City Bites Insider | By Sarah Brown
Chain Gang
Looks as if Ottawa has finally reached a critical mass of diners, attracting the attention of Canadian and foreign chain restaurants and bakeries eager to capitalize on our hunger for new taste experiences. Notable chains recently heading to the capital include Montreal bakery Mamie Clafoutis, which has brought beautiful baguettes, croissants, and cakes to Westboro, while rival bakery Les Moulins
La Fayette has opted to showcase its wares in Hintonburg. (La Fayette is also a Montreal chain — known for breads and pastries, it also sells deli sandwiches, salads, and gourmet chocolates.) Meanwhile, Mississauga-based chain Paramount
Fine Foods has opened a branch at Rideau Centre to lure Ottawans to its brand of Lebanese fare. Two other chains that entered the market in the past few years — Sansotei Ramen and Centrale
Bergham — have already expanded.
Local Chain Gang
Ottawa’s foodies are also supporting ambitious local entrepreneurs who have set their sights on expanding to create their own mini-chains. Local chains-in-the-making are many (there seems to be a Morning Owl or Bridgehead on every corner). Most recently, Maverick’s opened a second doughnut store on the Market, Stella Luna launched a third gelato location in Merrickville, and
Happy Goat is now up to four locations (plus, they bought hipster haven Arlington Five in April). The
Nicastros capitalized on the bowl trend with the summer launch of Lollo, an all-day salad spot in the ByWard Market, and we hear that Oat Couture, which opened its first eatery in Old Ottawa South in April, is already scouting for a second central location.
Gold Standard
The storied Gold Medal Plates competition will be held in Ottawa in October (October 11, to be exact) rather than the usual November. That’s great news for the 9 competing chefs, as those extra few weeks can mean a huge difference in what’s still growing and available from farmers’ fields. This year’s event also marks a debut for three worthy first-timers — David Godsoe (E18hteen), Kristine Hartling (Oz
Kafe), and Jason Sawision (Stofa). Senior judge
Anne DesBrisay describes the three as “really talented, really committed, and producing some pretty stunning food in their respective restaurants.” DesBrisay says it’s always a thrill to see the competing chefs rise to the occasion, presenting dishes that combine first-rate techniques and personal backstories. Chef Briana Kim of Café My
House joins the judging panel this year — she won the Ottawa leg of the competition last year, representing the city at the Canadian Culinary Championship this past February.
Slice of Life
On the pie scene, a trio of entrepreneurial pizza lovers has launched Oven Brothers, selling made-in-Ottawa wood-burning ovens that turn out perfect pies in minutes. The genesis for the great backyard pizza-oven plan was a conversation last summer between friends JP Normand and Gord Jones. “We were talking about how great it would be to have our own pizza ovens in the backyard, but when we looked around, there didn’t seem to be much out there for regular guys,” explains Normand. Their third partner is Gilles Levesque. A man with a background in AutoCAD and a genius for tinkering, it took him just a couple of months to mock up an easy-to-assemble (no screws or tools needed) steel pizza oven. The ovens are made at a metal shop in town, as are the accessories — pizza peels, bubble poppers, dough cutters, and brushes and scrapers. The idea is that as soon as you’ve assembled your oven, you have all the accessories you need to fire it up and get cooking. Doesn’t get much more convenient than that. And the cooking time? Just two minutes per pie.
Sweet Dreams
It’s a sweet treat for grown-up sweet tooths. Launched this past summer, Hey Sugar Candy
Co. elevates the humble lollipop to cult status. Owner Debra Cowie’s decadent adult-oriented lollipops — bourbon lemonade, mojito, rosé, and espresso-vanilla are just a few of the dozen or so flavours on her current roster — seem destined to take the wedding circuit by storm. Cowie, a food photographer and stylist in her day job, was inspired to launch Hey Sugar after listening to an interview with Portland candy entrepreneur and
cookbook author Jami Curl. “I was so inspired that I went straight to the library and signed out her book [Candy Is Magic: Real Ingredients,
Modern Recipes].” Hey Sugar has been up and running since late May. Weddings and parties are a big market, but Cowie’s sweet treats have also proved popular at craft markets around town, where she gets more requests for kid flavours. We’ll stick with the mojito, but her strawberry, sprinkle cake, and cotton candy recipes will likely appeal to the younger set. The plan is to get her lollipops into retail locations ahead of Christmas.
QUICK BITES
• Leaf watchers making the trek into the hills for the fall colours should make time for a stop at Old Chelsea’s Meech & Munch, which opened this past spring. It’s getting rave reviews from locals for its solid menu of sandwiches, burgers, tartares, and craft beers.
• After shutting up its Gloucester Street location, Rangoon Restaurant has reappeared at 634 Somerset St. W., which had sat empty since the closing of Zen Kitchen almost four years ago. Indian Curry House has taken over the former Rangoon spot.
• Good Eats fans will be relieved to hear that it has not closed but has merely moved down the street to 473 Albert St. The new owner is Karen Marcotte, who has taken over from original owner Mel Hein, who has retired from the biz. • Hot sauce makers Meow! That’s Hot have opened Meow! That’s Hot Kitchen + Bar at 519 Bank St. That section of Centretown is becoming a foodie hub, with Dolsot Café, Wilf & Ada’s, Moo Shu Ice Cream, Flora Hall Brewing, and 3 Tarts all within a 150-metre stroll.
• Looks as if that spring retirement announcement from So Good Restaurant was a false alarm. The Chinatown stalwart is still serving up its famous pepper-salt tofu and Szechuan green beans.
• The Market’s loss is Hintonburg’s gain. After years on Dalhousie, Stubbe Chocolates closed in June with plans to reopen at 1224 Wellington St. W. in September. Stubbe is the second chocolate shop on the street to close within two months. Cylie
Artisans Chocolatiers closed its doors in May as it searches for a new space.
• Athena Gourmet Greek Imports has opened up a Centretown store at 368 Bank St. specializing in Mediterranean imports, including Greek olive oils, honeys, vinegars, and other fare. Excited to try raspberry and ouzo jam.
• Congrats to Sarah Kaplan of Rainbow Foods and Shane Clark of Beyond the Pale Brewing
Company. Both received 2018 Ottawa Chamber of Commerce “Forty Under 40” awards. The annual awards recognize rising business leaders under the age of 40.