Lunch in the Works

Lunch in the Works

It had been over a year since Ms. Waffle and I had ventured together to the Ontario side of the Ottawa river for a lunch date on location. After a stop at Decathlon on St-Laurent, we had a false start at the Boston Pizza in the same mall parking lot: there was a line-up and Boston Pizza is not worth the wait. So we headed south on St-Laurent in search of another spot to eat out. We soon spied The WORKS, who’s patio didn’t look too busy. We were soon sitting down and peering at the menu. Established in 2001 in Ottawa, The WORKS is now a well-established chain of craft burgers, with 27 locations across Ontario. Owned by MTY since 2017, the chain’s plan is to expand in Manitoba, Alberta and British-Columbia. The chain went through a re-branding last year, The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro becoming The WORKS Craft…

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The Kitchen is open

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. 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…

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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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Le Savoy’s special lunch

The Savoy opened about two years ago The Savoy opened about two years ago and has been a popular destination in Westboro. It is the brasserie-soeur of The Metropolitain. Owned by the same group, along with the Empire Grill and The Grand Pizzeria and Bar, it is located where the Westboro iconic, Moe’s World Famous Newport Restaurant (and Ottawa’s Elvis Sighting Society) was established for 25 years. With big windows, high ceilings and ceramic floors, the spot has undergone significant renovations to become a French Brasserie. It also now showcases a mile-long zinc-topped bar. Large mirrors around the room make the space look even more spacious. It was quiet during lunch time which made for a great, personalized and efficient service. The menu is quite similar to The Met, but somewhat less expensive. Of course, The Savoy’s executive chef is Mike Poliquin – same as its brasserie-soeur, so the logic…

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Miller’s World Famous Oyster House

Everglades City was first an American settlement after the Civil War, at first a trading post for sugar cane and a fishing and hunting destination. To this day, stone crab harvests (Everglades City is probably the largest commercial stone crab supplier in the US) and alligator hunts are a big part of the local economy. So are tourists such as ourselves. We had decided to explore the Everglades and settled on an airboat ride with Totch’s Island Tours, the sole location offering a short 30 minute ride, which was deemed most suitable for the toddler and baby we’re carrying around South Florida with us. And so, after a fun ride taking us through the Mangrove jungles and shallow water bays of the Everglades and the Waffle Jr. getting to hold a baby alligator, we were quite hungry. We decided to drive around the area a little bit, searching for a…

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