wine

Ask the Interweb! Best place for lunch in Little Italy

Written

on Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Photo courtesy of LexnGer 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.

A question came into the Apartment613 email inbox last night:

Hello there…I am fond of your blog and am wondering if you can help me out by suggesting a place to eat lunch in Little Italy for their upcoming La Vendiemma, Sept 24th. Somewhere with a variety of Italian sandwiches, salads, not too pricey preferably with an outdoor patio if you know of one…Something old school with lots of charm? Know any joints like this? I am hosting an event at the Italian Festival and am not finding much info on the Preston St. BIA or online..not everyone has great websites, photos, etc.

This question actually touches upon a matter of deep personal shame for me, since I’ve been planning a Best Italian Sandwich post for about 18 months now. Procrastination and her handmaids – televisions and shiny objects – kept getting in my way. Now, through the power of the interweb, I finally have a chance to put some of that research to good use.

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Restaurant watch: Peeking inside the Alpha Soul Cafe, plus more Hintonburg resto developments

Written

trevor

on Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Photo courtesy tcp909 on Flickr

I admit, I’ve been a bit remiss in not writing about Alpha Soul Cafe sooner. Yes, the trendy cafe-slash-wine bar opened two weeks ago, but that’s not the source of my shame. No, it goes back months, ever since the owners erected that mysterious, impossible-to-miss wooden purple facade on Wellington Street West between Fairmont and Irving. Sure, there was a blog that sporadically kept us Hintonburgers in the know – but that couldn’t be all, could it? What was really going on back there? I had my suspicions (mainly plans for world domination – as befits any establishment with “alpha” in its name – but also possibly top secret recipes for a croissant so light it defied gravity) yet kept them to myself.

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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.

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For crying out loud! Duelling Chefs are heating things up…

Written

apartment613

on Saturday, February 26, 2011

All photos courtesy of Yaz and Chris

By Yasmin Nissim and Chris Cline

“Hear ye! Hear ye!” The Duelling Chefs are here and ready to do battle for the favour of your taste buds!

This past Monday, the town crier’s call heralded the opening round of the Duelling Chef’s competition for 2011, the first of 10 competitions taking place between February and June hosted by Juniper Kitchen and Wine Bar. To learn more about the technical aspects of the Duelling Chefs competition, check out our preview article here.

The crier’s first order of business was to introduce the event’s first contender, team Wellington Gastropub. Next, was the truly important detail: the secret ingredient specially selected for the evening’s duel, which had to be incorporated into at least two of the four courses for full points. The audience was clearly intrigued when coconut milk was announced as the night’s chosen ingredient. The crier also advised the eager listeners of the two meats selected for the main courses, Dungeness Crab and Canadian Lamb.

We had the opportunity that evening to speak to the man behind the secret ingredient choice, Johnny Leung, Chef for the British High Commission. When asked why he chose this particular ingredient, Leung responded first by saying he needed something that would pose a significant challenge for the chefs since anything less would be a “walk in the park” for them. The ingredient needed to be able to tie the two meat selections together, while also holding the potential to be incorporated into dessert. Leung added that the evening’s meat selections played strongly into his choice of coconut milk, as it is complimentary to a delicate flavour like crab, but can also work with the heavier taste of lamb if done properly.

Small cards had been placed by each plate on which we had to circle our preferences for every course. Along with three official judges, the audience would be the fourth judge for this duel. Labelled only as kitchen A and B, we had no way of knowing who had made what until the end of the evening.

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Decanting some holiday spirit: Wine for the season

Written

apartment613

on Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Photo courtesy cbcastro on Flickr.

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

Vic Harradine is one of the most recognizable names on the Canadian wine scene. Accredited sommelier, author, judge, and instructor on all things wine, Vic’s résumé speaks for itself. He is best known for his website, www.winecurrent.com, which offers a free bi-weekly newsletter featuring reviews of the new Vintages releases at the LCBO, as well as consignment and regular list products. It is an invaluable tool to help wine enthusiasts navigate through the thousands of wines made available each year at the LCBO. I always go into the Saturday morning Vintages releases armed with a printout of his reviews.

While I have subscribed to the newsletter for years, I had never met Vic until the Sonoma Superstars event at the Westin Ottawa, which I wrote about a while back. Proudly donning my Apartment613 nametag and frantically tasting wines, it was actually Vic who introduced himself, saying that he had stumbled across my article on the event and ended up reading all my posts, as well as a swath of other articles on the site. He said Apartment613 was “really onto something.” I couldn’t agree more.

After exchanging contact information, I asked him if I could tap into his knowledge on wines to serve over the upcoming holiday season, and he gladly obliged.

Read on for my “e-interview” with Vic:

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Whalesbone is great anytime – now even at lunch

Written

saxby

on Friday, November 5, 2010

Image courtesy of www.whalesbone.com

It’s a bit odd to review a restaurant you’ve never been to, so this is more of a “things I’m looking forward to” post… I’m a great lover of things from the ocean, so it’s been a point of pride for me that we have such a great local sustainable fish and oyster supply company here in Ottawa. The lunch at the Kent Street location of the Whalesbone (where I have been) is amazing. Fish burgers and Oyster Po’Boys with awesome caramelized onions are priced well below ten bucks and the chowder is the perfect thing for a cool fall Ottawa lunch hour. Some Apartment613 folks got to sample the fare from Whalesbone catering earlier this year and can say with great authority that Oysters, Kichisippi Beer and Norman Hardie wine is a great way to spend an hour or two.

I was happy to hear that the Whalesbone Restaurant is now open for lunch. They have a small, but great looking menu that I’m excited to try. It might be a bit of walk for those of you working downtown, but if history tells me anything – sustainable fish is normally worth the effort. Lunch runs from 11:30am – 2:00pm and the menu is available online. Reservations are recommended.

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Ottawa Wine and Food Show

Written

apartment613

on Friday, November 5, 2010

Our 25th Anniversary edition promises to be bigger and better than ever. Join us for three days of sampling the world’s finest wines, foods and spirits – and learning with renowned wine makers, chefs, brew masters and cheese makers from home and abroad. From learning how to taste and savour wine, to the best advice on what to serve at a special dinner party, to live kitchen demos, wine and food pairings and more – taste and savour what you like, and learn all about it.

Day Passes: $18 in advance, $23 at the door (+service charges)

http://www.ottawawineandfoodshow.com/

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A bit of California on Wednesday

Written

apartment613

on Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Photo courtesy of Al_HikesAZ on Flickr.

By Andrew B., Apt613′s resident wine expert

Every spring, California Wines in Canada puts on a popular wine fair in major cities across the country showcasing the best of Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Santa Barbara. Ottawa’s California Wine Fair last April 10^th at the Westin Hotel (see catalogue) was among those so well attended that for the first time, Sonoma County Vintners is hosting separate “taste and buy” events in conjunction with the LCBO; one in Toronto, and one here in Ottawa, on October 20^th.

Honore Comfort, the executive director of Sonoma County Vintners, told Apt613 that they look forward to “enhancing the knowledge” of the Canadian market by sharing wines that show off the different personalities and the viticultural diversity of Sonoma. “Canadians have come to expect and appreciate the excellence and uniqueness of our products. We compete – and win – against the best in the world,” he said.

Taste and buy events are slightly more intimate than larger tastings such as the California Wine Fair. The format is simple: buy a ticket ($95), taste to your heart’s content, enjoy some nice nibbles and at the end of the night, if a couple of wines meet your fancy, you can submit an order form with LCBO staff. In a few weeks, they will send your newly purchased wines to an LCBO location of your choice.

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When Wine Prices Go Wild

Written

apartment613

on Monday, September 27, 2010

Photo courtesy Oncle Tom on Flickr.

By Andrew B., Apt613′s resident wine expert

Choosing a wine from the list at a restaurant is often like walking into a mine-field and not being able to retrace your steps. For the less wine-savvy consumers, it can be even worse. The end result can be one of your arms (the one reaching for your wallet at the end of the night) getting blown clean off.

At a recent dinner out at my favourite small plates restaurant in the Byward Market, I was shocked by the mark-up the owner of the restaurant demanded for one of his bottles. 527%. Sadly, I saw a patron step on the landmine when he ordered the wine, and I genuinely felt bad for him. (Editor’s note: Mr. Beckta, owner of Play Food and wine, has informed us that the the mark up was a misunderstanding. Please see the comments for more information.)

Restaurants in Canadian urban centres often charge 300% mark-ups, sometimes less, and sometimes a bit more. For the most part, I can understand why owners charge such a mark-up, I even end up paying it more often than not, but I certainly don’t agree with it. I can even understand a 500% mark-up for a 1961 Cheval Blanc or 1982 Pétrus as both wines are in severely limited demand, but 527% on a $17.95 (retail) bottle? Give me (and my fellow consumers) a break.

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Bring back the $5 wine, Town

Written

apartment613

on Sunday, September 26, 2010

It started off as a beautiful and lovely little restaurant. Not only did I love it because it was two blocks from my apartment, but they had ricotta gnudi. They also had $5 wine. During their first week, my waitress explained Town found a cheap wine (it wasn’t great but it was $5) and decided it would be a good draw and something they could do that was a bit different. Guess they realized they didn’t need the $5 wine because it’s now off the menu.
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Restaurants, especially new ones, are always working out the kinks, what works and what doesn’t. So with that in mind, I can glance past the fact that the lasagna was on the menu then off the menu (because it wasn’t a summer food, the waitress said) and then back on the menu (during summer — go figure!).
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But $5 wine, I feel that was a pact we made Town. I’d support you and tell everyone how much I loved you, and in return, you’d make me happy by keeping my glass full for not much money. Our promise. People who love each other keep their promises. And even though you claim you love me (townlovesyou.ca), this just shows you don’t. Not me or any of the other customers who were bedazzled by your $5 charm.

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