Home 2011

Year: 2011

Lone Shining Star

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Ms. Waffle had a craving. She’d been talking about it for a few days now. Fajitas, she wanted. The urge was becoming too powerful to ignore, so we got ourselves a babysitter and we headed to Lone Star Texas Grill in the Byward market. We were welcomed by very cheerful staff, who even opened the door for us, which was nice. The place was busy, but not packed, which suited us just fine. We were seated by a table near the door, which was unfortunate – the staff was not opening the door just for us, they were doing it for everyone, letting in a cool breeze in the process. We ain’t that special. “Dixie”, in tight jeans and plaid shirt, brought us our menus and took our drink order quite promptly. Before even coming back with our drinks, she put down on the table a complimentary basket of freshly-fried…

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Miso happy!

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This morning, I received a weird email: “Miso happy James’ back! Quick Response is ‘wonton’ to welcome back our ‘kamikaze’ comrade James from his tempura paternity leave (aka baby vacation). We are going to all-you-can-eat sushi in his honour. How better to ‘maki’ the occasion? Udon are all welcome to come join in on the spider roll-licking good times! So at 12:30 we will all sashimi to Albert St to edamame a spare rib or two… Don’t be shrimps, be dynamite! Sincerely, Bei-seaweed salad.” Yeah, I know. Despite the bad puns, one must salute the effort of the writer, who inflicted embarrassment upon herself in order to create hilarity amongst her co-workers. Way to go, Bei-seaweed. Still, we made our way to the new Kirin Express, an Asian-fusion restaurant which replaced the venerable Cathay House as reported by The Waffle last year. And by Fusion, I mean they have a…

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Bagel shortage!

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Every Sunday, I play soccer with the Sporting Yamela of the Soccer 7s Borsodi Liga. We play at Landsdowne, and usually end up at Irene’s afterwards to review the game that was. Once re-hydrated and satisfied with the post game analysis, I head home – with a quick stop at Kettleman’s Bagel Co. to get our weekly supply of the fresh, wood oven-baked Montreal-style delicacy, in my opinion the best in the National Capital Region. Dense, a hint of sweetness, not salty, freshly made many times a day. Just good, simple, traditional. They were voted the best Bagels in town 8 years in a row by readers of the Ottawa Xpress – though Bagel is no longer a category in the Best of Ottawa survey of the Xpress, since 2006 it has simply been rolled in with the Best Bakery category (A category last won by Kettleman’s in 2007). The…

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The Ringmaster

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On our way back from Quebec City, we decided to stop in St-Hyacinthe for lunch. The huge Burger King sign by Highway 20 was strangely appealing to us, and we figured since this was a road trip (well, a trip on the road), we might as well stop at the King. After all, he is the King of Burgers. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a big sign promoting the goodness of BK’s current novelty burger, The Ringmaster Whopper (along with the Angry Whopper). The Ringmaster was re-introduced with an infamous ad campaign in Canada last August – I say re-introduced because it was available last year under its previous name, the Bourbon Whopper. The Waffle had never tried this Whopper (the last BK Burger we reviewed in this corner was the BK Stuffed Steakhouse), so he was easily convinced by his wife to sample it. The Ringmaster is a…

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Adios, Mexicali! Hola, Feleena & Amigos! – A Waffle Exclusive

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Si, señor & señorita! Mexicali Rosa’s is no more – in Ontario, at least. That is what The Waffle found out as he brought his familly to the establishment formerly located on Clarence Street, which is now called Feleena’s Cantina. (No link to Feleena’s on Bank that I can see.) Rebranding? Upscaling? Another failed Market adventure? I was curious, and since we still wanted Mexican-style food, the name-change didn’t deter us. We walked in a little before 2PM looking to enjoy the Mexican-fare and the air conditioning on this hot Sunday of July. The place was empty, which made for great, friendly and attentive service throughout our time there! We were greeted by a sign that announced that the changes may only be cosmetic at this point. “Different name, same great taste” it said. Well, Mexicali has never been a high-end establishment, so we would have to judge for ourselves…

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