Restaurant reviews

Five questions, five answers about Five Guys Burger


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.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries on Urbanspoon

Great Eggspectation!

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.

French toast, poached eggs, bacon, potatoes and fruit.

Eggspectation on Urbanspoon

Eating out of my hands

I’ve never been to Africa. I’ve never eaten African cuisine. So when my friend suggested Habesha Restaurant on Rideau Street, I was all in.

This tiny restaurant holds 7 tables at the most. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in warmth, friendliness and amazing food. Our server was the owner and he couldn’t have been kinder. He was a good-hearted, funny and well mannered kinda of chap.

My friend’s buddy comes to this restaurant frequently and so we were well armed with a list of his favourite menu items without really knowing exactly what we were ordering. For me, that’s scary. I’m not a dolt but certainly never the first in line for the tasting menu. I like to know what I am about to eat. In this circumstance, I relied on my trusty friend and his buddy. And man am I glad I did.

Habesha Restaurant, 574 Rideau Street, Ottawa

Before us appeared a circular platter not unlike a pizza pan that acted as the serving dish. All guests eat from this one platter. The platter held an injera, the pancake-like bread of Ethiopia. On top of the injera was placed an assortment of stews, meats and salads. Extra injera bread was served on the side. You take a piece of the bread, scoop up the food and then pop it into your mouth. Traditionally, Ethiopians eat most food with their hands, no utensils required. I was more than happy to oblige.

I foolishly didn’t retain the names of the dishes. Next time I visit, I’ll get it right. Apologies.
Injera is a yeast-risen flatbread with a unique, slightly spongy texture.

The flavours of the food were outstanding. Ingredients such as red chilies, fenugreek and ginger enriched the flavours of the dishes. The bread was a standout for me. Soft and spongy, it reminded me of a crêpe. It took a little practice to eat with the injera but I eventually got the hang of it.

With a full belly and a kind handshake from the owner, my African adventure was complete. I will be going back to Habesha cause I am now a full-fledged fan.

Habesha on Urbanspoon

Beer, beer and atmosphere

More than once we looked at each other and said “this place is cool.” We were sitting on the patio of the Mill St. Brewery, surrounded by trees, the nearby river, what seemed like hundreds of people and a curious rabbit. If you like beer, this is the place for you.

Mill St. is housed in the 140-year-old former Mill restaurant out on Wellington Street near the War Museum. I met up with the crew a little bit late and they were already well settled into the palates of beer. Being a brewery, this place is all about the cold ones. They have 14 taps that include Tankhouse Ale and some brews designed especially for their Ottawa patrons. While you’re there, you may want to take a free tour of the brewery or drop by the retail store to take home some beer samples and Mill St. merch. It’s like beer wonderland!

Beer palate
The food is classic pub fare. Sandwiches and burgers, some flat breads, mussels, salads and wings. The food incorporates Mill St. beer into many of the menu items. I had the daily special, the ribs and french fries. While the ribs were a little on the ordinary side the fries were definitely a standout. They were soft which is not the usual texture for fries. They tasted sweet and spicy. And they were addictive. Maybe they were also cooked in beer. I forgot to ask. Next time. The gang sampled the angus burger, fish and chips and the club. No complaints and most everyone cleaned their plates. While the food is good, it’s definitely not the draw. And that’s ok.

The Mill St. Brewery is slick and screams atmosphere. There’s no other place like it in Ottawa and because of that, it’s going to do really well. Expect long lines to get in all summer long. I’l be there for sure.

Beer-B-Que ribs & chips
Angus burger
Fish ‘n’ chips

Mill Street Brew Pub on Urbanspoon

Restaurant Review: Town.

Go to Town! No, seriously. Go to Town. It’s one of the most “with it” restaurants I’ve frequented of late. It’s got it’s act together for sure. Of note is their service. Attentive yet not overly so. The servers are knowledgeable and serve without hovering. I love that.

The food was quite impressive. Don’t be put off by my poor photography skills. I had their trout ala nonna. Pan seared trout with lentils, bacon, pearl onions, tomatoes, enochi mushrooms with a guanciale (bacon) vinaigrette for $24.

My pal had the half-chicken under a brick. Black garlic jus, mascarpone mash potatoes, butternut squash, Brussel sprouts and chestnuts for $25. I was graciously allowed a sample and found it to be quite delicious. I might order the chicken next time.

You’ll need a reservation. They have 5:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. slots available. When I made the reservation, I was told that we would need to leave before 7:15 (annoying). But we managed to eat, drink and talk plenty before finally leaving at 7:30 pm. There was nary a peep from server. I would definitely recommend Town. I hope to go back soon to sample the chicken and maybe the ricotta stuffed meatballs. It’s supposed to be their signature dish.

Town is located at 296 Elgin in between Browns Cleaners and Money Mart.

Town on UrbanspoonIf

Dining at Felipe’s

For all the years I’ve been going to Boston, I’ve heard about this place in Harvard Square called Felipe’s Taquaria. Frankly, Chipotle suited my needs for mexican fare just fine. But it’s not exactly authentic. So one night before a Red Sox game, I sought out Felipe’s. It’s on Mount Auburn street near JFK. I had the soft steak tacos. They were fine I guess. I liked that you get to pile on extra condiments like tomatoes and radishes. Service was fast enough. But I don’t get the hype. Maybe I’m missing something? I might be back to try the burrito’s. I hear those are good. The again, Chipotle’s burrito’s are pretty sick.

Steak tacos with fixings

I tried the best lobster roll in New England

I’m not an lobster roll aficionado. But Neptune Oyster‘s lobster roll has been touted as the best in New England. So why not try it? It came on a toasted brioche with whole pieces of tail and claw drenched in buttery goodness accompanied by a mound of fries. It was wicked tasty. Next time I’ll try the more traditional cold version mixed with mayo. And I should have sampled the Oysters for Pete’s sake. It’s called Neptune Oyster. Not sure what I was thinking.

Neptune Oyster, 63 Salem Street, North End, Boston, MA
Maine Lobster Roll served hot with butter

Neptune Oyster on Urbanspoon

Clover Food Labs

I must confess that I’m a bit obsessed with Boston’s Clover Food Labs. The Harvard Square one in particular. Being treated like family is such a cliche but I’m unable to find a better way to describe what I feel when I’m there. They make me feel welcomed and at home.

Clover is an interesting business model. Part start-up, part high tech firm, part experimental cuisine. They use local, fresh ingredients don’t even own a freezer. And it wasn’t until my third trip there that I noticed the the menu was vegetarian (I’m a little slow but in my defence, they do make the place  approachable even for a burger chomping, Julia Child worshiping guy like me). Clover uses their customers as a testing lab (It’s not as painful as it sounds). If we don’t like a sandwich, it’s gone. If we do, it stays the course. White boards serve as menus, which makes for quick edits if items change or run out. I’m impressed by their use of Twitter to announce their daily offerings. I’m mostly in Ottawa when they tweet about whoopee pies coming out fresh from the oven. Don’t think I haven’t fantasized about making the drive down just to get me some hot whoopee pies. Although by the time I got to HSQ they wouldn’t be hot. But I bet if I asked, the nice folks at Clover would bake me a whole new batch of pies on my arrival. That’s how fantastic they are there.

Clover’s low-key vibe made it a perfect place to start my mornings. I even ventured there for lunch once or twice. Check out the pics below to see what I had to eat.

Popover, pickled zucchini, tomato and cheese. Oatmeal with fruit compote and fresh squeezed OJ.
Chickpea plate: Tomato cucumber salad, humous, pickled cabbage salad, and chick pea fritters. There’s a pita bread but I guess he was to shy to make a photo appearance. Cold home made iced tea to wash it all down with.
The ultimate breakfast sandwich. A soft-boiled egg, tomato and cheese in a whole weight pita. Blurriness not included.

Bad Chowdah

It was raining. It was cold. I needed chowder. I just happened to be at the most opportune place to fill my craving: Quincy Market. For those of you who have never been to Boston, Quincy Market is near Faneuil Hall and houses an endless food court filled with pizza, seafood, BBQ, sweets and tons more. I went to Boston Chowdah, a pretty reliable source for authentic New England chowder. Except on this occasion, someone must have dropped a box of cornstarch into the cauldron cause this chowder was barely edible. Thick, floury and kinda gross. I scooped up the seafood chunks and dumped out the rest. On a more positive note, the oyster crackers were pretty delicious.

Boston Chowda Co on Urbanspoon

I made it to Boston

I made it safe and sound. It had been a while since I’d driven to Boston and driving here is probably not something that I will repeat anytime soon. It was a long and dull commute. But enough about how I got here. Lets get to the important stuff. Food!

When I think of Boston. I think of a few things. Red Sox, Harvard and Upper Crust Pizza. UC is a boston based pizzeria with the badest sickest pizza there is. Everyone thinks they know who has the best pizza and let me tell you, if they don’t say Upper Crust, they’re wrong. Fresh ingredients, sweet sauce, thin crust all made to order makes for one tasty pizza. The people at UC work hard and help give the place a great vibe. Whenever I get to Boston, I run to Upper Crust.

Little slice of pepperoni pizza heaven at Upper Crust Harvard Square

The Upper Crust Pizzeria on Urbanspoon