Can I just take a minute to talk about the BEST DRESSING of all time?

The Farm Boy store  is amazing in many ways but one of my #1 Favorite products of theirs is this Lemon Garlic Dressing. FIRST OF ALL – its all natural and preservative free. (Which is great!)

And Secondly – no matter what I do to try and reproduce the deliciousness of this dressing – I can’t seem to put the perfect finishing touches…Because my pallet screams FAKE!

Maybe its the perfect combination of salt and pepper? Maybe it’s the freshly squeezed lemon juice to garlic ratio?? I can’t figure it out. I’m addicted to this stuff and I can’t get enough. You can sprinkle some on your veggie salad, on your couscous, on your chicken – basically “you can have whatever you like!” (T.I voice)

Whatever it is….I like it. So if you like the lemon/garlic zing, you should try it too! But the recipe is exclusive to Farm Boy so you won’t find it anywhere else!

Bon Appetit,

XOXOX

Photo Credit: www.canvasrestobar.ca

What a MASTERPIECE this spot is!!!

Canvas is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to in terms of taste of food.

I quote their website:

“Canvas prides itself in being an inviting little neighborhood bistro in the ever growing Wellington West area of Ottawa. Our goal is to keep everything as fresh and locally sourced as possible. This means a menu that is always being re-invented and developed according to the seasons and availability.”

First of all – I LOVE the idea of an ever changing menu with each season. I think that this is the ONLY way to go with any GREAT restaurant. It just makes sense to me that a good restaurant would carry food that is available by season. (As a side note, I also believe that not every resto should be the same…although I love the idea of “self-sustainable” – I also like having the choice of eating a variety of foods at any time of year.) With that said – it’s a food fact that eating foods that are in season taste a milli times better than foods that have been shipped half way across the world….But that’s a whole othaaa blog!

So, lets get to it.

As I was saying – if you LOVE food as much as a I do, this place is a MUST for many reasons:

1. Its elegant and cozy inside – appropriate to celebrate a special occasion, have a date OR just chill on any night of the week
2. The staff is INCREDIBLE. When I was there, it felt as though every person who I talked to had their heart pouring into every part of the restaurant…If someone asked me to guess who the owner was, I’d guess that they’re ALL owners by the way they treated us and handled each dish.
3. The food is INCREDIBLE. When I say you can taste love in every bite, believe it baby.

Everything from the most simple green salad or mashed potato to the most exquisite lamb plate, had LOVE. It tasted as though there was a “secret ingredient” in every bite. Even the way that the waiter served us was with love.

I can’t even get into the dishes we had because then, I’d have to recommend something…and its too hard to chose! Let’s just say that we tried the lamb, cornish hen and steak…and they were the best cuts of meat any of us ever had.

Photo Credit: www.canvasrestobar.ca

Canvas is open for lunch and dinner and Sunday brunch.

The prices are VERY decent. Apps are between $6 – $12 and mains are between $23 – $32

This place is such a special treat…You really leave with a full belly, a smile and another reservation.

Canvas
65 Holland Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 729-1991

Bon Apetit!

XoXoX

Photo Credit: Ottawa Xpress

If there is one thing I’m REALLY good at making – it’s sandwiches. I LOVE sandwiches in every way possible – making them AND eating them of course. If I could choose one food to live with for the rest of my life it would be sandwiches – various ones OBVIOUSLY!

However…when I don’t feel up to making any myself, there is one place that I trust for my “love food“…DiRienzo’s. Even saying that word makes me salivate. Here’s the deal. There are 2 DIFFERENT DiRienzos in Ottawa, and some people like to say that one of them is an imposter – I’d like to make it clear that I don’t co-sign that statement AT ALL. I love BOTH locations yet oddly enough (well maybe because I live closer) I end up at the Meadowlands store.

• One spot is in Little Italy (DiRienzo’s) – 111 Beech St. 613 729-4037

• And the other one is on Meadowlands and Fisher Ave (but it’s actually called DiRienzo Foods) 1121 Meadowlands Dr 613-723-4664

Di Rienzo’s stocks an inventory of gourmet and specialty products imported from Italy but the real secret weapon is the sandwich bar and ready-made meals.

Both joints are MOUTH WATERING. But remember – I’m specifically talking about the Meadowlands location.

No matter which sandwich you construct, always, always, always ask for spicy eggplant. The buns are always baked fresh and you can ask for white or brown bread – which I really appreciate; Any kind of meat (and cheese)  you can think of: from turkey and prosciutto to chicken parmigiana or meatballs; And of course they have authentic FRESH Italian desserts like no ones business. They also have a pasta bar that you can choose from and fresh fruit as well if your going for a lighter desert.

Their direct competition is a place called Nicastro’s – but I don’t feel like that place is anywhere CLOSE to the D!

If you are as passionate about sandwiches as I am – or even if you want to satisfy a serious belly rumbling – this place is a MUST!!!!

The price range is between $6-$10 but the sandwiches are HUGE! You’ll be full for HOURS!

Bon Appetit!

XoXoX

Just checked out this South American spot and I must say I really liked the ambiance of this place! I’m always saying that there aren’t many places in Ottawa that are cozy and nice to go to – this place is a “neighborhood” joint that is really cute, cozy and best of all – has a great little second floor patio! Roof top patios are my FAVORITE and there aren’t many in Ottawa!

The menu is composed of different Latin influences and is a good size. A lot of the time (in my personal opinion) when I eat at Latin restaurants  (like Mexi’s or something) I feel like there isn’t a whole lot to chose from. This place has authentic snacks like Empanadas (Savory Latin stuffed turnover), Flautas (Four rolled corn tortillas stuffed with chicken), Chimichanga (yummy stuffed tortilla) but also gives you the option of more sophisticated dishes like Swordfish or Brazilian shrimp stew or even tasty sandwiches  (Cuban, Latino, Frita).

They also specialize in all sorts of different tequillas! (wink wink nudge nudge) Just don’t get too carried away! We had a couple of shots of Patrone and felt it for the rest of the afternoon

Milagros Grill is in the centre of Wesboro (pretty much across from Bridgehead). Check it out if your looking for a place to go to on a nice day or for a nice dinner with a Latin twist!

Buen Apetito!

Milagros Grill
357 Richmond Road
Ottawa, Ontario K0A 1B0
(613) 722-8011

Photo credit: Ottawa Xpress

There weren’t really ever (and still aren’t) many good places to eat in the West End of Ottawa. The good restaurants seem to be concentrated everywhere else…

…Except for this little find (as well as a shortlist of a few other spots). It’s a fairly new place on Merivale that stands out in the likes of my taste buds. In my opinion this place actually competes in flavor, portion sizes and …pause…service, of course! LOL

Contrary to the name, this spot doesn’t just serve Pho…which I can really respect! There’s nothing worse than going somewhere where you only have one choice.

This place serves rice dishes, main entrees (stir fry), vermicelli, pho, interesting appetizers, bubble tea and dessert. Overall, the ingredients are fresh and flavorful, the service is PHENOMENALLY fast and the price is really close to Chinatown prices.

Honestly, one of my favorite things about this place (aside from the great food) was the fact that I felt more trust for it than I do for most of the spots I’ve been to in Chinatown. (eeek, sorry if that offends some people, but it’s just how I feel).

Bonne Appétit!

Pho Thi gets my thumbs up and two lip smacks! Go try it!

Pho Thi
1691-3 Merivale Rd.
(613) 224-7687
Entrées: $7.95-$13.95