NYF March Madness: The Works edition

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The Waffle’s first foray in NYF’s March Madness happened at the Carlingwood Mall location.

Feeling edgy, The Waffle ordered The Works ($7.25).

Now, despite the name, The Works is not quite the works.

They topped their French Fries with their beef chili, add cheese sauce,
topped with real sour cream, and garnish with bacon and green onions.

No cheese curds (although they offered me as an extra) and no gravy.

NYF’s The Works is a pretty good concoction. Does it qualify as a poutine, though? Kind of, I guess.

Today, the fries were freshly made to order, coming out piping hot and nicely crispy. There was a healthy amount of every toppings.

I got four laddles of beef chili. It is not very spicy, but still pretty good, a hearthy meat vs red beans ratio.

A couple of squeezes of cheese sauce, which is trans fat free. So there is that. It is close to flavour free, too! Mostly, it seems to be there for texture, adding some gooeyness to the dish.

There was plenty of sour cream, lots of bacon and a ton of green onions – perhaps it was a little too much, in fact.

Certainly, there was enough garnish to go through the dish without having to eat naked fries, which would help no one.

New York Fries Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Closing Time (II)

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In April 2012, The Waffle wrote about the impending closure of an Ottawa institution: the Glue Pot Pub.

The closure was short lived, as The Waffle reported in an update.

But since then, rumours of the Glue Pot’s demise have been popping up regularly. But they were only rumours. Until now.

There you have it, folks. The Glue Pot Pub is closing for good on Friday, March 22nd.

No doubt, the mess that was created by the LRT project on Queen street over the past few months put a dent in the clientele. And Claridge is moving ahead with a three-tower project at that location.

It is the end of an era. I started going to the Glue Pot in 1997. For a while, I was a regular, dropping by most Fridays after work. I was less regular for the past few years, going a couple of times a year only.

I will remember the spot with fondness.
I hope to get there for one last Quart of Ex before it closes for good.

The Glue Pot Pub Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

It’s March Madness at New York Fries!

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It’s March Madness at New York Fries for Fry Society Members!

You won’t be surprised to find out that The Waffle is a proud member of said Fry Society.

Long story short, you spend money at New York Fries, you get points, and in March, you can multiply your points per visit, getting you closer to free food every time.

Waffle readers will be pleased to read the Waffle’s adventures as he explore the New York Fries’ poutine menu this month.

Beckta’s Rooftop

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Our anniversary was coming soon and the kids were away at Camp Mami and Pappi so we were free to decide and do something fun and unusual.

An email caught my attention as a great way to celebrate. Beckta was inviting us (well, me!) to an evening of BBQ and libations on a rooftop.

Their friends at Enright Cattle, a family farm near Tweed, were going to help Beckta host a BBQ on their rooftop patio. For $65 per person, we could enjoy five BBQ options and two beverages.

$65 for all you-can-eat-Beckta on a rooftop? IN!

We arrived there early, to make sure we could enjoy the beautiful August sun. We were greeted by Stephen Beckta, who promptly directed us to the bar. Good man.

To drink, there were a couple of options:

Cave Spring Rosé or their house made Sangria, or beers from Kichesippi: the Heller Highwater or the 1855.

At the grill, Executive chef Katie Ardington and chef Shane Brown were working hard to have the food ready.

We grabbed two beers and we soaked in the nice Ottawa view. Ottawa being a small town, we bumped into some friends that also thought this was a great idea.

The weather was gorgeous, the music was jazzy and the mood was festive. I admit, though, that there were less people that I expected.

Here were the five BBQ options:

Corndogs with housemade ketchup. The batter was light and crunchy. The dark colour could throw you off, but they were quite good. The housemade ketchup was a nice touch, not as sweet as a commercial version.

Bresaola meat cone stuffed with pimento cheese dip and garnished with chives. Look at these little cones of delightfulness. The air-dried, salted beef packed a punch of flavour, counterbalanced nicely with the bold, creamy pimento cheese. The receptacle, a sesame cone, was perfect for the bite-size app.

A grain salad – grilled corn, clover vinaigrette, farro, rye berries,

topped with shaved hard cows milk. You don’t make friends with salad,
they say, but this was pretty tasty – and filling. The grilled corn
brought in some sweetness and some pop too.

Brisket sliders with pickles. Thin, housemade pickles, pulled brisket, bbq sauce and bun. Simple, efficient, to the point.

Outside round beef skewers with sea salt. This one looked better than it actually was. Not that it didn’t taste good – it’s beef on a stick after all! – but it was simply impossible to take a bite. Too chewy, as Andrea demonstrated to our group, much to her chagrin. I tried two samples and faced a similar fate. Eventually, the chefs realized what was happening and cubed the remaining meat to salvage it.

What a nice, flavourful evening it was. Ms. Waffle and I enjoyed our time on the rooftop, the food was (mostly) great and the weather perfect.

We totally would repeat the experience.

Beckta Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The Kitchen is open

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We’ve been going on a golf trip to Alexandria Bay, NY, for over a decade now.

We have our habits. We’ve tried a few places. And considering the size of the place, it is pretty rare that we even try to discover something new.

On Friday night, a few guys were going to go to Cavallario’s Top Of The Bay to munch on Burritos and quaff some A-Bombs.

But Turk and I didn’t really feel like it. We searched the area for something different, something fresh.

And we found The Kitchen.The Kitchen

We went on a reconnaissance mission, to assess the location, the menu and available space. At the gate, a friendly greeter happily answered our questions and gave us a quick tour.

The Kitchen is located in The Captain Visger House, a beautifully renovated bed and breakfast, it is a Victorian house located in the heart of town, right across from the hospital. Captain Elisha W. Visger was the creator of the first 1000 island tours and lived in this house.

The Kitchen was becoming the newest entry in the A-Bay food tour.

We went back to The Ship and rallied a few sailors for this new culinary adventure.

The menu is said to shift weekly, based on what is seasonally and locally available. Today’s menu featured hearty American dishes, with an influence from French, Italian, and Californian cuisine. The cocktail menu is creative and immediately attracted our attention. It featured a mixology favouring regional ingredients and bold flavors.

Inside, the decor is eclectic. Rustic and classic, antique and modern, ba-rock and pop, replete with old album covers and in particular, shoutouts to Jethro Tull

We sat at one end of the restaurant – every other customer was on the patio, but we had had enough heat for the day after labouring on the golf course.

We ordered a round of drinks.

Bloody BayI went for their Bloody Bay, a Caesar made with an artisanal clamato made with crab, shrimp and lobster, with old bay spices and horseradish.

Others had different concoctions: Matt ordered a Dark Island Mule (Dark Island Spirits Vodka, Fever Tree Ginger Beer, candied ginger), Ken ordered a Bay Cuba Libre (Caliche Rum, Curiosity Cola and lime).

All drinks were great, especially the Bloody Bay. Zesty, tangy, spicy; deep, bold flavours for a refreshing drink, garnished with a spicy garlic green bean. Probably the best Caesar I’ve ever had.

“A must have,” Ken said of the Bloody Bay. “Made with a melody of seafood bisque, it is without a doubt, one of the best drinks you will ever let wet your lips. ”

We had to ask for Jeanine, The Kitchen’s mixologist, to come over to congratulate and thank her – and try to pry some of her secrets from her. She didn’t bite.

The menu also didn’t let us down.

Different items were ordered by the boys.

The Perch, locally sourced, lightly dusted and fried. It was served with, what else, a Housemade 1000 island dressing.  Lighter than calamari, nice crispiness, not greasy at all.

The Shiitake Bruschetta, a Mushroom topping mixed with thyme, red onion and a mild gorgonzola sauce.

Macaroni au Gratin, also known as mac + cheese. Cooked perfectly with tons of cheese and topped with candied walnuts.

Shiitake Bruschetta and Macaroni au Gratin

The beet salad, a generous portion of beets mixed with a blend of greens, tossed with a maple vinaigrette and topped with goat cheese and roasted pumpkin seeds. Filling, nutritious and colourful. Considering the size of the small portion, half of which was packed to go, I would recommend avoiding the large portion, even if sharing it.

The House Made Pasta, tender, silky papardelle, served with a rich roasted tomato sauce, with home made pesto and lots of Parmesan.

House Made Pasta

For my part, I ordered the Meatballs with the Utica Greens.  Even though one is meant to be an appetizer and the other an entree, you would be hard pressed to know which was which.

House Made Meatballs and Utica Greens

Two big, tender, delicious meatballs, made with ground pork and beef, served in a nice, zesty tomato sauce and finished with lots of parmesan. Served with some fresh crusty bread and a small green salad, it was a great dish. The portion was a bit small, though. Nah. just kidding!

The Utica greens are made with escaroles, mixed with prosciutto and topped with bread crumbs and parmesan mix. A leafy green vegetable from the chicory family, along with frisée and endive, it has a slightly bitter flavor, but much less than her cousin. It’s also much more tender than other greens such as collard greens or kale.  The leaves were cooked with a mix of spicy spices, giving the dish a nice heat undertone, cooled by the parmesan topping.

We had a great time at The Kitchen. The service was excellent, friendly and efficient. Owner and head chef Sam even came by to thank us, and they pledge to open early for us the next day, so we could enjoy some more cocktails after our round of golf!

“The Kitchen is one of the best kept culinary secrets that the dining scene has to offer,” Ken resumed. “hey only thing better than their fare is the unbeatable, friendly service. That alone sets them apart and you leave feeling you just had a terrific dining experience with family.”

I expect we will be back.

UPDATE @ July 14, 2018 17:32

As promised, Turk and I returned for cocktails, although with new companions. We sat on the patio this time, as we had the place for ourselves as the staff were running around, planning for the evening. But they were ready for us and happy to open up the bar!

Bloody Bay on the patio