CITY BITES
Notable restaurant and food happenings
Pizza Party
In a city dominated by chains, it’s gratifying to see
Anthony’s as a pizza success story, launching its second location in the Glebe this past February. When Anthony’s pizzeria, named for its owner, Tony Balestra, moved into an old pawnshop in Hintonburg four years ago, locals were skeptical. But as word spread about his traditional Neapolitan pies, business boomed. Wood-oven pizza with a thinnish crust, sweet tomato sauce, traditional Italian toppings — what’s not to like? The latest Anthony’s faces stiff competition along Bank Street. Two other pizza players have also seen the area as an opportunity, with western Canadian hotshot Panago (1069 Bank St., 613-310-0001) opening its first local franchise in January, hot on the heels of Lansdowne Park’s
Crust & Crate (325 Marché Way, 613-234-5959), which calls itself a “little pizza pub.” For all that, Balestra is confident: “I see people who live in the neighbourhood walking over to eat. Maybe there will be some foot traffic when things are happening at Lansdowne Park, but mostly I picture getting to know families who live here.” Anthony’s, 753 Bank St., 613-695-9669.
Sushi Meets Cider
Since opening in late 2009, Kiko Sushi — a sleek and busy restaurant with a discerning list of Japanese specialties — has carved out a niche on Preston Street. But GM Tuan Nguyen admits their drinks menu was lacking. No longer. Late last year, Nguyen met with sommelier Rene Wallis (formerly of Brookstreet Hotel) to come up with a plan. “He got it right away,” says Nguyen, whose staff prepared some 100 items for Wallis to taste. The sommelier then designed a limited list of thoughtful pairings, expertly dividing the menu between the likes of “fresh and light” and “fresh and flavourful” maki and sushi, tempura dishes, barbecue, even lunchtime bento boxes. As a bonus, the owners hosted a surprise taste test one Saturday night in late December, setting out flights of wine, beer, and cider and gathering input from lucky diners. The resulting menu is a triumph — food items along the left side, pairings directly across from the relevant dish. Clear choices, simply put. 349 Preston St., 613-695-3143.
Whalesbone Expands
Your one-stop shop for sustainable seafood and kick-ass brown-bag lunches is expanding and rejigging. When the sign went up at 231 Elgin St., we assumed The Whalesbone’s retail operations were simply moving a few blocks east from Kent Street. Not so. Owner Josh Bishop tells us that the busy fish experts will now have three complementary locations in the downtown core. Depending on what customers are looking for, they can head to either The Whalesbone Bank Street (formerly The Whalesbone Oyster House), The
Whalesbone Kent Street (formerly The Whalesbone Sustainable Oyster & Fish Supply), or
The Whalesbone Elgin Street (formerly @ HOME retail store). Here’s the scoop. The restaurant remains as is but will also be a pick-up spot for brown-bag lunches. At The Whalesbone Kent Street, catering director Kate Klenavic will run the catering operation, which includes making breads and smoked fish and oysters for all The Whalesbone locations. Klenavic will also expand the take-home-meal market, overseeing a variety of meals (which will move beyond just seafood). Finally, the new kid on the block, The Whalesbone Elgin Street, will host the wholesale operations but will also act as a second pickup location for brown-bag lunches and the take-home-meal program and will offer a retail fish counter. Because the space is so big, there will be room for a 90-seat oyster house, which will include a 30-seat oyster bar along one wall. The plan is to have everything up and running by mid-May.
A Cut Above
Fads may come and go; trends, wax and wane. But the steakhouse is a constant. And with the closure of Hy’s in late February, Luxe Bistro is staking its claim as the place for steak. The restaurant’s new executive chef, Nick Berolo, has recently tweaked the restaurant’s classic steakhouse menu to include his own signature cuts of meat, a bountiful family-style sharing plate, and menu items cooked with “more craft and finesse.” Berolo, who grew up in Ottawa, trained at Le Cordon Bleu, and honed his craft at such notable Montreal establishments as L’Épicier, Bocata, and Barroco, has an appreciation for “keeping things classic.” Especially popular is the “Byward Cut,” a bone-in filet mignon that Berolo cuts himself, using the restaurant’s meat saw. Even juicier and more tender than a regular filet mignon, it’s a cut unique to Luxe. 47 York St., 613-241-8805.
Sutherland Coming to Beechwood
Warren Sutherland’s fans have been following the chef’s exploits for more than 15 years. He took the city by storm with Sweetgrass, then moved on to The Piggy Market (he remains a part owner),
The Smo Que Shack, and Slice & Co. (he remains a part owner). Still, the latest endeavour is his most ambitious. Sutherland, located on the
ground floor of The Kavanaugh condo on the Beechwood strip, is the culmination of all the chef’s experience. “This menu is very me,” explains Sutherland. “I would call it new North American cuisine. It’s a culmination of all the influences that have shaped my career so far.” The plan is for a 60-seat restaurant and bar, as well as a 20-seat coffeehouse. Sutherland is hoping for a late May or June opening. 222 Beechwood Ave.
QUICK BITES
• Coffee shops are a dime a dozen in the capital, but a lovely tea room is a rare find. One80 Design is behind the pretty transformation of Vanitea
Room at the corner of Somerset and Bay. • Fans of the Japanese noodle scene should look for Sansotei Ramen to launch at 153 Bank St. this spring. Toronto restaurateur Michael Zhang already operates three popular locations in The Big Smoke, and no less an authority than Globe
and Mail food writer Chris Nuttall-Smith has raved about his soups, calling them “supremely tasty stuff.” • Also on the move (though doughnut lovers will obviously have sniffed it out by now) is Suzy Q, which has relocated to bigger digs in the former West End Well grocery store at 969 Wellington St. W. • It’s getting trickier to find a good sausage sandwich after the German Town Deli and the Sausage Kitchen both closed their doors in the past few months. Other notable closings include the storied Maxwell’s on Elgin, which has been taken over by the second location of Pure
Kitchen vegetarian restaurant, and Chinatown’s Raw Sugar Café, a popular venue for shows. • Sweet-toothed mall rats take note. Bayshore is now home to the first Ottawa location of the much-heralded LA-based Pinkberry frozen yogourt chain as well as the ultra-sweet
Chimney Cake Bake N’ Roll, which serves up a Hungarian pastry that’s fresh-baked around a wooden cylinder, then slid off and rolled in cinnamon, maple, or cocoa sugar. • It’s billed as “a haberdashery multi-tool that looks as good as it works.” Le Loup by local design company N-Product is a beard comb, a pry, a box cutter, and — most importantly, as spring becomes summer — a bottle opener. And a stylish one at that. So stylish that 165 backers raised close to $6,000 on Kickstarter to get the wolf-themed implement in production before Christmas 2015. Late adopters can find it at Goods Shop on Dalhousie or buy it through the company website.