Breakfast in Ottawa?

We've always found Ottawa's breakfast scene pretty uninspired, compared to our experience on the West coast. We did have breakfast at Cafe My House, however, which isn't far from Bank and Hunt Club, in a pretty unassuming little strip mall. The server was very friendly and attentive, and our meals were quite good. They went out of their way to accommodate us when we told them we couldn't eat gluten.....gave us more potatoes and fresh fruit at no extra charge. Not extraordinary, but definitely good quality ingredients and nice service.

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Udi's Gluten-free bread now in Ottawa

We'll have to try them next time we're in that area. Thanks for the tip.

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Udi's Gluten-free bread now in Ottawa

Whole Foods carries it in Toronto.

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Canton, NY - any good eats?

We are coming down to the Canton area next week to visit the SLU campus. All the on-campus dining facilities are closed for Spring Break. We need suggestions for a couple of good places that are casual and vegetarian friendly (two teenagers along). Also looking for good coffee, and a place to buy natural food products.

Thanks!

cyberveg in New York State (exc. New York City)

Whole Foods confirms plans for market location for Lansdowne Park in Ottawa

Whoo hoo! Finally, a decent grocery destination in Ottawa. Too bad it's not until 2014.

OTTAWA — The high-end American grocery chain Whole Foods plans to open a location at Lansdowne Park in 2014, the company confirmed Wednesday.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa/grocer+Whole+Foods+confirms+plans+market+location+Lansdowne+Park/4253310/story.html

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Udi's Gluten-free bread now in Ottawa

For all those Celiacs or gluten-intolerant foodies in the nation's capital....Rainbow Foods on Richmond has just started carrying Udi's gluten-free products:

http://udisglutenfree.com/products

I put in a request a couple of weeks ago, and got a call today that they had bread, bagels and muffins. Ran down to the store and bought all the whole grain loaves they had on the shelf. If you have never had Udi's, and have been buying $8.00 bricks of inedible sawdust...try it out. I still find it's better toasted (it's shipped from Colorado and obviously not fresh out of the oven), but it actually feels and tastes like you're eating real bread. I had my first real sandwich in weeks. Best of all, I don't have to wait until we do another road trip to the Toronto Whole Foods to buy more.

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Canadian vs American Heinz Ketchup [moved from Quebec board]

Not sure about Canada vs. US, but my understanding was that the Quebec recipe is sweeter than the English-Canada one....Maybe just an urban myth?

cyberveg in General Chowhounding Topics

Ottawa....Looking for Greek Yogurt

Have you tried the Mid East Food Centre on St-Laurent? Actually, I think the precise address is 1010 Belfast Road:

http://www.mideastfoods.com/contact.php

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Vegetarian eating in Quebec (city)

I lived in Quebec City years ago, and returned for a visit in 2007. There is a Commensal located on St-Jean, close to the Vieux-Québec, but I've been unimpressed with Commensal's food the past couple of visits. I think they're stuck in the past. Their dishes haven't changed much, and I find them overly greasy and salty.

We also ate at Café Mille Feuille on chemin Ste-Foy. That meal was a bit hit and miss. One option, if you're looking for something quick, or to take for a picnic, are the Jardin Mobile stores:

http://www.jardinmobile.com/option3.php?idDepartement=17&intPage=1

Five of their locations offer big salad bars, with TONS of options, including Fontaine Santé products. I always found the produce to be fresh. This provided us with a good veggie fix a couple of times over a week-long visit.

One place we did really enjoy was Le Café-Boulangerie Paillard, again on St-Jean, but in the Vieux-Québec. We had a really nice Mediterranean salad, and a grilled vegetable panini with artichoke pesto.

http://www.paillard.ca/en/home/

cyberveg in Quebec (including Montreal)

Ottawa weekend with kids

I really like the scones at Sconewitch. They are pretty substantial, but still flaky, and made with butter. Several sweet and savory options....my favorites are the ginger & currant and the herb & onion. The Beechwood location isn't too far from the Market. You could take a nice walk across the Minto bridges into New Edinburgh, and stop at the Stanley Park playground for the kids. I digress.... You can also get soups, salad, "sconewitches" and a few brunch dishes.

I'd like to throw in my vote for a visit to True Loaf at 573 Gladstone. Wonderful artisan bread and friendly service. Get there early. Open Tuesdays through Saturdays 7h00 - 13h00. Their products tend to go quickly.

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Recs for restaurant gift card: Montréal-Ouest ?

Thanks...Mikado looks interesting. Not sure whether they would classify Japanese as "exotic" or not! It's tough when you're choosing for people you don't know well.

cyberveg in Quebec (including Montreal)

Recs for restaurant gift card: Montréal-Ouest ?

Our son is being hosted by a family in Montréal-Ouest for two weeks. As a thank-you, we'd like to get them a gift card/certificate for a nice restaurant not too far from their home. Not sure how their tastes run, so maybe best to stick to something not too exotic. Thanks!

cyberveg in Quebec (including Montreal)

Why Cora's sucks...?

We ate at one of the Ottawa locations....once. It was my daughter's birthday. The food was pretty awful. My son had a waffle with this horrible sweet topping that tasted like boxed vanilla pudding. My eggs weren't even seasoned, and there was zero effort made on the garnish front on my plate. Would never go back.

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

West Island - good coffee anywhere ?

Thanks everyone. In the end, we had to run an errand downtown first, which allowed for a much appreciated stop at Myriade, then some pastries at Pâtisserie de Gascogne :)

cyberveg in Quebec (including Montreal)

Ottawa recommendations

Ottawa is NOT the place for "great Chinese". If you want ethnic food, Lebanese would be a good bet:

Lebanese people account for a larger share of the population of Ottawa than that of any other census metropolitan area across the country. (Stats Can)

Many people seem to like Shawarma Palace on Rideau or Really Lebanese on Montreal Rd.: http://www.thegarlicking.com/

I like Istanbouli on Holland for their veggie pita wraps. It's very clean, food is fresh and prepared in small batches, and the family running it is super friendly. Can't vouch for the shawarma, as we're vegetarian. Good luck.

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Good Ottawa Restaurant?

Not sure what your budget is, but how about something like Domus, Fraser Café, or Murray Street?

http://www.domuscafe.ca/Menus/LunchMenuWinter2010/tabid/2385/Default.aspx

http://frasercafe.ca/

http://www.murraystreet.ca/Menus/Murrays14lunch/tabid/3626/Default.aspx

All seem to be open at lunch on Saturday...you'd probably need reservations, though.

Good luck!

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Visiting family in Ottawa - where to get organics and meat?

Ottawa grocery stores leave a lot to be desired as far as quality organic produce goes. I certainly wouldn't rely on Loblaws...most of the time, their stuff looks like it should be binned. I have found a couple smaller places that usually have decent quality organics - Nicastro's in the Glebe (792 Bank St) and Herb and Spice at 1310 Wellington Street. If you're at Herb and Spice, just across the street is Saslove's Meat Market. I'm a vegetarian, so I can't vouch for the quality of the meat, but I do know they carry a fair bit of organic and/or hormone/antiobiotic-free product.

http://www.saslovesmeat.com/

Good luck.

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

West Island - good coffee anywhere ?

Okay...I'm not holding out too much hope, but we're coming into town from Ottawa this weekend for a squash tournament, and it's in Beaconsfield. Normally, our first stop would be Myriade, but in this case, it's a little out of our way. Is there any place in the vicinity to get a decent latté? And while I'm asking, how about some suggestions for pastries? :)

cyberveg in Quebec (including Montreal)

Good place for group of 11 to 15 in Victoria

That was my experience a few years ago, but I wondered whether things had improved of late. Too bad.

cyberveg in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Need good veggie recs for Calgary please

Many thanks to everyone for the great suggestions. Looks like he'll have plenty of options to choose from during his 4-day stay. Just wish I were going along now!

cyberveg in Prairie Provinces

Good place for group of 11 to 15 in Victoria

I moved away from Victoria a year and a half ago, so can't vouch for current quality. However, I was wondering whether teenagers wouldn't like something like Pizzeria Primastrada in the Cook St. Village. It's received a lot of good press, and I see they take reservations for groups of 8 or more:

http://pizzeriaprimastrada.com/

I was also thinking about Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub:
http://spinnakers.com/about_spinnakers.php

Can anyone comment on the food quality there lately? It's a nice setting...right on the harbour.

Good luck....from the mom of two "squashers" in Ontario :)

cyberveg in B.C. (including Vancouver)

Need good veggie recs for Calgary please

Hello western CHers. My teenage son is travelling to Calgary in April to play in a sporting event at the Glencoe Club (636 - 29 Avenue S.W.). He is an ovo-lacto vegetarian, a big-time foodie, and will eat a wide variety of ethnic foods...Indian, Mexican, Thai, etc. Unfortunately, he will be accompanied by three meat-and-potatoes guys, and will probably have to fend for himself when it comes to meals. Can I get some suggestions for good veggie eats in this area? Looking for reasonably-priced restaurants, cafés, bakeries, even natural food stores with delis.

Oh, he also has a bad latté habit, picked up while living at the west coast :) Any help in coffee bar dept. would be appreciated as well.

I doubt he'll have access to a car, so suggestions should be within walking distance, or easily accessible by public transit.

Thanks very much.

cyberveg in Prairie Provinces

Coconut water in Ottawa

I'm sure Market Organics would have it:
www.marketorganics.ca
126 York St.
(613) 241-6629

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Loblaws for losers ? well, loses me anyway - off to Sobey's I go !

For us, the closest Loblaws is in the west end, at College Square. Like I said, service is non-existant. One day, I picked up a product in their natural food section, and there seemed to be a price discrepancy with what was indicated on the shelf. I went to "customer service" (and I use that term losely), and the two young clerks actually got into an argument about who was going to go do a price check...it was "too far" to walk!!!

Actually, when I'm desperate for friendly, helpful service, and a better stocked store, I go to the IGA Extra in Gatineau. Cashiers are nice, produce tends to be fresher, and they seem to focus more on local (or provincial) products. Also, they have a nice little natural food section...

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Loblaws for losers ? well, loses me anyway - off to Sobey's I go !

Loblaws stores in Ottawa stink. Bad (or non-existant) service, empty shelves, long checkout lines... And the crappy produce...most of it looks like it should go straight into the bin. It doesn't help that the produce clerks can regularly be seen chucking the fruits and vegetables onto the display counters, thereby bruising everything before you have a chance to realize it.

In fact, most grocery stores in Ottawa are pretty pathetic. I've done the lot, and nothing comes close to what we enjoyed when we lived on the West Coast. Thrifty Foods, Capers Markets...those were good stores. And please, don't point me in the direction of Farm Boy...most of their produce looks destined for the compost heap as well.

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Vegetarian Chinese eats?

Sounds delicious...and yes, any and all eggplant recs are most welcome :) Thanks everyone for the great suggestions.

cyberveg in Quebec (including Montreal)

Vegetarian Chinese eats?

Can anyone suggest a good Chinese restaurant in the downtown area...or West island, where we could find a decent selection of vegetarian options? i.e. looking for more than just veggie chow mein and Buddah's delight...

cyberveg in Quebec (including Montreal)

Downtown Ottawa suggestions please, lunch and dinner

Beware the falafel, though. Last time we got take out, I had bought a veggie platter. The falafel had gone completely "off"...sour-smelling and pretty awful. It may have something to do with the large quantity they seem to prepare ahead of time, coupled with the fact that they are sitting in a warm environment next to the steam table. The service is always friendly, and they are very generous with their servings, but I haven't been able to bring myself to eat there since.

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)

Downtown Ottawa suggestions please, lunch and dinner

For vegetarian, you could try Zen Kitchen, at 634 Somerset Street West. It hasn't been open long, but is getting good press. Note that I haven't eaten there yet myself...

http://www.zenkitchen.ca/

From the dinner menu:

Hand cut ravioli with mizuna-scape pesto filling, mushroom ancho cream, chilli oil, seared seasonal greens 19

Medallions of seitan in a lemon-caper sauce, with pearl couscous pilaf and seasonal vegetables 19

New Caesar salad with grilled miso-apple dengaku age tofu skewers/ Gluten-free. 17

Thai-style lemongrass curry with seasonal vegetables, edamame and kafir-scented jasmine rice. Gluten-free. 19

Udon noodles with lobster mushrooms, simmered seasonal vegetables, applewood-smoked tofu and tempura maki sushi 19

cyberveg in Ontario (including Toronto)