Shawarma in Ottawa....

It's like finding poutine or smoked meat in Montreal....it's everywhere in this city! I just had a falafal shawarma this week, near my office at a place called Orient House. It was pretty tasty...as shawarma that I've had goes...but I've yet to find the ultimate shawarma location here in the nation's capital, the place that is above all others. However, there are a lot of options, guess it's time to keep searching. Over all this type of sandwich for those not familiar with it, is a delicious Middle Eastern wrap made with the combination of pickled turnips, pickles, garlic sauce, marinated meat and other veggie toppings....a cheap and yummy sandwich in general and you know that I love a good sandwich!!! There are other variations on this style of sandwich but not similar just to note i.e. a donair, gyro etc. The sandwich search continues...

Beer Wars...

A couple of posts ago I talked about beer. I also recently watched a film called Beer Wars. It looked at the whole world of beer in the North American market place, mainly in the US and how there are big time breweries who monopolize the industry like Aneheuser Busch, Coors etc. Basically American bars and liquor stores are inundated with the wares of the big breweries that are cheap, flavorless products and the small time craft brewer, making a higher quality, varied product that costs more, doesn't get the same face time in stores or in the marketplace in general. This means, the consumer doesn't really have the choice, that they should have of items that are actually being produced. As well, it means the smaller breweries are struggling because they can't sell as much on the market. I have to agree with this, same thing is happening here in Canada, there is Labbat's and there is Molson's etc. and a lot of the smaller breweries are trying to get their products out there too but it's super hard to compete in the same arena as these giants who have a lot of money to pump out a lot of mediocre beer. I am not drawn to these big brewery products nor do I think I ever will be now that I've experience the fine import and micro-brewery beverages that if you really want to enjoy, you should seek out my friends! It's really worth the effort and the extra cash for the better quality beer! As well, with less purchasing of these big brewery brews, they have less of the market share, which in my opinion is even better! I say if you care about beer, see this documentary, it's very eye-opening!

A Real Scone Experience....

This morning I had a major scone craving, I'm Irish what can I say, scones and beer tend to be my weaknesses....not together of course though! So I headed on over to the Scone Witch...it always lives up to my expectations and is super busy on the weekends which is a good sign and means others share my feeling on it too! I enjoy the fact that there is a good selection of both sweet and savory options. I think my favorites include the herb and feta and the currant and ginger scones. I also like the fact that you can turn your scone into a sandwich or get jams or Devon cream on it too. The one thing I will say though is that I think they should try experimenting a bit more with new flavors, maybe even have a flavor of the week or month. That would be super appealing, so just a thought. I have heard that you can buy the dough and make them at home, which for some people is convienant I'm sure, because then you can freeze the dough and bake them up anytime. I haven't tried this myself yet, probably because when I crave them, I want to eat them right away! The Scone Witch, they know how to make a tasty scone and there are two locations in the city to find them!

Toronto and Beer Tasting

I was away this past weekend to Toronto and I must say it was a great trip! I saw a few old friends and returned to some of my old haunts. This trip I sampled a variety of beer while there and it seems that the products from the Mill St. brewery have really taken over the city. This local T.O. microbrewery just won Canadian brewery of the year, as noted on their website and also listed on their upcoming events section, plans to be in Ottawa this summer, offering their selections at Bluesfest. Friends were really interested in the beers from this brewery and it was readily available in pubs and in a wide assortment at the local LCBO in Toronto. I tried the tank house ale and the new lemon tea beer. I must say though the later didn't taste all that lemony. I was expecting a similar taste to all the lime infused light beers out there, but this was much more subtle.

One of the tastier summer fruity beers I did try was the Lambic framboise, raspberry beer. It was delicious period. It's a Belgian beer need I say more, they know how to brew! Kronenbourg 1664 was another light summery beer I tried, now this one was the last of my beer sampling for one evening, so maybe it was all going to my head a little bit by then, but this beer was too fruity and over the top for my taste buds, it was like it had been infused with malibu rum or something....with a strong taste of tropical fruits like coconut and pineapple and as a result didn't go down smooth in my opinion.

Of course there are the regular beers that I always turn to each year in the summer time for their refreshingly crisp, fruity taste. Hoegaarden, always tops that list with a slice of lemon.

Like all those in the know on beer in Ottawa, I do enjoy frequenting Pub Italia to sample their vast beer selection and of course enjoy the great atmosphere like being inside a mid-evil chapel! I'm sure I'll be making a trip to their patio soon, before the summer is through. This is where I often get adventurous and try a new beer....or two each visit!

For me beer is seasonal, there are just certain beers that hit the spot in summer but aren't really a draw in winter. I noticed a gentlemen at the LCBO this week eyeing up the St. Peter's organic....now that is a heavy full bodied winter beer if I've ever tasted one....put it back on the shelf my friend and lighten up...It's the summer time after all...which is short lived in this fair city so enjoy the summer brews while you have the chance! That's it for my summer beer post and cheers to all as the thermometer reaches 30 degrees in the next few days!!!

Sandwiches...still thinking about sandwiches....

And when I think of them...another great place comes to mind, Direnzo's!!!!!! Now, there are two locations, one near Preston St. in little Italy and another, out in Nepean. But for me it's the original old school Italian deli version in Little Italy, that I'm drawn too.

There is a system to order when you get there, go to the back and pick out a beverage from the cooler first, I'd suggest the lemon flavoured san pellagrino. Then line up at the counter and select a sandwich off the board, that lists the options. They will let you create your own version as well. I'm big on the combo of Italian meats like salami, capricolla, mortadello etc. All sandwiches are made with fresh sliced deli meats and cheeses and a selection of toppings including more unusual ones like pickled eggplant and

Giardiniera.

Choose from classic dressings like mayo, mustard or a drizzle of olive oil. Then move on up to the cash and the big surprise when you go to pay is...it's cheap! I have to say I love good food at a good price.

Once you've been there a few times, the staff recognize you and treat you like family. That kinda of welcoming neighbourly service is also very appealing. They wrap up your sandwich to go (there are no seats in the place), but that is fine by me because you can take your sandwich to a park or over to dow's lake in the summer and it turns into an instant picnic.

Bring a friend along with you and you're are all set to turn it into a real outting! You have to check these sandwiches out if you haven't already...Direnzo's in Ottawa is a staple...and no secret in this city to a true sandwich lover!!!

Best Panini on a Lunch Break!!!!....

...they're found at none other then....Calvina's on Laurier my friends...so many different sandwiches to choose from, grilled up to perfection in their panini press and they come with the make-it-a-combo option to include a side salad and a pop for cheap, cheap! My co-workers tipped me off to this place and whenever I've forgotten to pack a lunch or need to get a quick snack and want to be sure it will be satisfying...this is the place to go! I've made some true believers of other friends too, who'd never heard of it but love a good panini, they too are now on board the Calvina's train. There are also other lunch time dishes served cafeteria style to choose from if you are feeling like more than a sandwich-classics, like pizza, shepherd's pie and perogies along with some delicious desserts...including one of THE best pieces of apple torte....I've ever had.

The panini sandwiches are where it's at though in my books-choose from monte cristo, feta, spinach and tomato (my new fav), greek, bacon and chicken, grilled veggies and the list goes on and on.