I think Wednesday's scheduled noon-time post should be relatively wordless and include photos of one of Ottawa's restaurant's patios. Consider it mid-week encouragement to find a place to unwind on Friday.


Canvas

Four-Seater Tables

Two-Seater Tables

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

This week, foodiePrints will feature three great places to take your mom for Mother's Day brunch. They are restaurants Jenn and I visited recently that impressed us. We are also compiling a contact list of restaurants offering brunch on Mother's Day. We intend the posts to highlight Ottawa eateries and encourage people to make reservations.

First off: Canvas Resto-Bar. Canvas (65 Holland Avenue) in Ottawa's Hintonburg neighbourhood is our local "go to" restaurant. We are quite fond of its bistro fare that features local produce, artisanal cheeses, game meats, and sustainable fish. Canvas' always friendly and attentive service is the measure by which we compare all other restaurants we visit.

During the Easter weekend, owner Charles Beauregard decided to extend Canvas' Sunday brunch (10:00 am - 2:30 pm) to Saturday as well. Jenn and I were one of its first Saturday brunch patrons.

When we arrived, I ordered black coffee ($2.25) and discovered Canvas serves Francisco's, a local fair trade coffee roastery.

Francisco's Coffee
I try not to drink coffee that is not fair trade, preferring Bridgehead's. Now that I frequent CycleLogik (1111A Wellington Street), I am developing a taste for Francisco's. CycleLogik is where I first encountered Francisco's.

Having just returned from a run, Jenn was famished, so she ordered the 4 oz flat iron steak and eggs ($14.00).

Steak and Eggs
Served with Art-Is-In toast, Jenn opted for medium-rare steak and scrambled eggs. She found the steak unevenly done, but still juicy and tender. Pairing it with fluffy eggs and artisanal white bread toast made for a good breakfast.

Jenn also ordered a side of Canvas' "boozy beans" ($4.00).

Boozy Beau's Beer Beans
Think beans slow cooked with molasses and double smoked bacon and finished with Beau's Lug Tread beer. Beau's is a local brewery. The beans had a great texture, not overly soft like canned. They tasted of dark sugars and, distinctively, of Beau's signature lagered ale.

Me, I ordered a dish ($11.00) Charles told us was inspired by something he was served in a Toronto restaurant, then one of legendary Chef Susur Lee's earliest.

Smoked Salmon Hash
Think rosti-cut potatoes and slivered onions, griddled to order and left to slightly cool. This way, the potato hash did not heat up the smoked salmon. Everything was then topped with a dollop of creme fraiche. Mine was also served with Art-Is-In toast.

My breakfast was enjoyable. The hash was not oily, but cooked through, crusted, and flavourful. It went well with the smoked salmon and sour cream: a little fat, a little brightness, a little starch, a little savoury, and a little smokey.

Total: $35.31 (after taxes, before tip)

Overall, we found brunch a little pricey for the portion sizes, but satisfying.

Unlike other restaurants, Canvas takes reservations for weekend brunch.

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

More after the jump...

Yesterday evening, Jenn and I sequestered ourselves in a Bridgehead Coffee House. She, to work on her lessons for the coming week. Me, to sort and prioritize the many blog entries in foodiePrints' backlog. With the lunar new year only a week away, I have decided to fast track several Chinese food blogs, including one involving of a traditional multi-course wedding banquet. Many of the dishes are also served during a multi-course Chinese New Year banquet. That said, two coffees, one hot apple cider, and an oatmeal cookie later, we both had made some progress.

As luck would have it, two of our friends (@spoonsie and @isfalk), both members of the Ottawa (Elite) Brunch Club, wandered in. They had just completed a grueling session of yoga and needed to hydrate. We decided to head out to dinner together at the nearby Chilean restaurant, Vina Del Mar (1079 Wellington Street W). There, I discovered how worldly one of our dinner companions is, he quickly identifying authentic Chilean dishes and lamenting that the menu included no regional drinks. We both shared a laugh when a Mexican Mariachi trio wandered by, singing Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World."

When we parted, Jenn whispered to me she wanted dessert, so we stopped into Canvas on the way home. With the dining room fully seated, we took our regular seats along the bar and ordered from the evening's dessert menu. Then, Jenn and I realized how long it has been since we last visited the establishment. The dinner menu had changed. The Ottawa Magazine published a piece, including Canvas' Sunday brunch. And, the Urban Foodie had reviewed the restaurant in a Thursday edition of the Ottawa Metro (a complementary commuter paper). Moreover, Jenn and I had discussed the little bistro with several fellow food bloggers the week before. Everyone remarked at the deep baritone voice of one of Canvas' regular young hosts and sometimes Maitre D.

Greeting Canvas' owner, Charles Beauregard, warmly, I ordered the figs ($7.00). Jenn, the berry crumble ($7.00).

Not two days before, I had wandered by Chef Jason Laurin's Sticky Fingers blog, taking note of his asking his readers how they served their figs. Well, Canvas' kitchen serves them topped with bruleed vanilla sugar, local honey, a small piece of honey comb, and C'est Bon Goat cheese.

Figs served with honey comb, drizzles of honey, and C'est Bon Goat Cheese

Close up, showing the bruleed vanilla sugar
Like Chef Laurin, I consider figs an under appreciated fruit. Even I eat them infrequently. With winter in full swing, I was surprise to find fresh figs on the menu. I found the bruleed vanilla sugar and local honey complemented the fruity sweetness of the figs. Whereas, the sharp goat cheese offered contrast and richness. The goat cheese also went incredibly well with the honey comb. It was a blissful dessert.

What Jenn dubbed a bumble berry crumble balanced classic streusel (a mixture of flour, grains, and sugar) and fruit well. There was enough baked streusel to go with every bite of fruit.

Bumble Berry Crumble
Better still, the streusel was not overly sweet, again complementing and not competing with the baked fruit beneath. Unfortunately, as Shari Goodman wrote in her Urban Foodie review, Canvas is at its best in the summer time when locally source produce is fresh and plentiful. The raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries that both made up the crumble and accompanied it fresh, while sweet, were not vine-ripened sweet. The recipe seemed honed to feature the complex flavours and deep sweetness of fruit that was nurtured on the vine, not picked raw and ripened on a truck traveling from either Argentina or Chile.

Still, both dishes were served well and made for good desserts. Best, Canvas is known for great service. That evening again demonstrated such, everyone was friendly and attentive.

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

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