

Peter

on Friday, November 6, 2009

Forget dinner and a movie, with all that time in between the two activities wasted in the non-seductive atmosphere of OC Transpo. Now, together for the first time like Nuts & Gum, it’s dinner WITH a movie at Imperial Food & Beverages (329 Bank St.), an excellent new Ottawa gastro-pub that’s quickly making a name for itself.

Every Tuesday night, film lovers descend on the Imperial to take in selections of great cinema. The films follow no set theme other than the fact that they’re all interesting and engaging. With a broad mandate, anything goes, from nazi-zombie-exploitation films like Dead Snow to cerebral sci-fi flicks like Blade Runner. The local food and beer selections make the Imperial a great place for anyone looking for great food on a budget, and combining the delicious pub fare with great films is a match made in heaven.

Movies start @ 8 p.m., but the organizers request that you show up at 7:30 if you’re planning on eating. Admission is free, but the beer sadly isn’t.

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Ottawa Food and Wine Show

Written

Katie

on Thursday, November 5, 2009

200+ exhibitors featuring food and wine from Ottawa and around the world. Entry is $17 in advance and $22 at the door. 50¢ tasting tickets let you sample from over 1400 wines, spirits and beers, taste a vast diversity of foods – and find out more about your favorite from the people who make them. Included in the price of entry are cooking demonstrations and wine tasting classes. Learn more here. The show runs from November 6 to 8, 12 to 9 on Friday and Saturday and 12 to 5:30 on Sunday.

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