On the last Wednesday of July, the Hintonburg Supper Club held its most recent dinner event at Credible Edibles (78 Hinton Avenue North). Credible Edibles is a bit of a hidden treasure in Hintonburg. Located away from the busy streets of Holland Ave. and Wellington Street W., it sits on a quiet side street, charming passerby's with its unique patio and mouth-watering foods.

Normally, Credible Edibles is only open from Tuesdays to Fridays during lunch hour and late morning to early afternoon on Saturdays. But, an exception was made and the Hintonburg Supper Club was given a warm welcome with many of its members trying the eatery for the first time.

Credible Edibles strives to serve nutritious and delicious foods while remaining environmentally conscious. As a proud member of Savour Ottawa (recently accredited), Chef/owner/founder Judi Varga-Toth buys as much as possible from local producers, including produce from Rochon Farms, eggs from Bekings' poultry farm, and poultry from Lyons Family Turkey Farm.

That evening, a table d'hote menu was created for the night's event. On the menu was a selection of three meal choices, something for the vegetarian, the vegan, and the carnivore.

The Vegetarian's Delight

• Chilled gazpacho soup with local fresh herbs
• Spanakopitas (Greek-style spinach and ricotta in flaky pastry)
• Cinnamon carrot cake with organic cream cheese icing

The Omnivore's Dilemma

• Warm fennel and green bean salad with crumbled feta cheese
• Chipotle turkey breast sandwich with roasted red pepoers & arugula
• Raspberry chocolate fudge brownie

Vive le Vegan!

• Japanese-style green bean and carrot salad with tamari almonds and black sesame seeds
• Mediterranean grilled vegetable wrap with roasted red peper & lime hummus
• Blueberry green tea or dark chocolate cupcake with matcha green tea icing

Each selection included a choice of fair-trade coffee, tea, organic spritzer or home brewed iced green tea. Also of note, all of Credible Edibles baked goods are made from scratch with whole grains, free-range eggs (unless vegan), and organic dairy (unless vegan).

After much dilemma, Don ordered the vegetarian option while I decided to try the vegan dinner.

As we waited for our food to arrive, Don and I noticed two small treats at our table: a sample of spicy house roasted soy beans and gomashio.

Left: spicy soy beans, Right: Gomashio
While I didn't try the soy beans, I was intrigued by the gomashio, a Japanese table condiment. Gomashio is currently being featured as part of the Credible Edible Optimal Foods Mini Series. What is Gomashio? Well, according to the framed information sheets on each table, "goma" is Japanese for sesame and "shio" means salt. Its nutty and slightly salty taste were rather addictive as we kept eating small amounts throughout the meal.

Our food arrived soon after, our eyes feasting on plates of delightfully colourful summer fare.

The Vegetarian's Delight

The Vegetarian's Delight - Left: Gazpacho; Right: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese icing; Behind: Spanakopita
Don thought his vegetarian meal very good. He has been interested in vegetarian and vegan fare of late, reading about raw food and alternative ways to make classic dishes. His spanakopita's phyllo pastry was very light and flaky. The spinach filling was smooth, creamy, and not at all stringy. Seeing how I was eyeing his gazpatchp, Don cheerfully shared his cold soup with me, remarking about how fresh the flavours were. He routinely orders a bowl when we visit Credible Edibles now.

Sadly, I traded desserts with Don as I am unable to consume dark chocolate.

Dark chocolate cupcake with matcha green tea icing
He, of course, happily accepted my vegan dark chocolate cupcake, which he found astounding. It was not overly dense, but had the texture of a light brownie.

When Don finished his dinner, leaving not a crumb behind, he mentioned he was surprised at how satisfying his meal was.

Vive le Vegan!

Vive le Vegan!- Left: Grilled Vegetable Warp; Right: Dark Chocolate Cupcake; Bottom: Green Bean & Carrot Salad
After a day in the hot sun, the Mediterranean grilled vegetable wrap with roasted red pepper and lime hummus was spot on. Served cold, the grilled zucchini, lettuce, and roasted red pepper paired nicely with the hummus. Also, the wheat tortilla wrap had a nice texture, a refreshing change from the typical supermarket tortilla. The best part of my dish was the green bean and carrot salad. Lightly dressed, the vegetables were incredibly fresh, in particular the green beans. Every bite had a satisfying crunch.

Despite missing out on the chocolate cupcake, the carrot cake with the rich cream cheese frosting made a nice consolation.

Overall, my first vegan meal was delicious and a pleasant way to end the evening.

Total cost: $33.90 (includes tax, but before tip)

We will definitely be coming back for more!

Particulars:
Credible Edibles
78 Hinton Ave. North
613-558-7569

More after the jump...

This week's "relatively" Wordless Wednesday Patio Post visits Hintonburger to demonstrate that great patios don't have to include bistro tables or cobblestones.

If you're a small, locally-owned, and operated burger shack, a picnic table and some shade are more than sufficient for patrons to enjoy something tasty like an 6 oz cheeseburger.

Hintonburger Patio

Simple Umbrella-ed Picnic Table

Update: One of the first things Jenn and I did when we moved back into the Hintonburg neighbourhood after our kitchen renovations was eat at Hintonburger. We made an event of it, inviting friends Treena (@tgrevatt, founder of Betidings.com) and Kelly (@kellskitchen, event coordinator for Essence Catering). Kelly brought her two young sons and daughter. Everyone had a great time.

Kelly even told me Hintonburger's fresh cut fries resemble the fries she remembers from Montreal's Lafleur's. The only difference, Lafleur's flavours their oil with a little vanilla, something I really want to try one day.

That said, here's Hintonburger's well..6 oz Hintonburger after a month's being open and operating.

Hintonburger

Cross Section
The patties are thinner than what we were served on opening day, more than likely so they cook through faster. They are however still grilled to develop a flavourful crust and juicy. Notice the non-processed cheese slice. The fresh cut fries are still fried a little under-crisp. The "fat cat" corn dogs still pleases.

Inside, the menu tacked to the wall is a little worn. There is a hand-written drink menu taped to the counter. There is now an order clip and the Hintonburger's staff are developing their own short hand for the orders.

Without hesitation, we will be returning to the Hintonburger and bringing friends.

Particulars:
Hintonburger (Facebook or Twitter)
991 Wellington Street W.
Open 11am-9pm 7 Days a Week

More after the jump...

Fellow Ottawa Food Blogger AM Waters (@AMWATERS) correctly identified the picture of the "mystery" poutine from the third "Ottawa, do you know your poutine" opportunity as having come from Foolish Chicken (79 Holland Avenue). She writes the "If Music be the Food of Love, Play On" food blog. She will be entered into the draw for a pair of tickets for the Give to Live Poutine Crawl.

As per our previous post, Alison Fowler's art work graces the Foolish Chicken's street sign and menu.

Gong-Style Street Sign

Menu

Here is Foolish Chicken's chalkboard sandwich sign from when it participated in this year's Taste for Life charity fundraiser.

Taste for Life
It too sports a "foolish" chicken.

And, here is a side the Foolish Chicken is known for, sweet potato fries in a basket ($5.99) with a chipotle sauce.

Sweet Potato Fries and Chipotle Sauce
Thin cut and deep fried crisp, I think Foolish Chicken's sweet potato fries better than those at the Works, but would guess both come from frozen.

Update: Jodi (@simplyfresh) another fellow Ottawa Food Blogger just posted her review of Foolish Chicken. Got take a peak!

Particulars:
Foolish Chicken
79 Holland Avenue
(613) 321-4715

Well, 2 opportunities for the draw for a pair of tickets (value $50) to the Give to Live Poutine Crawl (July 17, 2010) have been taken. Three remain. Interestingly, correct comments were submitted within minutes of the blog post going up. Perhaps, we're making this too easy? Nah!

That said, we promised five opportunities and there are but 3 days left, so I'm squeezing another one in today.

Again, here is how the raffle works:

• Everyday, we will post a picture of poutine from an Ottawa restaurant, not necessarily one that will be included in the poutine crawl.
• We will leave hints. We may even be careless enough to leave links to websites or Facebook pages.
• The first person to comment on the post, correctly identifying the eatery where the poutine comes from, will be entered into a draw for the pair of tickets.
• Each day, a different first correct commenter will be chosen.
• If someone submits multiple guesses, the first one submitted will be considered.
• The winner of the tickets will be chosen using random.org Friday afternoon.

Here is the 3rd opportunity:

Mystery Poutine

This poutine ($8.99) is listed on the restaurant's menu as "La Poutine." It features thinly sliced wedge fries (fried crisp), a chicken gravy (complete with chicken bits), and cheese curds.

The menu also sports a rather "foolish" looking chicken, painted by noted Ottawa artist Alison Fowler.

The restaurant is community-minded, participating in this year's Taste for Life and Bon Appetit charity fundraisers. It also served corn chowder and mini-corn bread muffins during this year's Taste of Wellington West event.

Mini-Corn bread Muffin
The muffins come with each entree, in lieu of dinner rolls.

The restaurant's upstairs is an event space with a full bar and lots of tables. It hosted the Hintonburg Supper Club in May and the last Case Study Jam event (#5) until fall 2010.

A certain food blogger spoke at that Case Study Jam while partaking of a quarter rotisserie chicken dinner (breast portion $11.99).

Quarter Rotisserie Chicken Dinner
My better half and I found the meal somewhat uneven that evening. After chatting with the owner, we discovered the kitchen had a mishap involving its main line cook, a knife, and his foot. He was discreetly taken to the hospital. Unevenness: forgiven!

Though, we did discover the restaurant's coleslaw tastes better with a splash of vinegar, as suggested by fellow speaker Emily Chen (@mchenwears). At least, it tasted better to those of us who dislike mayonnaise-based coleslaw.

Recently, the back of house at the restaurant must have turned over, producing a new menu. New, are the made from scratch, breaded, zucchini fingers ($7.99).

Zucchini Fingers
Unfortunately, our zucchini was somewhat under cooked and crunchy.

The rotisserie chicken, on the other hand, had improved markedly. Tender and flavourful, we did not find a bite harsh or dry, whether dark meat ($10.99) or white meat ($11.99) portions.

White Meat Quarter Chicken with Ribs Dinner

Dark Meat Quarter Chicken Dinner
The potato salad is also a pleaser, something Jenn always orders when we have dinner at this restaurant.

In fact, we have eaten the rotisserie chicken from this establishment twice during the first half of July. Both times, we were impressed.

Last week, we bought the family pack: 2 1/2 chickens, 1 lb sweet potato fries, house salad, coleslaw, cornbread, and dipping sauce ($29.99). While we always discard the sauces (their being too acidic) the family dinner turned out to be enough food for two meals for a pair of food bloggers.

Chicken aside, guess the restaurant and be entered in the draw for a pair of Poutine crawl Tickets.

Good luck!

Update: Apparently, tickets for the Poutine Crawl have been sold out. You can however still go to Event Brite and put yourself on the waiting list.

Particulars:
Foolish Chicken
79 Holland Avenue
(613) 321-4715

More after the jump...

Regular foodiePrints reader Judy, correctly identified the picture of the "mystery" poutine from the first "Ottawa, do you know your poutine" opportunity as having come from newly opened Hintonburger (991 Wellington Street W.). She will be entered into the draw for a pair of tickets for the Give to Live Poutine Crawl.

I also agree with her that Hintonburger has garnered quite the number of tweets since its opening June 26, 2010. It even caught the attention of fellow Ottawa food blogger, JB (@lordofthewings) who writes the Lord of the Wings food blog.

In our case, Hintonburger caught our attention months ago when an "opening soon" sign graced its windows.

Hintonburger, Opening Soon
Then, it was a curious soon-to-open restaurant mentioned by Carol Paschal, coordinator of the Hintonburg Supper Club.

When it opened, Jenn, her parents, and I were among the first customers through the Hintonburger's door.

Hintonburger, Now Open

Inside, you will find its owners converted what was once the Khatoom Persian Restaurant into a diner-esque eatery, complete with picnic table tablecloth bars and black and white ceramic tiles.

Lunch Bar

Condiment Bar

Booth

On its menu, you will find burgers, hot dogs, freshly cut fries, onion rings, and poutine.

Menu

Front of Street-facing Sign

Back of Street-facing Sign

More after the jump...