Play Food and Wine

1 York St., 613-667-9207, playfood.ca
Open: Monday, noon to 2 p.m., 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Tuesday to Thursday, noon to 2 p.m., 5:30 to 11 p.m.; Friday, noon to 2 p.m., 5:30 to 11:45 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 3:30 p.m., 5 to 11:45 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.
Prices: small plates $8 to $17; two small plates for $22 at lunch
Access: steps to entrance

Rarely do I get to combine the words “fine dining” and “bargain” in the same breath. So thank you, Play Food and Wine, for giving me that opportunity.

There’s a deal to be had at the middle sister among Stephen Beckta’s three restaurants, which opened on a prime ByWard Market corner in 2009. That was seven years after Beckta’s high-end namesake first raised the bar for dining out in Ottawa, and three years before Beckta launched the more casual but still classy Gezellig in Westboro.  

Play’s stock-in-trade is small plates. It didn’t pioneer that now-ubiquitous dining concept in Ottawa, but it executes its dishes at a higher level than many of its peers. Plus, at lunch, Play offers well-designed plates that normally cost up to $17 a piece at the princely rate of two for $22. That’s what I call a fine-dining bargain.   

Play’s chef de cuisine, Tim Stock, oversees a constantly changing menu that nods to influences from the globe’s four corners. Here, the beef tartare took Egyptian and Ethiopian accents while meaty, if underseasoned, pieces pork belly ($15) went southeast Asian, with a sweet, tangy dollop of pomelo and a broth that alluded to red curry. The dish that starred a lovely piece of rainbow trout ($14) made chunks of prosciutto, bok choy and basil pesto play together nicely. 

Pork belly with slaw, pomelo at Play Food and Wine

Trout with pesto at Play Food and Wine

Having recently sampled 10 of 14 items from the menu’s savoury section, I’ve found that Play’s kitchen turns out attractive, tasty dishes that please with deft balancing of contrasts.    

That’s especially true of Play’s signature item. The hanger steak with fries and aioli ($17) has been on the menu since day one, and with good reason, given the beef’s hearty, funky flavour, a side of salty mushrooms and the standard-setting fries and aioli (which can also be ordered separately, for $6). When the Citizen last reviewed Play, just shy of six years ago, the hanger steak was one of my predecessor’s favourites. It’s one of mine, too.

Hanger steak at Play Food and Wine

Also right up there for me was a slab of mackerel, cooked in a refined take on the escabeche style so that a marinade’s acidity tempered the fish’s unctuousness ($14). Grounding the fish on the plate was a bed of lentils, rice and leeks.

Mackerel escabeche at Play Food and Wine

More fish done well: a pristine piece of Fogo Island cod ($16), with a slick sauce and morsels of chorizo sausage contributing the right amount of fatty appeal.  

Fogo Island cod with beans, chorizo at Play Food and Wine

A third fish triumph: red snapper ceviche ($15), impeccably fresh and benefiting from the varied, well-proportioned tingles of lime, kumquat, cucumber, and peach purée.

Play food and wine preparation of Red Snapper Ceviche. Monday April 11, 2016. Errol McGihon

One pasta option paired wide pappardelle with crumbled turkey sausage in a watercress sauce; it registered as salty and heavy for my dining companion.

Another friend’s approval for the gnocchi ($14) was stronger. A Play fan who works nearby, he said the bowl of big, pillowy pasta was one of the best things he’s eaten there. “The smoked tapenade was very deeply flavoured,” he said. “The memory of that sauce will stay with me.”

Gnocchi with smoked olive tapenade at Play Food and Wine

He was less pleased though with Play’s apple and shallot strudel ($14) with figs, blue cheese and balsamic blackberry, faulting it for a lack of flavour and some soggy pastry. 

Fig and apple/shallot strudel at Play Food and Wine

A more successful light, meatless choice was the plate of Indian-inspired mung bean coconut fritters ($13).

Desserts — a sticky toffee cake with gelato ($8), a ramekin of vanilla crème brûlée ($7) and a chocolate peanut butter bomb with peanut brittle ($8) — were sweet but not cloying and to-the-point. I would have liked more razzle-dazzle and less familiarity to end my meals, but these picks were well made and fairly priced.

Sticky toffee cake at Play Food and Wine

Vanilla crème brûlée at Play Food and Wine

Choco peanut butter bomb at Play Food and Wine

Play’s airy space is split over two floors. The top one puts guests in proximity of chefs at work in an open kitchen. I’ve eaten twice downstairs, below the ripple of red silk, at a small pine table beside a large window.

Cool and bopping jazz from the 1950s and 1960s dominated the sound system’s music. Our servers were attentive and friendly, and one in particular had that extra air of knowing competence and care that we expect from a Beckta-run restaurant. 

Play’s wine list is extensive, diverse and detailed, with some three- and five-ounce glasses available as well as bottles. The cheese and charcuterie offerings appealed, too — next time, when I’m more in the mood to nibble. 

After both lunches, I felt a little giddy at having eaten that well and that cheaply. Even paying dinnertime prices for the same food (the same menu is in force), I think I would feel that my money was well-spent on Play’s experience.

In her review of 2009, my predecessor — while impressed, especially by the ambience — concluded: “If Play wants to be the Beckta of small-plate dining, it’s going to need to take it up a notch.”

My present-day take is that either Play’s food has improved or that the above analogy might be a false one. I’d say that Play can quite justifiably be content to be the Play of small-plate dining. 

phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum
Peter Hum’s previous restaurant reviews

Play Food and Wine

1 York St., 613-667-9207, playfood.ca
Open: Monday, noon to 2 p.m., 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Tuesday to Thursday, noon to 2 p.m., 5:30 to 11 p.m.; Friday, noon to 2 p.m., 5:30 to 11:45 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 3:30 p.m., 5 to 11:45 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.
Prices: small plates $8 to $17; two small plates for $22 at lunch
Access: steps to entrance

Rarely do I get to combine the words “fine dining” and “bargain” in the same breath. So thank you, Play Food and Wine, for giving me that opportunity.

There’s a deal to be had at the middle sister among Stephen Beckta’s three restaurants, which opened on a prime ByWard Market corner in 2009. That was seven years after Beckta’s high-end namesake first raised the bar for dining out in Ottawa, and three years before Beckta launched the more casual but still classy Gezellig in Westboro.  

Play’s stock-in-trade is small plates. It didn’t pioneer that now-ubiquitous dining concept in Ottawa, but it executes its dishes at a higher level than many of its peers. Plus, at lunch, Play offers well-designed plates that normally cost up to $17 a piece at the princely rate of two for $22. That’s what I call a fine-dining bargain.   

Play’s chef de cuisine, Tim Stock, oversees a constantly changing menu that nods to influences from the globe’s four corners. Here, the beef tartare took Egyptian and Ethiopian accents while meaty, if underseasoned, pieces pork belly ($15) went southeast Asian, with a sweet, tangy dollop of pomelo and a broth that alluded to red curry. The dish that starred a lovely piece of rainbow trout ($14) made chunks of prosciutto, bok choy and basil pesto play together nicely. 

Having recently sampled 10 of 14 items from the menu’s savoury section, I’ve found that Play’s kitchen turns out attractive, tasty dishes that please with deft balancing of contrasts.    

That’s especially true of Play’s signature item. The hanger steak with fries and aioli ($17) has been on the menu since day one, and with good reason, given the beef’s hearty, funky flavour, a side of salty mushrooms and the standard-setting fries and aioli (which can also be ordered separately, for $6). When the Citizen last reviewed Play, just shy of six years ago, the hanger steak was one of my predecessor’s favourites. It’s one of mine, too.

Also right up there for me was a slab of mackerel, cooked in a refined take on the escabeche style so that a marinade’s acidity tempered the fish’s unctuousness ($14). Grounding the fish on the plate was a bed of lentils, rice and leeks.

More fish done well: a pristine piece of Fogo Island cod ($16), with a slick sauce and morsels of chorizo sausage contributing the right amount of fatty appeal.  

A third fish triumph: red snapper ceviche ($15), impeccably fresh and benefiting from the varied, well-proportioned tingles of lime, kumquat, cucumber, and peach purée.

One pasta option paired wide pappardelle with crumbled turkey sausage in a watercress sauce; it registered as salty and heavy for my dining companion.

Another friend’s approval for the gnocchi ($14) was stronger. A Play fan who works nearby, he said the bowl of big, pillowy pasta was one of the best things he’s eaten there. “The smoked tapenade was very deeply flavoured,” he said. “The memory of that sauce will stay with me.”

He was less pleased though with Play’s apple and shallot strudel ($14) with figs, blue cheese and balsamic blackberry, faulting it for a lack of flavour and some soggy pastry. 

A more successful light, meatless choice was the plate of Indian-inspired mung bean coconut fritters ($13).

Desserts — a sticky toffee cake with gelato ($8), a ramekin of vanilla crème brûlée ($7) and a chocolate peanut butter bomb with peanut brittle ($8) — were sweet but not cloying and to-the-point. I would have liked more razzle-dazzle and less familiarity to end my meals, but these picks were well made and fairly priced.

Play’s airy space is split over two floors. The top one puts guests in proximity of chefs at work in an open kitchen. I’ve eaten twice downstairs, below the ripple of red silk, at a small pine table beside a large window.

Cool and bopping jazz from the 1950s and 1960s dominated the sound system’s music. Our servers were attentive and friendly, and one in particular had that extra air of knowing competence and care that we expect from a Beckta-run restaurant. 

Play’s wine list is extensive, diverse and detailed, with some three- and five-ounce glasses available as well as bottles. The cheese and charcuterie offerings appealed, too — next time, when I’m more in the mood to nibble. 

After both lunches, I felt a little giddy at having eaten that well and that cheaply. Even paying dinnertime prices for the same food (the same menu is in force), I think I would feel that my money was well-spent on Play’s experience.

In her review of 2009, my predecessor — while impressed, especially by the ambience — concluded: “If Play wants to be the Beckta of small-plate dining, it’s going to need to take it up a notch.”

My present-day take is that either Play’s food has improved or that the above analogy might be a false one. I’d say that Play can quite justifiably be content to be the Play of small-plate dining. 

Play Food and Wine

1 York St., 613-667-9207, playfood.ca
Open: Monday, noon to 2 p.m., 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Tuesday to Thursday, noon to 2 p.m., 5:30 to 11 p.m.; Friday, noon to 2 p.m., 5:30 to 11:45 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 3:30 p.m., 5 to 11:45 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.
Prices: small plates $8 to $17; two small plates for $22 at lunch
Access: steps to entrance

Rarely do I get to combine the words “fine dining” and “bargain” in the same breath. So thank you, Play Food and Wine, for giving me that opportunity.

There’s a deal to be had at the middle sister among Stephen Beckta’s three restaurants, which opened on a prime ByWard Market corner in 2009. That was seven years after Beckta’s high-end namesake first raised the bar for dining out in Ottawa, and three years before Beckta launched the more casual but still classy Gezellig in Westboro.  

Play’s stock-in-trade is small plates. It didn’t pioneer that now-ubiquitous dining concept in Ottawa, but it executes its dishes at a higher level than many of its peers. Plus, at lunch, Play offers well-designed plates that normally cost up to $17 a piece at the princely rate of two for $22. That’s what I call a fine-dining bargain.   

Play’s chef de cuisine, Tim Stock, oversees a constantly changing menu that nods to influences from the globe’s four corners. Here, the beef tartare took Egyptian and Ethiopian accents while meaty, if underseasoned, pieces pork belly ($15) went southeast Asian, with a sweet, tangy dollop of pomelo and a broth that alluded to red curry. The dish that starred a lovely piece of rainbow trout ($14) made chunks of prosciutto, bok choy and basil pesto play together nicely. 

That’s especially true of Play’s signature item. The hanger steak with fries and aioli ($17) has been on the menu since day one, and with good reason, given the beef’s hearty, funky flavour, a side of salty mushrooms and the standard-setting fries and aioli (which can also be ordered separately, for $6). When the Citizen last reviewed Play, just shy of six years ago, the hanger steak was one of my predecessor’s favourites. It’s one of mine, too.

Also right up there for me was a slab of mackerel, cooked in a refined take on the escabeche style so that a marinade’s acidity tempered the fish’s unctuousness ($14). Grounding the fish on the plate was a bed of lentils, rice and leeks.

More fish done well: a pristine piece of Fogo Island cod ($16), with a slick sauce and morsels of chorizo sausage contributing the right amount of fatty appeal.  

A third fish triumph: red snapper ceviche ($15), impeccably fresh and benefiting from the varied, well-proportioned tingles of lime, kumquat, cucumber, and peach purée.

One pasta option paired wide pappardelle with crumbled turkey sausage in a watercress sauce; it registered as salty and heavy for my dining companion.

Another friend’s approval for the gnocchi ($14) was stronger. A Play fan who works nearby, he said the bowl of big, pillowy pasta was one of the best things he’s eaten there. “The smoked tapenade was very deeply flavoured,” he said. “The memory of that sauce will stay with me.”

He was less pleased though with Play’s apple and shallot strudel ($14) with figs, blue cheese and balsamic blackberry, faulting it for a lack of flavour and some soggy pastry. 

A more successful light, meatless choice was the plate of Indian-inspired mung bean coconut fritters ($13).

Desserts — a sticky toffee cake with gelato ($8), a ramekin of vanilla crème brûlée ($7) and a chocolate peanut butter bomb with peanut brittle ($8) — were sweet but not cloying and to-the-point. I would have liked more razzle-dazzle and less familiarity to end my meals, but these picks were well made and fairly priced.

Play’s airy space is split over two floors. The top one puts guests in proximity of chefs at work in an open kitchen. I’ve eaten twice downstairs, below the ripple of red silk, at a small pine table beside a large window.

Cool and bopping jazz from the 1950s and 1960s dominated the sound system’s music. Our servers were attentive and friendly, and one in particular had that extra air of knowing competence and care that we expect from a Beckta-run restaurant. 

Play’s wine list is extensive, diverse and detailed, with some three- and five-ounce glasses available as well as bottles. The cheese and charcuterie offerings appealed, too — next time, when I’m more in the mood to nibble. 

After both lunches, I felt a little giddy at having eaten that well and that cheaply. Even paying dinnertime prices for the same food (the same menu is in force), I think I would feel that my money was well-spent on Play’s experience.

In her review of 2009, my predecessor — while impressed, especially by the ambience — concluded: “If Play wants to be the Beckta of small-plate dining, it’s going to need to take it up a notch.”

My present-day take is that either Play’s food has improved or that the above analogy might be a false one. I’d say that Play can quite justifiably be content to be the Play of small-plate dining. 

Bilal’s Kabab
4055 Carling Ave., Unit 3, Kanata, 613-270-8866, bilalskabab.com
Open: Monday to Wednesday 11 a.m to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday 11 a.m to 9 p.m., Saturday 2 to 10 p.m., Sunday 2 to 9 p.m.
Prices: mains $12.99 to $24.99  
Access: no steps to front door or washrooms

There’s a strip mall in Kanata, on Carling Avenue just east of March Road, that I think has some pretty good feng shui as far as small restaurants that offer cuisines from far-flung places are concerned. 

At the cluster of eateries there, I’ve had good experiences eating Indian and Iranian, and I’ve heard good things about their Thai neighbours. Most recently, I’ve appreciated more than a few dishes at Bilal’s Kabab, the Afghan restaurant that last fall replaced the Silk Roads restaurant. 

Like Ottawa’s other Afghan kebab houses, Bilal’s serves halal meats from animals killed and processed according to Muslim dietary laws. As per those laws, the family-run eatery also does not serve alcohol.

However, Bilal’s stands out from its peers in that it’s an offshoot business of Bilal Farms, a halal slaughterhouse in Clarence Creek, near Rockland, that has processed local lamb and beef for almost two decades. From the livestock brought for slaughter, the restaurant selects and buys the animals that yield the meat it serves.

That connection led me to have high hopes for the freshness and flavour of the lamb and beef dishes at the zero-frills, small-tabled 40-seater, and, indeed, two dinners left me with a lot of confidence in its well-seasoned, toothsome kebabs.

To start with a standout — three yogurt-marinated lamb loin chops (“choppan kabab” on the menu) were large and plump, exceptionally tender, clear-flavoured and juicy. They were also pleasingly priced at $16.99. The pieces of lamb leg in the tikka kebab ($16.99) sometimes required more forceful chewing, but still were very tasty.

Choppan Kabab lamb chops at Bilal’s Kabab 

Karayi kabab ($15.99), which featured bone-in pieces of lamb ribs and shoulder cooked in a rich onion-and-tomato-and-herb sauce, made for the most involved and least meaty eating. Even better than the lamb in that dish was the marinade-derived sauce. It was delicious, well spiced and savoury, and it prompted us to mop the bowl dry with slices of fresh, crusty Afghan naan bread.   

Lamb karayi at Bilal’s Kabab

The most expensive beef option, barg kabab, consisted of a skewer of marinated filet mignon ($19.99) and was an obvious, no-fuss winner. It and other kebabs were generously accompanied by fluffy rice and fresh, if ordinary, salad. The portion size was also more than sufficient with the diverse, four-skewer kebab platter for two ($36.99), which yielded leftovers after two of us had had our fill. The moist and sizeable chunks of chicken on that platter were the standouts. 

Kebab platter at Bilal’s Kabab in Kanata

“If you know how to prepare kebabs, you can win the hearts of your customers,” owner and chef Wakil Zazay told me when we spoke after my visits.

Bilal’s Kabab Chef/Owner Wakil Zazay with an assortment of authentic Afghan cuisine at his Kanata restaurant.

Beyond its meats and starches, the humble restaurant serves some interesting and commendable side dishes and appetizers. Aash, a heavily herbed soup made with house-made yogurt, packaged noodles and loose ground meat ($4.99), was hearty, homey and comforting. It’s also a dish that I haven’t seen at similar restaurants in Ottawa.

Aash soup at Bilal’s Kabab

Bilal’s version of bolani, the Afghan stuffed flatbread ($4.99), was pan-fried to crunchiness and stuffed with a potato mixture that a bit of a spicy kick. Deep-fried beef samosas ($5.99) were hefty, lean and not at all oily. 

Bolani at Bilal’s Kabab

Beef samosas at Bilal’s Kabab in Kanata

There were also two appealing eggplant dishes here — one, bademjan laghatak ($4.99), a tomatoe-y stew and the other, borani badenjan ($5.99), a dip made with yoghurt.

Borani Badinjan at Bilal’s Kabab

Dessert choices at Bilal’s are limited. Firnee ($3.99), a floral-tasting milk pudding, dusted with cardamom and pistachios, was available at a lunch buffet last week, but I would have preferred sawaya, a sweet dish of milk-cooked vermicelli, had it been on offer. 

During my lunch visit, I was also hoping for more of my meaty dinner-hour favourites at the steam table, and was disappointed with the selection. But I contented myself with succulent and flavourful tandoori chicken drumsticks, chickpea qorma, and a potato dish related to one of the eggplant preparations. Zazay told me that while the buffet suits the schedules of nearby tech workers, guests could order from the menu at lunch, although ideally before noon or after 1 p.m.

Chicken Tandoori at Bilal’s Kabab

Each time I was there, Zazay and his son have provided attentive, friendly service. They were clearly eager to please, seeking feedback about which dishes pleased the most.

Zazay told me that May will bring a few additions to his menu, including a lamb shank qorma, mantu dumplings, and more vegetable dishes including spinach and okra preparations. To my mind, those should be four more reasons to give Bilal’s a try. 

phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum
Peter Hum’s previous restaurant reviews

Bilal’s Kabab
4055 Carling Ave., Unit 3, Kanata, 613-270-8866, bilalskabab.com
Open: Monday to Wednesday 11 a.m to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday 11 a.m to 9 p.m., Saturday 2 to 10 p.m., Sunday 2 to 9 p.m.
Prices: mains $12.99 to $24.99  
Access: no steps to front door or washrooms

There’s a strip mall in Kanata, on Carling Avenue just east of March Road, that I think has some pretty good feng shui as far as small restaurants that offer cuisines from far-flung places are concerned. 

At the cluster of eateries there, I’ve had good experiences eating Indian and Iranian, and I’ve heard good things about their Thai neighbours. Most recently, I’ve appreciated more than a few dishes at Bilal’s Kabab, the Afghan restaurant that last fall replaced the Silk Roads restaurant. 

Like Ottawa’s other Afghan kebab houses, Bilal’s serves halal meats from animals killed and processed according to Muslim dietary laws. As per those laws, the family-run eatery also does not serve alcohol.

However, Bilal’s stands out from its peers in that it’s an offshoot business of Bilal Farms, a halal slaughterhouse in Clarence Creek, near Rockland, that has processed local lamb and beef for almost two decades. From the livestock brought for slaughter, the restaurant selects and buys the animals that yield the meat it serves.

That connection led me to have high hopes for the freshness and flavour of the lamb and beef dishes at the zero-frills, small-tabled 40-seater, and, indeed, two dinners left me with a lot of confidence in its well-seasoned, toothsome kebabs.

To start with a standout — three yogurt-marinated lamb loin chops (“choppan kabab” on the menu) were large and plump, exceptionally tender, clear-flavoured and juicy. They were also pleasingly priced at $16.99. The pieces of lamb leg in the tikka kebab ($16.99) sometimes required more forceful chewing, but still were very tasty.

Karayi kabab ($15.99), which featured bone-in pieces of lamb ribs and shoulder cooked in a rich onion-and-tomato-and-herb sauce, made for the most involved and least meaty eating. Even better than the lamb in that dish was the marinade-derived sauce. It was delicious, well spiced and savoury, and it prompted us to mop the bowl dry with slices of fresh, crusty Afghan naan bread.   

The most expensive beef option, barg kabab, consisted of a skewer of marinated filet mignon ($19.99) and was an obvious, no-fuss winner. It and other kebabs were generously accompanied by fluffy rice and fresh, if ordinary, salad. The portion size was also more than sufficient with the diverse, four-skewer kebab platter for two ($36.99), which yielded leftovers after two of us had had our fill. The moist and sizeable chunks of chicken on that platter were the standouts. 

“If you know how to prepare kebabs, you can win the hearts of your customers,” owner and chef Wakil Zazay told me when we spoke after my visits.

Beyond its meats and starches, the humble restaurant serves some interesting and commendable side dishes and appetizers. Aash, a heavily herbed soup made with house-made yogurt, packaged noodles and loose ground meat ($4.99), was hearty, homey and comforting. It’s also a dish that I haven’t seen at similar restaurants in Ottawa.

Bilal’s version of bolani, the Afghan stuffed flatbread ($4.99), was pan-fried to crunchiness and stuffed with a potato mixture that a bit of a spicy kick. Deep-fried beef samosas ($5.99) were hefty, lean and not at all oily. 

There were also two appealing eggplant dishes here — one, bademjan laghatak ($4.99), a tomatoe-y stew and the other, borani badenjan ($5.99), a dip made with yoghurt.

Dessert choices at Bilal’s are limited. Firnee ($3.99), a floral-tasting milk pudding, dusted with cardamom and pistachios, was available at a lunch buffet last week, but I would have preferred sawaya, a sweet dish of milk-cooked vermicelli, had it been on offer. 

During my lunch visit, I was also hoping for more of my meaty dinner-hour favourites at the steam table, and was disappointed with the selection. But I contented myself with succulent and flavourful tandoori chicken drumsticks, chickpea qorma, and a potato dish related to one of the eggplant preparations. Zazay told me that while the buffet suits the schedules of nearby tech workers, guests could order from the menu at lunch, although ideally before noon or after 1 p.m.

Each time I was there, Zazay and his son have provided attentive, friendly service. They were clearly eager to please, seeking feedback about which dishes pleased the most.

Zazay told me that May will bring a few additions to his menu, including a lamb shank qorma, mantu dumplings, and more vegetable dishes including spinach and okra preparations. To my mind, those should be four more reasons to give Bilal’s a try. 

Peter Hum’s previous restaurant reviews

Urban Cowboy

4456 Limebank Rd., 613-604-4456, urbancowboyeats.com
Open:  Monday and Tuesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight
Prices: mains $15 to $22
Access: no steps to front door or washrooms

When the Urban Cowboy food truck opened almost three years ago, it described its wares as “innovative Texas street food.” The menu, which changed daily, could list everything from halibut-cheek tacos in handmade corn tortillas to barbecue duck baguettes to the signature Belcher Burger, made of brisket rather than ground beef. 

Since then, the Urban Cowboy brand has taken off, assisted by owner Layne Belcher’s long-time connection to Ottawa’s restaurant and sports scenes. His late father, Val Belcher, who was born in Houston, Texas, played for the Ottawa Rough Riders in the early 1980s. After he hung up his jersey a few years later, he was behind the Lone Star Texas Grill, a smashing late-’80s success, as well as several other restaurants. Naturally, Layne Belcher, now in his early 30s, would go on to work in restaurants and eventually sell food from his truck at Lansdowne Park as well as at Ottawa-area festivals. 

More than a year ago, Urban Cowboy took over the Riverside South strip mall eatery that had been Indulge, a too-short-lived fine-dining restaurant, adding seven TVs tuned to TSN, a poster of John Wayne, cowboy boots, a steer skull and a popcorn machine in the process.

Belcher calls it Urban Cowboy headquarters. It’s also tempting to think of it as Son of Lone Star: a suburban, family-friendly sports eatery that supports good causes and local beer (Beau’s) and hosts live music on Wednesday nights. 

We went to Urban Cowboy three times this month, and had some satisfying dishes, a few that were alright but could have been better, and some letdowns.

For me and two friends that I call the Meat Brothers, the lure of barbecued meats is irresistible. But at the same time, we set the bar high, with competition fare and the dishes at the Dinosaur-Bar-B-Que restaurants in the U.S. as our touchstones.

We had to take the Urban Cowboy Derby Platter ($45) for a spin, digging into the sampler’s pulled pork, beef brisket, half-rack of ribs, half a chicken and smoked sausage.

Derby Platter at Urban Cowboy

Nothing was great, but nothing was bad either. The balance of smoke to other flavours was good, but the differentiation of the flavours could have been greater. Best were the ribs, while the chicken was a touch dry. I’d prefer brisket to be sliced rather than chopped, à la pulled pork, but the latter is definitely a Belcher signature, dating back to when Val Belcher served brisket this way in his namesake burger, which is the top-seller on his son’s menu. I would have liked some sauce choices to go with the meats to spice or brighten them up.

We were more impressed with the side dishes, including some fine, bacon-enhanced mac ‘n’ cheese, some sweet, fluffy cornbread, and the crisp, tempura-fried sweet potato fries.

Side dishes at Urban Cowboy

That visit, we weren’t that crazy about the flour-tortilla tacos ($20 for five) that featured battered shrimp from the keen-to-deep-fry kitchen or blackened catfish. They were a little muddled, flavour-wise, with accompaniments overshadowing proteins. 

Shrimp and catfish tacos at Urban Cowboy

At a second visit, there was the dish that I’d most want to eat again at Urban Cowboy, the chicken and waffles ($20). Big, boneless, buttermilk-marinated white-meat pieces remained moist and crisply coated after their deep-frying. The sweet potato waffles were a bit soggy, but still appealed. 

Chicken and waffles at Urban Cowboy

The menu labeled that soul-food-derived item a New Orleans specialty, which it isn’t, really. But the jambalaya ($20) was properly categorized, and not bad. The dish was well stocked with shrimp, chicken and, most flavourfully, smoked sausage. While the Creole aspect of the sauce needed more oomph and depth, I’ve had worse jambalaya elsewhere. The cornbread, again, was delicious.

Jambalaya with cornbread at Urban Cowboy

At a third visit, we sampled house-made guacamole and tortilla chips ($9), which I would have liked better had the guacamole been more chunky and less creamy, as well as more bright and acidic. 

Guacamole and chips at Urban Cowboy

A blackened catfish in a po’ boy sandwich ($16) had crossed over from blackened to somewhat singed and burnt, and the fries with it had none of the specialness of the premium sweet potato fries.

Blackened catfish po’ boy plus fries at Urban Cowboy

Better was the Belcher Burger ($16), heaped with chopped brisket. I would have liked to taste more beefiness asserting itself against the tangy tomato sauce, or even a less sauced, sliced brisket alternative. But I still liked the Urban Cowboy staple, as well as the “truck” salad of kale, greens, cherry tomatoes, corn, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds, although I like honey mustard vinaigrette to be less sweet.

Brisket burger plus truck salad at Urban Cowboy

If you think desserts improve with deep-frying, then the deep-fried Oreos, served with as much whipped cream as battered cookie, ($6) or deep-fried ice cream ($5) should do the trick.

Deep-fried Oreos at Urban Cowboy

I wonder: what would happen if other Ottawa food trucks followed Belcher’s lead and opened restaurants? How would they scale up? Would they ditch their equivalent of halibut-cheek tacos for something less distinctive and easier to mass-produce?

We’ll have to wait and see. For now, Urban Cowboy seems to be making a go of it where Indulge called it quits, serving more crowd-pleasing, if less fancy and impressive, dishes at prices that are also easier to stomach.

phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum
Peter Hum’s previous restaurant reviews

Urban Cowboy

4456 Limebank Rd., 613-604-4456, urbancowboyeats.com
Open:  Monday and Tuesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to midnight
Prices: mains $15 to $22
Access: no steps to front door or washrooms

When the Urban Cowboy food truck opened almost three years ago, it described its wares as “innovative Texas street food.” The menu, which changed daily, could list everything from halibut-cheek tacos in handmade corn tortillas to barbecue duck baguettes to the signature Belcher Burger, made of brisket rather than ground beef. 

Since then, the Urban Cowboy brand has taken off, assisted by owner Layne Belcher’s long-time connection to Ottawa’s restaurant and sports scenes. His late father, Val Belcher, who was born in Houston, Texas, played for the Ottawa Rough Riders in the early 1980s. After he hung up his jersey a few years later, he was behind the Lone Star Texas Grill, a smashing late-’80s success, as well as several other restaurants. Naturally, Layne Belcher, now in his early 30s, would go on to work in restaurants and eventually sell food from his truck at Lansdowne Park as well as at Ottawa-area festivals. 

More than a year ago, Urban Cowboy took over the Riverside South strip mall eatery that had been Indulge, a too-short-lived fine-dining restaurant, adding seven TVs tuned to TSN, a poster of John Wayne, cowboy boots, a steer skull and a popcorn machine in the process.

Belcher calls it Urban Cowboy headquarters. It’s also tempting to think of it as Son of Lone Star: a suburban, family-friendly sports eatery that supports good causes and local beer (Beau’s) and hosts live music on Wednesday nights. 

We went to Urban Cowboy three times this month, and had some satisfying dishes, a few that were alright but could have been better, and some letdowns.

For me and two friends that I call the Meat Brothers, the lure of barbecued meats is irresistible. But at the same time, we set the bar high, with competition fare and the dishes at the Dinosaur-Bar-B-Que restaurants in the U.S. as our touchstones.

We had to take the Urban Cowboy Derby Platter ($45) for a spin, digging into the sampler’s pulled pork, beef brisket, half-rack of ribs, half a chicken and smoked sausage.

Nothing was great, but nothing was bad either. The balance of smoke to other flavours was good, but the differentiation of the flavours could have been greater. Best were the ribs, while the chicken was a touch dry. I’d prefer brisket to be sliced rather than chopped, à la pulled pork, but the latter is definitely a Belcher signature, dating back to when Val Belcher served brisket this way in his namesake burger, which is the top-seller on his son’s menu. I would have liked some sauce choices to go with the meats to spice or brighten them up.

We were more impressed with the side dishes, including some fine, bacon-enhanced mac ‘n’ cheese, some sweet, fluffy cornbread, and the crisp, tempura-fried sweet potato fries.

That visit, we weren’t that crazy about the flour-tortilla tacos ($20 for five) that featured battered shrimp from the keen-to-deep-fry kitchen or blackened catfish. They were a little muddled, flavour-wise, with accompaniments overshadowing proteins. 

The menu labeled that soul-food-derived item a New Orleans specialty, which it isn’t, really. But the jambalaya ($20) was properly categorized, and not bad. The dish was well stocked with shrimp, chicken and, most flavourfully, smoked sausage. While the Creole aspect of the sauce needed more oomph and depth, I’ve had worse jambalaya elsewhere. The cornbread, again, was delicious.

At a third visit, we sampled house-made guacamole and tortilla chips ($9), which I would have liked better had the guacamole been more chunky and less creamy, as well as more bright and acidic. 

A blackened catfish in a po’ boy sandwich ($16) had crossed over from blackened to somewhat singed and burnt, and the fries with it had none of the specialness of the premium sweet potato fries.

Better was the Belcher Burger ($16), heaped with chopped brisket. I would have liked to taste more beefiness asserting itself against the tangy tomato sauce, or even a less sauced, sliced brisket alternative. But I still liked the Urban Cowboy staple, as well as the “truck” salad of kale, greens, cherry tomatoes, corn, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds, although I like honey mustard vinaigrette to be less sweet.

If you think desserts improve with deep-frying, then the deep-fried Oreos, served with as much whipped cream as battered cookie, ($6) or deep-fried ice cream ($5) should do the trick.

I wonder: what would happen if other Ottawa food trucks followed Belcher’s lead and opened restaurants? How would they scale up? Would they ditch their equivalent of halibut-cheek tacos for something less distinctive and easier to mass-produce?

We’ll have to wait and see. For now, Urban Cowboy seems to be making a go of it where Indulge called it quits, serving more crowd-pleasing, if less fancy and impressive, dishes at prices that are also easier to stomach.

Anne Waters keeps an ever-changing list of her favourite coffee shops in and around Ottawa. Here are some of her favourites. For more, see AnneDrinksCoffee.

Blumen Studio

465 Parkdale Ave.

“It is a quiet spot and when I need calm, this zen place is worth going off my flight path.”

The Ministry of Coffee

 Elgin Street and in Hintonburg

“Always happy when Alex, Fadi or Adam are pulling my shots.” 

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Equator Coffee Roasters

Westboro and Almonte

“In Westboro, I count on Chris Petrie and his awesome team of solid baristas to make me a fine small flat white.”

Bread and Sons Bakery

195 Bank St.

“Uses the 49th Parallel Old School espresso bean.”

Morning Owl Coffeehouse

Rochester, Elgin and Bank

“I get a small Australian Flat White.”

Café qui pense

204 Main St.

“I get the Euro Cappuccino because I want it to be served in the pretty blue cup!”

Bread By Us

1065 Wellington St.

“I enjoy the small Cortado.”

Red Door Provisions

117 Beechwood Ave.

“I get a delicious flat white. But truth be told, I go for their scone board!” 

Bridgehead

18 coffeehouses in Ottawa

“I’ve been to them all!”

CC’s Corner

6 Lennox St., Richmond

“Their shop has extra funk because they also have a mini antique shop in the coffee shop. Super eclectic. Plus Cam is always spinning the vinyls.”

Quitters Coffee

1523 Main St., Stittsville

“This place is more than cultured coffee and a great patio. Owner Kathleen Edwards is a community builder who has created a very loyal following. I think of 1523 Main Street as the unofficial Stittsville town hall. Or Corner Gas with a high cool factor!”

Central Bierhaus

650 Kanata Ave. in Kanata Centrum, across from the Landmark Cinemas, 613-595-0707, centralbierhaus.ca
Open: Monday to Wednesday 4 p.m. to midnight, Thursday and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Prices: most mains $20 to $28
Access: no steps to front door or washrooms 

The possible impact on our colons notwithstanding, we were pretty pleased with our hyper-meaty dinner last weekend at Central Bierhaus.

At that cavernous, almost two-year-old restaurant/beer hall in Kanata Centrum, why would we stop at pork schnitzel when we could also have pork belly and pork hocks? We drew the line at pork sausages, switching to made-in-Carp links of gamier choices, including bison, deer, wild boar and duck. We skipped the Bierhaus’s burger, a top-seller, because a slab of boneless short ribs appealed more. In all, we weren’t disappointed.

Yes, we were carnivores over-doing it. But our plates were surprisingly balanced, with bright and acidic components (I’m looking at you, heapings of sauerkraut, but also a range of mustards and even some pickled carrots) to offset the red-meat richness, along with varied and well-made accompaniments, including roasted fingerling potatoes, and light, cheesy spatzle. 

The food was quite good — not amazing or haute-cuisine, but better than what we had expected from a high-volume eatery that can seat than 250 people, plus scores more on its patio when the weather permits. Chef Christopher Juneau’s kitchen serves respectable, slightly-more-expensive-than-I-would-have-liked dishes with some foodie appeal, not just lowest-common-denominator fare to go with the multitude of imported beers detailed in the impressively detailed 30-page “bier buch” directory.

Ottawa Senators defenceman Chris Neil is one of the Bierhaus’ owners, and the business, naturally, is in part, a sports bar, with not only several large TVs and one XXL screen showing games, but also beer steins for each local hockey star on display by the front door. But there are enough trappings — ample communal seating, hefty wooden tables and benches, barrels and the like — to establish the European beer-hall theme and banish memories of O’Connors, the Irish pub that the Bierhaus replaced.  

It’s been too long since I’ve had hearty European fare in Germany and the Czech Republic, never mind Ottawa, and I give the Bierhaus credit for giving Schweinhaxen, a massive pork hock ($28), a place on its menu. The rustic, rib-sticking dish arrived with a knife plunged like King Arthur’s sword in its crunchy, bronzed crackling. Beneath the delicious skin were tracts of yielding meat, meant to be dunked in the surrounding moat of thickened sauce. Beside the pork-filled bowl was a platter with sauerkraut, red cabbage and fingerling potatoes — all good. Surely this food was meant to be shared by two people?   

Schweinhaxen (pork hocks) at Central Bierhaus

A serving of pork schnitzel ($23, slightly less expensive than the chicken or veal schnitzels) was not quite as daunting size-wise, but registered as very tasty by all who sampled it. Crisp, porky, not too salty and not oily, it exemplified good, humble schnitzel, served with spatzle, more red cabbage and green beans.

Pork schnitzel at Central Bierhaus

The beef short ribs ($28) were as tender as desired, we guessed from some quality time in a sous-vide water bath. The meal would have been better still with some deep, braised-in flavour, but the plate still satisfied with the perks of pickled carrots and crispy shallots.

Bonless beef short ribs at Central Bierhaus

Even with its own sous-vide treatment, a chicken breast ($25) was a touch dry and ordinary. But the mushroom-barley risotto and maple-roasted parsnips enhanced the plate considerably.

Chicken breast at Central Bierhaus

Locally made, if not made-in-house sausages — seven pork-based and the game-meat options — are a specialty here. The game-based platter’s sausages ($35 for eight) were lean and a sampler of five mustards made them more interesting, but the more composed dishes that we tried struck us as better than these wurst. 

Game sausages at Central Bierhaus

Friendly and knowledgeable servers hustled all of these dishes to us strikingly quickly, not long after our first appetizer — three slices of pork belly ($14), bettered by apple butter and pickled jalapeno, but curiously atop slices of cheddar — landed. As starters went, we preferred the fine plate of potato perogies ($15).

Pork belly at Central Bierhaus

Perogies at Central Bierhaus

At another visit, the soup of the day, split pea soup ($7), had good flavour, smokiness and consistency. Cakes of haddock and potato ($13) were another deep-fried hit, but could have used more fish in their makeup.

Fish cakes at Central Bierhaus

That visit yielded the only order that I regretted. A lobster roll ($20) was plenty meaty, but also too chewy and watery in flavour. But its house-made fries and salad were above average.

Lobster roll at Central Bierhaus

While restaurant desserts that call themselves S’mores are never as good as real S’mores, the Bierhaus’s S’Mores were not bad, with a pleasing dark chocolate terrine. A serving of strawberry rhubarb crumble was tart and double-sized. A slice of butter tart was respectable, not too sweet, and offset by ginger-tinged caramel. All desserts, $8 each, were made in-house.

S’mores Terrine at Central Bierhaus

Strawberry rhubarb crumble at Central Bierhaus

Butter tart pie at Central Bierhaus

In recent years, European restaurants such as the Lindenhof and Amber Garden have sadly shuttered in Ottawa. It might seem odd to see the stuff of those family-run restaurants scaled up to feed the thirsty guests of a suburban big-box eatery, but we should be glad that Central Bierhaus cooks them as well as it does.

phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum
Peter Hum’s previous reviews

Central Bierhaus

650 Kanata Ave. in Kanata Centrum, across from the Landmark Cinemas, 613-595-0707, centralbierhaus.ca
Open: Monday to Wednesday 4 p.m. to midnight, Thursday and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Prices: most mains $20 to $28
Access: no steps to front door or washrooms 

The possible impact on our colons notwithstanding, we were pretty pleased with our hyper-meaty dinner last weekend at Central Bierhaus.

At that cavernous, almost two-year-old restaurant/beer hall in Kanata Centrum, why would we stop at pork schnitzel when we could also have pork belly and pork hocks? We drew the line at pork sausages, switching to made-in-Carp links of gamier choices, including bison, deer, wild boar and duck. We skipped the Bierhaus’s burger, a top-seller, because a slab of boneless short ribs appealed more. In all, we weren’t disappointed.

Yes, we were carnivores over-doing it. But our plates were surprisingly balanced, with bright and acidic components (I’m looking at you, heapings of sauerkraut, but also a range of mustards and even some pickled carrots) to offset the red-meat richness, along with varied and well-made accompaniments, including roasted fingerling potatoes, and light, cheesy spatzle. 

The food was quite good — not amazing or haute-cuisine, but better than what we had expected from a high-volume eatery that can seat than 250 people, plus scores more on its patio when the weather permits. Chef Christopher Juneau’s kitchen serves respectable, slightly-more-expensive-than-I-would-have-liked dishes with some foodie appeal, not just lowest-common-denominator fare to go with the multitude of imported beers detailed in the impressively detailed 30-page “bier buch” directory.

Ottawa Senators defenceman Chris Neil is one of the Bierhaus’ owners, and the business, naturally, is in part, a sports bar, with not only several large TVs and one XXL screen showing games, but also beer steins for each local hockey star on display by the front door. But there are enough trappings — ample communal seating, hefty wooden tables and benches, barrels and the like — to establish the European beer-hall theme and banish memories of O’Connors, the Irish pub that the Bierhaus replaced.  

It’s been too long since I’ve had hearty European fare in Germany and the Czech Republic, never mind Ottawa, and I give the Bierhaus credit for giving Schweinhaxen, a massive pork hock ($28), a place on its menu. The rustic, rib-sticking dish arrived with a knife plunged like King Arthur’s sword in its crunchy, bronzed crackling. Beneath the delicious skin were tracts of yielding meat, meant to be dunked in the surrounding moat of thickened sauce. Beside the pork-filled bowl was a platter with sauerkraut, red cabbage and fingerling potatoes — all good. Surely this food was meant to be shared by two people?   

Schweinhaxen (pork hocks) at Central Bierhaus

A serving of pork schnitzel ($23, slightly less expensive than the chicken or veal schnitzels) was not quite as daunting size-wise, but registered as very tasty by all who sampled it. Crisp, porky, not too salty and not oily, it exemplified good, humble schnitzel, served with spatzle, more red cabbage and green beans.

The beef short ribs ($28) were as tender as desired, we guessed from some quality time in a sous-vide water bath. The meal would have been better still with some deep, braised-in flavour, but the plate still satisfied with the perks of pickled carrots and crispy shallots.

Even with its own sous-vide treatment, a chicken breast ($25) was a touch dry and ordinary. But the mushroom-barley risotto and maple-roasted parsnips enhanced the plate considerably.

Locally made, if not made-in-house sausages — seven pork-based and the game-meat options — are a specialty here. The game-based platter’s sausages ($35 for eight) were lean and a sampler of five mustards made them more interesting, but the more composed dishes that we tried struck us as better than these wurst. 

Friendly and knowledgeable servers hustled all of these dishes to us strikingly quickly, not long after our first appetizer — three slices of pork belly ($14), bettered by apple butter and pickled jalapeno, but curiously atop slices of cheddar — landed. As starters went, we preferred the fine plate of potato perogies ($15).

At another visit, the soup of the day, split pea soup ($7), had good flavour, smokiness and consistency. Cakes of haddock and potato ($13) were another deep-fried hit, but could have used more fish in their makeup.

That visit yielded the only order that I regretted. A lobster roll ($20) was plenty meaty, but also too chewy and watery in flavour. But its house-made fries and salad were above average.

While restaurant desserts that call themselves S’mores are never as good as real S’mores, the Bierhaus’s S’Mores were not bad, with a pleasing dark chocolate terrine. A serving of strawberry rhubarb crumble was tart and double-sized. A slice of butter tart was respectable, not too sweet, and offset by ginger-tinged caramel. All desserts, $8 each, were made in-house.

In recent years, European restaurants such as the Lindenhof and Amber Garden have sadly shuttered in Ottawa. It might seem odd to see the stuff of those family-run restaurants scaled up to feed the thirsty guests of a suburban big-box eatery, but we should be glad that Central Bierhaus cooks them as well as it does.

Allium

87 Holland Ave., 613-792-1313, alliumrestaurant.com
Open: Monday 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5:30 -9 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5:30-10 p.m., Saturday 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m., closed Sunday
Price: starters, $14 to $17; main dishes $28 to $33
Access: Steps to entrance, washrooms downstairs

A few weeks ago, on a Monday night, we were scrambling to pull together a last-minute dinner out with some friends from out of town. For the first restaurant that sprang to mind, the early seatings were all booked. Then, the second restaurant that we considered was closed. Our plans only firmed up when we snagged a table at Allium.

Last, but not least, indeed. After thoroughly enjoying a meal of small plates at the Holland Avenue restaurant, we kicked ourselves for not having thought of Allium before the others.

Opened in the fall of 2004, Allium was last reviewed by the Citizen in the summer of 2011, when my predecessor declared that chef-owner Arup Jana’s restaurant was “cooler than ever” and “reliably great.” I’m pleased to re-affirm that assessment, thanks to that Monday night dinner and a second visit last week.

At both meals, the kitchen turned out well-crafted and colourful dishes that popped with vivid flavours and smart combinations. There was a spirit of generosity to Allium’s food, reinforced by servers who, for all the casualness of  their jeans and T-shirts, were very much on top of their game — attentive, gracious and knowledgeable of menu and bar offerings. 

A cosy, woody space with a warm, bustling, unfussy vibe, Allium must have registered with us as more of a neighbourhood eatery than a “destination” restaurant to bring out-of-town visitors to. We realized our wrongheadedness when the some standard-setting small plates hit our table. 

Jana’s been serving small plates on Mondays since a few years into Allium’s run, ahead of the small-plate curve in Ottawa. Maybe they were meant as an antidote to lagging business on Mondays, but the dishes we tried from Allium’s constantly changing “tapas” menu (I think the Spanish reference is misapplied, but maybe that’s just me) were treats you might want any night that you revisited at the restaurant.

There was cornmeal-crusted softshell crab so fresh and good that we had to order another. Slabs of ruby-red seared tuna looked and tasted like tiny indulgences, garnished with edamame and standing up to spicy aioli and slices of jalapeno. Seared scallops nicely caramelized exteriors and quivering interiors were also expertly made. Chunks of flank steak brimmed with beefy flavour, while foie gras two ways, seared and in terrine form, felt big and luxurious — a good, fatty thing in a small package. 

Cornmeal-crusted soft shell crab at Allium

Seared tuna with jalapeno, edamame, spicy aioli at Allium

Foie gras plate at Allium

Flank steak at Allium

Scallops at Allium- April

Allium’s banoffee pie ($9) has been around since the restaurant’s earliest days and it remains a must-order dessert that delivers smooth, sweet, creamy, chocolatey pleasures in the proper proportions. Sorry, most other desserts in Ottawa — you must bow down before Jana’s banoffee pie.

Banoffee pie at Allium

Last week, we beat the Mother’s Day rush with a family dinner at Allium. The well-written menu, which changes monthly, forced us to make some hard choices from eight starters and seven mains.

Beef tartare was an obvious winner, visually lovely, but too delicious to admire for very long. A lot of supporting components, including parsley aioli (Jana has a thing for tasty emulsions), foie gras mousse, pickled shallots and kale vinaigrette, added rich or bright complexity to the meaty mouthfuls scooped up on house-made potato chips.

A warm asparagus salad was less harmonious, striving to unite cucumber, orange segments and morsels of pork belly with the asparagus and its Bearnaise aioli. Even if it didn’t come together, the plate delivered some prime pork belly goodness.  

Warm asparagus salad at Allium restaurant

For the table’s teenager, a simpler starter of greaseless, tender, deep-fried calamari with a superior Sriracha mayo was a polished version the cephalopod staple.

A main course of lamb rack, pink and juicy, came with refined Mexican-influenced supporters, including citrusy black beans, blobs of lime crema, a chipotle jus, slices of pickled chilies and a cuminy toss of peppers. 

Lamb rack at Allium restaurant

We mentioned that the duck breast main was going to be split between two smaller appetites, and the kitchen thoughtfully sent out half-orders on separate plates. Even the less loaded plates made clear Allium’s strengths — proteins cooked just so and unique side elements (in this case, a pancake of grated potatoes, spinach strudel and a savoury slice of Eryngii mushroom, to name a few) to make the dish sing.

Duck breast (half portion) at Allium restaurant

The most traditional, comforting main was a slab of well-seared, but succulent pork loin that sported a bit of a tang from its cider brine. Creamy potato puree, a topping of bacon and mushrooms, some watercress salad, a brandy-spiked jus and the modernist novelty of apple slices, made extra tart through vacuum-sealed compression.

Cider-brined pork loin at Allium restaurant

Desserts ($11) were highly composed, multi-component affairs on the themes of lemon tart and chocolate cake. The more traditional latter, with its flourless cake and dark ganache did more for us than the former, which seemed overly deconstructed and disproportionately concerned with lemony cream cheese.

Lemon tart brûlée at Allium restaurant

Between the two meals, we thought that the small plates night out was a touch better than the three-course dinner. But that could well have been addressed with another helping of banoffee pie. Both dinners, however, were on a level that should keep any Ottawa restaurant, “neighbourhood” or “destination,” puffed with pride. 

phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum

Allium

87 Holland Ave., 613-792-1313, alliumrestaurant.com
Open: Monday 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5:30 -9 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 5:30-10 p.m., Saturday 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m., closed Sunday
Price: starters, $14 to $17; main dishes $28 to $33
Access: Steps to entrance, washrooms downstairs

A few weeks ago, on a Monday night, we were scrambling to pull together a last-minute dinner out with some friends from out of town. For the first restaurant that sprang to mind, the early seatings were all booked. Then, the second restaurant that we considered was closed. Our plans only firmed up when we snagged a table at Allium.

Last, but not least, indeed. After thoroughly enjoying a meal of small plates at the Holland Avenue restaurant, we kicked ourselves for not having thought of Allium before the others.

Opened in the fall of 2004, Allium was last reviewed by the Citizen in the summer of 2011, when my predecessor declared that chef-owner Arup Jana’s restaurant was “cooler than ever” and “reliably great.” I’m pleased to re-affirm that assessment, thanks to that Monday night dinner and a second visit last week.

At both meals, the kitchen turned out well-crafted and colourful dishes that popped with vivid flavours and smart combinations. There was a spirit of generosity to Allium’s food, reinforced by servers who, for all the casualness of  their jeans and T-shirts, were very much on top of their game — attentive, gracious and knowledgeable of menu and bar offerings. 

A cosy, woody space with a warm, bustling, unfussy vibe, Allium must have registered with us as more of a neighbourhood eatery than a “destination” restaurant to bring out-of-town visitors to. We realized our wrongheadedness when the some standard-setting small plates hit our table. 

Jana’s been serving small plates on Mondays since a few years into Allium’s run, ahead of the small-plate curve in Ottawa. Maybe they were meant as an antidote to lagging business on Mondays, but the dishes we tried from Allium’s constantly changing “tapas” menu (I think the Spanish reference is misapplied, but maybe that’s just me) were treats you might want any night that you revisited at the restaurant.

There was cornmeal-crusted softshell crab so fresh and good that we had to order another. Slabs of ruby-red seared tuna looked and tasted like tiny indulgences, garnished with edamame and standing up to spicy aioli and slices of jalapeno. Seared scallops nicely caramelized exteriors and quivering interiors were also expertly made. Chunks of flank steak brimmed with beefy flavour, while foie gras two ways, seared and in terrine form, felt big and luxurious — a good, fatty thing in a small package. 

Allium’s banoffee pie ($9) has been around since the restaurant’s earliest days and it remains a must-order dessert that delivers smooth, sweet, creamy, chocolatey pleasures in the proper proportions. Sorry, most other desserts in Ottawa — you must bow down before Jana’s banoffee pie.

Last week, we beat the Mother’s Day rush with a family dinner at Allium. The well-written menu, which changes monthly, forced us to make some hard choices from eight starters and seven mains.

Beef tartare was an obvious winner, visually lovely, but too delicious to admire for very long. A lot of supporting components, including parsley aioli (Jana has a thing for tasty emulsions), foie gras mousse, pickled shallots and kale vinaigrette, added rich or bright complexity to the meaty mouthfuls scooped up on house-made potato chips.

A warm asparagus salad was less harmonious, striving to unite cucumber, orange segments and morsels of pork belly with the asparagus and its Bearnaise aioli. Even if it didn’t come together, the plate delivered some prime pork belly goodness.  

For the table’s teenager, a simpler starter of greaseless, tender, deep-fried calamari with a superior Sriracha mayo was a polished version the cephalopod staple.

A main course of lamb rack, pink and juicy, came with refined Mexican-influenced supporters, including citrusy black beans, blobs of lime crema, a chipotle jus, slices of pickled chilies and a cuminy toss of peppers. 

We mentioned that the duck breast main was going to be split between two smaller appetites, and the kitchen thoughtfully sent out half-orders on separate plates. Even the less loaded plates made clear Allium’s strengths — proteins cooked just so and unique side elements (in this case, a pancake of grated potatoes, spinach strudel and a savoury slice of Eryngii mushroom, to name a few) to make the dish sing.

The most traditional, comforting main was a slab of well-seared, but succulent pork loin that sported a bit of a tang from its cider brine. Creamy potato puree, a topping of bacon and mushrooms, some watercress salad, a brandy-spiked jus and the modernist novelty of apple slices, made extra tart through vacuum-sealed compression.

Desserts ($11) were highly composed, multi-component affairs on the themes of lemon tart and chocolate cake. The more traditional latter, with its flourless cake and dark ganache did more for us than the former, which seemed overly deconstructed and disproportionately concerned with lemony cream cheese.

Between the two meals, we thought that the small plates night out was a touch better than the three-course dinner. But that could well have been addressed with another helping of banoffee pie. Both dinners, however, were on a level that should keep any Ottawa restaurant, “neighbourhood” or “destination,” puffed with pride. 

OCCO Kitchen
4240 Innes Rd., Orléans, 613-824-1200, occokitchen.com
Open: Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Prices: burgers $14 to $18, mains $15 to $26
Access: no steps to front door or washrooms.

My, how OCCO Kitchen has grown.

About 14 months ago, chef Mark Steele opened the tiny, take-out-focused OCCO on St. Joseph Boulevard in Orléans. (In fact, OCCO stands for Orléans Catering Company.) Its specialties were, and remain, well-crafted burgers, tacos and fish and chips. Although OCCO meets only the most basic definition of a restaurant — not even 10 people can sit at its counters to chow down — it attained, and maintains, the top ranking among more than 2,100 Ottawa restaurants at tripadvisor.ca.

In early April, Steele opened a new OCCO Kitchen, also in Orléans, that definitely qualifies as a restaurant. In a large mall on Innes Road east of Mer Bleue Road, the new OCCO is a 200-seater that has replaced an Asian restaurant, such that two big teppanyaki stations currently sit unused in the expansive dining room.

I ate twice last week at the new OCCO, keen to see if Steele, who has been executive chef at the Delta City Centre, Ottawa Marriott and Algonquin College, could work his fast-food magic on a somewhat larger menu in a much larger space. The meals that my friends and I ate were by and large satisfying. There were a few mild disappointments, and overall, our experiences didn’t live up to the expectations that you might have for Ottawa’s “top” restaurant. But with its made-from-scratch practices, extremely fast service and nods to local ingredients and beers, OCCO stands out from the chain and premium casual restaurants that are its main competition.

At a mid-week lunch, OCCO was barely busy, and it was easier to size up the ambience. Its dining room is grey-walled and black-seated with faux barnboard and orange accent panels mitigating the starkness. A back-wall bar, though, is more snazzy. Canned music leaned to gritty blues, and service was speedy but roadhouse casual.

The food was more styled and better tasting than the usual roadhouse fare. Deep-fried starters — hefty cod cakes ($9) that point to Steele’s Newfoundland roots, pakora fritters with chunks of local heirloom veg ($7.50) — made good first impressions thanks to clean flavours, a minimum of oiliness and some plucky enhanced mayos for dipping.

Cod cakes at OCCO Kitchen

Pakoras at OCCO Kitchen

OCCO’s chowder ($6 for a cup) prompted high hopes, as the menu says that it was a winner at the P.E.I. International Shellfish Festival. My cup, a lightly creamy concoction dotted with whitefish, shrimp and carrots struck me as solid, but not remarkable. The cobb salad ($7.50 for a sizeable half-order) was about as good, and would have been better had the grilled chicken been more moist.

Chowder at OCCO Kitchen

Cobb salad at OCCO Kitchen

OCCO needs more desserts. For now, there’s just one — a dense, cinnamon sugar doughnut ($7.50) that was not as good as the espresso gelato served with it.

doughnut with ice cream at OCCO Kitchen

At an early dinner last weekend, OCCO was so packed with families and at least one large party that walk-ins were waiting more than half an hour for a table. But the greeting staff were attentive while we waited and, later, after we had ordered, all of our dishes flew out at once from the kitchen with short-order efficiency.

Again, a deep-fried starter made some of us smile. This time, it was a plate of superior, crisp-battered chicken wings served with a savoury waffle ($13.50). Another notable success was the tender, toothsome Mexican-styled corn cob ($6.50), a slightly messy, but irresistible combo of sweetness, spiciness and butteriness. 

Chicken (wings) and waffles at OCCO Kitchen

Orleans corn at Occo Kitchen

Flour-tortilla tacos ($5 each) were large, appealing and accessible, although true taco aficionados will find better in Ottawa, if not Orléans. 

Tacos at OCCO Kitchen

Of our main courses, the best ones were the beefiest. The reputation-making Candied Bacon Cheese Burger ($18, including a side dish) was massive, meaty, and all of its fixings were distinctive and complementary. I usually steer clear of poutine, but this time I didn’t, and I did not regret it. The New York striploin steak ($26, including a side), ordered and served rare, was fine on its own and better with its bone marrow jus. A slab of hot-smoked salmon ($22) was delicious, but on the small side. Chunks of grilled pork tenderloin ($22) were a little overcooked.  

Candied bacon cheddar cheeseburger with poutine at OCCO Kitchen

Steak with root chips at pakoras at Occo Kitchen

Salmon with signature salad and pakoras at Occo Kitchen

Pork tenderloin with pakoras and sweet potato mash at OCCO Kitchen

These “big plates” relied on the mix-and-match design of Steele’s menu. Those pakoras available as an appetizer were designated side items with the steak, salmon and pork, and again were much appreciated. Generously, the menu also grants guests a second side of their choice with those mains. We found a Caesar salad to be fresh, but lacking in punch and underdressed, while the OCCO signature salad was more interesting, thanks to some playful pomegranate-tapioca pearls (I think that’s what they were). Root chips, too cold and greasy, were the night’s one conspicuous dud. 

Caesar salad with candied bacon at Occo Kitchen

We skipped dessert. Even so, we spoke of the big, new OCCO as a place worth returning to when our travels took us again to Orléans.

phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum

Amuse Kitchen

500 Eagleson Rd., 613-880-8883, amusekitchen.ca
Open: Monday to Wednesday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m., Thursday and Friday 11:30 to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday 5 to 10 p.m., Sunday 5 to 9 p.m.
Prices: mains $27 to $36
Access: no steps to front door, washrooms

It makes this restaurant critic’s heart beat faster to learn of a restaurant that’s visibly ambitious about food, with a menu that surprises with ingredients, techniques and transformations that go beyond the usual.

That’s why I was up to try the Amuse Kitchen in Kanata South, which opened in late March in an Eagleson Road strip mall. There, a salad that combines crab and watermelon is intriguingly described as: “brown butter-roasted snow crab legs, macadamia-oil-tossed frisée, riesling reduction-drizzled watermelon, pickled watermelon rind, grated grilled halloumi (and) fresh mint.”

But my three visits to Amuse have been marked by too many dishes that failed to deliver on the adjective-rich menu’s promises. And their shortcomings stung all the more because of the lofty prices that Amuse charges.

The restaurant, which is under the same ownership as Must Kitchen and Wine Bar in the ByWard Market, is a narrow, new place that seats 30 or so, with blue banquettes along its long walls that are preferable to its hard seats. Splashy abstract paintings alternate with mirrors along the walls. The ceiling is high, and Edison lights dangle.

Service has ranged from matter-of-fact on a weeknight to more hospitable and attentive for a weekend dinner. We did appreciate the complimentary amuse-bouche offerings at dinner, which were baguette slices topped with something savoury, even if such pre-meal freebies are usually smaller and more refined. 

At that first visit, we found that the appetizers outshone the main courses. Best was a plate of four smallish lamb chops ($17), a bit unevenly grilled, but bolstered by a rich and tasty curry-like sauce that made us ask for some bread to sop up its remnants. Scallop tartare ($18) was a mellow dish of minced raw seafood on a maple-sweetened garlic mousse, with pecorino-enhanced crisps for scooping.

We liked the crab and watermelon salad, but it would have been better if every component listed on the menu had been detectable, or at least present, especially for $19. While enjoyable, the dish needed much more evidence of its flavour add-ons — brown butter roastiness, macadamia nuttiness and the salty punch of halloumi cheese. Plus, the pickled watermelon rind never made it onto the plate.

The mains that followed let us down. They seemed haphazardly plated, with gnocchi as their their common starch and proteins that were somewhat overcooked. Again, some advertised ingredients were missing or in very short supply.

Citrus-cured duck breast ($36), with a duck demi-glace sauce and too-crisped duck skin as a garnish, was cooked to medium and lacked finesse. Flank steak ($34), also cooked to medium rather than medium-rare, lacked the artichoke stuffing cited on the menu and its sauce was too salty.

Tuna ($36) was cooked beyond rare, and, worse, tasted unpleasantly fishy, far beyond any redeeming power of its saffron cream sauce. The menu mentioned “crispy leeks” as part of the dish, but there weren’t any.

Bananas Mojito Foster at Amuse Kitchen and Wine in Kanata (Peter Hum)

For dessert, we had the bananas “Mojito” foster ($10), which needed much more minty brightness, and “S’mores” ($10) — a pleasing warm chocolate brownie with burnt marshmallow ice cream and white chocolate sauce. Oddly, there was no Graham cracker component or a suitable stand-in.

A few weeks later after that seemingly off night, I returned for lunch, when Amuse serves salads and sandwiches with gourmet aspirations. Then, the flank steak, in both a salad ($18) and sandwich ($16) was very chewy. As involved as both dishes were — the fully-loaded sandwich boasted that it included peaches, caramel, field greens, onions, goat cheese, crushed almonds and chipotle hoisin mayo — the bottom line was overly chewy meat.  

Our final visit, a dinner for two, found Amuse fortunately raising its game somewhat.

We re-tried the crab salad and were surprised to see the meat, minus the shell, mounded on top of the greens and watermelon. While the presentation was less striking, the salad this time was more generous with its crab, which was also tastier. But we wondered again if the dish could have been improved with a truly meaningful halloumi kick, since that salty cheese pairs famously with watermelon. And still, the pickled melon rind was absent.

On the second go, the tuna main course was much better — clean-tasting and not overcooked (we’d made a point of asking for it to be rare). The chicken breast main course ($28) was satisfyingly moist and nicely seasoned, perhaps the best thing I’ve tried at Amuse. Too bad that the assortment of vegetables with both dishes was sometimes punishingly salty.

Chocolate hazelnut pâté ($9), while dense and rich, could have used more hazelnut.

At least at this last visit, Amuse came closer to hitting the mark. It will require more consistency and care from the kitchen and, perhaps, a menu with fewer complications, for the place to justify its prices and live up to its name. 

phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum

Amuse Kitchen

500 Eagleson Rd., 613-880-8883, amusekitchen.ca
Open: Monday to Wednesday 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m., Thursday and Friday 11:30 to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday 5 to 10 p.m., Sunday 5 to 9 p.m.
Prices: mains $27 to $36
Access: no steps to front door, washrooms

It makes this restaurant critic’s heart beat faster to learn of a restaurant that’s visibly ambitious about food, with a menu that surprises with ingredients, techniques and transformations that go beyond the usual.

That’s why I was up to try the Amuse Kitchen in Kanata South, which opened in late March in an Eagleson Road strip mall. There, a salad that combines crab and watermelon is intriguingly described as: “brown butter-roasted snow crab legs, macadamia-oil-tossed frisée, riesling reduction-drizzled watermelon, pickled watermelon rind, grated grilled halloumi (and) fresh mint.”

But my three visits to Amuse have been marked by too many dishes that failed to deliver on the adjective-rich menu’s promises. And their shortcomings stung all the more because of the lofty prices that Amuse charges.

The restaurant, which is under the same ownership as Must Kitchen and Wine Bar in the ByWard Market, is a narrow, new place that seats 30 or so, with blue banquettes along its long walls that are preferable to its hard seats. Splashy abstract paintings alternate with mirrors along the walls. The ceiling is high, and Edison lights dangle.

Service has ranged from matter-of-fact on a weeknight to more hospitable and attentive for a weekend dinner. We did appreciate the complimentary amuse-bouche offerings at dinner, which were baguette slices topped with something savoury, even if such pre-meal freebies are usually smaller and more refined. 

At that first visit, we found that the appetizers outshone the main courses. Best was a plate of four smallish lamb chops ($17), a bit unevenly grilled, but bolstered by a rich and tasty curry-like sauce that made us ask for some bread to sop up its remnants. Scallop tartare ($18) was a mellow dish of minced raw seafood on a maple-sweetened garlic mousse, with pecorino-enhanced crisps for scooping.

We liked the crab and watermelon salad, but it would have been better if every component listed on the menu had been detectable, or at least present, especially for $19. While enjoyable, the dish needed much more evidence of its flavour add-ons — brown butter roastiness, macadamia nuttiness and the salty punch of halloumi cheese. Plus, the pickled watermelon rind never made it onto the plate.

The mains that followed let us down. They seemed haphazardly plated, with gnocchi as their their common starch and proteins that were somewhat overcooked. Again, some advertised ingredients were missing or in very short supply.

Citrus-cured duck breast ($36), with a duck demi-glace sauce and too-crisped duck skin as a garnish, was cooked to medium and lacked finesse. Flank steak ($34), also cooked to medium rather than medium-rare, lacked the artichoke stuffing cited on the menu and its sauce was too salty.

Tuna ($36) was cooked beyond rare, and, worse, tasted unpleasantly fishy, far beyond any redeeming power of its saffron cream sauce. The menu mentioned “crispy leeks” as part of the dish, but there weren’t any.

For dessert, we had the bananas “Mojito” foster ($10), which needed much more minty brightness, and “S’mores” ($10) — a pleasing warm chocolate brownie with burnt marshmallow ice cream and white chocolate sauce. Oddly, there was no Graham cracker component or a suitable stand-in.

A few weeks later after that seemingly off night, I returned for lunch, when Amuse serves salads and sandwiches with gourmet aspirations. Then, the flank steak, in both a salad ($18) and sandwich ($16) was very chewy. As involved as both dishes were — the fully-loaded sandwich boasted that it included peaches, caramel, field greens, onions, goat cheese, crushed almonds and chipotle hoisin mayo — the bottom line was overly chewy meat.  

Our final visit, a dinner for two, found Amuse fortunately raising its game somewhat.

We re-tried the crab salad and were surprised to see the meat, minus the shell, mounded on top of the greens and watermelon. While the presentation was less striking, the salad this time was more generous with its crab, which was also tastier. But we wondered again if the dish could have been improved with a truly meaningful halloumi kick, since that salty cheese pairs famously with watermelon. And still, the pickled melon rind was absent.

On the second go, the tuna main course was much better — clean-tasting and not overcooked (we’d made a point of asking for it to be rare). The chicken breast main course ($28) was satisfyingly moist and nicely seasoned, perhaps the best thing I’ve tried at Amuse. Too bad that the assortment of vegetables with both dishes was sometimes punishingly salty.

Chocolate hazelnut pâté ($9), while dense and rich, could have used more hazelnut.

At least at this last visit, Amuse came closer to hitting the mark. It will require more consistency and care from the kitchen and, perhaps, a menu with fewer complications, for the place to justify its prices and live up to its name. 

OCCO Kitchen
4240 Innes Rd., Orléans, 613-824-1200, occokitchen.com
Open: Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Prices: burgers $14 to $18, mains $15 to $26
Access: no steps to front door or washrooms.

My, how OCCO Kitchen has grown.

About 14 months ago, chef Mark Steele opened the tiny, take-out-focused OCCO on St. Joseph Boulevard in Orléans. (In fact, OCCO stands for Orléans Catering Company.) Its specialties were, and remain, well-crafted burgers, tacos and fish and chips. Although OCCO meets only the most basic definition of a restaurant — not even 10 people can sit at its counters to chow down — it attained, and maintains, the top ranking among more than 2,100 Ottawa restaurants at tripadvisor.ca.

In early April, Steele opened a new OCCO Kitchen, also in Orléans, that definitely qualifies as a restaurant. In a large mall on Innes Road east of Mer Bleue Road, the new OCCO is a 200-seater that has replaced an Asian restaurant, such that two big teppanyaki stations currently sit unused in the expansive dining room.

I ate twice last week at the new OCCO, keen to see if Steele, who has been executive chef at the Delta City Centre, Ottawa Marriott and Algonquin College, could work his fast-food magic on a somewhat larger menu in a much larger space. The meals that my friends and I ate were by and large satisfying. There were a few mild disappointments, and overall, our experiences didn’t live up to the expectations that you might have for Ottawa’s “top” restaurant. But with its made-from-scratch practices, extremely fast service and nods to local ingredients and beers, OCCO stands out from the chain and premium casual restaurants that are its main competition.

At a mid-week lunch, OCCO was barely busy, and it was easier to size up the ambience. Its dining room is grey-walled and black-seated with faux barnboard and orange accent panels mitigating the starkness. A back-wall bar, though, is more snazzy. Canned music leaned to gritty blues, and service was speedy but roadhouse casual.

The food was more styled and better tasting than the usual roadhouse fare. Deep-fried starters — hefty cod cakes ($9) that point to Steele’s Newfoundland roots, pakora fritters with chunks of local heirloom veg ($7.50) — made good first impressions thanks to clean flavours, a minimum of oiliness and some plucky enhanced mayos for dipping.

OCCO’s chowder ($6 for a cup) prompted high hopes, as the menu says that it was a winner at the P.E.I. International Shellfish Festival. My cup, a lightly creamy concoction dotted with whitefish, shrimp and carrots struck me as solid, but not remarkable. The cobb salad ($7.50 for a sizeable half-order) was about as good, and would have been better had the grilled chicken been more moist.

OCCO needs more desserts. For now, there’s just one — a dense, cinnamon sugar doughnut ($7.50) that was not as good as the espresso gelato served with it.

At an early dinner last weekend, OCCO was so packed with families and at least one large party that walk-ins were waiting more than half an hour for a table. But the greeting staff were attentive while we waited and, later, after we had ordered, all of our dishes flew out at once from the kitchen with short-order efficiency.

Again, a deep-fried starter made some of us smile. This time, it was a plate of superior, crisp-battered chicken wings served with a savoury waffle ($13.50). Another notable success was the tender, toothsome Mexican-styled corn cob ($6.50), a slightly messy, but irresistible combo of sweetness, spiciness and butteriness. 

Flour-tortilla tacos ($5 each) were large, appealing and accessible, although true taco aficionados will find better in Ottawa, if not Orléans. 

Of our main courses, the best ones were the beefiest. The reputation-making Candied Bacon Cheese Burger ($18, including a side dish) was massive, meaty, and all of its fixings were distinctive and complimentary. I usually steer clear of poutine, but this time I didn’t, and I did not regret it. The New York striploin steak ($26, including a side), ordered and served rare, was fine on its own and better with its bone marrow jus. A slab of hot-smoked salmon ($22) was delicious, but on the small side. Chunks of grilled pork tenderloin ($22) were a little overcooked.  

These “big plates” relied on the mix-and-match design of Steele’s menu. Those pakoras available as an appetizer were designated side items with the steak, salmon and pork, and again were much appreciated. Generously, the menu also grants guests a second side of their choice with those mains. We found a Caesar salad to be fresh, but lacking in punch and underdressed, while the OCCO signature salad was more interesting, thanks to some playful pomegranate-tapioca pearls (I think that’s what they were). Root chips, too cold and greasy, were the night’s one conspicuous dud. 

We skipped dessert. Even so, we spoke of the big, new OCCO as a place worth returning to when our travels took us again to Orléans.

Pesto’s Italian Delicatessen and Fresh Pasta

471 Hazeldean Rd., 613-836-5432, facebook page
Open: Monday 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sunday
Prices: Porchetta sandwiches $6.95 to $10.50, depending on size and whether it’s hot or cold

Pietro’s Corner

300 Richmond Rd., 613-695-7600, pietroscorner.ca 
Open: Monday 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Prices: Pastas and sauces sold by weight, $2.59 per 100 grams on site

The focus today is on two casual Italian food purveyors that, even if they aren’t exactly restaurants in a more formal sense, serve fresh, well-made, reasonably priced items that I’d gladly pop by for or take home.

Pesto’s Italian Delicatessen in Kanata and Pietro’s Corner in Westboro are both blended businesses with notable pedigrees and laudable standards. At Pesto’s the main attraction is sandwiches. At Pietro’s, fresh, home-made pastas and sauces reign.

Pesto’s has been open in a Hazeldean Road strip mall since 1994, launched by Robert and David Nicastro, two sons of one of the founders of Nicastro’s Specialty Foods on Merivale Road, who later opened the Il Negozio Nicastro stores on Bank Street and Wellington Street West. Now, Pesto’s is owned and operated by another second-generation son, Michael Nicastro, who was the chef at the now closed Caffe Ventuno inside the Wellington West Nicastro for several years.

Like other Nicastro family businesses, Pesto’s is a grocery store as well as eatery, with olive oils, dried pastas and other imported Italian foodstuffs along two small walls. But the action, especially at lunch, has to do above all with sandwiches, with regulars frequently filling the venue’s 30 or so seats at its small tables and granite counter.

I’m a big fan of Pesto’s house-made porchetta sandwiches, with the thinly sliced roast pork served either warm with peppers and onions, or cold. Either way, the deeply flavoured meat has been piled high inside a crusty, puffy bun, and occasionally a morsel of crackling has crept in. After several of these beauts, it’s been hard for me to order anything else at the deli.

Not surprisingly given how tasty the porchetta is, selling it in large quantities has grown into a separate catering business for Nicastro, which he calls the Bootleg Porchetta Company.  The pork is sourced locally from Lavergne Western Beef in Navan and Nicastro’s artisanal end product is made without nitrates. The same goes for the house-made roast beef, which relies on hormone-free meat from O’Brien Farms in Winchester. The roast beef sandwich was good, but it doesn’t displace its porchetta rival as my go-to.

I’ve also twice tried the massive chicken parmesan hero sandwich, but have never been heroic enough to eat all of one; I’ve always saved half for later. Spread over two meals or shared, the sandwich has been a winner, with pounded-thin, breaded cutlets that were tender, freshly cooked and flourishing in an admittedly messy deluge of punchy, salty, red sauce and cheese. 

An extra-hungry friend had Pesto’s massive serving of spaghetti (not made in-house but by Parma Ravioli) with house-made meatballs at lunch and thought it generous and big-flavoured.

I’ve finished my lunches at Pestos with good Lavazza espressos and superior cannoli — regular, and, last week, Nutella-flavoured —  with light, fresh, creamy fillings. Had I less work to do after lunch, I could have had one of two beers (Big Rig Gold or Peroni) or a glass of house wine or a coffee spiked with sambuca or grappa.

Pietro’s Corner is one of Ottawa’s newer Italian eateries. It was opened in March 2015 by Pietro Derosa, a 27-year-old emigrant from Barletta in Italy’s Puglia region and the nephew of Luciano Gervasi, who opened the venerable Luciano’s Food store on Preston Street.

The main draw here is the selection of fresh pasta and sauces made on site, on display in a case by the cash. There are sandwiches and buffet items available too, although my few samplings of these selections, including a lacklustre chicken parmigiana sandwich, make me think that pastas and sauce are the way to go.

While the orrechiette, cavatelli and trofie pastas have appealed to me, I’ve always chosen one of the stuffed pastas — ravioli filled, for example, with sausage and rapini, or mushroom and leek, or spinach. Once they’ve been given a quick boil and served al dente, napped with a suitable sauce, they’ve always struck me as affordable treats. Pricing here is by weight, with cooked pasta and sauce weighed and then served for $2.59 per 100 grams. The items are cheaper bought to take home.

The classic spaghetti with bolognese sauce has been worth ordering too, with a sauce that was bright, balanced and sweetened with carrots. The tomato- and cream-based sauces — made from scaled-up family recipes, Derosa told me this week — have freshness, clarity and, if appropriate, luxurious consistencies. 

I’ve ended lunches here very pleasantly with Siafac coffee, biscotti brought in from Montreal, and sfogliatella, crunchy pastries stuffed with Nutella or ricotta, brought in from Italy.

Recently, Pietro’s Corner, which is licensed, added a blackboard menu listing not just cocktails but also wines, appetizers, and boards of cured meats and cheeses. These items, Derosa told me, fit with his plans to begin staying open later Thursday through Saturday. If the antipasti can match the level of the pastas and sauces, they’ll be another good reason to visit Derosa’s corner.

phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum

Pesto’s Italian Delicatessen and Fresh Pasta

471 Hazeldean Rd., 613-836-5432, facebook page
Open: Monday 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday to Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sunday
Prices: Porchetta sandwiches $6.95 to $10.50, depending on size and whether it’s hot or cold

Pietro’s Corner

300 Richmond Rd., 613-695-7600, pietroscorner.com 
Open: Monday 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Prices: Pastas and sauces sold by weight, $2.59 per 100 grams on site

The focus today is on two casual Italian food purveyors that, even if they aren’t exactly restaurants in a more formal sense, serve fresh, well-made, reasonably priced items that I’d gladly pop by for or take home.

Pesto’s Italian Delicatessen in Kanata and Pietro’s Corner in Westboro are both blended businesses with notable pedigrees and laudable standards. At Pesto’s the main attraction is sandwiches. At Pietro’s, fresh, home-made pastas and sauces reign.

Pesto’s has been open in a Hazeldean Road strip mall since 1994, launched by Robert and David Nicastro, two sons of one of the founders of Nicastro’s Specialty Foods on Merivale Road, who later opened the Il Negozio Nicastro stores on Bank Street and Wellington Street West. Now, Pesto’s is owned and operated by another second-generation son, Michael Nicastro, who was the chef at the now closed Caffe Ventuno inside the Wellington West Nicastro for several years.

Like other Nicastro family businesses, Pesto’s is a grocery store as well as eatery, with olive oils, dried pastas and other imported Italian foodstuffs along two small walls. But the action, especially at lunch, has to do above all with sandwiches, with regulars frequently filling the venue’s 30 or so seats at its small tables and granite counter.

I’m a big fan of Pesto’s house-made porchetta sandwiches, with the thinly sliced roast pork served either warm with peppers and onions, or cold. Either way, the deeply flavoured meat has been piled high inside a crusty, puffy bun, and occasionally a morsel of crackling has crept in. After several of these beauts, it’s been hard for me to order anything else at the deli.

Not surprisingly given how tasty the porchetta is, selling it in large quantities has grown into a separate catering business for Nicastro, which he calls the Bootleg Porchetta Company.  The pork is sourced locally from Lavergne Western Beef in Navan and Nicastro’s artisanal end product is made without nitrates. The same goes for the house-made roast beef, which relies on hormone-free meat from O’Brien Farms in Winchester. The roast beef sandwich was good, but it doesn’t displace its porchetta rival as my go-to.

I’ve also twice tried the massive chicken parmesan hero sandwich, but have never been heroic enough to eat all of one; I’ve always saved half for later. Spread over two meals or shared, the sandwich has been a winner, with pounded-thin, breaded cutlets that were tender, freshly cooked and flourishing in an admittedly messy deluge of punchy, salty, red sauce and cheese. 

Chicken parm sandwich at Pesto’s Italian Delicatessen and Fresh Pasta

An extra-hungry friend had Pesto’s massive serving of spaghetti (not made in-house but by Parma Ravioli) with house-made meatballs at lunch and thought it generous and big-flavoured.

I’ve finished my lunches at Pestos with good Lavazza espressos and superior cannoli — regular, and, last week, Nutella-flavoured —  with light, fresh, creamy fillings. Had I less work to do after lunch, I could have had one of two beers (Big Rig Gold or Peroni) or a glass of house wine or a coffee spiked with sambuca or grappa.

Cannoli and coffee at Pesto’s Italian Delicatessen in Kanata

Nutella cannoli at Pesto’s Italian Delicatessen and Fresh Pasta

Pietro’s Corner is one of Ottawa’s newer Italian eateries. It was opened in March 2015 by Pietro Derosa, a 27-year-old emigrant from Barletta in Italy’s Puglia region and the nephew of Luciano Gervasi, who opened the venerable Luciano’s Food store on Preston Street.

The main draw here is the selection of fresh pasta and sauces made on site, on display in a case by the cash. There are sandwiches and buffet items available too, although my few samplings of these selections, including a lacklustre chicken parmigiana sandwich, make me think that pastas and sauce are the way to go.

While the orrechiette, cavatelli and trofie pastas have appealed to me, I’ve always chosen one of the stuffed pastas — ravioli filled, for example, with sausage and rapini, or mushroom and leek, or spinach. Once they’ve been given a quick boil and served al dente, napped with a suitable sauce, they’ve always struck me as affordable treats.

Mushroom leek pasta with house special sauce at Pietro’s Corner- pix by Peter Hum Ottawa Citizen Photo Email

Spinach ravioli with pesto rosé sauce at Pietro’s Corner

Pricing here is by weight, with cooked pasta and sauce weighed and then served for $2.59 per 100 grams. The items are cheaper bought to take home.

The classic spaghetti with bolognese sauce has been worth ordering too, with a sauce that was bright, balanced and sweetened with carrots. The tomato- and cream-based sauces — made from scaled-up family recipes, Derosa told me this week — have freshness, clarity and, if appropriate, luxurious consistencies. 

Spaghetti bolognese at Pietro’s Corner

I’ve ended lunches here very pleasantly with Siafac coffee, biscotti brought in from Montreal, and sfogliatella, crunchy pastries stuffed with Nutella or ricotta, brought in from Italy.

Recently, Pietro’s Corner, which is licensed, added a blackboard menu listing not just cocktails but also wines, appetizers, and boards of cured meats and cheeses. These items, Derosa told me, fit with his plans to begin staying open later Thursday through Saturday. If the antipasti can match the level of the pastas and sauces, they’ll be another good reason to visit Derosa’s corner.

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Caspian Kabob
1729 Bank St., Unit 105, 613-800-1568, caspiankabob.ca
Open: Monday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday noon to 7 p.m., closed June 20 to 28
Prices: Kabob main courses $10.99 to $21.98 
Access: No steps to front door or washrooms

In Ottawa, where recent migrations have led to kabobs becoming the new shawarma, the kilometre-or-so stretch of Bank Street between Heron and Walkley roads could well be kabob central, with Afghan, Lebanese and Iranian restaurants vying to meet the neighbourhood’s skewered-meat needs.

Of those eateries, I’ve been returning most recently to Caspian Kabob which, like most of its rivals, is tucked into a small strip mall. Leaving aside the humble place’s claim to have the best kebabs in Ottawa, Caspian Kabob, which opened in October 2014, is noteworthy simply because it waves the flag for Iranian cuisine, which is in scant supply in Ottawa.

In addition to serving kebabs, which I do ultimately think are the main draw here, Caspian Kabob serves several stews, some pleasing eggplant dips as appetizers and remarkably fluffy basmati rice. The starch of choice here is meant to be customized with pats of butter and bits of radish or even raw onion, and offered in staggering portions almost certain to yield leftovers.

Iranian restaurants frequently refer to their cuisine as Persian and, indeed, there are dishes on Caspian Kabob’s menu that seemingly have connections to pre-Christianity Persia. Archeologists have found stone tablets at the ruins of Persepolis that date back to 515 B.C. that list pantry staples including walnuts, pomegranate paste and poultry. These are the key ingredients in fesenjoun ($12.99), one of several stews offered at Caspian Kabob. The rendition I tried here was tart and basic, with white-meat chicken somewhat overcooked and nestled in a thick sauce.

Walnuts and pomegranate paste also add their boost to an appetizer of pitted green olives (zeytoon parvedeh,  $4.49). The restaurant’s most expensive “torsh” kebabs also feature a marinade of walnut, pomegranate paste and lemon juice applied to either chicken or veal. I’d report back on how they were, but they were unavailable two of the three times that I visited. A server summarized torsh kebabs ($16.50) as “more sour” — for the Persian palate, sourness is a prized aspect.

I’ve had the more ordinary and less sour kebabs and found them good to exceptional. Best were chicken kebabs, whether made of light meat ($15.49) or dark meat ($12.49), that were succulent and richly flavoured from long marinades in saffron, oil, onion and lemon juice. We were told we could add lime juice to chicken kebabs (for additional sourness, naturally), or ground sumac from a shaker on the table to our ground sirloin or veal kebabs (to add tanginess).

combo of ground beef and chicken kabobs at Caspian Kabob

If you were to go for my favourites, I’d recommend those chicken kebabs preceded by one of the smoky, eggplant-based dips ($4.99) eaten with wedges of pita bread. I preferred the savoury, luxurious kashk o’bademjan, that combined eggplant, onion and whey, topped with fried onions and mint, but miza ghazemi, which matched eggplant with onions, tomatoes and eggs, was also good.

Kashk o’bademjan Caspian Kabob

Mirza Ghazemi (eggplant/tomato/egg/onion dip) at Caspian Kabob

Ash reshteh ($4.99), a stew-like thick soup of herbs, lentils, onions and thin noodles was interesting but didn’t win us over. More substantial stews ($10.99) — ghorme sabzi, a concoction of herbs, kidney beans, beef and dried limes, and gheymeh, in which split peas and tomato sauce made the biggest impression — were thick and rustic.

Ash Reshteh (noodle soup) at Caspian Kabob

Gheymeh (stew of split peas, tomatoes, onions beef and dried lime) at Caspian Kabob

Shirazi salad ($4.49), a bowl of diced cucumbers, onions and tomatoes dressed with dried mint and lemon juice, was fresh and refreshing. Deeply pickled vegetables here were pucker-inducing.

Shirazi salad at Caspian Kabob

The lamb shank ($13.49) was strikingly cheap, but very simply prepared, short on the lavish pleasure that a more seasoned and fussed-over lamb shank can deliver. It came, though, with rice raised up a notch with dill and fava beans. 

Lamb shank at Caspian Kabob

There’s just one dessert offered at Caspian Kabob: saffron-infused, floral ice cream that can tint your teeth yellow. For sweets, Plan B could be a visit to Le Roi Pastries and Bakery next door, which teems with enough baklava to send the mind reeling.

Persian ice cream at Caspian Kabob

Service has been attentive, friendly and willing to explain the customs of Persian cuisine to the not-so-well-versed. The restaurant was closed, to our surprise, when we first tried to visit, but open three other times as signs and its website had indicated. It is also to be closed June 20 to 28.

The more I learn about Iranian food, the more that I’m inclined to think that it’s a great and intriguing cuisine. Ottawa might still waiting for a great Iranian restaurant. But for now, a pretty good and eminently affordable one such as Caspian Kabob will do.

phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum
Peter Hum’s previous restaurant reviews

Craft Beer Market
975 Bank St., 613-422-7238, craftbeermarket.ca/ottawa

Joey Lansdowne
825 Exhibition Way, Unit 103, 613-695-5639, joeyrestaurants.com

Local Public Eatery
825 Exhibition Way, Unit 107, 613-233-3772, locallansdowne.com

In advance of the Ottawa Redblacks’ regular season opener this Saturday, I’ve been going to Lansdowne Park recently in search of food as exciting as the football games.

In the last few weeks, I’ve made two visits to each of the park’s big three premium casual restaurants — Joey Lansdowne and Local Public Eatery, both well established, and the newcomer, Craft Beer Market, which opened a bit more than a month ago.

There are, of course, other dining options at Lansdowne. But I wanted to do rough, if not exhaustive, assessments of these three roughly comparable eateries which — unlike neighbouring rivals such as Milestones and Jack Astor’s — are unique in Ottawa, if not in Canada. Indeed, Joey, Local and Craft are all offshoots of chains that originated in Western Canada, and there are more than 20 Joeys in North America. 

Of them, Local is the most casual, with a more compact menu that emphasizes burgers and finger food, and studied, rustic interior of wood and ductwork. Joey’s look makes more upmarket allusions, surrounding guests with a big brick wall, some retro signage and large, dark banquettes. Meanwhile, its menu offers a selection of steaks plus such worldly items as sushi, ramen and paella.

You could position Craft Beer Market somewhere between Joey and Local. It’s a mashup of sports bar and gastro pub, with a huge bar that has 100 beers on tap at the centre of its two-storey expanse. Craft is decorated with lots of beer kegs and plenty of TVs tuned to the game, and its menu offers, in addition to the usual fare, some dressed-up comfort food.  

All three places have kitchens that quickly produced our orders. The restaurants like to point out how much cooking actually goes on in those kitchens, with references to “hand-pressed” burger patties and “daily spun” ice cream dotting menus. Service at the eateries was always attentive and friendly.

At all three places, the prices were too often higher than I’d like. 

While Craft, Local and Joey are not quite interchangeable, some direct comparisons are possible. For example, I tried burgers at all three, and in each case received massive, meaty creations with nicely crusted, if less than juicy, patties and fresh toppings. The sesame-seed buns for the burgers at Joey and Local were identical, which might reflect the fact that the same restaurant group owns both eateries. The miso mustard on one of Local’s burgers ($12.25) made it my favourite.

Burger and fries at Local

Moroccan chicken soup and burger at Joey Lansdowne

Burger and fries at Craft Beer Market

“Baja” fish tacos at all three places were more perfunctory, generally very heavy on slaw or cilantro or both. Craft’s cod tacos ($13.50 for three) had the most flavour. The Local fish taco ($5 for one) was as heavily battered as the fish in its fish and chips. 

Fish tacos at Craft Beer Market

Fish tacos at Joey Lansdowne

Fish taco at Local

It’s interesting that tuna poke — a dish of diced and dressed (typically soy and ginger) cubes of raw fish that’s ubiquitous in Hawaii — hasn’t made it to many Ottawa restaurants. Local and Craft have brought the Pacific treat here. However, Local’s version ($13.50), served with its very good house-made corn chips, is just so-so, muddled in flavour and marred by mushy avocado. Craft’s has more clarity, but there’s also more cucumber than tuna to it.

tuna poke at Local

Tuna poke with wonton at Craft Beer Market

Aside from those comparisons, I found strengths and weaknesses at each of the restaurants.

At Local, guacamole ($7) made table-side by a server was very good, lacking just a little lime juice, and a likeable starter with those very good chips. Yam fries with truffled aioli were spot-on. But the ginger sesame chicken salad ($15) was a bore, and a flat-iron steak sandwich ($19.50) was a touch underdone and too chewy. 

Guacamole made at the table and chips at Local

Ginger sesame chicken salad at Local

Steak sandwich and fries at Local

At Joey, fried calamari ($14) was disappointing — lacking seasoning and needing a punchier sauce. Gyoza with seared undersides ($13) were a little better, but not as good as those pork dumplings can be. The steak with mushrooms ($30) was adequate but again, better steaks can be had for less elsewhere. Miso ramen means to cash in on the hearty Japanese soup’s big moment ($17), but almost every component, and especially broth to noodles, fell short of authentic goodness. 

Calamari at Joey Lansdowne

Gyoza at Joey Lansdowne

Steak with mushrooms and spring-roll-wrapped potatoes at Joey Lansdowne

Miso Ramen at Joey Lansdowne

Two pleasant orders partially redeemed our dinner-time visit to Joey. The fully loaded and well-sauced rainbow roll made of tuna, salmon, avocado and bonafide, tasty crab ($15) did its sushi chef proud. Paella ($22.50) was a surprising success, with toothsome chicken and shrimp and meaningfully seasoned rice.  

Rainbow sushi roll at Joey Lansdowne

Paella at Joey Lansdowne

At Craft, our general observation was that too many items, and in particular side orders of veg, were overly salted and seasoned — all the better to spur beer sales, perhaps.

But the main dishes we tried were appealing, including a chunk of brisket, sufficiently slow-braised to mimic short rib, a thick, if overly salty, pork chop, and a slow-roasted half-chicken that was appreciably moist and served with a fine jus (in a beer can, no less).

braised brisket at Craft Beer Market

Pork chop at Craft Beer Market

Beer can chicken at Craft Beer Market

Dessert devotees will find little to like at Local. Its only meal-ender is a pail of large, doughy churros ($6) with a cup of too-thin cocoa for dipping.

At Craft, we tried the “house-made” but too-simple ice cream sandwiches ($9) made with Farm Boy salted caramel ice cream between two chocolate cookies. The homey “dessert in a jar” ($9) was an all-in-one of chocolate cake, sponge toffee, bananas, chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream that, despite all its ingredients, still seemed to be missing something.

At Joey, the molten chocolate soufflé ($9.50) oozed dark, intense chocolate, and was as over-the-top as those other desserts were under.

Churros with cocoa at Local

Ice cream sandwiches at Craft Beer Market

Dessert in a jar at Craft Beer Market

Molten chocolate souffle at Joey Lansdowne

So, what would my best meal at Lansdowne be? I hope it’s not cheating to pick the guacamole and chips at Local followed by the rainbow roll at Joey and then Craft’s beer can chicken. Certainly none of my six meals was wholly exceptional, and most were at least a little uneven.

But then, if you’re at Lansdowne, you’re not simply there to eat, are you? Don’t you have a Redblacks game to get to?

phum@postmedia.com
twitter.com/peterhum
Peter Hum’s previous restaurant reviews