Poco Pazzo: A Crazy Little Italian Eatery

One of the traditions that "the boss" and I have with our family is that we take both of our parents out to dinner for Mother's Day and Father's Day.  We are just too cheap to take them out on the day's of, so we arrange for a later date where both sets are available.  We first started with Sunday brunches but when we found Poco Pazzo, we realized that this place is an even better place to go!

Chef Emanuele is an Italian chef who trained in New York city and then move to Stittsville for love and opened Poco Pazzo.  The first time I went there was close to when I first moved into the area.  The decor is very modern, but intimate.  Over the summer, the Stittsville location has a patio.  He has been so successful at Stittsville, he opened a second location in Kanata.  The service staff is always excellent.  They are friendly, and very knowledgeable of the menu.  I good sign that the food is good, is when the staff eat there often enough to have their own favourites.  Most of the time we go, the place is always busy, so a reservation is recommended, but at times, it isn't needed.  They will try and fit you in if they can.

For the food, I have been there many times and tried out a few things (and yes, I do have my favourites).  For appetizers, their zucchini sticks are one of the better ones I have had.  They are not soggy, fresh, and not heavily battered.  We have also tried the calamari, eggplant, bruchetta, shrimp in garlic butter as well, all with great success.  They also bake their own bread, which always comes out fresh and hot with butter and olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  In the end, our favourite of all the appetizers is the mushroom bruschetta.  It's a different twist on bruschetta, where on the bread is a mound of mushrooms, and a bit of cheese, with a very light vinaigrette sauce drizzled over it.  This has pretty much now become our staple appetizer.

For main courses, there has been a large variety of mains that we have sampled.  My mom always gets the spaghetti and meatballs.  She loves the meatball spices and the sauce.  Simple yet with lots of flavour.  Dad loves his fettuccine alfredo con pollo which I have also tried.  Very creamy and exactly what I could expect.  The boss is always in love with the same dish.  She gets the same one, every time, which is the gnocchi sorrentina.  The oven baked potatoe pasta reminds her a lot of her youth and was always a favourite of her grandmothers.  For myself, the chicken parmigina has always been one of my favourite picks.  You get a very large piece of chicken, served with a side of pasta.  The chicken parmigina sometimes comes in a variation as a special.  They add on shrimp on top with the pasta being upgraded to a fettuccine alfredo.  The upgrade is well worth it!!  Another special they serve is ground veal served in giant pasta shells in a gorgonzola sauce.  It is VERY good.  The gorgonzola is a little to heavy for my stomach, but I still order it because it is just that good.  With portion sizes at Poco Pazzo, you can expect to have leftovers most of the time.

For desert, assuming you have room or saved room, the tiramisu is very good.  We did find that the lady fingers were a little too over soaked, so they were too mushy, but not to the point where the flavour suffered.  The "senator pucks" desert, which is a lava cake was also very tasty but over cooked.  The lava cake did not ooze out the chocolate as it is supposed to.  A little disappointed on that end.  They do have a very good selection of wine and liqueurs, with a number of beers in bottles.

Overall, as you can tell by the number of things we have tried there, we do go back, and we do go back often.  We have even worked with the chef for a little bit of catering on the side, and he was nothing but friendly, professional and very easy to work with.  This is a place that I would recommend for anyone to try.

Review (out of 5):
Food: * * * *
Value: * * * * 1/2
Atmosphere: * * * * *
Service: * * * *
Price Range: $12 - $30
Website: http://www.pocopazzo.com/

Big Rig Brew Part Deux

We recently went back to Big Rig with some friends who have not yet had the pleasure to try out the new west-end brewery.  I have already reviewed this place a few weeks ago, so I will not go into the details there, but I did want to update on the food and service from this time.

I had started with a cheddar and Ale soup which was presented very nicely and tasted very good.  It was rich, but not too rich, and made a nice start to the meal.  I had ordered the Chicken pot pie there, one of my favourite meals.  I felt disappointed with the pie because it lacked seasoning.  It may have had to do with the rich soup I had before, and that may have messed up my taste buds.  The contents of the pie itself had big chicken chunks and lots of veggies.  The pastry was flaky and for bonus points, even the bottom had pastry!

The "boss" had the spicy blue cheese burger.  The bun was toasted perfectly, the toppings were fresh and lots of flavour. The burger patty was not memorable.  It was not bad, but there was an expectation for a little more.  Our friends ordered the fish and chips and the Big Rig classic Pizza.  The fish and chips came out perfect.  There was a good balance between batter and fish, the fish was still juicy and the batter was crispy but not over cooked.  The pizza was actually very good.  I was sceptical about it when I saw it on the menu, but they did an excellent job on the quantity of pizza, the amount of cheese and toppings. My friend does like his pizzas to have extra sauce, but that was more of a personal preference.

Once again, we still ran into issue with the service and what seems like them being understaffed.  I still did not get offered ketchup.  When asked for an extra utensil, the server forgot it.  I still do not feel that it was the server's fault, as they looked overwhelmed.  More staff in this case may help give a better level of service in my opinion.

Overall, the food was still very good.  It was a little bit of a miss for me, but others still seemed to very much enjoy their meals.  The beer here is always great, and they need more help still in the service department.  They are still pretty new, but that excuse can only last so long.

Review (out of 5):
Food: * * * *
Value: * * * * 1/2
Atmosphere: * * * * *
Service: * * * 1/2
Price Range (dinner): $15 - $35
Website: http://bigrigbrew.com/

Mill Street Brew Pub

I have always been a big fan of the Mill Street Micro Brew's.  In one of my trips to Toronto, we dropped in for a visit to the brewery there and it was packed, but we still had time for a quick beer.  When I heard they were opening one up here in Ottawa, it was a constant check to see when they would be opened.  I sure hope I did not over hype them up!

The location in Ottawa is where the old Mill steakhouse used to be.  There is a great view there of the river and plenty of parking.  Inside, the restaurant has a very modern feel to it, wood and stainless steel, two floors, two patios, two bars, and a glass encasing of the brew tanks.  When we sat down, they have their food menu and their drink menu for all the beers they serve.  The Portage, Chaudiere and the Irish Red are the only three brewed in Ottawa, and are exclusive for this location.  They have an option for a sampler flight of 6oz or 8oz glasses to try out different beers.  This is an excellent way to sample everything at not much extra cost.

When it came to the food, we had tried regular nachos, and pulled pork nachos.  I was a little scared when I was first told about the pulled pork nachos, but it has become one of new favourites!  The combination of the sweet pulled pork sauce with the salty nachos make for a very tasty appetizer which came in a very good size.  Also had was the chicken poutine, which garnered some mixed reviews.  I enjoyed it very much, while some did not feel that the curds were fresh.  Also of contention was that the gravy was not the proper dark gravy, but with the chicken, I thought the light gravy went well.  It comes down to personal preference at that point.

I had the chicken pot pie for an entree, and I have to say, it lived up to my expectations for a chicken pot pie.  The crust was flaky and there was big chunks of chicken and lots of veggie goodies inside.  The "boss" tried the piggy delight flat bread.  It was a good size, had a good amount of toppings and was very enjoyable to eat.

I have to say that when I get a chance to come to Mill Street, it was always a treat.  I would come back for sure.  If you get a chance to go on the brewery tour, it is worth it, just to get a chance to chat with the brew master, and go into the depths of the brew tanks.  It is free and only takes 15 mins.  The place does fill up quickly and can be difficult to get a table at times, so if you can show up early, it can save yourselves a headache.  With the nice summer weather, there is quite a bit more seating with the patio's open, so it is not as much of a problem.



Review (out of 5):
Food: * * * *
Value: * * * *
Atmosphere: * * * *
Service: * * * *
Price (dinner): $8 - $26
Website: http://ottawa.millstreetbrewpub.ca/frontpage

Smoque shack

I have heard many people talk about Smoque Shack, and they all keep telling me that I need to go there.  How can I turn down the request to eat large quantities of smoked meat!

Smoque Shack was created by Chef Warren Sutherland who used to be the chef at Sweetgrass Bistro.  The restaurant is located in Byward Market off York Street.  When you walk in, you are greeted by a long bar area where you can see part of their philosophy at work right away.  On tap is a good selection of local breweries.  We had to wait about 5 mins for a table so we sat at the bar for a drink where by the time we got our beers, our table was ready.  I do like how the bartender told us he would push our beers over to our table, and not have to settle up with him.  I very much like not having the hassle of settling up with the bartender while waiting for your table.

The place was busy and bustling.  The dining area had wood paneling on the walls with a few flat screen TVs.  The main dining area was not big, but it fit a good number of people.  When it came to the food, there was a good selection of what they smoke.  The main three meats were there: beef, chicken and pork, all in different forms.  When the server arrived, he gave us all the information about the menu we needed, also highlighting the meat sampler and was very knowledgeable on questions we asked about sides and sauces.  I ordered the rib tips for an appetizer with  sweet chili sauce and we all got samplers.  I got the pork back ribs, the jerk chicken and the pulled pork while my "boss" also picked the brisket.  For sides, we had beans, southern style greens, sweet potato fries and onion rings.  The rib tips arrived first and we all dove in as the smell of the dining area was making us all salivating.  There was a good number of them, enough that 4 people could share.  The sweet chili sauce was a good recommendation by the server as we kept the sauce for later and had to fend off the other serving staff wanting to clear our empty pate.  As for my meat main, I picked to start with the pulled pork.  The meat just flaked off and the flavour was oozing out.  The jerk chicken had a very good kick to it.  If you are not a fan of some heat, do not have the jerk.  I did like it.  The ribs were good, but it played an easy third fiddle to the other two selections.  It actually played forth as when the "boss" let me have some of her brisket, all I could say was wow.  The brisket was my favourite of all of them.  The meat was cooked perfectly, lots of infused flavours, and just melted in my mouth.  The sides were good as well, but with all the meat and meat sweats we were all having, they did not get a full appreciation.  By the end of the meal, I had a good sweat on.  I am not sure if it was because the A/C  could not keep up with our heat, or that the jerk chicken was winning.

The thing that irked me a little was the costs for sides.  No sides come with your meal, and getting a side was in my opinion a little over priced.  I did not expect coming here would be cheap, but it was a little more than I expected, and even after the meal, I didn't feel like the price matched what I got in food.  It was not off by much, but just enough for it to be noticeable.

Everything we had was delicious and the serving staff and atmosphere was very well suited for the smoque shack theme.  I am not sure if I would go back on my own volition, but at the same time, if someone came up to me and asked if I wanted to go, I probably would, just to eat that brisket again.

Review (out of 5):

Food: * * * 1/2

Value: * * * 1/2
Atmosphere: * * * *
Service: * * * *
Price (dinner): $6 - $24
Website: http://www.smoqueshack.com/index.html

Music and Dining

"The Boss" found out about this event when she went to Capital Brass Works and saw an advertisement for this.  She pretty much came back and said to me, "Awesome food and classical music, how can you go wrong?".  Well, she was right!  The evening was memorable.

This event is a part of the Music and Beyond festival and was being hosted at Tabaret Hall at The University of Ottawa.  The location ended up being an excellent choice for acoustics while still having that intimate feeling with musicians.  The premise of this event was hosted by Julian Armour, who chose a list of classical pieces that he felt would fit food, and dining.  He then passed the list to Chef Richard Nigro, former Chef at Juniper, who then planned the menu with the help of Chef Patrick Garland of Absinthe Cafe and Chef Chris Tremblay.

For the evening, they would pair up the music with each course of a 6 course meal and wine parings.  The evening started off a little rocky as there was some organizational issues with delivery of the plates, which caused the event to start late.  As the doors did open up, it seemed a little crazy and people tried to get in and get the best seats possible.  There was an intimate 55-60 guest in the end, plus a table for the musicians.  The music and performances were top notch.  The mix of the atmosphere with the food really accentuated the paring of the music to the food.  Another extra notch for the food was that it was mostly bought from the local farmers markets, which highlighted how we can get some excellent quality ingredients locally and support our local farmer's.

The courses started with a creamy marinated Quebec brie cheese launched in a crispy phyllo boat, floating in a sea of strawberry rhubarb soup.  This combination was unusual but worked very well with the hot weather outside and the combination of the brie, with the sweet and sour taste worked really well.  A buttery rich duck Terrine with foie gras torchon melted in my mouth while the valley smoked trout rillette and Atlantic Salmon with gravlax Gooseberry vinaigrette left me wanting more. The last main, was a two part beef dish, a seared beef, blue butter herb and slow, braised beef  was cooked and tasted perfect.  Desert was a special Epicuria Cake which was at the perfect level of sweetness and bitterness, and was not too heavy.  Coffee was then served by Bridgehead and extra chocolate was provided by Stubbe.  The presentation of the food was very simple yet elegant.  Nothing was over done there.  I have included pictured of the courses at the end that I took with my old camera phone.

Overall, the excellent music, the atmosphere, and the food combined into a very memorable evening.  Tickets to this event cost about $150.  Value wise, a classical concert, 6 course meal with 6 glasses of wine, this is a very respectable price.  The evening was very fun and we will be going back to this special event again next year.  Great job to both Julian and the Chef's!!

Review (out of 5):
Food: * * * * *
Value: * * * * *
Atmosphere: * * * * *
Service: * * * * *
Price (dinner): $150 (6 Course tasting with wine)
Website: http://musicandbeyond.ca/musicanddining/

Daniel

This place holds a special part in my life.  When I wanted to propose to my better half, I took her to one of her favourite cities in the world.  As a treat, I convinced her to go out for some fancy dining as part of my greater plan.  I looked up in the Michelin guide for three star restaurants and the one that jumped out at me was...of course Daniel.  This place is one of Chef Daniel Boulud's top restaurants.  Chef Daniel is one of the best chef's in NYC, and is very well known around the culinary world.

The location is just off central park, and the impressions when you walk in is elegance and beauty.  We went once again for a 6 course tasting with wine parings.  The service here was very professional and top notch.  Plates would arrive at the same time, and be served at the same time.  The staff was very friendly and knew when to be conversational and when not to be intrusive.

One of the things I always look for when I have a tasting menu is what the chef will do for an aperitif.  A nice cheese and duck pate came out which was divine.  It set the stage for a good meal to come.  When it came to the tasting, the boss and I differed on only the main course.  I took the lamb while she took on the black sea bass.  My lamb was cooked perfectly, with a very great balance of flavours and colours on the plate.  Everything went very well together.  The black sea bass was something that I will never forget.  This had to become THE course that has set the bar.  Afterwards, looking up Chef Daniel's info, we did find out that his dish is his specialty.  The bass just flaked, was juicy, while full of flavours.  This was the highlight of the dinner.  The selection of wines was pairs up very well.  Nothing to complain about, but nothing that jumped out as overly memorable.

I am bias now that of this place for the sea bass and the proposal that came after, but even without that, this was a very enjoyable and exquisite meal.  Well worth the visit here, even if it is just for that sea bass.  Well done!

Review (out of 5):
Food: * * * * 1/2
Value: * * * *
Atmosphere: * * * * 1/2
Service: * * * * *
Price Range (dinner): $105-$350 (8 Course tasting with wine)
Website: http://www.danielnyc.com/daniel.html

Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures

In an impromptu dinner, we decided to head over to finally try Signatures in Ottawa before heading to a wedding later that evening.  I have heard lots about this restaurant.  It is part of the Cordon Bleu cooking school and a while back, they used to have full table d'hote.  Recently they changed over to a more Bistro style theme.  The place is nestled in the heart of Sandy Hill, in a older looking mansion.  We were part of the late seating, so the place was not very busy for a Saturday night.

We got the option of tap, bottled, or sparkling water which was a nice touch.  The boss ordered the Toasted old gouda and smoked duck breast sandwich,grilled octopus, tomato caramel lollipop with sesame crust with Seasoned artic char filet, shitake emulsion, swiss chard, maitake sabayon, Chioggia beets, pine nut crumble as the main course.  For myself, I started with the Crab and shrimp cannelloni, coriander gel, vanilla pear chutney, olive paper followed by Roasted duck breast, carrot cream flavoured with maple and coffee Figs,
kumquat, and olive oil confit porcini mushroom, blood orange reduction.  To hold us over until the plates arrived, we were served fresh baked bread with a bacon butter.  I have to say, this combination was a very tasty touch.  The appetizers arrived and things smelt very good.  The toasted gouda was light and flavourful, while I like the octopus more, the boss enjoyed the tomato caramel lollipop.  I felt the lollipop stuck to my teeth too much and I ended up spending too much time trying to pick it out.  The cannelloni was good, but was not mind blowing.  The plate had a decent balance, but it felt like it was missing something.  The artic char was cooked perfectly as was the duck.  They were juicy and flavourful.  The rest of the plate left something more to be desired.  Once again, it did not seem like what was on the plate went well with what was served.

The presentation of the food was a little surprising.   The octopus and the duck plate came out, and it looked like someone really enjoys smearing sauces.  It made the plate look messy and cluttered.  I felt like it was an attempt at trying too much at the presentation, while something simpler and cleaner would have really made things look more appetizing. 

The service was good.  We had the bread refilled and never did out waters reach the bottom of the glass.  We did have to specifically ask for wine parings to go with our mains.  I expected to have been asked by the server if we wanted a wine paring, but that was not a huge deal.

The decor of the restaurant is classy.  Not very modern looking but it was comfortable.  The use of electronic candles felt a little cheap to me, but I may just be getting a little too picky.  The music that was pipped into the room was inconsistent in volume and theme.  There was a mix of classical, easy blues, big bad, while some songs were louder than others.  I did not lend well to the atmosphere.

Overall, the food was good, but it was not wonderful.  I was not wowed, which I do expect at least a little wow factor for fine dining.  I do also understand that this location is a teaching school, so I do not expect everything to be perfect.  I would not go back here, as I did not feel the value of the food was worth it.  I could get a much better meal from Beckta or Fougeres for about the same cost.

Review (out of 5):
Food: * * * 1/2
Value: * * *
Atmosphere: * * *
Service: * * * *
Price Range (dinner): $25-$35
Website: http://www.bistroatsignatures.com/

Beckta

Our love of food this night brought us to a small place called Beckta. Recommended by a friend and rated VERY high on the fine dinning lists, we decided to try them out. The restaurant is a small converted house, very well decorated. The atmosphere was done up with a bit of a modern flare with a small hint of rustic.  Unfortunately, it took me a while to actually write up this post, so many of the finer details have already escaped me.  I did want to make note of this place of what did stick in my mind.

We had a tasting menu made by Chef Michael Moffat and it was very good.  I remember being wowed from the presentation to the flavour and tastes.  The wine parings we had matched up perfect with the meals, which also ended with a wonderful cheese plate.

The service was top notch without being intrusive.  Each wine was described to us about location and flavour.  

I know this is a short and not super informative post, but I did want to give credit where credit was due.  This is a place that I do want to go back.  Chef Moffat has already opened up a second restaurant called Play which is on the list of places we will be checking out.

Review (out of 5):
Food: * * * * 1/2
 Value: * * * *
Atmosphere: * * * *
Service: * * * * 1/2
Price Range (dinner): $30-$185 (8 course tasting with wine parings)
Website: http://www.beckta.com/