CITY BITES INSIDER
Local food news
Be My Guest The guest-chef pop-up dinner is officially a thing, with the concept taking hold at restaurants small and large. Eateries such as chef Michael Blackie’s Next and Oz
Balpinar’s Oz Kafe have been hosting regular guest-chef events for years, while others have jumped on the bandwagon with sporadic get-togethers that highlight unique cuisines their home chefs are playing around with. MeNa, for example, recently hosted Tokyo-based chef
Jonathan Korecki (formerly of Restaurant Eighteen and Sidedoor) to play around with Japanese flavours;
Coconut Lagoon periodically welcomes Vancouver’s Vikram Vij. These nights are fun for foodies, who get to see their local chef in a new light and sample fare from their chef idols. City Bites asked chef Blackie what’s in it for him and for Next diners. “For me, it’s a chance to hang with my mates and fill the restaurant on a Wednesday night,” says Blackie, who has a huge network of chef friends around the world. (He has even renovated his basement to host his buddies, putting in two bedrooms with ensuites.) When they’re not performing their magic for up to 150 guests at Next, visiting chefs kick back at his house. Blackie says these pop-ups also keep his staff engaged — they get to learn from multiple masters. Mark your calendars for November 14, when Blackie rubs shoulders with celebrity chefs Mathieu Cloutier of Montreal’s
Kitchen Galerie and Clifton Holt of Little Savannah Restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama. “These chefs are larger than life. They’re exciting to be around — everyone is going to have a riot,” promises Blackie. On the Bubble Move over, kombucha! Artisanal soda is riding a wave, and Jack’s Soda is surfing into the limelight with a series of refreshing flavours, not to mention a brand-new Gatineau facility. Co-owners Mathieu Guillemette,
Joël Beaupré, and Mathieu Nerbonne Lachaine can now boost production to meet the thirsts of soda lovers across Quebec and Ottawa. The trio got the keys to the new place last spring, then spent three months fitting it up. Previously best known for their tonic-water-andginger syrup, beloved by pro bartenders across the city, they have decided to expand their repertoire to include a line of sodas. These are grown-up flavours — subtle, not too sweet, and perfect over ice or as part of a fizzy cocktail. Jack’s Rhubarb, for example, gets its signature tang from rhubarb stalks macerated with sumac, while Jack’s Blueberry pairs blueberries from Saguenay-LacSaint-Jean with a squeeze of lime. Both get their sweetness from local honey. (Can we call this a healthy-ish pop?) Look for more flavours this fall as the owners use their expanded space to experiment with crabapples and other seasonal fruits. Distribution expansion is ongoing, but it’s been spotted at Seed to
Sausage, Bottega Nicastro, and Massine’s Your Independent Grocer. Virgin Territory It’s a kitchen staple. Find the right one, and just a drizzle will elevate many of your favourite recipes. We’re talking olive oil. And entrepreneur Mike George is betting you’re going to fall in love with his small-batch offering from Sacrofano, Italy. He recently opened the doors to
Aurelius Food Co., an olive-oil store on a mission. His goal? To introduce Ottawa palates to the wonders of his premiere olive oil, the olives hand-picked within 20 kilometres of the mill and crushed within 48 hours. Buttery, peppery, and with fresh grassy notes, his oil has already wooed discerning chefs (regular buyers include
Beckta, Eighteen, North & Navy, and Riviera). George’s path to olive oil started in 1961 when his grandparents moved to Rome for a job with the UN, raising five children there, including George’s mother. His mother returned to Montreal for university and ended up staying in Canada, travelling back to Italy every so often with her son and daughter. Young Mike would visit with his extended family, playing with his cousins in the olive groves. Two years ago, he visited his uncle’s property near Sacrofano, enjoying the bounty from his uncle’s personal grove. “My uncle said, ‘Do you think this olive oil would sell in Canada?’ It was like a light bulb going on in my head! I started working on a business plan as soon as I got home.” That business plan involved working with a Sacrofano mill to secure a steady supply of the premium oil. Aurelius also stocks a premium three-year-old Italian balsamic vinegar. 1283-B Wellington St. W.
Salad Days What happens when a culinary dream team devotes itself to the art of the salad? Lollo Salads & Coffee, that’s what. Open since July, the Euro-inspired café in the ByWard Market is a collaboration between Clay Cardillo (a partner in the Beckta Group), cousins Pat Nicastro and Rocco Nicastro Jr. (of Bottega Nicastro), and chef
Jordan Holley (Riviera, Datsun, El Camino). Two other key members of the team are stars in their own right — partner Larissa Beznaczuk-Smyrnew is a member of the Nicastro team, and chef Alejandra Rutherford comes to Lollo via Play Food & Wine and the prestigious Rideau Club. But though salad is being taken very seriously, the new hangout maintains a breezy European vibe. Chefs Holley and Rutherford worked together to perfect 10 signature salads. “Both Jordan and I are used to working in a fine-dining environment — lots of rich sauces and butter — so this is very different for both of us,” says Rutherford. “These are truly chef-inspired salads, both in how we put the ingredients together and how we make the dressings.” Snackers will be pleased to hear that Lollo also serves an array of locally made pastries (including
Suzy Q doughnuts). 60 George St. QUICK BITES • Suzy Q fans in the Glebe will be happy to learn the Hintonburg doughnut shop has set up a counter at Little Victories (801 Bank St.). • Preston Street is becoming a go-to destination for veg heads. Pure Kitchen is scheduled to open its fourth space, a lunch counter, at 345-A Preston in late 2018 or early 2019. Plans are in the works for a patio with an outdoor pizza oven. The Pure Kitchen development joins Raw Pulp + Grind (440 Preston St.), with the Blended Berry food truck located at 298 Preston. • Congratulations to wine writer Rod Phillips, who has been shortlisted for a Taste Canada award for his book 9,000 Years of Wine: A World History. Winners of the awards, which celebrate excellence in both book and food blog writing, are announced October 29. • Tea lovers are thrilled that French tea brand Kusmi Tea
Paris has opened a boutique on the third floor of the Rideau Centre. Kusmi Tea has been blending teas since 1867, when it was established by a Russian entrepreneur whose Bouquet de Fleurs blend was the tsar’s favourite (yes, it’s still in the Kusmi lineup). • Good news for fans of chef Jeff Bradfield (formerly of Social and Bar Lupulus). He’s now channelling his creativity into his new food truck, Fifth Dimension Snack Bar, located at Bank and Glebe. His chef-inspired street fare runs the gamut from poutine and burgers to pig-cheek pastrami on a bagel.
• Snack alert! SolFarmers, local importer of gourmet Spanish goodies, now has chips for sale. Flavours include Iberian ham, caviar, chicken and lemon, and (believe it or not) fried egg. But will they be tastier than the all-Canadian ketchup? Buy them through the SolFarmers website or at Jacobsons (Beechwood),
Kitchenalia (Richmond), Herb & Spice (Wellington), and Nicastro Fine Foods (Merivale).