CheapEats Ottawa restaurant guide blog

Romance CheapEats Style

Keith asked: Is it really possible to have a quality or romantic experience inexpensively?

Certainly!  

There are plenty of romantic and interesting spots in most large cities, where with a little planning or attention to ordering, you can have a great romantic experience with good service and ambiance without breaking the bank. 

Some Quick Tips?

• Cocktails at home - markups are big on booze, so keep your restaurant drinking to a minimum.  Have a cocktail or a glass of wine at home before heading out.  Even better, setup an intimate corner at home to have your dessert & liqueurs and let the evening progress from there. 
• Share your food - appetizers and desserts are perfect sharing courses and sharing is always a great way to get close and isn't getting close the main objective of romance. 
• Show some flair – know a quiet but not so fancy spot with great food… bring your own candles and linen. Hey, the restaurant might even let you set it up in advance if you are really going all out. I have a friend who proposed in a burger joint.
• Get into the mood – cluttered chic and twinkle lights may not be your idea of classy, but boho  spots can be a lot of fun if you relax and embrace the environment. Cuddle in to avoid that spring poking out of the couch and enjoy your calamari.

I polled the rest of the CheapEats team for more tips on how they do romance on the cheap...

Open at last - Café Gaïa in downtown Hull

by Angela

As of today, the famous rue Montclair friendly vegetarian hole-in-the-wall has a brand new, slightly spiffier twin in downtown Hull! Located at the corner of Frontenac and Laval, Café Gaïa is steps away from the animated rue Laval café strip, and offers the same delicious menu that made the original outlet a favourite among local foodies - granolas or not - who have anxiously been waiting for a more accessible location. The new outlet is open Monday to Friday for lunch and dinner, and they also offer take out.

CheapEats menu includes sandwiches, soups and salads - for a few bucks more ($12.95  and I drink water!), you get a fuller meal, made from seasonal ingredients, such as their divine veggie couscous. And lots of leafy greens (oh, I can't live without them!)  Desserts themselves are worth the detour. 
And it's all healthy, made with love, and served with a smile...(full review to come!)

[This post was written by Angela Lu, a new contributor to CheapEats Ottawa. Angela is an Gatineau-based writer and serious foodie, cruising the Quebec side of the river for cinq-a-sept treats and the best poutine to share with you. Read Angela's other posts...]

Technorati Tags: cafe gaia, hull, new location, ceot, restaurant, vegetarian restaurant, review

Le Rendez-vous des Saveurs -- Sept 28-30,2007

by Angela Lu

Le Rendez-vous des saveurs is an annual fine food fair where producers, makers, bakers and restaurateurs rival to please the visitors' eyes, noses and taste buds.

The set up usually includes stalls in 2 large rooms - l'Agora of La Maison du Citoyen, with its windowed wall, and the adjacent Salle des Fêtes. Entrance is free, but if you want to take a bite, there are coupons for sale.

On Friday lunch time, the place is full of people from the neighbouring office towers, lining up to get their full from $15-20 of coupons: one has to manage budget and appetite wisely as serving sizes vary greatly from one stand to the next. From last year, I remember delicious (and filling) cheese-dried fruits-nuts on fresh baked bread combinations; wild mushroom vol-au-vent (a pastry); exotic terrines, and of course Miss Chocolat's incredible delectable treats. 

But there was much more - and going with friends enables you to taste all that much more variety (if the friends are willing to share, that is). A number of the producers have stuff for sale (for example the terrines), so that the delicious can be brought home. As for restaurants, you can fill up your booklet with good addresses for special occasions, or get a taste of their non-cheapeats menus at a discounted price.

All in all, a well-worth hour or 2 detour in your week-end.

Rendez-Vouz des Saveurs
September 28-30, 2007
Maison du Citoyen de Gatineau.

Tasting tickets are 50¢ each this year, and you can expect tastes to go for 2-8 tickets

 

[This post was written by Angela Lu, a new contributor to CheapEats Ottawa. Angela is an Gatineau-based writer and serious foodie, cruising the Quebec side of the river for cinq-a-sept treats and the best poutine to share with you. This is Angela's first CEOTblog post, but soon you can read her other CheapEat posts here.]

 

Technorati Tags: rendez vous des saveurs, hull, gatineau, food festival, marche vieux hull, maison du citoyen, l'association outaouaise des professionnels des metiers de bouche, restaurant, food and drink, events