CheapEats Ottawa restaurant guide blog

Poll: Deep Fried Potato Goodness!

Inspired by this week’s Photo of the Week, we decided it’s time for a little poll action again.

So,  Best Fries and Best Poutine in the National Capital Region.  What do you think?

The Double Decker Bus

CheapEats Ottawa photo of the week is The Double Decker Bus, Manotick by Emily

The double decker bus is iconically British and poutine (the specialty of the Double Decker Bus) is iconically Canadian.  Kind of a cool and fun little spot to get a bit of our iconic history... or at least iconic lunch. 

Besides in a recent Best Fries In Town poll that the guys at CTV ran, the Double Decker Bus actually beat S&G Fries who has been leading the pack for years.

• Double Decker Bus (Main St. Manotick) (39 %)
• S&G Fries (1845 Carling Avenue) (35 %)
• Wes's Chip Truck (198 Madawaska Blvd. Arnprior) (12 %)
• Fritomania (2442 Saint Joseph Blvd. Orleans) (7 %)
• Glen's Chip Truck (Richmond Road/Island Park) (6 %)

Thanks Emily for getting the conversation about best fries and best poutine rolling again.

Add your own photo to CheapEats Ottawa Flickr Group and it could be our next Photo of the Week. 

420 Munchies Poll

Romance Is In The Air

Valentine’s Day is on Monday, so I thought I’d close out our Round Up series with this question:

Where are you taking your cutie for a romantic dinner?

Allium Restaurant (87 Holland Avenue)
Don & Jenn aka foodiePrints We blog about food, cooking, and eating in Canada's capital, Ottawa.

Eighteen

Ryan Anderson Amateur cook, professional marketer.

  My cutie is happy when he gets taken to a romantic dinner at Restaurant Les Fougères outside Chelsea in the Gatineau Hills.  We like to do the table d'hôte with the wine pairings!
AM Waters   Food blogger from Ottawa who loves to eat out & loves messing in the kitchen. Also blogs for Ottawa At Home magazine.

What are you drinking these days? Cocktail version

There's nothing better than a cocktail after work early in the week.  Just a little something to take the edge off the tensions of the day, stimulate your appetite settle you into your evening.

So I wanted to know what cocktails are wetting the whistles of our January Round Up Crew? 

What cocktails are you drinking these days?

Hot Toddy/Tottie/Totti - great cold medicine.

Sean Moher groovy grapes co-founder

Just about anything with cranberry in it.  Anyone up for a Cosmo?
Don & Jenn aka foodiePrints We blog about food, cooking, and eating in Canada's capital, Ottawa.

 Good classic martinis (from my house!)

Katie  one of the founding members of Apt613

What's for brunch?

The weekend is over and I want to know:

What's for brunch?

French toast with meat or dim sum
Alexa Clark  chief CheapEater, social entrepreneur, and generally found doing bookie & foodie things.

Eggs Benny!

Shari Goodman food blogger, restaurant reviewer for Metro Ottawa, and passionate foodie

Eggs Benny.  Else, something with eggs and cheese (particularly French Toast)
Don & Jenn aka foodiePrints We blog about food, cooking, and eating in Canada's capital, Ottawa.

Trend Thursday – Fast Food Edition

For today’s Trend Thursday, we’re going to look at our Crew’s view of the fast food and comfort food trends happening these days.

What upcoming trend are you most interested in?
 Haute Fast Food

Karl Bélanger     Senior Press Secretary to NDP Leader - Part Time Food blogger

  Real meals for lunch...  Hold the paninis please.

Lana Stewart  Carbovore, maritimer, allergy mom and bread baker.

New takes on common fare - like haute diner food or gourmet pizza.  In Ottawa, Tennessy Willems does the latter really well.
Ryan Anderson Amateur cook, professional marketer.

More poutine.
Vicky Weiss    Food Sales Rep, Foodie, Loves to Entertain and try new recipes

I'd love to see the food truck trend make serious inroads in Ottawa.  Or at least street food beyond the street dog.
Though, I do find it interesting that Haute Hot Dogs are definitely one of the trends to watch! So, get the dogs off the street and fill the carts with other yummy stuff.
Alexa Clark   author, chief CheapEater, Secret Pickle Supper Club co-founder, HoHoTO co-founder, photographer and blogger.

Hangover Breakfast & Wreck'em!

Greasy spoons, diners, open kitchens.  They are the origin of great food orders like "Chicks on a raft", "burn one, take it through the garden and pin a rose on it" and "86 it!". They are an iconic part of North American culture. 

More importantly, they are the best place to go when you are nursing a hangover and need cup after cup of coffee from a waitress who will inevitably call you "hun".

As you might be able to tell, I'm a fan of the Greasy Spoon so it was no surprise I asked the January Round Up Crew:

What is your go-to greasiest spoon?

The teenager and I have frequented Mello's on Dalhousie many times when looking for that perfect cheapy diner breakfast after he has come off the water from the early morning rowing practice. We always sit at the counter close to the grill.  Love chatting with the fellow clearing the dishes.  He knows so much!
AM Waters   Food blogger from Ottawa who loves to eat out & loves messing in the kitchen. Also blogs for Ottawa At Home magazine.

Hump Day Happy Hours

Groundhog Day, Wednesday, Hump Day - what ever you call it, it's a good time to meet a friend for a cocktail and enjoy a Happy Hour.

We only had a handful of the Round Up Crew pipe in on this one, so it would be great to hear about your favourite Happy Hour watering hole too.

Who has the happiest happy hour?

Trio is my favourite bar - not sure if it has happy hour.

Ryan Anderson Amateur cook, professional marketer.

Oyster Friday at D'Arcy McGee's (44 Sparks Street):
Don & Jenn aka foodiePrints We blog about food, cooking, and eating in Canada's capital, Ottawa.

Brixton's

Karl Bélanger     Senior Press Secretary to NDP Leader - Part Time Food blogger

 My neighbor. I call him Martini Ron.
Carrie Oliver   Founder, The Artisan Beef Institute and resident Beef Geek. Some call me Robert Parker of Beef, others, The Steak Lady.

Nothing Open, What To Do?

We've all been there. You're hungry. Really hungry. You don't want to go home or the cupboard is empty. What do you do? Where do you turn? What are you going to eat?

It happens to me all the time. New Year's Day was the most recent example,  so I thought I'd see what the Round Up Crew does.

When you're hungry and nothing else is open, where do you go to eat?

Trio on Wellington

Ryan Anderson Amateur cook, professional marketer.

Not sure where I would be able to go if nothing else is open!  Zak's Diner in the Byward Market is 24/7.  The do make a fine milkshake. 
AM Waters   Food blogger from Ottawa who loves to eat out & loves messing in the kitchen. Also blogs for Ottawa At Home magazine.

Hmmm.  That doesn't happen much.  Probably the Elgin Street Diner.
 Gerry Ohlsen   Gerry was a diplomat, roaming the world in search the ultimate tasty tidbit, whatever its origin. Now settled back in Ottawa and still searching.