Apparently, the City of Ottawa took issue with the St. Albert Cheese Co-operative, local producer of some of the squeakiest fresh cheese curds to grace a bowl of poutine, and the black and white dairy cow statue that sits above its Cheddar and Et Cetera storefront in Orleans.

The cow statue breaches a ban on "promotional object and banners above a store's roofline." But, after a 1500 signature petition was presented to the municipality, Ottawa's planning and environmental committee reversed its stance, ruling that the cow could remain until the end of 2010. CBC Ottawa reports the reprieve will allow the committee to discuss and reconsider the ban.

Meanwhile, the piece garnered a memorable comment that made me laugh:

Udderly preposterous. The ruling committee shouldn't have a cow over this; rather, they should take the bull by the horns, quit milking the issue, graduate to bovine university and have some common sense. These people need to be put out to pasture – honestly, what's the beef here?

Source: CBC Ottawa (MiguelSanchez from Wakaw, Saskatchewan)

You know what? I've visited that store before and I never looked upwards to see the cow. Then again, it took me a number of years to see the cow's head on the building above Saslove's Meat Market (1333 Wellington Street W.), Agave Grill (1331 Wellington Street W.) and Petit Bill's Bistro (1293 Wellington Street W.). I've lived in the neighbourhood 6 years now.

Look up...Waaaay up!

Flower Munching Cow

Dear City of Ottawa, don't mess with this cow either. Residents of Wellington West probably won't take it well...

Besides, it doesn't promote any udderlying businesses!

Particulars:
Cheddar Et Cetera
900 Watters Road,
Orleans, Ontario
(613)830-8850

St Albert Co-Op Cheese Factory
150 Saint Paul Street
St-Albert, Ontario
(613)987-2872

Here at foodiePrints, we are always on the lookout for Ottawa's best bubble tea house. Thus far, Don and I have been to the two locations of Bubblelicity (Chinatown and ByWard Market), the Nihao Tea House (now defunct on Holland Avenue), and Maple Valley (also in the ByWard Market). Since the summer, we have been eagerly awaiting for Tea Shop 168 to open on Wellington Street W. (1356). In business since 1996, Tea Shop 168 is a Toronto-based chain that has over a dozen locations, mainly in Markham and Scarborough.

After months of renovations, Tea Shop 168 finally opened its doors last Saturday (November 28, 2009). To celebrate, everything on the menu was 50% off the entire weekend. This week, all purchases are discounted 10%. Starting next week, lunch will be offered and the menu will include lots of Taiwanese-style snacks, such as fish balls, won ton dumplings, toast, etc.

Welcome to Tea Shop 168!

With the majority of our errands run, we decided to give the newly opened bubble tea house a try that Saturday evening. Upon walking into the cream and yellow coloured house that was previously a hair salon, we were enthusiastically greeted by a young Mandarin-speaking woman (who happened to be the owner), her staff, and several of her friends. Playing was Japanese pop music from the early 2000s, a greatest hits mix of Ayumi Hamasaki.

Inside, there were two tall glass bistro-style tables able to sit groups of three and tall gray metal stools lining a bar set against a large bay window. On the other side of the room was another long counter with menus, Chinese and Japanese fashion and gossip magazine, and a cute brown miniature shopping cart for tips beside the cash register. Behind the counter was an ice maker, an induction burner, a rice cooker (for cooking the tapioca pearls), two commercial grade blendesr, and rows of jars filled with colourful powders, each a different flavour.

Bistro table with a clock

Gazing outside from the bar counter

A variety of flavours in jars and squeeze bottles

After consulting the menu, I decided to order my usual, a regular size lychee bubble slush with lychee jelly pieces. Don ordered a black tea taro flavoured milk tea with pearls. All drinks, eat-in or take-out, are served in a plastic Tea Shop 168 cup, either sealed with plastic or with a lid.

Checking out the menu

My lychee slush was surprisingly pleasant. It was not overly sweet, nor did it take on a yellowish colour from too much syrup. When bubble slushes take on a colour, it is often too concentrated. I did not find any chunks of ice and there was just the right amount of jelly pieces.

Lychee Bubble Slush with lychee jelly pieces

When ordering tea-based drinks, you can choose to have it served hot or cold. In this case, Don requested his to be cold. However, when the server handed him his drink, I was rather surprised it was just slightly room temperature, warm for bubble tea. The taro milk tea was slightly powdery and the tapioca pearls too soft.

Taro Milk Tea with pearls

Although the drinks were a bit of a hit-and-miss, Tea Shop 168 is certainly worth checking out. The menu offers a variety of teas and slushes. While the staff are still in training and are experiencing a bit of trouble finding the requested powder (suggestion: organize it in alphabetical order!), the preparation of each drink is impressive. Everything is carefully measured and then shaken in a cocktail shaker.

That evening, each drink cost only $2.10 (regular price: $4.19) for a total of $7.11, tax included.

Thus far, foodiePrints' ranking of the top tea houses in Ottawa are as followed:

4. Bubblicity
3. Tea Shop 168
2. Maple Valley (foodiePrint's review)
1. ???

Stay tune as foodiePrints will be revealing its favourite bubble tea shop very soon!

Particulars:
Tea Shop 168
1356 Wellington Street
(613) 695-2686

Well, another foodiePrint went up on Ottawa Tonite. Its subject: Petit Bill's Bistro's annual Newfie Night Dinner."

Here is a screen capture for posterity:

Dining in Newfoundland Tradition: Newfie Night at Petit Bill?s Bistro

To re-iterate, Jenn and I had great fun and enjoyed our dishes. We shared the cod tongues and pickerel cheeks appetizers. I had the Jigg's dinner for my main and figgy Duff, lassy mogs, and jam jams for dessert. Jenn, the rabbit stew and the Newfie pound cake for dessert.

Also, after we posted the entry, Melissa Dimock of Refashionista (@refashionista) exclaimed on Twitter how familiar she was with the dishes served. She even forwarded me a link to her Great Grandmother's recipe for Molasses Cookies. She, a maritimer hailing from Nova Scotia, says they make great jam jams.

I think jam jams using Melissa's Great Grandmother's cookies will be this year's Christmas cookie. Stay tuned for my attempt :)

Particulars:
Petit Bill?s Bistro
1293 Wellington Street W.
(613)729-2500

The Taste of Wellington has come and gone for the fall of 2009, the inaugural year that it has been held during the Autumnal harvest. The past two, were held during the summer. Those of us who attended saw sites beyond the amazing dishes that demonstrate what Ottawa's "Epicurean Row" has to offer.

Long Lines:

Significant Lineups, some longer, few shorter
This particular one led up to my favourite restaurant in Ottawa, Allium.

Costumed Street Performers:

Seemingly Still Stone Statues

Drinks Anyone?
All three, seemingly frozen, shifted positions when a coin was placed at their feet.

This year, Jenn and I assembled a group of participants, including twitterati @spoonsie and @paolasepicure, for a foodie crawl. We assembled at Canvas (65 Holland Avenue).

Inside, we were warmly greeted by Canvas' owner Charles Beauregard. He presented us with the following:

Top: Shrimp and Mango Salsa Rice Paper Roll, Bottom: Local Tomato Bruschetta
In fact, the bruschetta topping was so fresh and sweet that Jenn could smell the ripe tomatoes from the door of the restaurant. The rice paper rolls were also delectable, pairing shrimp with fruit.

Lobster Mac and Cheese
These panko crumb coated morsels were sinfully good and garnered quite a bit of attention. Charles couldn't re-stock the trays fast enough.

Afterward, we headed to Foolish Chicken (79 Holland Avenue). There, we found our first line up, albeit a short one. It led to owner Natalie Aucoin, serving up bowls of corn and chicken chowder with a corn bread muffin.

Corn and Chicken Chowder with a Corn Bread Muffin
The chowder was watery and uninspired. The corn bread muffin, on the other hand was light and flavorful.

On our way to our next destination, several of us stopped in to Istanbouli Shawarma (81 Holland Avenue). There, they tasted samples of Istanbouli's regular platters and sandwiches.

Top: Chicken shawarma pita wedge, Bottom: Falafel

Next, we headed to Allium (87 Holland Avenue), where we found the long line up pictured above. When we reached the samples, we found fish tacos.

Fish Tacos

My Taco
With an in-house made tortilla, Allium's fish tacos demonstrate that fish tacos need not be made with battered or breaded fish. Instead, these tacos contained flaked pan-seared haddock and a mango, avocado, and chipotle salsa. A wonderful blend of textures and flavours, the tacos easily won the restaurant new converts.

With the restaurants on Holland visited, we turned our attention to Absinthe Cafe Resto-Bar (1208 Wellington Street W.), the restaurant I told everyone was the "go to" for Ottawa's best steak frites. There, we waited for a half hour in another line. Why? Absinthe served near full-size quarter pound burgers, made from the trimmings from its popular steak frites. Absinthe uses "hanger" steak for its steak frites, a notoriously difficult to prepare cut that is singularly flavourful if cooked up perfectly medium rare. These burgers, which according to the waiters are served somewhat larger on the regular lunch menu, are shaped from those trimmings and any steaks too small to be made into steak frites. And yes, they were worth the wait.

Burgers, fixings, and cups of lemongrass and vanilla lemonade

Hanger Steak Burger on an in-house made bun
The fixings were no less spectacular: smoked chili relish, bannonnaise, cheddar sauce, chipotles, pickles, sauteed onions, sauteed mushrooms, and dijon and grainy mustard. The lemongrass and vanilla lemonade, a refreshing take on the classic drink.

Here is what I ended up with:

Burger topped half with lettuce and chili and half with lettuce and bacconnaise
Oh it was a burger to make a foodie cry: savory, juicy, distinctively flavorful, and grilled up perfectly. The next time I'm around the Wellington area for lunch, I will make it a point to head to Absinthe and order a hanger steak burger.

Absinthe is where my group of attendees disbanded. Some headed off to see what was left of the samples along Wellington. Others were stuffed and went about their weekend chores. Jenn and I headed to the Wellington Gastro-Pub (1325 Wellington Street W.) to drop off pictures for Chef/Owner Chris Deraiche of him, his brother, and his father at the Feast of Fields.

Now, let me reassure you, the dishes served were "samples" and they were indeed free. They demonstrate what Wellington Business Improvement Association (WBIA) volunteer and founder Dennis Van Staalduinen calls "Lethal Generosity." Leveraging the strengths of the Epicurian Row, its extremely high density of locally-owned shops and eateries, the Taste of Wellington accomplished two things. Firstly, it allowed residents and non-residents to meet the warm and inviting people who run the shops and eateries in the Wellington West and Hintonburg neighbourhoods. The fact is that each donated their time and products to make this event successful. Money from donation boxes at every table benefited a local food bank. Secondly, it highlighted the quality of food and service that can be had.

For many more images of the event, Van Staalduien (who goes by @denvan on twitter) hosted the 300 pictures he took of the event for the WBIA on Google's Picasa Web. Go take a gander!

Many thanks to Chris Lawson for his publishing a review I wrote on the Wellington Oracle (@wellingtnoracle on Twitter). It reviews Allium's first Tapas Monday after re-opening from its renovations this past summer .

Lost in Enjoyment

Allium is our favourite restaurant in Ottawa here at foodiePrints and we were glad to see it open to a warm welcome. Even weeks later, the restaurant is always brimming at lunchtime, on Tapas Mondays, and during Friday and Saturday evening service. While there are seats from Tuesday to Thursday, the restaurant still gathers a healthy crowd who appear "lost in enjoyment."

Allium also impressed the hundreds of people who gathered in the Hintonburg and Wellington West neighbourhoods for the Taste of Wellington event yesterday, drawing very long lines. Here is what Allium served:

Fish Taco with flaked haddock and a mango, avocado, and chipotle salsa
With an in-house made tortilla, this fish taco demonstrates that fish tacos need not be made with battered or breaded fish. A wonderful blend of textures and flavours, it was definitely a crowd favourite.

More images and a blog on the Taste of Wellington are upcoming...

More after the jump...