According to Joy Skipper's Brunch, published by New Holland Publishers in 2007, brunch originated in Britain at the turn of the 19th century. It was originally coined by Guy Beringer in Hunters Weekly in 1895. Then, brunch would have been served after a morning or before an afternoon event. The morning event was most often a spot of hunting. American adoption occurred in the 1930s. It started as a Mother's Day celebration, serving mom a lavish meal to replace breakfast and lunch.

To celebrate Mother's Day this year (May 9th), foodiePrints has been running a three-part series on great restaurants to take your mom for brunch. Our first and second recommendations: Canvas and Stoneface Dolly's. We shine the third spotlight on Fraser Cafe in the heart of New Edinburgh.

Despite being tucked away on a quiet residential street just off of Beechwood Avenue, Fraser Cafe is always filled with hungry patrons, regardless of the time of day. It is so busy in fact reservations are highly recommended. Brunch is especially popular with Fraser Cafe plating simple, but delicious foods.

When Don and I popped by for Saturday brunch a few weeks back, we just barely got seats. Had I not suggested we sit at the bar, we would have had a long wait for a table. On the bright side, sitting at the bar allowed us to watch the brigade in action. It also gave us a wonderful view of the entire restaurant.

Open Kitchen of Fraser Cafe

Shortly after we were seated, our host handed us a one page menu for brunch and... a cookbook?!

A cookbook
In actuality it was a drink menu disguised as a cookbook!

Inside the cookbook, a grand selection of drinks

Smiling, Don and I made our selections. Don, an eggs Benedict ($13.00) and a banana orange mango smoothie ($6.00). Me, scrambled eggs ($12.00) and a cranberry juice ($2.25).

As we waited for our food to arrive, we discovered that the bar has the best seats in the house for food enthusiasts, especially at our end, adjacent to the cash and till. Up against the wall sat shelves of liqueurs and wine, various cookbooks, and toys.

Glasses and Alcohol

A tiny monster truck running into a happy giraffe

A variety of cookbooks
Playing on the television, the Food Network.

Peering into the kitchen, Don was mesmerized watching one of the line cooks poach eggs. Even from a distance, we could see each egg had been poached the same way, with the yolks jiggling about.

With drinks first to arrive, Don's smoothie looked delicious. Made to order, its component fruits produced a fresh and sweet smoothie. It arrived pleasantly thick.

A banana orange mango smoothie

Pleasantly thick

By the time our plates arrived, we were famished. Everything looked fresh, down to the last leaf of peppery greens.


Scrambled eggs
My selection: Scrambled eggs with potato, house sausage, grilled tomato, and Worcestershire mushrooms topped with a peppery green (sans cheese curds). The scrambled eggs were stunning. It was light, fluffy, and creamy, just perfectly done. These scrambled eggs were the best I had ever eaten at a brunch. The only place I can think of that could rival these eggs would be Benny's Bistro. The tomatoes were beefsteak tomatoes. They were incredibly juicy and meaty, a rare treat this time of year. The only drawback was the sausage, which I found somewhat dry and a tad overcooked. Otherwise, my meal was delicious.


Eggs Benedict
Don's selection: Eggs Benedict with peameal bacon, grilled tomato, English muffin, hollandaise sauce, and fresh greens. Don, who kept going on about how well Fraser Cafe does its eggs, was strangely silent as he dug into his eggs Benedict. Afterward, he told me he was stunned by how well they were made: incredibly fresh and runny hollandaise (no more than minutes old), delicately poached eggs (wobbly upon arrival), and freshly toasted English muffin. The griddled peameal bacon added salt and savoury to the mix, the hollandaise and egg yolks, carrying the flavours. To contrast, sweet grilled tomato, just cooked. Eggs Benedict is a regular for Don when he brunches. He says Fraser Cafe does it best.

Beautifully poached eggs – a stream of runny yolks

After finishing our plates, Don and I were literally bursting at the seams. Yet, somehow our server managed to convince us to give their famous doughnuts a try. How famous are they? Well, according to the September 2009 issue of Ottawa magazine, Fraser Cafe's homemade doughnuts rank #67 on their list of "101 Tastes to Try Before You Die." Although their brunch menu list doughnuts as a main dish ($9), they are also offered as a dessert ($7). As a brunch plate, they comes with bacon.

Doughnuts for dessert
The doughnuts were quite a treat. Served hot, freshly deep fried, and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar, it came with in-house made apple sauce and a lovely mug of vanilla ice cream and chocolate ganache.

Cutting a piece of doughnut before dunking it into the ice cream
Every bite was sinfully delectable. The doughnuts seemed to drape themselves in the ice cream and chocolate. They were warm, crunchy, fleetingly cool, sweet, and rich. Don was unable to eat more than a few bites, leaving me to happily finish the rest. As for it being on the list of 101 tastes to try? If you haven't tried them yet, make plans to!

Fraser Cafe is a fabulous place for brunch, especially this Mother's Day.

Total: $45.48 (after taxes before tip)

Particulars:
Fraser Cafe
7 Springfield Rd.
(613) 749-1444

More after the jump...

When you talk to a local about brunch in Ottawa, there are several restaurants you will more than likely be recommended: Benny's Bistro in the ByWard Market, Jak's Kitchen in Centertown, Fraser Cafe in New Edinburgh, and StoneFace Dolly's in Little Italy (Preston Street). While Benny's Bistro is legendary for its high-end brunch fare and butter rich bakery from the adjoining French Baker, Fraser Cafe is quickly gaining ground in the same arena. Fraser's single page brunch menu features dishes of comparable quality, but at lower prices. There are seasoned cooks in both kitchens, overseen by chefs. Both Benny's and Fraser's cooks are adept in classical French cooking techniques, especially when it comes to handling eggs. However, Fraser's are more chef's interpretations of usual brunch suspects: eggs Benedict, the "breakfast sandwich", or scrambled eggs with sausage. At Benny's bistro, you can expect less traditional breakfast dishes. But, for straight brunch "usuals", our recommends are Jak's or StoneFace Dolly's. Neither takes reservations. Both have lines going out the door shortly after they open.

StoneFace Dolly's is where Jenn and I took friends Vicky (@momwhoruns) and Paola (@cestboncooking) for brunch several weeks ago. Vicky is a fellow food blogger from Toronto and former Ottawa native. We discovered Jak's together several months ago. Paola is one of Ottawa's most passionate food enthusiasts. Through C'est Bon Cooking, she and her chef offer cooking classes and culinary tours of Ottawa. I hear Paola's tours of the ByWard market are a lot of fun.

StoneFace Dolly's resembles a modern bistro. High ceilings, neutral colours, and lots of exposed wood, glass, and ceramics, everything meant to make the dining room look open and airy. Its decor works with the large windows at the front of the restaurant, letting light spill deeply into the restaurant.

Bright and Open Interior
The restaurant also features an exposed kitchen.

Open Kitchen
It extends to the bar and ends with the cash and till.

Bar
I can only imagine how StoneFace Dolly's looks in the evenings. It is a great place to start a weekend day with brunch.

Its brunch menu is multi-paged and each is covered in well worn plastic.

Menu
Inside, we discovered StoneFace Dolly's serves Bridgehead coffee ($2.75), a local purveyor of fair trade coffee beans and some great local desserts.

Hot Drinks on the Menu

Bridgehead Coffee

Besides coffee, it serves freshly made fruit juices and juice blends. Jenn ordered an apple juice, which was eventually marked on our bill as "pop" ($2.50)

Fruit Juices on the Menu

Apple Juice
She found the apple juice refreshingly sweet. Accordingly, it tasted better than the "from concentrate" varieties, but not as good as the Black River brand Organic Apple Juice Jenn invariably buys when we frequent coffee shops.

For brunch, Jenn and Vicky ordered pancakes. Jenn, blueberry pancakes with fruit ($9.99). Vicky, ricotta blueberry pancakes with lemon curd and whipped cream ($10.99).

Here are the pancakes Vicky was served.

Ricotta Blueberry Pancakes
Jenn's pancakes were thicker and somewhat larger.

Blueberry Pancakes

Underside
Jenn found her pancakes extremely filling, light and fluffy yet substantial. Each pancake sported a handful of blueberries. They were however unevenly spread out, so not every bite tasted of blueberry.

Paola and I ordered omelets ($10.99). Mine, Omelet No. 5 (capicolla ham, cheddar, and mushrooms), with a side of breakfast poutine (house-made potato home fries, cheese, and milk gravy somewhat akin to sawmill gravy). Breakfast poutine is an optional add-on for any breakfast plate ($2.00).

Omelet No. 5

with a side of breakfast poutine

Poutine for Breakfast?
The poutine was a little much, even for a foodie who would attack a good charcuterie plate for brunch. Though, the sawmill gravy on home fries take is rather innovative. As a poutine purist, I think cheddar cheese curds would have worked better.

The omelet was pretty much cooked through, but neither its top nor bottom was overdone.

Omelet Doneness
I prefer my omelets slightly more runny in the middle. Still, it was a great 3 egg omelet. The accompanying salad was fresh and its oddly thick looking balsamic dressing not overly acidic.

We completely overlooked StoneFace Dolly's specials.

Specials
I would later discover StoneFace Dolly's twitter account (@stonefacedollys) tweets each weekend's brunch special the Friday before.

The most interesting thing we saw on the menu: Breakfast ribs ($13.00). It consists of 2 eggs (any style), home fries, a half rack of barbecue ribs, and a slice of "molasses toast."

Service-wise, we were given a slight runaround by someone who looked like the owner. He seemed dubious about giving us a four person table when Jenn and I arrived. Luckily, Vicky walked through the door as he looked behind us at another group whose members had already assembled. Paola arrived shortly thereafter. Our waiter was polite. With the entire restaurant turning over quickly, she checked back on us somewhat seldomly. She also did not point out any of the specials. We found them afterward, Paola lamenting she would have chosen the quiche had she known. Still, we did not wait long for drinks or food. Every dish was freshly made and served hot, not one spending very long under a heat lamp.

Total: $59.85 (after taxes, including 2 omelets, 2 pancake plates, 2 coffees, one juice, and a poutine add-on)

Brunch at StoneFace Dolly's has strong fundamentals. Are the dishes culinary masterpieces, no. Are they value-conscious and filling, yes. They rival Jak's in centertown.

Update: Check out recent thoughts on Stoneface Dolly's from one of our favourite food bloggers, Rachelle of the Rachelle Eats Food blog.

Found another recent review from Eva of Eva's Food World.

Apparently, StoneFace Dolly's ricotta blueberry pancakes are number 84 in the Ottawa Magazine's list of 101 Tastes to Try Before You Die (September 2009, edition).

Particulars:
Stoneface Dolly's
416 Preston Street
(613) 564-2222

More after the jump...

Last week, I attended a Prince Edward Country (PEC) wine and cheese fundraiser for Third Wall Theater Company's 10th Anniversary season. The event, dubbed "Go Local-Go Loco", was held at the Wallspace Gallery (358 Richmond Road). Its caterer, The Piggy Market (400 Winston Avenue).

Go Local Go Loco with Third Wall
Me, I was on assignment for Cheryl Gain's OttawaTonite.com when I attended the event and was delighted to have the opportunity to showcase The Piggy Market's food.

Chef/owner Dave Neil provided Prince Edward County raw and pasteurized goat, sheep, and cow's milk cheeses; locally-produced smoked meat; locally-reared heritage pork rib rillette; in-house marinated mushrooms; in-house pickled red and golden beets; and in-house baked mini-Jamaican patties.

At the end of the event, Chef Neil looked visibly relieved. He then informed me, The Piggy Market celebrated its first birthday. Indeed, it was a year ago, April 10th, when Jenn and I took our first Good Friday food tour down Wellington Street West and Richmond Road. We stopped into The Piggy Market, then newly opened. Chefs Neil, Warren Sutherland (Sweet Grass Aboriginal Bistro), and Pascale Berthiaume were just profiled in the Ottawa Citizen (a local newspaper).

A year later, The Piggy Market's storefront is ostensibly the same. Pascale is still making her now celebrated ice cream.

Pascale's Ice Cream Makers
It earned the 2nd spot on Ottawa Magazine's 101 Tastes to Try Before You Die list in its September 2009 edition. She is fast becoming a household name in the city.

Pascale's Image
Her image, now synonymous with rich and natural ice cream.

The Piggy Market still stocks many locally-produced products from preserves to juices, vinegars, and pickles.

Preserves and Pickles

Juices and Vinegar

And, loyal customers keep furnishing the foodie shop with pig-related memorabilia. In fact, every pig in the store is a gift. That is with the exception of the pig paintings at the front of the shop.

Flying Pig Paintings
These painted works are being displayed by The Piggy Market. They are for sale. The price tag: $300/painting.

More after the jump...

On Good Friday, Jenn and I did our annual tour up and down Wellington Street West and Richmond Road to see which eatery or fine food store was open for last minute Easter shoppers. As with last year, Truffle Treasures at 314 Richmond Road was open.

Since we were invited to a dinner party that evening and our host is a chocoholic, we decided to stop by and pick up some of Truffle Treasures' "giant" hand-made peanut butter cups for him. The peanut butter cups garnered the 57th spot in the Ottawa Magazine's 101 Tastes to Try Before You Die in its September 2009 issue.

Alas, there were none. Instead, the purveyor of Belgian truffles, fashioned peanut butter eggs ($3.95) with the same chocolate and peanut butter filling. They also made caramel-filled and Nutella-filled chocolate eggs, so we bought one of each.

Truffle Treasures Easter Chocolate Eggs
For our hosts' better half, we picked up hand-made Turkish delight ($5.00).

Total cost: $19.04

Particulars:
Truffle Treasures
314 Richmond Road
(613)761-3859

On March 28, a well recognized chef, Grant Achatz of Chicago's Alinea restaurant, voiced his displeasure with the lengths his restaurant's patrons go to to document each dish on his tasting menu. Ever gracious, he blogged on his forum:

I appreciate that people are so into food, and excited about eating at Alinea, to the point where it drives them to record it. Obviously these “foodies” are a large segment of our cliental, and the very people that help propel the awareness of food and dining. I certainly admit that the popularity of web based reviews and information has helped Alinea achieve a certain level of popularity, and ultimately some level of success has to be attributed to this.

Source: Alinea Mosaic Forum

However, he takes issue with mounting dSLR's on tripods, taking pictures of every course (yes I'm guilty of this at Atelier) and moving dishes around to "get the right light" (allowing hot foods to cool). Between having to deal with the fallout from irate patrons sitting next to camera-happy ones and the extra time "documenting" 30 course takes, Chef Achatz drew a line. He has found recently patrons now record him, his chefs, and the servers during service, audio and video. He likened them to culinary paparazzi.

I recently discussed the "paparazzi" aspect with a fellow local food blogger and a friend who runs an Ottawa fine food shop. We at foodiePrints do not want to be likened to culinary paparazzi. Unknowingly, we seem to have already set limits that are likely restaurant friendly.

• We never film. We discreetly take notes in a notebook. We check the restaurant's website first to see the menu and jot down differences in what we were served. In fact, our new dSLR is an older Nikon model. It does not record video.
• We record audio when we do interviews and only after we ask permission. Interviews are held between services. There are no audio bites on foodiePrints.
• We do not bring camera equipment with us other than said camera.
• We try to book earlier reservations at the beginning of service when the restaurant is still filling. This way, we can sit near a window and benefit from natural light.
• We never use flash. It is why many of our photos from higher end restaurants appear dark. They were taken in the dim light.
• We only take pictures of the dishes we order.
• We only take pictures of plates as they were set down for us by servers. We know chefs routinely instruct servers on how they want their plates presented.

Even with these self-imposed guidelines, we seem to be able to capture some passable shots.

The Hintonburg Supper Club visited Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar this week. Here is a photo of #83 ($22) in the Ottawa Magazine's 101 Tastes to Try Before You Die (September 2009 issue):

Absinthe's Signature Hanger Steak Frites
Because the supper club assembled at 6 pm, we still had natural light photograph some good food.

The steak frites was Jenn's main. She and I adore hanger steak at Absinthe, still our recommend for steak frites in Ottawa. Served medium-rare along with green beans sauteed in butter, shallots, and cilantro, we found the frites double fried this visit. Double fried, the fries stayed crisp as she ate her steak. The rest of the meal follows:

First Amuse Bouche

Foie Mousse with Port Gelee, served with in-house crostini

Definitely NOT peanut butter and jam on a cracker!

Second Amuse Bouche

Halibut Chowder with BLT foam, accompanied by smoked Bass

A Beautiful Soup

Bread

In-House oregano and basil bread with balsamic-laced compound butter

My Appetizer

Seafood Trio
From left to right: Albacore Ceviche Taco, Scallop Crudo, Line Caught Coho Salmon and Bass Pogo with Chile Pepper Salsa

We found the salmon pogo's texture somewhat dense for essentially a fish cake on a stick.

Bass Pogo

Texture
But, we loved the corn batter coating.

My Main

Duck Two Ways
From left to right: Vegetables on cheddar aligot, duck Breast, and seared foie gras over pain perdu (French toast). The vegetable accompaniment: sweet potato, turnip, and broccoli rabe (rapini).

Seared foie gras over pain perdu
It tasted at good as it looked.

Dessert (one of our flash-less darker shots)

Organic Maple Sugar Tart with Maple Ice Cream
Absinthe spins its own organic ice cream in house. Even though we're staunchly loyal fans of Pascale's, I had to admit the maple ice cream was pretty good.

And speaking of the 101 Taste to Try Before you Die, here's Number 1:

Beau's Lug Tread Beer

Total Cost: $77.97 (includes one table d'hote, after taxes, before tip)

That evening, I even got to shake Chef "Pat" Garland's hand after the dinner, thanking him for a great meal.

Particulars:
Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar
1208 Wellington Street
(613)761-1138

More after the jump...