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...

The next event for the Hintonburg Supper Club will be held at Chilean Restaurant, Vina Del Mar (1079 Wellington Street W). It is scheduled next week Thursday (March 26) at 6:00 pm.

Unfortunately, neither I nor Jenn can attend. I will be on training and studying for a certification. She is similarly indisposed.

Vina Del Mar is a wonderfully laid back restaurant, serving colourful food. We've eaten there several times and agree with our supper club founder and organizer, Carol Paschal. The dishes served are not spicy. That is, of course, if you don't add the traditional Chilean hot sauce, called "pebre", which is supposed to accompany meat dishes.

Speaking of which, the event has a fixed menu of either beef, chicken, fish or vegetarian. I'm curious about what dishes will be served.

If anyone wants to attend on our behalf or, better yet, join the Hintonburg Supper Club, please send an e-mail to supperAThintonburgDOTcom or leave a message at (613)798-7987. Reservations will be accepted until March 22 on a first-come, first served basis.

BTW, Hugo and Stella, the husband and wife duo who own and operate the restaurant, recently received their liquor license. Even though I'm not fond of wine (this foodie rarely touches the stuff), I'm thinking a full bodied red would go well with whatever Stella has planned for the beef menu option.

Particulars:
Vina Del Mar
1079 Wellington Street W.
(613)724-3000

According to wikipedia.net, Viña del Mar is Spanish for "Vineyard of the Sea." It is the name given to a commune and coastal city in the Valparaíso Province of Chile. Viña del Mar is best known as a tourist and beach destination. It hosts an annual music festival, called the Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar. A google search for Viña del Mar pulls up travel vacation packages and almost cliché beach scenes. Does South America ever advertise beaches without sparkling blue waters, white sand, or beautiful bikini clad women?

In Ottawa, Vina del Mar is the name of an unassuming Chilean eatery in the Hintonburg area. My better half and I visited the nearly one year old restaurant after I sat for a hair cut at Celebrity Hair Design, which is just down the street on Wellington. After approximately twenty minutes under the masterful care of Rob, husband of dear friend and foodiePrints fan Sean, I exclaimed to Jenn that I was hungry. We had skipped breakfast that Saturday morning, racing to the salon to make it to my appointment. Once he put in his finishing touches, Rob suggested we try Hino's as he and Sean wanted to read my review before going there themselves. I chose to give Vina Del Mar another chance.

Ever since I read Xpress' food critic Simon Osborne's review of the establishment (dated April 17, 2008), I was excited to try its reportedly sublime Chilean street food fare. During Mademoiselle Ling's visit to Ottawa, last summer, I did. Late one Saturday evening, she and I picked up two platters to go, one featuring an empenada and another a half rack of ribs.

Empenada

Ribs
The empenada came with a fresh romaine lettuce salad. The ribs, peas and rice. Since we ordered both platters at the end of service, I surmise we were served what best the kitchen could muster. The empenada's pastry was thick and stale. Its filling of ground beef, black olives, hard boiled egg, onion, and raisins was tasty but cold. The ribs tasted as if they were warmed from slow cooked leftovers left to cool in the fridge. The rice was hard. Neither dish met the expectations set by Osborne's normally reliable review.

Happily, my better half and I were much better served after my haircut. This time, we ate in the restaurant and we arrived during the beginning of service.

As for the restaurant itself, please pay no mind to the brightly coloured walls, strange tiling, and vacation magazine cutouts that decorate every exposed surface.

Interior
These elements are meant to brighten the eating area and establish an informal atmosphere. Besides, it works remarkably well when bright midday sunlight spills into the dining room from the bay windows at the front of the restaurant.

The friendly owner, Hugo, is the front of house staff. His wife cooks up a storm in the kitchen. He invites patrons into the restaurant and checks up on them regularly to make sure they are comfortable. She prepares what Osbourne calls "Chilean comfort food" that makes up the restaurant's menu.

Like Osboure, Jenn ordered the pastel de choclo, ostensibly a Chilean take on the British Cottage Pie.
Topped with a mixture of what we presumed to be mashed plantains and potatoes, the filling consisted of ground beef, an entire chicken leg, black olives, boiled egg, onion, and raisins. Yes, save for the chicken leg, this closely resembled the empenada filling. The difference: it was served piping hot.

Chilean Cottage Pie
Jenn thoroughly enjoyed her meal, even squealing with delight when she found an entire chicken leg embedded under the sweet and starchy topping.

Me, I ordered the pichanga. According to Wikipedia.net, pichanga is a communal or "common table" dish where people serve themselves. It usually consists of a mixture of different ingredients, including french fries, beef, chicken, cheese, egg and sausage.

Mine was a single serving of different meats, topped with hand cut fries. The fries were freshly fried, crisp on the outside and tender in the middle. It was served with hot sauce.

Pichanga

Pichanga with Hot Sauce
The hot sauce consisted of various sweet and hot peppers and chopped tomatillos mixed with vinegar. It provided a fruity brightness as well as spice to the meal. If you are not served a bowl of "sauce" with your pichanga, ask for one. The flavor contrast adds depth to the dish.

The pichanga had grilled bone-in chicken, grilled German sausages, slow cooked then grilled ribs, and sweated onions.

Pichanga Deconstructed
The chicken was tender and flavorful. The sausages were juicy. The ribs, though twice-cooked, were very tender. The onions added texture and savoriness.

Hugo recommended the pichanga to me as I was literally starving. It hit the spot. When I finished, I was stuffed and happy. Next time, I'm having the pastel de choclo though. Even though I saw Hugo pulling two plastic covered servings from a freezer in the back of the restaurant, what my better half was served tasted relatively fresh. Jenn offered me a spoonful of the topping and mixture. It sang with flavor in my mouth.

At $31.62, including 1 very fresh spinach salad, 2 cans of Coke and taxes, the lunch was a steal. We left our tip in the earthenware gondola by the cashier and wished Hugo well.

We will definitely be going back and soon.

Here is Vina del Mar's business card.

Business Card

Particulars:
Vina Del Mar Restaurant
1079 Wellington Street W.
(613)724-3000

Celebrity Hair Design
1024 Wellington Street W.
(613)759-HAIR(4247)
celebrityhairdesign.ca.