The McRib is back!

The McRib is back!

It had been a long time coming. Ever since the McRib first made its debut in 1981, the McDonald’s delicacy has been standing out as a unique and beloved creation. So when McDonald’s announced on January 25th that it was bringing back the iconic sandwich to Canadian menus, people got excited. The McRib is more than junk food, it is a cultural phenomenon, as evidenced by social media platforms lighting up with posts celebrating the McRib’s return, and by mainstream media covering the story.Even Tania was caught in the frenzy, sharing with me the Ultimate Homemade McRib Recipe from Serious Eats. The McRib has appeared on and off on the menu but was last sold in Canada in 2014. Many Canadians had given up on ever seeing the sandwich again, as McDonald’s USA had announced in 2022 that the elusive McRib was finally back… embarking on a “Farewell Tour”. Other…

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Don’t mess with Texas… so why did you?

I hadn’t been to the Clocktower in quite some time. But since Philippe and I were meeting for lunch, it made sense to meet there, basicially at the halfway point between or geographical locations. The Clocktower is a brew pub chain that now has 6 locations across Ottawa. The original brew pub, on Bank street at Isabella, has a clock tower. It opened in 1996. So yes, they serve their own home brews. The Kölsch, the Raspberry Wheat, the Wishart’s ESB, the Bytown Brown, the Whalesbone Oyster Stout and the Clocktower Red. To that, you can add a selection of seasonal beers, such as the Beerista, the Knifewear Tongue Cutter West Coast IPA, the Clocktower Pumpkin Ale, the United A.P.A., the Pucker Up Sour Cherry!, the Ottawa Pale Ale, the Pint of the Living Dead, the 38th Battalion Ale, the CT Vienna Spring Ale, the Empty Netter Ale, the East…

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How the mighty have fallen

I used to go to Local Heroes regularly after sporting events, wither hockey or softball. My usual location was on Bank St. It was a neat spot filled with paraphernalia and lots of TVs. Founded in 1981 by former Ottawa Rough Rider Mark Kosmos, Local Heroes Sports Bar & Grill became popular for selling chicken wings by the pound, one of the first spot to do so in Ottawa. It dubbed itself the “King of Wings and Ribs”. It expanded across the National Capital region, opening locations on Clyde Avenue, Bank Street, and Carling Avenue in Kanata. Another wave of locations were opened a few years later, at Bells Corners, on St. Laurent Boulevard, in Stittsville and at Scotia Bank Place. But competition is tough, and most of the Local Heroes have now fallen, the Bank street location going under in May 2013. Hometown has now settled in that location.…

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St-Hubert Classics

Our little Wafflings simply love St-Hubert. Whenever we ask them about going to a restaurant, St-Hubert is their choice 95% of the time. Here and there, Boston Pizza or Benny & Co. will pop up as an option. But St-Hubert is where it’s at. Now, we used to always head tothe Maisonneuve location in Hull. But ever since they renovated, at a cost of a million dollars, to make it more modern and somehow “retrochic”, the Wafflings are done with it. Imagine, St-Hubert replaced their favorite games room with a wine cellar. “We don’t drink wine at St-Hubert, papa. Not even you!”  Wise words. Indeed. I’ll have the odd beer, but I usually stick with the bottomless Coke or Sprite. But that’s beside the point. Bottomline is, our new family location is now on the East end of Gatineau, a location that was also renovated in 2015 (for 1.3 million)…

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A pound of pulled pork

Another day, another Ribtoberfest opportunity! Today, the plan was to bring some food home for my family to enjoy. I made my way down Sparks Street until I ended up in front of Blazin’ BBQ‘s stall. Hailing from Chatham, Blazin’ BBQ debuted in 2002 as S.A.R.S. STOCK, one of the largest benefit concerts ever held. In 2009, they started production of sauces and they opened their Ribhouse restaurant in 2010. Blazin’s BBQ offers a lot of options on its menu: Pork Ribs, Beef Ribs, Riblets, Chicken, Pulled Pork, Turkey. But I figured I would keep it simple and ordered a pound of Pulled Pork for $12. The weather wasn’t great so there was no line-up, I got my food right away. I filled my container with extra BBQ sauce – their “Original” sauce and their “Nitro” sauce. This was a heavy container. I put it down carefully on the passenger…

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