CheapEats Ottawa restaurant guide blog

Quick Notes

• Hitting the Ontario Brewing Awards this afternoon. Let's hope last year's judging brew-ha-ha was a one time deal.

Automatically posted from the CheapEats Ottawa twitterfeed - www.twitter.com/ceot by LoudTwitter

Quick Reminder - Taste For Life

Just a quick reminder, as you consider your dinner plans for tonight that today is A Taste For Life (note the new link).

On Wednesday, April 23rd, you can dine out to help fight the impact of HIV/AIDS in our community.

It's simple!

1. Book a table at one of the participating restaurants on April 23rd.
2. Go out for dinner with your friends and family and have a great evening!
3. The restaurant will donate 25% of the cost of your meal to Bruce House and Snowy Owl AIDS Foundation.

Five CheapEats Ottawa restaurants are participating, so you can make a difference and still keep your dinner price under $15.  But why not splurge a little and you'll have great justification. 

Newport Restaurant   613-722-9322 - 334 Richmond Road
(check their profile on page 72 of CheapEats Ottawa)

Siam Bistro   613-728-3111 - 1268 Wellington Street West
(check their profile on page 90 of CheapEats Ottawa)

Thyme and Again  613-722-0093
(check their profile on page 94 of CheapEats Ottawa)
1255 Wellington Street West

The Clock Tower Brew Pub
(check their profile on page 42 of CheapEats Ottawa)
422 MacKay Street 613-744-4788
575 Bank Street 613-233-7849

Trattoria Caffe Italia  613-236-1081
(check their profile on page 94 of CheapEats Ottawa)
254 Preston Street

Check out the other restaurants participating in "A Taste For Life - April 23" »

Technorati Tags: a taste for life, ottawa, restaurants, fund raiser, dining event, april 23, charity, snowy owl, bruce house

A Taste For Life - April 23

On April 23rd, select restaurants across Ottawa are participating in A Taste For Life by  donating 25% of the cost of meals sold to Bruce House and the Snowy Owl AIDS Foundation.

With 5 CheapEats Ottawa restaurants participating, you can get a great meal without breaking the bank and still support these great organisations. But why not splurge a little, it's for a good cause.

Newport Restaurant   613-722-9322 - 334 Richmond Road
(check their profile on page 72 of CheapEats Ottawa)

Siam Bistro   613-728-3111 - 1268 Wellington Street West
(check their profile on page 90 of CheapEats Ottawa)

Thyme and Again  613-722-0093
(check their profile on page 94 of CheapEats Ottawa)
1255 Wellington Street West

The Clock Tower Brew Pub  
(check their profile on page 42 of CheapEats Ottawa)
422 MacKay Street 613-744-4788
575 Bank Street 613-233-7849

Trattoria Caffe Italia  613-236-1081
(check their profile on page 94 of CheapEats Ottawa)
254 Preston Street

Reservations are strongly recommended!!

Check out the other participating restaurants below:

You Are Invited!

Finally, the books are here and we're having a party! 

Join us at East African Restaurant on Wed. Feb. 13th and help us celebrate the latest edition of CheapEats Ottawa.  Talk about restaurants, food and Ottawa while you sample some of East African's great appetizers and sip Beau's with our contributors, celebrities, friends and restaurateurs. 

It's going to be a blast, and you're invited. So come!

 

In Bookstores Feb 13th!

We have finally nailed down a release date for the new edition of CheapEats Ottawa - it will be available in bookstores on February 13th.   

Look for it in Perfect Books, Collected Works, Books on Beechwood and After Stonewall.

Note: Due to the sales cycle at Indigo/Chapters, chances are it won't be in Chapters & Indigo stores until some time early March, but it is already partially online (they haven't loaded the "extra info" yet). We'll let you know when they start placing orders for their stores.

Over the next couple of days we'll be:

• letting you know how you can pre-order your copy direct through us
• tell you more about the upcoming book launch (tentatively Feb 13th, so keep your schedule open)
• and if you won a copy, we'll be in touch to make sure we have your up to date address.

It's going to be a busy couple of weeks and just like you, we can't wait to see the final book all together. (You know I'll take photos and post them on the flickr group as soon as the books arrive from the printer!)

Can I Quote You?

Hi guys,

We're in the final throws of work on the new edition of CheapEats Ottawa and will have the book in bookstores by the end of January (probably available to you even sooner than that!)

But right now I need 2 or 3 quotes for the back cover of the book from people who'd be okay with their name being on there.

Sure we could get one from a CheapEats celeb, but I'd rather have quotes from people who use the book on a regular basis.

Want to send us a quick "testimonial"? Or tell us a story of how you use the book?

Thanks in advance!
lex

Technorati Tags: CheapEats Ottawa, testimonials, quote, book cover

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

Rendez-Vouz des Saveurs - Sept 28-30, 2007

Rendez-Vouz des Saveurs Press Conference

I stumbled upon a press conference at the Marche Vieux Hull  announcing the 11th annual Rendez-Vouz des Saveurs September 28-30, 2007 at Maison du Citoyen de Gatineau.

Here's a little piece from their press release:

Regional cuisine will be proudly presented by professional chefs and acclaimed chef owners of regional restaurants… all under one roof and in a most relaxed atmosphere.

The show will also highlight roughly twenty small local enterprises through  l'Association Outaouaise des Professionnels des Métiers de Bouche to profile their products. They will be regrouped at the "MARCHÉ DE L'ÉPICERIE".

Local beers and selected wines will be available to accompany the many delicacies.

Tasting tickets will be sold at the show for 50 cents/ticket. You should count on about 2 to 8 coupons per tasting.  Cash only though ATM machines are available near the site of the show.

It looks like a great event, sadly I didn't have any credentials along... so no free wine for me. Maybe next year.

[If you're organising a public food, wine or restaurant event, please let us know about it by sending info to events [at] cheapeatsottawa [dot] com]

 

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

FestivASIA - September 8-9, 2007

Yes, Alexa, there is an Asian festival on this weekend (September 8 and 9).

FestivASIA
Saturday September 8 11am-6pm
Sunday September 9 11am-6pm
Cambridge Park (the corner of Somerset & Cambridge

Various Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants will be participating. The food vendors that will be participating in this festival include Mekong, Kinki & Hanbo, Burmese foods, Ben Ben Restaurant, Dining Lounge. Cost per plate of food served ranges from $2 to about $5.

There will also be a mini three-course meal that will include fine wines from Reif Estate, a delicious grilled beef, fried calamari and sushi by Japanese Village; quail breast by Par-fyme Bistro, and general tao's chicken and fried dumplings by Mekong Restaurant. Tickets will be $20 per person. Each of the 3 courses will be accompanied by fine wines from Reif Estate. There will also be fresh oysters served by Big Daddy's Crab Shack and Oyster Bar.

This is a multicultural event including Cambodian, Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, Burmese, Indian, etc. communities showcasing their culture. There will be entertainment provided by the Federation of Ottawa Chinese-Canadian Community Organization and lots of ethnic foods and Asian specialty vendors. The festival begins at 11am until 6pm.

Stop by and try the exotic foods and enjoy the unique cultural performances!

The festival is organized by the Somerset Chinatown Business Improvement Area.

Technorati Tags: festivasia, chinatown, ottawa, food festival, cambridge park, somerset chinatown bia, mekong, reif estate

Feast of Fields

Sunday, September 16, 2007
Vincent Massey Park
12-4 pm

Tickets are now on sale!

This is an outdoor event, subject to the usual concerns about rain, but if you get a nice day, Feast of Fields is one of the best ways around to sample some amazing and creative food.

Technically it’s not a cheap eat (at $40 for an adult ticket) but keep in mind that you do get a $15 tax receipt for that price.

This is a unique opportunity to sample the best of the fall harvest prepared by about 20 chefs from across the region, all of whom have been paired with farmers from the region who embrace local and organic production methods.

The event runs from noon until 4pm, but food is served for the first two hours only. So get there on time. For more information check out the Canadian Organic Growers' website.