Several weeks ago, I sent an e-mail to the Wellington Oracle, offering them some of my upcoming write-ups of local restaurants in the area. After all, the majority of my reviews are of eateries along Ottawa's west-end Epicurean Row, Wellington Street W. and some of its adjoining streets. While I am trying to get to eateries in the greater Ottawa area (currently working on filling the gap for Chinatown), I live in Wellington West and, as a resident, I am proud to support many of its local businesses.

Like the Wellington Oracle, please allow me to take this opportunity to raise awareness of a joint initiative by the Wellington West Business Improvement (BIA) and Hintonburg Community (HCA) Associations, the "Shop Local" campaign.

The campaign is designed to support Hintonburg businesses as they struggle to overcome the disruption caused by Phase 2 of the Wellington Street W. Road Reconstruction (Parkdale Avenue E. to Bayview Avenue) by "living locally, loving locally and shopping locally."

Phase 2 is one of the most ambitious road reconstruction projects attempted by the City of Ottawa (1.4 km in a single summer!). And while we welcome this investment in our Main Street, there is no denying that it has had a significant impact on local businesses. With sidewalks crowded by machinery, traffic down to a single bumpy lane, construction noise and dust, it has been a challenge to say the least. Some businesses are even in danger of closing due to the construction, which will not end until late November.

Source: "Wellignton West BIA website.

2 recent pictures of the road "reconstruction":

Phase 2 - Direction of Parkdale

Phase 2 - Direction of Somerset

If you are heading out to pick up a gift, eat, or get a haircut and you live nearby, try to spend your money locally. If you do, you can enter into a draw to win great prizes. Both associations have already circulated 10 000 ?Live Local! Love Local! Shop Local!? postcards both through direct mail to residents and to shops along Wellington Street West.

My Shop Local Campaign Post Card
Fill in one of these cards with the name of the business where you shopped and provide some contact information. Deposit it at the Hintonburg Community Center (1064 Wellington Street W.) and you will be eligible for 10 gift certificates worth $25 to local businesses. Draws will be made monthly until construction ends. Winners will be announced in the Kitchissippi Times (a neighborhood newspaper) and on the "Wellignton West BIA website.

I'm off to a hair appointment at Celebrity Hair Design (1024 Wellington Street W.) where master hair stylist Rob Myers will be giving me a trim. It will be my first of many submissions!

Update: I just came across the original City of Ottawa notice about the Wellington Street Reconstruction. The same notice was sent to residents living around the Somerset Street Bridge Modifications, Preston Street Rehabilitation, High Pressure Transmission Main on Bayview Road, and something called a Booth Street Regulator.

Among the "measures" the notice warned us of, Jenn and I have seen the following:

• side walks on one side of the street
• temporary bus routs
• road/lane closures
• local traffic only provisions
• detours

I guess the saying that Ottawa only has two seasons, winter and construction, is apt.

I spent part of Canada Day tending to the unwieldy back log of images foodiePrints has amassed over the past two years or so. My digital camera's image numbering reset itself once again (3rd time) and I had to establish yet another "unsorted" folder of images in the archives. In their defense, I don't think Casio ever figured a food blogger would be lugging one of their cameras around with him everyday. The camera's on board software is only capable of incrementing 4 digits of numbers in its file names. And yes, this means that a little over 30 000 pictures have been taken throughout the years.

That evening, Jenn and I watched Ottawa's annual fireworks show from a vantage point outside of the downtown core, on the Scott Street bridge, across from the Bay transit stop, thereby avoiding the crowds and making our Canada Day festivities quieter than usual.

Jenn and I did however walk by Parliament Hill two evenings later, to find the surrounding areas picked clean of litter and the main stage being dismantled.

Parliament Hill 2 days after Canada Day
Along the way, we decided to see how much of our own neighbourhood we could walk during the upcoming weekend.

Wellington West
That Saturday, we took a stroll with a family friend into Wellington West to go to an outdoor art exposition and fundraiser, called "Art in the Alley." It was organized by local artist Alison Fowler of Ali Cat Art and proceeds went to the Ottawa Humane Society.

Art in the Alley

The event was held in the alley way beside the Chick Pea children's store (1395 Wellington Street W), which shares the building with the Ali Cat Studio.

Gorgeous Paintings
Featured artists also included Tammy Shane and Andrew King, whose art we recognized from the the galleries in the Hintonburg area.

Speaking of which, if you frequent Holland Avenue, there is a large piece by Allison Fowler in front of the Foolish Chicken eatery (79 Holland Avenue). Interestingly, Saturday's chalk sandwich sign advertised something beyond rotisserie at the Foolish Chicken.

Jerk Chicken with Dirty Rice
Given our previous experiences with the restaurant, we took a pass.

On our way to the outdoor art exposition, I insisted we take a detour to see Allium's monthly menu. We found the restaurant (87 Holland Avenue) closed and a paper sign stuck to the door.

Closed for Renovations
Accordingly, Allium will be closed for the month of July, re-opening in August. Reason: renovations. I guess Jenn and I will have to wait until next month to sit for a Monday tapas night.

Across the street from Ali Cat Studio, we noticed that the former location of Hair Rods Salon and Spa (1356 Wellington Street W) has been replaced by a soon-to-open Asian tea-house, TeaShop 168.

TeaShop 168
This Toronto-originating chain of tea-houses specializes in bubble tea. I last visited one of their establishments in downtown Toronto on Yonge Street (768), near the Bloor intersection. No doubt, it will give the local tea chain Bubblicity some much needed competition.

We also noticed that Harvest Loaf (1323 Wellington Street W.) was advertising something very seasonal on its menu: strawberry shortcake.

Limited Time: Strawberry Shortcake
With the disappointment from seeing Allium temporary closed, we picked up a cake. For $8.95, the tall and luscious confection generously serves 6 people.

Tall and Luscious

Cross Section

Slice
Covered in a light pastry cream and garnished with quartered strawberries, the shortcake consisted of layer of more cream, sliced strawberries and airy slices of vanilla cake. Realizing that we couldn't possibly make a dent in the cake ourselves, we invited our neighbour to give us a hand.

I should note that, on our way home, cake in hand, Jenn discovered a new beverage enterprise that employs some very innovative marketing.

50 cent lemonade

Available almost daily
Honestly, have you seen anything so daring? And, the advertisements are water proof! Besides, the lemonade is aggressively priced. As our neighbour pointed out, a glass of lemonade downtown during Canada Day easily cost $5. Unfortunately, business must have been brisk because we could not find the young entrepreneurs that day.

Hintonburg and Chinatown
Sunday, we walked to Chinatown to satisfy my craving for pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), taking some of the lesser trafficked roads to avoid the construction on Wellington Street.

On our way to Chinatown, we passed by Credible Edibles (78 Hinton Avenue N.). Finding it closed, we took a picture of something that may interest local cyclists.

Cyclists' Discount
According to the sign, to "reduce greenhouse gases and support good health", Credible Edibles is offering a 10% discount on their "edibles" if you ride your bike to eat-in or take-out. Good stuff!

We also came across the most darling birdhouses along Armstrong Road in Hintonburg.

Water Melon House

Tea House
Cute, adorable, and food-related!

Pho, Fruit Vinegar, Fruit Ice, Mayonnaise, and Scallion Pancakes follow after the jump...

More after the jump...

My better half - blog editor, restaurant co-critic, and talented cook - celebrated her birthday this month. She is an invaluable member of the foodiePrints team. It is to her I turn when I try new recipes. She accompanies me to restaurants, where her fine senses of smell and taste can detect the faintest flavourings. She also happened to be the reason I started looking intently at food. What better reason is there to learn to cook than to cook for a loved one?

How does one celebrate the birthday of the editor of foodiePrints? Our friend Lou Lou started with a dinner party. I carried on with a foodie's picnic and finished with cake and ice cream.

Dinner Party:
As per the 6 months long tradition between our friends, Viv and Lou Lou, each weekend we have been attempting new recipes and inviting each other over to try the resultant dishes. If we're exhausted after a long work week, we fetch take-out and play Wii late into the evening. One Friday, we even discovered that freshly made Thai and Indian food go well together.

A Saturday before Jenn's birthday, Lou Lou invited us over to her place. There, she surprised us with quite the spread:

Lou Lou's Dishes
Clockwise from bottom left: stewed goat with sweet potato vermicelli noodles, stewed goat without noodles, turkey breast Thai green curry with young sugar snap peas, and fried rice with corn and green beans.

While everything was good, the stewed goat dish with sweet potato vermicelli noodles was by far the standout.

Stewed Goat with Noodles
The goat pieces came pre-chopped and bone-in from an Asian mega-mart in the Scarborough area. Lou Lou froze the pieces, intending them for a special occasion. To make the dish, she started by frying up some pantry dried spices (including some curry powder) and added sugar. Then, she added the goat meat and dashes of several prepared sauces. She was vague about which ones. I tasted some soy. Once everything was coated, she added enough water to cover and simmered the dish on low for three hours. Since neither my better half nor I have ever tried goat, she fished out some pieces for us to try before adding a little more water and the vermicelli noodles.

Sweet Potato Vermicelli Noodles

Stewed Goat
The noodles expanded almost magically in the cooking liquid, filling the pot. The flavours of the reportedly Northern Chinese dish were intense: sweet and savory, peppery, spicy, and slightly pungent. The texture, while not meltingly tender, just barely held together.

Goat meat does not have the strong flavour of lamb, but tastes different than beef. This red meat is somewhat sweeter.

When I first peeked into the pot, I thought Lou Lou had cooked up a batch of pig's trotters. Happily, I was wrong. It was much better. I will definitely attempt the recipe when again the temperature causes a frost warning. I should be able to find some goat meat in our local Chinatown.

For the green curry, Lou Lou used condensed coconut milk in a tetra-pack, which I've yet to come across in Ottawa.

Condensed Coconut Milk

For dessert, Jenn and I brought our attempt at Chef Rick Bayless' Olive Oil cake.

Picnic:
The next day, Jenn and I skipped breakfast and packed plates and utensils into a knapsack with a thermos of water and a stack of whole grain crackers. Around noon, we set off on foot to pickup provisions for a picnic in the park that divides Westboro Village's shops from its residential area. My intention was to have us enjoy a couple hours of quiet time, snacking on some locally made delectables for a late afternoon lunch.

On our way down Wellington Street, we stopped at the Ottawa Bagel Shop (1321) and Il Negozio Nicastro (1355). At the Bagel Shop, we picked up a loaf of white Art-Is-In bread and a portion of a Quebec-made raw milk cheese.

Bread and Cheese
Cost: $7.77 including taxes.

While we perused the artesanal meats and cheeses at Il Negozio Nicastro, we found ourselves spoiled with too much choice. We took some notes of things to try, but left empty-handed. That is, save for its business card.

Il Negozio Nicastro

A trip to through Westboro Village would be incomplete without a stopover at the Piggy Market (400 Winston Avenue). There, we picked up a 2 finger-wide slice of chicken pate and, as requested by Jenn, a rotisserie chicken. When last we went to the Piggy Market, co-owner Dave Neil didn't have a rotisserie setup.

Roasted Chicken and Chicken Pate
Before anyone asks, the pig container is actually a sandwich container that my better half picked up at the Dollar Store. Dave got a kick out of it when I asked him to forgo the butcher paper and deposit the pate into it.
Cost for Chicken and Chicken Pate: $35.02 including taxes.

Having only plastic utensils, leftovers from years of re-using them for my lunches, we discovered that one of the most important things to pack for a picnic is a sharp metal pocket knife. It would have made quick work of slicing the cheese and portioning the chicken. Instead, we made do with the serrated butter knife.

The raw milk cheese had a full flavour that I used to only associate with authentic parmigiano-reggiano.

Raw Milk Cheese
It also smelled somewhat strongly, but its sharpness and nuttiness were paramount! And yes, I eat the less substantial rinds of semi-hard cheeses...

The chicken pate actually had a mild offal flavour even though it more than likely included no liver.

Chicken Pate
It was extremely finely ground and smooth, spreading easily over crackers.

The chicken was simply the finest rotisserie chicken we've ever eaten. While it may have costed several times that of a mega-mart equivalent, the chicken was exquisitely succulent, both dark and light meat cooked to perfection.

Succulent Dark Meat

Dark Meat Served on a Cracker

Extremely Juicy White Meat
Jenn and I are still trying to figure out what went into the glaze that coloured the chicken's skin. It tasted strongly savory and sweet with a tart almost tomato-y-ness...We saw what looked like bottles of organic ketchup under a work bench at the Piggy Market, but that can't just be it...I surmise that the chicken must have been slow roasted to produce the wonderful textures. Perhaps it was brined beforehand...

I should note that bagpipers and uniformed cadets marched down the street during our picnic. They were escorted by two police cruisers, who blocked traffic.

cadets
With the elderly veterans gathered around a nearby military memorial, we figured they were commemorating a battle from World War II.

As for the cake and ice cream, they will follow with a recipe in another post , so stay tuned!

Update: Clearly, I need to get my taste buds checked. Sundays are Honey Mustard rotisserie chicken days. I just got back from the Piggy Market, having picked up a pair of smoked duck breasts and a loaf of Art Is In bread for appetizers this evening. The following is the weekly schedule as of May 17, 2009:

• Thursday - Mystery day (Dave makes whatever flavour of chicken he sees fit)
• Friday - Citrus
• Saturday - Jamaican Jerk (this WILL be the next rotisserie chicken I buy from the Piggy Market)
• Sunday - Honey Mustard

Update 2: I just got back from the Piggy Market (June 6, 2009), where Dave listed the ingredients of his chicken pate to me. There is liver in it, but other ingredients are added to complement it and ensure a creamy smooth texture. I bought another 1 inch loaf for supper.

Particulars:
The Ottawa Bagel Shop
1321 Wellington Street
(613) 722-8753

Piggy Market
400 Winston Avenue
(613) 371-6124
E-mail: thepiggymarket@gmail.com

While I am extremely grateful to be employed, cubicle life keeps me from enjoying much of the morning sunlight. After March's daylight savings time change, the sun rises as I hop out of bed to start my morning routine. After taking a crowded bus to the office, one of my cube's walls butts up against the windows, effectively blocking the sun.

It being sunny this Good Friday, what do you think my better half and I did to enjoy it? We took the opportunity to wander from the beginning of the Wellington Village to the end of the Westboro Village. We ate at our favourite restaurant for breakfast. We stopped by the local butcher's to set aside something for tomorrow's dinner. We picked up some sweets for Easter. And, we checked out a newly opened purveyor of artisanal meats and ice cream.

Aroma Meze:
First off, we checked to see if Aroma Meze had opened its doors. I have heard good things about its downtown location, so I have been faithful about checking each week.

Old Destination Hair Signage Still Up

Not Open Yet
Next: bunny

Bunny for Easter:
This year's new year resolution is to visit our local butcher's, Saslove's (1333 Wellington Street), more often. Today, that's where we purchased a whole rabbit. For Easter, I decided to forgo the more traditional lamb or turkey and chose to serve the Easter Bunn..er rabbit. The staff at Sasloves found the idea somewhat disturbing, but not at all uncommon. Of the 3 fresh rabbits in the case, we chose one at random, paid for it ($20.62 before taxes), and asked to set it aside for pickup later on that afternoon.

Saslove's

Rabbit for Easter
Next: breakfast.

Breakfast at John's:
Jenn and I can't say enough good things about John's (1365 Wellington Street). To us, it is "hands down" the best place for breakfast in Ottawa. It's lunch isn't too shabby either, but breakfast was extended today past 11:00 am to accommodate those of us who slept in.

This time around, we sat at the bar and chatted with longtime restaurant owner John, whose young granddaughter was visiting the restaurant. Jenn had her regular, the 2 egg breakfast: scrambled eggs; sausages, not bacon; and dry toast with jam. Me, I asked the waitress for whatever she had just served one of the booths across from us. It turned out to be the breakfast club.

Breakfast Club $9.95
It tasted as good as it looked, with wonderful textural and flavour contrasts. Its bottom layer had melted shredded cheddar. Its top, a thin spread of real mayonnaise to protect the toasted bread from the tomatoes. There was plenty of bright tomato, crisp lettuce, fried egg, and salty bacon in every bite. A hallmark of breakfast at Johns, the home fries were not at all greasy. They were however seasoned with paprika and made to order. The beans, on the other hand, more than likely came from a can. I'm not holding the beans against the meal. It was wonderful and filling.

During our meal, John told us that his restaurant is "famous" in Ottawa for its club sandwiches. After re-thumbing through the menu, we discovered that John's serves a long list of club sandwiches, all on platters for $9.95 each. Having thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast club, I can understand why patrons would like John's club sandwiches. The next time I dine at John's, it's going to be for lunch and I'm ordering the smoked meat club. There is also a tuna club, ham club, chicken club, turkey club, and much more.
Next: Loeb

Loeb's renovations:
The Loeb in the Wellington Village had announced its renovations weeks in advance. Apparently, after Metro's purchase of Loeb from the former Provigo a decade ago and Loeb becoming a subsidiary of A&P in 2006, Metro has decided to include all stores under its banner. Already, the Loeb website has been subsumed by Metro's. Jenn and I surmise that the scheduled renovations at Loeb are to add the Metro branding to the store itself.

Loeb's side signage had been taken town

Street signage has a placeholder for something else
Next: Sweets

Easter Sweets:
With the sheer number of Easter chocolates in the stores, it is difficult not to pass an easter weekend with sweets. As such, Jenn and I stopped by Truffle Treasures (314 Richmond Road). There, we picked up something to taunt the bunny with ($6.95) and some hand made candy chews ($0.65 each), one lime and the other lemon.

Chocolate Carrot and Citrus Candy Chews
While I have read that the truffles are of "contentious" quality, the candy chews were pleasant, not cloying sweet and gently flavoured with citrus.
Next: Wesboro's newest foodie destination

Piggy Market:
Having read about it in the Ottawa Citizen last week, I was excited to visit the Piggy Market. According to its profile, it is a butcher shop, a local food store, a caterer, and purveyor of ice-cream. If you think this an odd combination, go visit the store at 400 Winston Avenue, just off of Richmond Road.

Road Signage

Store Signage
There, you will find that its owners, Pascale Berthiaume, Dave Neil, and Warren Sutherland, have opened a foodie's paradise of a "general store", selling everything from classic charcuterie and artisanal meats to preserves and premium ice-cream. All goods are locally sourced, most within "100 miles" of Ottawa. Everything is made fresh and with care. Best of all, Dave (don't call him "sir") Neil and Pascale Berthiaume are enthusiastic about their products and extremely friendly.

Berthiaume makes high quality ice cream with real cream and natural flavourings like vanilla from vanilla beans, which she is proud to show off along side her Italian-made stainless steel ice cream makers. When she's not making ice cream, she happily doles out samples and answers questions, even those from a wide-eyed and slightly giddy writer of foodiePrints.

Ice Cream Makers

Sample Vanilla mixed with Malted Chocolate
Hers is not Philadelphia-style ice cream. The half litre containers that bear Berthiame's name and likeness contain ice cream that is made with eggs. This means that the ice cream is rich, carries flavours well, and has a very slow melting profile. This is full flavored ice cream the way the French and the Italians like it. It is not aerated like supermarket ice creams, heavy not light on the tongue. Jenn and I sampled vanilla and malted chocolate flavours. Without exaggeration, we were relegated to giggly children, tasting ice cream for the first time. Damn, it's good!

Jenn and I dropped a tenner for a tub of Passion Fruit Ice Cream to spring on friends this weekend.

One Tub of Passion Fruit Ice Cream
Next time, we're torn between vanilla or the salted caramel. We may end up buying both...

Neil, former sous chef from the Sweetgrass Aborginal Bistro, fills his display cases with mouth watering products. When we visited, he was doling out pulled pork in plastic containers. He fills his display cases with delicacies that those of us who enjoy charcuterie can only read about.

Meat Display
What caught my eye were the cured meats, freshly made sausages, and duck confit. Now that I think about it, his duck confit looked like the "real thing", dry cured duck legs that were slowly cooked in fat and left to cool. How do I know? They're not individually plastic wrapped and sport a thick layer of duck fat. That does it! I'm going to pick up a pair for dinner tomorrow!

All-in-all, I think the day was well spent!

Business Cards follow after the jump.

More after the jump...

As a foodie, it is very difficult not to have come across Gordon Ramsay, the foul-mouthed, short tempered, and extremely talented master chef from the UK. He is perhaps the most significant British pop-cultural export of the past decade. I believe that he has singlehandedly revolutionized the cooking industry by elevating the public profiles of chefs to levels traditionally enjoyed by sports stars. Never before have chefs been spoken about so freely outside of culinary circles. Chef Ramsay was the first.

Ask random Canadians on the street if they have heard of revered Spanish Chef Ferran Adria and you will more than likely receive confused looks. Ask the same people if they have heard of Chef Ramsay and they will not only recognize the name, but they will more than likely have an opinion of him.

These opinions, positive or otherwise, may have come from watching either of Chef Ramsay's British shows that have been adopted by the American Food Network: the F-Word Kitchen or Kitchen Nightmares. If not, they come from watching him on Hell's Kitchen. There, he earned the disdain and reverence of millions of viewers for disparaging contestants on what amounts to a reality television show set in a professional kitchen.

In Canada, you'll also find his cook books in Chapter's. You'll find him on talk shows. You'll find him in the national news. And, you'll find him on billboards. The following is located in the Wellington Village (1351 Wellington Street West), above a parking lot.

Larger than life Ramsay

Most recently, Chef Ramsay made the international news for earning 2 Michelin stars for one of the newer members of his kitchen empire, a fine-dining eatery at the Trianon Palace hotel near the Palace of Versailles in France. Chef Ramsay is no stranger to the highly sought after Michelin star, but his latest pair come despite failing to impress the celebrated French food critic, François Simon, of Le Figaro (a French newspaper).

With so much media exposure, some fans even try their hand, attempting dishes that the classically trained chef makes to look effortless. The results often include a trip to the emergency room.

Mimicry being a form of praise, the restaurant recruiting firm, Caterer.com, hired child-actor, Felix Light to make three videos as ?Little Gordon", a pint-sized representation of Chef Ramsay, complete with a fiery temper and "bleeped" profanity.

Felix Light as Little Gordon
Source: Eat Me Daily blog

Here is the second of the three videos on youtube.com:


Surprised by how popular the videos have become, the firm created Little Gordon his own website.

Chef Ramsay was so impressed by the 9 year old's performance that he reportedly hired Light to terrorize contestants on the latest seasons of Hell's Kitchen and the F-Word.

I wonder if Light does any free-lancing. There are times that I wish I could spring a "Little Gordon" on some unsuspecting restaurateur as I wait for the chef to "hatch the chickens", "mill the wheat", or "catch the fish" for my starter.