Originally, the "Elite" Brunch Club was supposed to visit the legendary Von's Bistro (819 Bank Street) in the Glebe, our November event.

Von's
Unfortunately, as we would discover that Sunday (November 29, 2009), many of the more popular eateries that serve Sunday brunch do not take reservations. It is first come, first serve. Besides Von's, this includes Jak's Kitchen (479 Bronson Ave), Benny's Bistro (119 Murray St.), and Stoneface Dolly's (416 Preston Street).

When I discovered Von's did not take reservations, I asked the restaurant over the phone if they could even accommodate our numbers (8 minimum, 10 maximum). A male voice said they could, so long as someone comes early to reserve seats. Brunch club member Izzy (@spoonsie) volunteered. She arrived an hour early to warn the restaurant of our impending arrival. During that hour, Von's owner and a waiter took turns coming up with tentative offers to accommodate us and then seated new arrivals in what would have been our seats. At first, Izzy was told the restaurant could accommodate us. A pair of tables would be made available. Then, two tables in opposite ends of the restaurant could be made available. Then, only one table could be made available. Then, Izzy was told we could sit around the bar. Finally, the restaurant could not accommodate us at all.

As brunch club members began arriving en masse (and on time), we gave up. The waiter actually came out to apologize to us when 8 of us gathered together in front of Von's window to decide what to do. She said we could wait another 15-20 minutes for the original tables we were promised (but could not guarantee) or we could go elsewhere. She pointed out the Arrow and the Loon (99 Fifth Avenue) usually has lots of available seating. They did, so we chose to gather remaining members there.

Now, I understand higher end brunch is only profitable for eateries if turnover is high. Even then, margins are small. Brunch is a way of generating buzz for a restaurant, introducing it to new patrons so they may return for dinner. I understand the kitchen and much of the front of house staff more than likely worked the dinner service the previous Saturday evening. After last call, the remaining patrons leaving, and clean up, it is often early morning Sunday (1:00 to 2:00 am). This leaves a scant handful of hours to sleep before returning to the restaurant to prep for Sunday brunch. As food writer and former chef, Ivy Knight, once described, "Brunch is Hell."

My question, if you notice your dining room is turning over quickly and you prefer to seat smaller groups of patrons, why entertain accommodating a larger party? This is what Jak's would tell us during the following brunch event. That waitress even did her best to get us a pair of tables, letting us reserve one table first. When she realized the brunch rush had started, she told us it was impossible. We paid for our coffee, tipped (enough for one cover), thanked her, and left.

That said, the brunch club still met for November and we had quite a bit of fun. The brunch at the Arrow and the Loon was average, but the company made up for it. This event would be the first Andrew and Biff (@biff_da_bear) joined us!

Biff
Biff is a very busy bear. When he's not working search and rescue on a ski hill, he bakes. He blogs. He tweets. He travels. He takes pictures. And, he writes restaurant reviews. Andrew is his handler.

Regarding the Arrow and the Loon's brunch menu, it serves the usual suspects: pancakes, eggs, ham, sausage, bacon, home fries, french toast, fruit, and combinations thereof.

I ordered a "Tony's Own" Eggs Benedict ($11.99), a restaurant special:

Tony's Own Eggs Benedict - Home Fries View

Tony's Own Eggs Benedict - Eggs View
As per the menu description, my "Tony's Own" came with smoked salmon, spinach, portabello mushroom, and goat cheese. Strangely, after the waiter saw me take pictures of my dish, he insisted on pointing the mushroom (the dark strip across the hollandaise) was mushroom and not bacon. I thanked him and dug in.

The poached eggs were cooked runny. The spinach was not quite wilted. The hollandaise had not split. Everything was served on a slightly soggy piece of toast. While not badly executed, the dish was served lukewarm. The eggs and smoked salmon had just about come to room temperature.

Jenn ordered "The Works" Omelet ($10.99):

The Works Omelet
This particular omelet is called "the works" because it is made with mushroom, onions, peppers, bacon, sausage, and ham.

Jenn found the omelet rather overcooked on the outside and dry throughout. It seemed, to accommodate so many fillings, the omelet was cooked for some time on each side to ensure the center was done. She also found her toast somewhat stale and cold.

My thoughts: the restaurant does not normally accommodate such a large group for brunch. When we arrived we found the pub largely empty. In order for us to be served at the same time, some dishes may have cooled.

Total: $28.22 (after taxes, before tip, and including one coffee)

When it comes to pub-style brunches, Sunday brunch at the Arrow and the Loon would more than likely be better in smaller groups.

We had better at the Lieutenant's Pump (361 Elgin Street), our recommend for middle-of-the-road brunch.

Particulars:
The Arrow and the Loon
99 Fifth Avenue
(613)237-0448

More after the jump...

With the brunch club gathering at the legendary Von's Bistro (819 Bank Street) this coming Sunday (November 30, 2009), it is time to revisit last month's (almost exactly 30 days ago) at Canvas Resto-Bar (65 Holland Avenue).

There, the club welcomed several new members. Existing ones caught up with each other. And, everyone ordered various omelette, French toast, and eggs benny (eggs benedict) breakfasts, some with sides of Piggy Market double smoked bacon. Me, I opted for the quiche, but, when plates arrived, the new hostess realized she misplaced my order in. She apologized profusely, disappeared, and a beautiful slice of quiche appeared.

Mile High Slice of Goat Cheese Quiche

In their defense, it was the day after this year's Taste of Wellington event (2009), which saw hundreds of people discover Ottawa's Epicurean Row, a neighbourhood densely packed with locally-owned eateries and fine food shops. Many people noticed Canvas offered brunch the next day. That morning, it was busy, every seat taken, with large groups, coming and going. The brunch club actually was one of the smaller tables.

My impossibly delicate quiche was very flavourful, sharp with goat cheese, carefully baked egg providing fat to carry flavour and protein for texture. Accompanying it were freshly cut home fries, crisped on the griddle, and ripe fruit. At $12.00, it was an excellent breakfast. Surprisingly, the quiche breakfast was cheaper than the omelette breakfast, it costing 50 cents more ($12.50).

The brunch club thoroughly enjoyed their meals, many vowing to return.

Particulars:
Von's Bistro
819 Bank Street
(613)233-3277

Canvas Resto-Bar
65 Holland Avenue
(613)729-1991

More after the jump...

This morning, I found myself replying to the twitter account belonging to CTV's Canada AM morning show. Its tweet wished everyone a happy Friday and asked about our weekend plans. Here is my reply:

@CTVCanadaAm Invited a bunch of people to go to an outdoor food festival in Ottawa http://www.twitpic.com/i474q. Then, Sunday brunch :)

Outdoor Food Festival:
The outdoor food festival is a "walkable tour" of what the Ottawa Citizen's recently retired food columnist Gay Cook deemed Ottawa's Epicurean Row, the Wellington West Village. Called the "Taste of Wellington", the event is the Wellington Business Improvement Association's (WBIA) third annual. The association intends the event to offer both residents and non-residents an opportunity to discover the food shops, restaurants, bakeries, and caterers along Wellington Street W., from Island Park Drive to Somerset St. W, including some along Holland Avenue. In total, 32 venues will participate, many serving free food samples.

Here is a partial list participants from the WBIA website:

• Absinthe
• Allium
• A?Roma Meze
• Bridgehead
• Canvas Resto Bar
• Cozy's Diner
• Credible Edibles
• Emerald Bakery
• Harvest Loaf Bakery
• Helen?s Cuisine
• Herb & Spice
• Istanbouli Restaurant
• Khatoon Persian Restaurant
• Nectar Specialty Tea Shop
• Ottawa Bagelshop
• Parma Ravioli
• Petit Bill's Bistro
• Royal Oak Tavern
• Siam Bistro
• Sushi Umi
• The Diner
• The Wellington Gastropub
• Thyme & Again
• Viña del Mar
• 3 Bakers and a Bike
• 3 Tarts Bake Shop

My more loyal readers will immediately recognize a number of these food shops and eateries as the foodiePrints' team calls this neighborhood home. We visit many of them often.

Besides food shops and eateries, other area shops and local galleries will also participate by setting up sidewalk sales, holding special tours, and hosting live music. The Westboro Massage will set up a street side massage station. The Elmdale House Tavern will host Barry Buse and his band Still Dangerous just outside its doors.

The Taste of Wellington will also launch the Herb and Spice's 36th anniversary celebrations. And, the Great Canadian Theatre Company at the corner of Holland and Wellington will offer a peek at its new cafe, Viva Loca.

The event starts at 1:30 pm on Saturday, September 26, 2009 and runs until 3:30 pm.

Unlike last year, to participate, admission may not be free. Participants may be required to purchase a $5 button. This, according to September 2009 edition of the Hintonburg Voice, the Hintonburg Community Association's newsletter.

...2009 will see one major improvement: visitors will now purchase a $5 button to participate in the event, with all proceeds going directly to charity...

Having spoken to several of the venues, I have not been able to get this confirmed. The cards (above) only say that the samples are free.

After the event, the WBIA encourages everyone to stay, shop, and make reservations for dinner.

Me, I decided to invite a number of people to join me and Jenn on a "foodie crawl." Our aim, to wander the neighbourhood in a large group, sampling, chatting, and having a great time. It will also be a mini-tweet-up as several of the tweeps I follow will be coming along.

Sunday Brunch:
The next day, Jenn and I chose Canvas to host September's meeting of our brunch club. This time around, we went beforehand to try it, as we did not want a repeat of another somewhat disastrous brunch.

Canvas now serves brunch from 10:30 am until 2:30 pm. Here is the menu from our visit.

Menu

From it, I ordered the eggs benedict ($14.00) and a coffee ($2.75)

Eggs Benny
Instead of the traditional ham, in-house duck prosciutto was substituted giving the runny yolks a cured flavour to carry. It was served with surprisingly flavourful smashed fingerling potatoes with sweated onions, fresh melon, a wedge of grape fruit, a slice of ripe white Niagara peach, and local berries.

Runny Poached Eggs

Duck Prosciutto

Jenn ordered the frittata of the day ($12.50) with brioche toast and a lychee juice ($2.75). The frittata turned out to be zucchini.

Zucchini Frittata
Accompanying the frittata were the same sides as mine.

Jenn thoroughly enjoyed her frittata. It was made with fresh young zucchini, onions, and very young chives. She feels that it was started on the stove top with butter, but finished in an oven. The egg was delicate, lightly seasoned, and seasonal.

All-in-all we were impressed, making Canvas a good candidate for the brunch club.

Here is Canvas' new business card:

Business Card

This just in: The thrift shop on Wellington got into the spirit of the Taste of Wellington too.

Display in front of St. Vincent De Paul

Particulars:
Canvas Resto-Bar
65 Holland Avenue
(613)729-1991

A month ago, the brunch club, I belong to, hit the Lieutenant's Pump on Elgin Street (361). We arrived at 11:00 am, but discovered the Pump a very popular place for Sunday brunchers. The lineup of eager patrons stretched out the door. Yet, everyone patiently waited for a table, refusing to head down the street to any of the other open restaurants.

Our party of 8 was eventually seated an hour later in our own private alcove. Since the club meets monthly, we took the wait in stride. Many of us enjoyed the opportunity to catch up.

Lieutenant's Pump

Cozy Private Alcove

The restaurant itself was deceptively small from the outside. The Pump has several tucked-away dining rooms and seating extends well beyond the front doors into the the building. Inside, it has a very cozy British pub feel, almost disarming: stained dark wood, long tables, polished brass accents, and hard wood floors.

Once we saw the menu, we realized why the Pump was so popular amongst brunch-goers. It boasted a long list of breakfasts, including 6 varieties of eggs benedict. Needless to say, patrons are spoiled for choice.

Menu, showing 6 varieties of eggs benedict

My dear friend Yannick (@endorphinbuzz) and his better half ordered stack of white chocolate pancakes with side orders of potatoes and sausage, and traditional eggs benedict respectively.

White Chocolate Pancakes

Traditional Eggs Benedict

Their guest ordered a 2 overeasy egg breakfast, substituting toast for a white chocolate scone.

2 Egg Breakfast with a White Chocolate Scone

Me, I ordered Eggs Natasha, eggs benedict that substituted ham for smoked salmon. My better half, a 2 scrambled egg breakfast with raisin bread. Hearing the previous order, I also added a white chocolate scone to split with Jenn.

Eggs Natasha with a White Chocolate Scone

2 Egg Breakfast with Raisin bread

Our guest, Izzy (@spoonsie), ordered her usual, a 2 egg breakfast with bacon.

The portions were generous. The service was quick and friendly. And, the coffee was plentiful.

Best of all, the food was rather good, illiciting praise and few concerns from our hungry table.

The Pump handles its eggs well. Ours were shell eggs and came as ordered. Both the overeasy and poached eggs came intact and runny, neither overcooked.

Perfectly Poached Eggs
Jenn's scrambled eggs were fluffy and light, neither rubbery, nor swimming in liquid.

The potatoes were freshly made, crisp and tender in the center. Given their irregular size and texture, they did not seem to come from frozen. Not at all oily, they more than likely spent some careful time on the griddle instead of in the deep fryer.

The accompanying fruit, melon and citrus, was fresh and sweet.

Each 2 egg breakfast came with the option of sausage or bacon. Unfortunately, given how late we were to sit down to brunch, some of our sausage links had spent too much time under the heat lamps, developing an unappetizing starchy crust.

Me, while I have to commend the cooks for a well-plated and well-executed eggs benedict with a made-to-order hollandaise (fresh and not grainy), I discovered that my palate disliked the smoked salmon substitution. I am more used to eating smoked salmon chilled. The hollandaise raised the temperature of the smoked salmon, giving it an odd texture that disagreed with me. The dish would nevertheless have made another patron very happy!

Regarding the white chocolate scone, while I enjoyed it, it did not have the crumb of traditional tea scones. It was tender and light, almost cake-like, neither crumbly nor buttery. Since I have seen scones resemble biscuits, I surmise this one adheres more to that tradition.

Cost for the Eggs Natasha ($12.95), a dessert scone ($1.25), and a 2 Egg Breakfast w/Raisin toast and Juice ($9.28): $34 (including, taxes and tip)

Determination: Domestic North American - Sunday Brunch: --$$, --***

Particulars:
Lieutenant's Pump: British Pub
361 Elgin Street
(613)238-2949

More after the jump...

It was a dark and stormy night...Alright, it was just an overcast Sunday morning in Ottawa when Jenn and I walked into the Courtyard Restaurant (21 George Street) in the Byward Market. There, we chose to dine on the patio, hoping the sky would clear. After helping a waitress connect two tables and re-arrange chairs, the rest of our newly formed brunch club arrived. Six in all, we were eager to sit down to brunch at a restaurant whose chef (Michael Hay) often bragged served the best in Ottawa.

Having followed Chef Hay (@michaelthehay) on Twitter for the past several weeks and seeing him plate up some delicious twitpic'ed dishes, I promised my friends a good meal.

Unfortunately, Chef Hay was not in the main kitchen that morning and what we were served did not meet expectations. Only 2 of us enjoyed our meals. Four now refuse to return. One is willing to risk dinner at the restaurant. I am disappointed and have requested other club members choose our next Sunday brunch destination for the next little while.

I should note, before we dive into our dishes, we saw only one other party walk into the restaurant during our stay. We were the only patrons on the patio. However, things were far from quiet. The restaurant was in the midst of preparing for an event. We watched what may have been two florists walk in. We saw a portable dance floor unpacked by a loading area and wheeled inside. A quick peek at the monitor in the lobby explained why. The Courtyard was hosting a wedding reception, a large one by the looks of it.

Even so, service at the Courtyard was not lacking. Both friendly and attentive, our two waitresses were organized, knowledgeable, and quick to provide assistance. Save for not producing enough appetizer pastries (freshly baked croissants, muffins, and chocolate pastries) for a table of 6, for which I'm not sure they were responsible, service was exemplary.

To begin, brunch at the Courtyard Restaurant is a multi-course affair, one that the menu suspiciously suggests start with an alcoholic beverage, bloody caesar, bloody mary, or a glass of wine, all extra! The brunch itself includes juice: cranberry, apple, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, tomato or a combination thereof. I ordered coffee. Later, I joined my friends at the other end of the table with a glass of half cranberry/half orange.

glass of half cranberry/half orange juice
Freshly squeezed and chilled, my glass of juice was refreshing.

Along with drinks came appetizer pastries and a shot glass of house-made berry preserves. At first, one basket of pastries, containing a pair of croissants, a chocolate pastry, and one really small bran muffin, was placed on our table. Thinking we were being rationed pastries, we split most of them, each enjoying half of something.

Half a Chocolate Pastry
When only crumbs remained, another basket was placed on the table. Clearly, two were intended for a group our size.

The pastries themselves were crowd pleasers, freshly baked, crisp, and delicious. Though, in search of a washroom when I arrived, I walked by dual ovens in the lobby, spotting a half sheet pan of freshly formed and egg-washed croissants being baked. Why we weren't served at least enough croissants for the table was puzzling. In hindsight, this was a portent of what was to come...

Next, main courses. Two of us, myself included, ordered Eggs Benedict. Jenn, the blueberry pancakes. My friend's fiance, the crepes. He, the tuna melt. And, my other friend ordered an interpretation of the classic steak and eggs.

Eggs Benedict ($22)
The plates of Eggs Benedict our table was served were identical. Here is mine:

Eggs Benedict
As described in the menu, the dish consisted of poached eggs, hollandaise, and ham. Accompanying it, a potato apple hash and a side salad.

Overcooked Poached Egg
Unfortunately, the left poached egg was overcooked. The other, properly done, soft and runny. Contrary to the menu, the slice of ham did not look grilled. Moreover, the muffin halves had burnt edges as if they were tossed onto a griddle a little longer than they needed to toast.

Since both plates were identical (both left eggs overdone), I surmise that the eggs were poached in pairs. Finding two overcooked, the cooks seem to have knowingly plated one on each plate. On the bright side, the salad was very fresh and the apple and potato hash, novel (sort of a dry Asian potato salad). My better half actually ate most of mine.

Pancakes ($20)
Why? Well, to allow me to save face because I promised a good meal, she quietly choked down her pancakes with 6 cups of water. As she would tell me later, the only part of the brunch she enjoyed was the hash she picked at off my plate.

Blueberry Library Paste Pancakes
As per the menu, the stack of pancakes were served with fresh fruit, including one rather bruised strawberry. And, it was garnished with a pat of maple butter. Unfortunately, only the bottom pancake, the sole thin one, was truly edible. The others were a gooey mess.

The batter must have been so overloaded with previously frozen and thawed blueberries that the starch structures could not form when it was cooked. While the surface developed a skin and browned, the berries inside bled, causing the texture of the thicker pancakes to resemble library paste. My friend who ordered the steak found the pancakes disgusting.

Steak and Egg ($25)
He faired much better.

Steak and Egg
His dish consisted of a 4 oz grilled angus sirloin steak, a "sunny egg", and Bearnase sauce. It was accompanied by a grilled tomato, crispy fried potato, and an apple hash. Accordingly, the steak was quite good. The rest, less than stellar.

While he flatly refuses to return to the Courtyard for brunch, he is willing to try its dinner menu and only steak dishes at that.

Tuna Melt ($19)
The tuna melt illicited no complaints.

Tuna Melt
According to the menu, it is made with a sweet gherkin mayonnaise and topped with aged cheddar. From my view, the dish seemed constructed on a hunk of Art Is In bread with the top sliced off and a mound of tuna salad layered on top. It reminded me of a Russian kubliaka, which is a puff pastry dish that substitutes salmon and pastry for the tuna and bread, but shares much of the other flavours.

Crepes ($21)
Unfortunately, I have no picture of the crepes, but I am told they were good.

To end, with six of us and 3 desserts to choose from, we ordered two of each.

Of the two who ordered the the chocolate pate, one was somewhat put off by its salted caramel garnish, but he enjoyed his dessert. The other, a chocoholic, cleaned his plate.

Chocolate Pate with Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Of the two who ordered the lemon tart with the pine nut crust, one was happy with it.

Lemon Tart
Me, I was critical the sheer number of cracks in the tart. What filled the pine nut crust was a lemon custard. Given its cool mouth feel and darkened skin on top, it was a chilled custard. To crack as it did, either someone was less than careful with the pie spatula (unlikely because the crust was intact) or we were served a day-old tart. As for taste, I judiciously rationed my strawberry sauce, eating a little with each bite. Else, it would have been simply too lemony, even for me. Ordinarily, I love lemon desserts.

Of the two who ordered the seasonal fruit with frozen yogurt, one had had enough. He gave his away. Jenn pushed her plate in front of me, half eaten, and asked me to try the frozen yogurt.

Fresh Fruit with Frozen Yogurt
It was very icy and tasted very little of yogurt. It also melted quickly.

Total cost of one pancakes and one Eggs Benedict brunch: $47.46 (after taxes, before tip)

Were it not for the company of friends and my better half, this brunch would have been a rightful disaster. Three days later, I am still riddled with guilt over subjecting people to this pricey meal.

Determination: Domestic North American - Sunday Brunch: $$$$, ---*1/2 (because the service was good)

Update: For a look at what non-library paste blueberry pancakes should resemble, head over to another Ottawa food blogger's site, RachelleEatsFood. Yesterday, Rachelle posted up both pics and a recipe for some great looking blueberry pancakes she had for dinner to top off a birthday weekend. Happy Birthday Rachelle!

Regarding poached eggs, I recently asked Chef Jonas Luster (@wildhunt) how to make them consistently. He graciously posted tips on his blog for not only how to poach eggs, but also to how fry them up over easy. The blog post is the first in a series of planned "Ask the Sous (Chef)" posts to raise funds for the Riley Center for Battered Women in San Francisco. For every culinary-related request he entertains, a donation will be made to the center. Some generous tweeps are even offering to match donations in their requests.

Particulars:
The Courtyard Restaurant
21 George Street
(613)241-1516