City Bites Insider
Kim wins
There’s nothing like a victory on home turf.
Brianna Kim, owner, chef and creative genius at Alice restaurant, took the gold medal at the Canadian Culinary Championships held in Ottawa in February. Her winning dish was an onion tuile, smoked potatoes, rhubarb jerky, maitake mushrooms, pickled onion, dill, lacto-fermented green tomato and koji broth. Congratulations Brianna!
Closing time
Sad news on the restaurant front; eclectic, eccentric and much-loved Gatineau restaurant Les
Vilains Garçons closed at the end of March. The owners, who have been in business since 2014, have also put their butcher shop and mobile food truck up for sale. As if this wasn’t enough bad news, Ottawa’s oldest sushi restaurant, C’est
Japon à Suisha, which opened in 1974, will also be closing its doors at the end of June, due in part to the redevelopment of the Slater Street building into condominiums. Not so old, but no less mourned, will be Shelby Burger on William Street in the ByWard Market. The gourmet smashed burger restaurant closed in February.
More Bottega
But where one door closes, another opens. Gourmet Italian delicatessen La Bottega Nicastro in the Byward Market is opening a second location, in Gatineau. La Bottega will be offering a coffee bar, pastries, gourmet panini and all the pantry essentials at 199 rue Laurier. Meanwhile, on George Street in Ottawa, they’ve teamed up with gourmet preserves company Michael’s Dolce, who makes a tasty 72-hour fermented sourdough pizza crust. It’s now available on Fridays, layered with lots of La Bottega goodies.
Sweet treats
There’s plenty of exciting news for those with a sweet tooth. Suzy Q donuts is branching out — those sinful circles of sugary joy — are now available Saturdays at Split Tree Mixers, 98-J Richmond Road. And in February, Lollies and
Scoops opened in Manotick (1160 Beaverwood Rd.) The family-owned store offers a global selection of mouth-watering candy, from saltwater taffy and raw cookie dough, to vegan chocolate, spicy gummy bears, carnival sweets, and Sherbet Dips from the U.K. It’s sure to bring childhood memories flooding back. Meanwhile, boutique and bespoke cotton candy maker Flossie also launched in early February. Flossie comes in a dozen flavours of rainbow coloured candy floss and is available by mail order and at Alicja Confections (303 Richmond Rd.). Packaged in sturdy, semi-rigid pouches, the sweet treasure won’t get squished in the mail. Meanwhile over in Merrickville, cookie lovers can now get their fix at the Cookie Kiosk. Located at 241 County Road 41, it offers super-sized cookies – over four inches in diameter and one inch thick — as well as cookie pies.
Craving savoury Almanac Grain
(9-5510 Canotek Rd.) now offers frozen pizza pockets. Available in vegetarian and meat-filled options, they’re the perfect snack on the go — nostalgic, but with none of the bad stuff. Owner Gabrielle Prud’homme is also offering sourdough classes, to teach you how to keep your “mother” happy. And if you’re going to be baking more, you can sign up for Almanac Flour Power points to unlock baking rewards.
Halal pizza anyone?
Good Thymes Pizza (1087 Wellington St. W.) is now available from the folks at Bibis Middle Eastern Cuisine. With a sourdough crust, cooked to crispy goodness in a wood-fired oven, why not make it a chicken shawarma pizza, complete with French fries?
QUICK BITES
• Big congratulations to Steven Beckta! It’s been 20 years in May since he first opened the doors to his eponymous restaurant on Nepean Street. Let’s hope his two other restaurants — Gezellig and Play Food and Wine — celebrate the same milestone.
• Ottawa-based wine writer and podcaster
Natalie MacLean was named the World’s Best Drinks Writer at the World Food Media Awards, and has won four James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards. The author of two previous wine-themed books, MacLean has just published a memoir: Wine Witch on Fire: Rising from the Ashes of Divorce, Defamation, and Drinking Too Much. Notwithstanding the title, MacLean promises that it’s an Ottawa story with plenty of humour.
• Having trouble getting a last-minute table?
Try DINR. Now back in Ottawa, DINR will help you procure a table for that impromptu date at some of Ottawa’s top dining spots: Riviera, Perch, Stofa, North & Navy and Parlour are among the restaurants listed.
• Great news for gin lovers in the region.
La Distillerie du Square is coming to Old Chelsea. After three years of construction, the distillery, which is due to open later this year, will feature a gift shop with spirits and accessories, guided tours, tasting rooms, and a small spirits museum. The distillery’s first product, Gin du Jardin, is already for sale through the SAQ. Billed as a taste of Quebec, it is made with Quebec corn and ingredients foraged in the Outaouais. Owner Manuela Teixeira has established a partnership with Wakefield farm Ferme et Forêt, to cultivate juniper berries for the spirit.