My friend loves Red Lobster. She also happens to have a birthday near mine. A double birthday celebration at the RL was in order. Although I’m used to amazing New England seafood, Red Lobster ain’t half bad. I worked there when I was a teen so I know just what to order. You can never go wrong with clam chowder and lobster. Great combo. Happy Birthday to us!
You know how some people shy away from their birthdays? How they prefer to downplay the festivities and jubilation? How they think that gifts are no longer necessary once they reach the age of 30? We’ll let me tell ya something, I’m not one of those people. I think birthdays are meant to be feted. That’s why a full month is dedicated to the celebration of my being. My family and friends know all too well that I like to make a big deal out of birthdays and they are happy to oblige.
If this is sounding a little too much to bear and self-indulgent, here’s how I see it. Life is short. Who knows? This may well be my last birthday. Why not do it up big? But the real reason behind this month-long bday affair is this: It’s a good reason to get together with the people I love, create some memories and enjoy our time together. And to me, that’s worth a whole lot. So check out CFD throughout the month of August for some bday postings. And from these postings you’ll be able to see what I already know. That I’m one the luckiest guys around.
View the food pics from a birthday celebration courtesy of some very good friends.
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| Stacked tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella |
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| Salmon in a lemongrass hollandaise sauce, asparagus, wild rice and peach salsa |
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| Berry cake |
The New York Times reported recently that the price of lobster has hit a 40-year low. A combo of warm weather and good conservation techniques has led to a record lobster harvest. An abundance of inexpensive lobster is a gift that doesn’t come around too often. Why not take advantage of this lobster bounty by serving your guests a knockout dish?
Dating back to 2008, this recipe is courtesy of the always brilliant LCBO Food & Drink magazine. Lobster, mango, avocado, cilantro, mint, lime and a host of other ingredients make up Thai marinated lobster with avocado and hearts of palm. I’ve served up this recipe on a number of occasions and it has elicited infinite praise and even marriage proposals. One guest proclaimed it to be the best thing he ever ate. Try this recipe for yourself and let me know what you think.
Have you ever time travelled? Apparently I have ’cause I somehow ended up in the 1950s hanging out at Dick’s Drive-In & Dairy-Dip. Now the ’50s certainly wouldn’t be my preferred “Quantum Leap” destination, but I made the best of it while I was there. Dick’s motto is “Welcome back to the good old days.” And he ain’t kidding. I wasn’t around in the “Happy Days” era, but I’m thinking this is what things were like for the Fonz: A neighbourhood malt shop served juicy burgers grilled over charcoal with hand cut french fries on the side while a scary hulking sculpture of a milkshake hovered above the tables.
The burgers were quite scrumptious and tasted decidedly retro. They’re real meat topped with fresh ingredients and cooked to perfection. Nice concept. All beef burgers are Angus Pride beef and come with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, aioli, sautéed onions, Dijon or regular mustard, unless you say otherwise.
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| Blurry pics of food are my specialty. Sorry about that 🙁 |
While it was “neat-o” to visit the bygone days when they “rocked around the clock,” I was happy to time-travel back to 2012 when Dick’s ranked #4 in the Ottawa Citizen poll for Ottawa’s Best Burger 2012. But hear me out. I’ve been to the supposed top three haunts, and I can tell you from the bottom of my heart and the top of my palate, Dick’s is #1. But don’t just take my word for it, try it out for yourself. “Be there or be square!”
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| Dick’s Drive-In & Dairy-Dip is located at 1485 Merivale Road, near Clyde Ave. |
Once in a while you come across something so intoxicating, so glorious that you feel the need to tell the world what you’ve found. Well run and tell the universe about Suzy Q Doughnuts. Please!
You don’t understand. These doughnuts are utterly sublime and delectable. Suffice it to say that they are the best doughnuts I have ever had the pleasure of savouring. Light and delicate, fluffy, not greasy and never too sweet. Perfection, really. These are the type of doughnuts that inspire cravings, addictions and obsessions.
New gournet creations are popping up all the time. Pomegranate White Chocolate. S’mores. Blue Van Fruit Loop. Maple Bacon. Run of the mill factory made doughnuts, these are not.
Perhaps it’s obvious from my superlative heavy, overt rantings that I’ve gotten worked up over some doughnuts. But when somebody is this great at what they do, I get excited. And I want to tell other people about their greatness. So hats off to Ms. Sue Hamer (a.k.a. Suzy Q). The world is a better place because of you and your doughnuts.
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| Suzy Q Doughnuts, 991 Wellington Street West |
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| A box of 6 is $10. Well worth the price! |
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| Clockwise from top left, Salty Caramel, Lemon Thyme, Blueberry, Maple Bacon, Toasted Coconut with Kaffir Lime and Dirty Chocolate. |
Listen, I don’t like to say not-so-nice things about food establishments that are clearly putting forth an effort. But TacoLot is not so fantastic. I agreed with my friend’s statement, “I really wanted to like this place.” I really did. But I ended up disappointed. TacoLot’s got much going for it. It’s in the getting trendier by the minute Hintonburgh area. It’s a hut on a lot. It’s an easy to walk to neighbourhood joint. And it serves the ever popular tacos. But the aforementioned tacos are pretty unspectacular. So bland that even a hot sauce couldn’t spice up. The tortillas were dry and almost crusty. The rice was unexpectedly sticky. Even the pico de gallo was flavourless. I’m willing to chalk this up to a bad night and give it another try maybe later on this summer. But for now at least, I’m left dreaming of a better taco. Any suggestions?
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| TacoLot – 995 Wellington Street West |
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| Pork tacos platter |
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| Gazing towards Wellington Street |
I’ve read that the owner, having been inspired by a recent six-year stint in Paris, wanted to recreate a time where people lived their lives in the local back lanes, surrounded by neighbours, open air kitchens and vegetable gardens.
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| Homemade bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar |
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| Chilled pan seared trout, with cucumber salad, tomato and tahini sauce |
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What is Five Guys Burger?
A U.S. burger chain first opened in the mid 80’s.
Who are the Five Guys?
They are five brothers from the Washington D.C. area.
Where is Five Guys Burger?
It’s in 46 states and in 6 Canadian provinces, including the Ottawa location at Train Yards. An Orleans Five Guys is coming soon.
What’s on the menu?
Hand-formed burgers, dogs, sandwiches and fresh-cut fries. For the burgers and the dogs, you can choose as many free toppings as you want. Munch on salted peanuts in the shell as your wait for your order.
Is the food any good?
It’s not terrible. I had the burger and it was tasty. The price was a little disconcerting. Over $14 for a burger, some fries and a fountain drink. You do get an inordinate amount of fries but it all gets thrown together in a paper bag that gets very greasy. I don’t think I will be going back. In my opinion, you can get this kind of meal at any food truck for half the price. Try FGB and let me know what you think.
If you’re travelling to the west coast of America or to Texas, go to In-N-Out burger. Sweet Baby Jesus that’s the best burger anywhere. How I miss that burger. It makes you weak in the knees. Say a prayer that one day In-N-Out will come to Canada.
Ottawa’s a pretty small town. The hunt for annoto seeds, fresh dates, morel mushrooms or cabot cheddar can take you on a pretty wild goose chase. Nicastro’s on Bank street has bailed me out on more than one occasion in those times where I need to acquire a hard to find ingredient for my recipe. It’s a beautifully well-stocked market where you can find fresh produce, pasta, meats and sausages, deli items, cheeses, coffee, cookies and other gourmet foods. If Julia Child had lived in Ottawa, this is where she would have shopped.
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| Il Negozio Nicastro, 792 Bank Street (at Third Ave), Ottawa |
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| A variety of olives in the deli case. |
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| Find pretty much any mushroom you need for your recipe. Even those very expensive morels. |
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| One of the best assortment of cheese in the region. |
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| The walls are lined with oils and vinegars from all over the world. |
I can have breakfast pretty much any time of the day. There’s something intrinsically comforting about breakfast food. When I was a kid I used to sneak Eggos into my room for a quick snack. Cereal is still a go-to for an anytime-of-day nosh. Croissants, bagels, donuts, marmalade, jam, grits, oatmeal, omelettes, sausages, yogurt…I love them all.
My favourite breakfast place in Ottawa is Eggspectation. I go there fairly often with a friend and order pretty much the same thing. It’s always some combo of eggs, bacon and french toast or pancakes. If you want to check out Eggspectation, it’s on Bank Street near Laurier.
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| French toast, poached eggs, bacon, potatoes and fruit. |
