Meatball sandwiches!

Founded in 1934, The Prescott was one of Ottawa’s two original licensed drinking establishments, The Lafayette being the other. Located in Ottawa’s little Italy, the business started as a corner store with founder Antonio Disipio making his own sausages and serving cheap beer. The Prescott Hotel was named as such in 1941 because the hotel was the last building on the highway to Prescott, a town 65 miles away, hence it’s nickname, “The Last Chance”. The spot is spacious and can accommodate a lot of people. It regularly hosts live bands and acts from the Ottawa area. The three telephone booths are still in place, labeled French, English and Italian in order to facilitate access for customers. This old school tavern is still popular after all these years, people gathering to watch a game, have a pint and grab some grub. And that’s what 8 of us were doing this…

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Spécial saucisse!

Regular wafflers will know that when I go to Québec City, I often make sure to drop by Chez Ashton. And this Thanksgiving week-end was no different. After a morning shopping at Les Galeries de la Capitale, we made our way to Chez Ashton on 1st Avenue for lunch. It might have been the influence of the Waffle Jr., or it might have been the picture, but I ended up ordering a regular poutine with sausage. “Poutine régulière, spécial saucisses!” the cashier announced in her microphone. Ashton has 3 formats of Poutine. Small, Medium and Large would make sense. Nope: Bébé, Mini and Régulière. Go figure. Quickly, the tray was filled with our orders and we made our way to a quiet corner of the location. The poutine saucisse would not resist our assault! Ashton’s fries are really what makes me come back, I think. The potatoes they use are…

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Bistro Manchester to open in Chelsea

The Waffle has learned that a new restaurant will soon open in Chelsea, at the corner of the 105 and Old Chelsea Road: the Bistro Manchester. Chelsea’s food scene has been thriving lately. L’Orée du Bois and Les Fougères are great tables, and the arrival of Mama Theresa was a welcomed addition to the food scene, which includes familiar spots such as De Luigi, Chelsea Shawarma, the Chelsea Pub and the Chelsea Smokehouse’s Le Resto. Behind the Manchester’s food offering will be the team from Routine Poutine in Gatineau, who admitted as much on Facebook. The Bistro Manchester scheduled opening date is in mid-October.

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A British Poutine in Edmonton

A very busy day during our caucus strategy session in Edmonton prevented me from eating lunch at a decent hour. Not that I’m complaining. Eventually, I was able to escape during a break towards the end of the day, before our evening events. Nothing like lunch at 4:30 PM, Mountain Time! One of my favorite spot in Edmonton is the Sherlock Holmes Pub. It is conveniently located, has a laid-back, warm and cozy feel to it and has a great selection of beers. The architecture is reminiscent of a British pub. Elementary, Watson: Lots of rich woods, ceiling beams, white walls. On them, you’ll find British memorabilia, Sherlock stuff and some local items. The establishment, opened in 1987, is part of a chain of British and Irish pubs across the city. Being alone, I sat at a small table to the right of the bar. The place was filling with…

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Pit stop at Herb’s

In 1977, Herb Vink Sr. bought property on the new highway 417 linking Ottawa to Montreal. There, he built a restaurant, a gas station, and a towing business at the intersection of Highway 34. Since there was no other business nearby, travelers and truckers started to make regular pit stops. Herb’s Travel Plaza is still a thriving business in Vankleek Hill, and was fully renovated a few years ago. You can not only get gas and food, but also buy souvenirs, St-Albert cheese, take a shower, do your laundry and get a haircut. Herb’s is hard to miss, with gigantic signs announcing its presence and its iconic red roof. There is lots of room to move around and a handful of old Cessnas are in the field, not far from the old airstrip. I don’t come here very often, though, but from time to time I do make a stop.…

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