Closing Time

The email came from Jack at 6:26 PM exactly. At first, I just thought Jack was going to watch the Sens’ game at the Pot.  Like we did so often over the years, after I joined the NDP Windsro/Glue Pot Hockey Pool in 1997.  The plaque hangs proudly on the wall.

“Heading down to the GPP for the game tonight. Rumour has it that it is the last night the GPP will be open.”

Say what?  Hard to believe. Jack must be joking. I didn’t really believe him, thinking that perhaps he was trying to get people to tag along with him.  “Grab the plaque, then!” I joked.  Nicole decided to show up, and she confirmed by sending an email at 8:59 PM:

“The rumour is true. The Glue Pot Pub is closing tonight forever.
The plaque is secure.”

Oh man.  I wish I had known ahead of time.

I expressed my sadness on twitter:
“The Waffle is really sorry to hear that the Glue Pot Pub will close its doors tonight. Forever. I’ve been going there for 15 years.”

Reactions were immediate, from all over the country:

@northwesternlad : BOOOO!!!! That is terrible news
@michaelgendron : That sucks, any idea why?
@MrsPremise4 : Had my first beer as Hill staffer at The Glue Pot in 1989.
@paulvieira : what’s replacing Glue Pot? Why Glue Pot closing?
@sfharris : We should buy it and re-open it. Nothing could go wrong!
@onammio : I am devastated by news of the Glue Pot’s untimely demise.
@RoddieGilbert : Triste
@_E_And : Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!
@JairusKhan : Isn’t that whole block getting demolished to make room for the new library?

So many questions, so little answers.  Why, dear God, Why?

The Sens’ were battling the Rangers, and I wanted to watch that game.   At the same time, so many memories at the Glue Pot Pub. I had to go.  Once the third period was over and the game was pushed into overtime, I jumped in my car and went down to the Pot, one last time.

The Glue Pot Pub is located in a building that once was the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in Canada. The building also houses the Adult entertainment establishment known as Barbarella’s Diamonds, and a neat Italian café known as Zucchero (Which took over from the famous Dill Pickle Restaurant a few years ago).  The Glue Pot Pub opened in 1988, some kind of a cross-over between a tavern and a sports bar. Over the years, it showcased live music, karaoke and trivia nights. 

The Glue Pot was written up on September 1989 as the place where the research staff of the NDP got together on Fridays to map out what great issues their bosses would tackle the following week.  And talk hockey, as soon NDP staffers and friends also used the location as an excuse to gather, make bad trades, and trash talk their competitors while watching some games. 

There is a copper-topped bar, black tin ceilings and old, worn wood tables and chairs and booths.  Over the past few years, however, they have done a good job modernizing their screens, and now, everywhere you look, there’s a TV, so no matter where you sit you can watch the game comfortably.

Just before walking in the Glue Pot, a guy in a suit, likely an out-of-towner on a business trip, asked about my advice - should he go to the Glue Pot Pub or should he go to Bâton Rouge? “Depends what you are looking for, Pal. Do you want cheap beers, pub fare and a rowdy atmosphere, or  are you looking for a good steak in a quiet, upscale casual restaurant?”

He went up the stairs to the Glue Pot.

I got in in time, before the OT started and was soon overwhelmed. 

Oh, there was a decent crowd -
but it wasn’t exactly packed the way it should have been for a playoff night.
Nevertheless, it wasn’t dead.

Yet, the Glue Pot Pub was indeed closing. 
The taps were drying.
Empty pitchers were put over the taps as one by one, the kegs were pouring their last pints.

The popcorn machine was silenced, empty.

No more over-salted yellow popped corns prepared to make you oh, so thirsty.

We would never fill those baskets again.
We would never again try to hit a glass across the table with one.
We would never again throw a fist load of it against an owner taking advantage of a lubricated opponent to make a one-sided deal.

Nicole was still there, Jerry was also there.
Jack had come and gone, securing the plaque. 

I sat down, kind of sad.

It being Wednesday, the Glue Pot was offering its usual Wild Wednesday’ specials, one last time.  You could get a personal pitcher of domestic draft for $6.99 and a pound of chicken wings for $7.99.  I’ll drink some beers, but I’ll skip the wings. 

Nicole got up and to get a small pitcher of the only beer still available – Keith’s Red.  

The three of us watched the game, talking very little as the Senators and the Rangers were going up and down the ice.

It didn’t last long!  Kyle Turris scored after less than 3 minutes and the Glue Pot errupted in cheers! Like the Good Old Days….

Ottawa tied its Eastern Conference quarter-final series 2-2, with Game 5 on Saturday in New York. But you won’t be able to watch it at the Pot.

One of the waitresses on staff, who seemed in a good mood despite the fact she was losing her job tonight, told me that the current management of the Glue Pot Pub thought the rent was getting too steep, so they didn’t want to renew the lease with the property owner. Hence the closing. Staff found out 2 days before. Rumour has it that there are plans to build condos on that corner, though nothing seemed to be firmed up.

The crowd thinned out quickly after the Sens game was done, most customers not being very interested in the Blues-Sharks game that followed.  We stayed, watching the game, talking about our memories of the place and, oh horror, trying to figure out what our next meeting point would be.

We kept drinking from the drying tap.  A few new customers arrived, looking for a late snack.  Most ordered chicken wings, and after a while, their scent was too tempting.  I flagged another waitress, whom I have known for years, and who seemed a little more distraught by her employment situation.  Even though I shouldn’t indulge, I wanted wings. ”Oh, I think he is closing the kitchen.  They are running out of food anyway.  But let me see what I can do for you.”  The staff had always been very friendly at the Glue Pot.

“You are getting the last order,” I was told.
Yay.
I guess.

It took a little longer than usual. They were not super hot, either.  But here they were:  the last Glue Pot Pub Chicken Wings. Ever.

And clearly, I got more than a pound. 
I was glad.  None were left behind.

The wings were crispy, yet not dry. Not very meaty, though, but they have never been at the Glue Pot.  I had asked for their hot ones, and they were nicely heated, good hot sauce flavour, the wings were nicely coated yet they were not bathing in a hot sauce pool at the bottom of the basket.   But more importantly, they were very, very comforting.

It seems we have come full circle - one of my first food entries was about the Glue Pot – and it wasn’t on this blog, but rather  in the restaurant guide Cheap Eats Ottawa where I stated matter of factly, about the Glue Pot Pub,  that “although they have modified their menu and you can no longer choose any toppings on your pizza, it is still quite good and quite cheap.  Their burgers are also good, but their fries are overcooked.”

But it doesn’t matter now.

Glue Pot, I shall miss you.

——————————————
UPDATE  25-04-2012 @ 21:18 PM

Sources are telling us that the Gluepot, or a version of it, is set to re-open soon.  
Greg tells us that someone else has apparently stepped in and taken the lease.  We shall see. 

In other news, there is indeed a long term plan for condos to be built, but we are likely still years away before they close the aging brick complex.  It should be a heritage building, really.  It seems that the plan would be to preserve the brick facade as part of the deal to build the condos.  It’s a new trend in the National Capital Region, and it can be nice if the architects do their homework, but it didn’t work so well for the Duke of Somerset, did it?

The Pine Restaurant & Tavern is now open

I got a press release earlier today informing me that a new restaurant was opening tonight on the Rideau River. The Pine Restaurant & Tavern officially opens its doors, following over $200,000 in renovations.

Executive Chef Luc Doiron was offering samples of his new menu to guests invited to the grand opening cocktail party. Among the dignitaries, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was present. Alas, The Waffle wasn’t available to go but will likely check it out in the near future.

The Pine Restaurant & Tavern is located at The Monterey Inn on Prince of Wales Drive, just South of Hunt Club Road.

The restaurant claims to offer a casual, rustic ambiance, in a unique 70s built stone building. The Pine has seating for 125 on the main floor, a cozy tavern with flat screen TVs on the lower level and, opening soon, a 150-seat patio overlooking the river.

Who is The Pine targeting? Well, everyone it seems: “The Pine is perfect for romantic dinners for two, family gatherings and after work drinks and nibbles with the office gang.” and claiming that their menu selections are for “foodies” and “snackies” alike is making it “a good choice for South End families and business people seeking a convenient and well priced dining experience.”

You can watch a preview of their menu as featured on Ottawa’s CTV Morning Live, where chef Doiron prepared a seafood tart and his signature Caesar salad.

The Pine is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch buffet. The Pine can also be booked for private events.

For more information, you can visit the website listed on the news release, www.thepine.ca – which leads you to the Monterey’s page, or you can go directly to its page here.

Hmmmmmm….. Sausage…. euh? Sausage???

In this corner, we like sausages. 

We like them at la cabane à sucre. We like them on the campaign trail.
We like them European-style,  especially in Europe. 
We like them American-style, especially in parking lots.
We like them from greasy spoons, we like them piled high, we even like them to help recover. 
We like them from the Sausage Kitchen, from Fée et Fougère and from Brylee.

But it is possible The Waffle might skip sausages for a while. 

Especially after reading John Ivison’s latest analogy about Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae: 

“You can tell when Bob Rae is getting annoyed — the contrived chuckle is superceded by a sound like a sausage stewing in its own grease. When he was asked about the new Conservative ads that attack his record as Ontario’s NDP Premier on CBC’s Power and Politics, he started to fizz and pop.”

So yeah.

Off sausage for a while.

A long, long wait at Fort Lauderdale’s Terminal 2

We left our hotel at 8:00 AM.  Plenty of time to make the trek to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, drop the rental car, check-in, go through security and relax before our 11:10 Air Canada flight 925 to Montreal. 

About 15 minutes after we arrived, around 9:00 AM, the announcement came.  Flight AC925 was delayed until 2:15 PM.  Damn. Worse:  they wouldn’t check in passengers for flight AC925 before 11:00.   So here we were, with a toddler wanting to run around and 7 bags in tow, stuck at Terminal 2′s check-in area for another 2 hours before we could be processed.  It seems that the policy at Terminal 2 is not to process bags until 2 hours before check-in for lack of storage space. So passengers kept arriving in waves, getting off their cruise ships and being shuttled in.  Other flights were delayed too, and there was nowhere to go for the stranded passengers. It was soon pandemonium, with people piling up with bags and kids and strollers and wheelchairs, as Air Canada decided it was better to process flights one at a time. 

Thankfully, Mel had come prepared.  A bag of PC Whole Wheat Cheddar Little Penguins Snack Crackers, a bag of apple pieces, a bag of Heritage O’s Cereal, a bag of Publix‘s cheese strings and a bag of Bugles.  I didn’t know for the life of me why she was bringing that much food, but I sure was thankful she had.  We also had a couple of bottles of cranberry juice and water.

Because Terminal 2 is not exactly an oasis of food choices, pre-security. 

There is Tropical Treats, a Confectionnary selling mostly candies of all kinds.  There is a combined Casa de Fresco – Dunkin Donut’s to-go counter, offering bagels, donuts, and pre-packaged sandwiches and salads.  And coffee of course. There is a 5 stool bar called the Cruzan Estate Bar & Lounge, whose name sounds more promising than what you can get. And another counter called Chef Allen’s 2 Go –again with packaged snacks and sandwiches.  The biggest piece of real estate is the Newslink newsstand.  In short, nowhere to sit down, relax and eat a nice meal.  Which would have come in handy, since the check-in time was pushed back to 12:30 and the flight to 3:00 PM.  By the time we were through security, we had exhausted all liquids, the Bugles were all gone, so were the apples.  A few Os were left and a bunch of penguins. 

Once one the other side, it was time to look for real food.  Options are also limited post-security: There is another Casa de Fresco counter, something call Miami Subs Plus  featuring subs plus burgers, cheese steaks, hot dogs  and salads.  Another Dunkin Donuts Express. And a Sushi Maki counter. 

There is a grab N’ go counter from Sbarro called La Cucina, offering pizza, pasta, salads, grilled Panini sandwiches and other snacks.  Right next to it is another Cruzan Estate Bar & Lounge, with actual tables and chairs!  Not an actual restaurant, but at least you can sit down at a table and relax, grab food and drinks at the bar.  And that’s where the three of us squeezed in to wait for our flight.

The menu at Cruzan Estate is limited and most of it comes from La Cucina:   Mozzarella / Roast Beef and Greek Platters, Garden or Chicken Caesar Salads, Sandwiches.  The one item that seems to be taken care of directly at the bar is the “Big City Reds” Grilled Beef Hot Dog.

Mel didn’t know what to eat, so she asked me to surprise her. I decided to get her a Portofino sandwich (Grilled Zucchini, Eggplant, Yellow Squash with Roasted Red Pepperss and Mozzarella) but alas, La Cucina was out. Instead, I picked the Italiano, made with Genoa Salami, Italian Ham and Provolone ($7.95).  Personally, I couldn’t resist the “Big City Reds” hot dog ($5.00).  To go with our food, I got Mel a Blue Moon and a Pepsi for myself.  Good points here for Cruzan Estate as you can get free pop refills.

Mel’s sandwich looked pretty good, even though it was a pre-packaged sandwich picked up in La Cucina’s fridge by the barman. Of course, if you pick it up directly at La Cucina, you can get it grilled. However, the bread was fresh enough, the lettuce too, so there wasn’t any extra moisture. 

There was a thick layer of the deli meats, giving the sandwich some texture to balance the thickness of the panini bun.  There was also a fairly thick layer of cheese. 

There was no sauce, no mayo, no mustard, but some was available at the bar. Mel added some mustard. Without being the sandwich of the year, it was correct, if on the expensive side of things.

Originating from Chicago,  Big City Reds is a brand of sausage owned by American Food Group. They specialize in all beef hot dog franks and Polish sausages. You can find them in some NFL stadiums and MLB ballparks across the United States, but mostly in random hot dog stands. Big City Reds proudly claim they are not using any artificial flavors, dyes, MSG, Sorbitol, wheat, hydrolyzed soy or vegetable protein, binders such as sodium phosphate or mustard in their franks. They do however use dextrose and water. Big City Reds sausages are handcrafted in small batches and naturally wood smoked.  

Big City Reds gets its beef exclusively from the Northern Rim – the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and bordering Canadian provinces. They claim they are doing so because that is where the cattle are larger, heavier and leaner than anywhere else in the world. The beef is then processed fresh at their Yankton, South Dakota plant.

That said, it is a relatively small operation, and they have not really broken through as a major brand. Folks at Roadfood.com aren’t really impressed.

At Cruzan Estate, the dogs are cooked on one of those automated hot dog rollers, not exactly grilled as advertised. They are served on a fresh, untouched bun right from the bag. You garnish as you please: I went for mustard, relish, mayo and ketchup, as in every condiment on offer.

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“Just Bon Cuisine”

We were leaving Cutler Bay for an extra day of family vacation in Hollywood, where we had rented a room at the Westin Diplomat, right on the beach.

I set the GPS for my driver, and as we were heading north on the US1, I suggested to her that perhaps we should ignore the GPS direction and keep driving north on the Federal Highway, actually avoiding the I-95 to drive the scenic route, through downtown Miami and Fort Lauderdale, all the way up to Hollywood.  During this vacation, we drove the entire US 1 from Mile 0 to Mile 178.  Only 2199 more miles and we were in Canada. 

We figured it would take longer, giving just enough time for the Waffle Jr. to have a good nap, while not driving in heavy traffic, it being Sunday. It was a good plan and an enjoyable drive. But soon enough, we were hungry. But we had to wait for the backseat passenger to wake up. When she did, we had reached North Miami Beach and we pulled into the parking lot of the first joint we saw: Gourmet Diner.

A classic, stainless steel diner, long and narrow wagon, decorated 50s retro, with an eclectic comfort food menu mixing  Country-Style French cuisine and American Diner Traditional Fare.  

Daily specials are on a whiteboard, which the waitress will put on a chair next to your table, giving you extra options. Although many of them were the same as their regular or their special 29th anniversary menus.  Sides options would differ, you’d get a coffee or tea included, but price would be the same.  And despite it being past noon, the breakfast menu was also available.

The place, which opened in 1983, was not really busy, so our server had to come back three times (to her annoyance, despite the very polite front) before we were ready to order. So many options! Hot Dog, Cheeseburger, Brisket? Celery Root Salad, Trout Meunière, Frog Legs? Penne Veal Bolognese, Churrasco Chimichurri, Chicken Kabob? ”Just Bon Cuisine”`, the menu stated, giving us a hint that perhaps the French picks were the way go. If you didn’t care about grammar.

Still, tough choices to make, except for the Waffle Jr. who got a Grilled Cheese with fries ($4.95), one of her favorites.

Mel ordered the Chicken Piccata ($14.95, veal also offered), thin slices sautéed with capers in a lemon butter sauce, from the Anniversary menu, which meant she could get a soup or a salad. The soup of the day being Black Bean Soup, Mel elected to go with the Caesar Salad.

For my part, I hesitated a lot but ended up ordering the Lamb Shank ($16.95), braised in red wine with onions, carrots and tomatoes. I could pick two sides from Vegetable Soufflé, Mashed Potatoes, French Fries, Baked Sweet Potato, Basmati Rice, Sweet Potato Fires, Steamed or Grilled Broccoli or Asparagus, or Apple Sauce. 

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A Latin American Bad Scene

Sometimes, you make bad decisions.  And sometimes, even though you know you are making a bad decision, you stick with it.

The evening had gone well enough. The weather was great in downtown Miami.  Earlier, we had enjoyed  walking around the Bayside Market, enjoying the scenery, doing a bit of leche-vitrine . We had seen a good basketball game – well, 3 good quarters at least – that saw King James and the Heat beat the Sacramento Kings.

We decided that the weather was nice enough for us to hang out an extra hour downtown, let the game traffic dissipate. So we headed back to Bayside, where the crowd was thinning and some of the  shops were closing.  We looked for a good spot to have a drink and grab a bite to eat.  We decided to skip the Bubba Gump, Chili’s, Hooters and the Hard Rock Cafe and picked an independant tourist trap: Latin American.

We had walked by a couple of times, and the place was busy with a good vibe. The spot has a patio on the water front, with a nice view of the Marina and of the Port Boulevard Bridge, which was nicely lit in blue.  A local band was playing at Bayside’s stage lower down.  We grabbed a quiet table and start peering at the menu, hoping to prolong the evening for the best.

Our Latin American server was at the table soon enough to take our drink orders.

“I think I’m going to try this beer”, I said pointing at a Polar beer ad in the menu.
“Sorry, we don’t carry it.  It’s just an ad”, he responded.

Why would anyone print an ad for a product they don’t sell in their menu is beyond me.
But what could I do?

Puzzled, I let Bruce take the initiative.  “We’ll just have a pitcher of draught beer.” 
Fine, I thought.  Let’s do that.
“Er, sorry, this shouldn’t be on the menu.  I don’t know why it is there, we have not sold draught beer in years.”

The selection was getting limited.  Our server kept suggesting we go for one of their specialty drinks instead: mojito, margarita and other daiquiris.

But after an evening at the American Airlines Arena, I was eager for a cheap beer (As opposed to the $13.50 Corona which I reluctantly paid for over there.) The selection was limited to a handful of bottles, and I went for a Dominican Republic product I hadn’t had in years: A Presidente.

Melissa and Bruce followed my lead, but Lindsey elected to drink a Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri.

Our waiter was back shortly.
“We are out of Presidente, I am sorry.”

You got to be kidding me.  I gave up, and ordered a Pina Colada.
“You have that, right?” I asked to make sure.
Our waiter smiled feebly and went on his way to fetch our drinks.

Needless to say I was very glad to see my cocktail show up at the table.

This  should have been our first clue.
But how worse could it go?
Well, much worse.

But for the moment, I was enjoying the view and my Pina Colada, which was decent, cool, had plenty of rhum and a big, fresh slice of pineapple to boot.  Bonus, I get to keep the plastic glass!

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Taco Rico got the job done

We landed in Fort Lauderdale after an uneventful flight.  After going through all the necessary steps, we were soon on our way to our destination in Cutler Bay, a little over 45 minutes from the airport.

Our breakfast, grabbed quickly at the Maple Leaf lounge at the Pierre-Elliott Trudeau airport, was long gone.  The Waffle junior munched on some cheese on the plane, but both The Waffle and The Mrs. Waffle had nothing to eat.  By the time the luggage was retrieved, the car rented and The Waffles on their way under the Florida Sun, it was way past lunchtime.

We hit the I95-S, and since our journey would lead us all the way to the end of the Expressway, where we would hit the US1. I suggested that we wait until then to stop and eat, that surely we would see a spot along the way.

There was a lot of traffic on the South Dixie, so we elected to find a spot on the right side of the road and ignore any places on the left of the road.  It was a good call for a couple of reasons:  the traffic was so heavy that turning left was mission impossible (very long line-ups and heavy incoming traffic) and the restaurants on the left side of the road were not inspiring us:  Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Subway.  But there was absolutely nothing on the right side, except luxurious trees, villas,  and a few business that weren’t serving food.

Until eventually a sign was spotted down the road in Coral Gables: Taco Rico Tex-Mex Café.

The place is not much more then a hole in the wall, and could sit about 20 people in a very limited space maybe 6 feet wide and 20 feet long.  There is also a small patio with a couple of tables.  Despite it being past 2 PM, the place was quite busy, and there was a small line-up of customers ready to order some tex-mex fare.  In fact, the spot seems quite popular as it did not let up even though it was the middle of the afternoon.  Must be cramped at lunch time.

The restaurant felt quite authentic, as much as these places can be authentic: music on a bad radio system, mexican-american art pieces, a few sombreros, signs with bright colours, with a very we’ve-been-here-forever feel to it.

The place could definitely use a refresher: it didn’t look sparkling clean either, the ceiling especially showing its age with spots of various size and colours all over it.  Perhaps signs of the violence that might have occurred during the Taco Battle of Dixie Highway.

The menu was hand-written on the wall behind the counter:  Soups and Salads, Enchiladas, Fajitas, Burritos, Tacos, Quesadillas.  Typical menu.  Mel loves Tacos and spotted the Three Taco Platter lunch special – and it was available, despite the fact that it was past 2 PM on a Saturday.  Turns out, Taco Rico offers their lunch specials form 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM everyday of the week, 9 tex-mex items between $5.29 and $6.29, all served with rice, beans, chips and salsa.  Good deals.  However, my eye was caught by the Suiza Enchiladas, served with green salsa ($8.59).

The man at the counter had a very thick mexican accent, but I managed to order my food and understand his questions. Tacos.  Hard.  Beef.  Enchiladas.  Chicken.  ”Like something to drink?”  Two beer taps were behind him, I ignored the Miller Lite and ordered two Dos Equis. We were thirsty, my friends.  I thought I had managed everything rather well, on more than one front: the total was $21.59. But Taco Rico Guy  he really fooled me when this question:  ”Como you appal?”  I asked him to repeat, still no go.  At the third try, I understood: he was asking me my name, in french!  ”I love french, it is such an elegant language!” he said.  Who am I to argue?

The Taco Rico Guy grabbed a scoop of home-fried tortillas from a large container behind the counter.  I grabbed the basket of chips, dropped them on our table and went back to have a look at the salsa bar, which had 8 different types for us to sample.  The chips were fresh, crunchy.

All salsas looked home made, but I cannot guarantee that it is the case. We had a tough time deciding which one was our favourite between their mild salsa and their chipotle salsa, for very different reason.

Their mild salsa was refreshing, nice tomato flavor and well balanced.  The chipotle had a nice zing to it, but was not too hot.  The Aji, a hot salsa, was not bad either. Their atomic salsa was hotter, quite hot in fact, but it didn’t taste great – almost sandy.

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Hey Mambo, Mambo Nuevo Latino

Back in January, Claira Calderone, Accounts & Promotions Manager for Kinki and Mambo restaurants, invited The Waffle to come out and sample some of the new items being offered to customers in 2012. I’ve been to Kinki a few times, but I’ve always walked by Mambo, noting the loud latino music that could be heard from the street, with people dancing towards the back of the place. Not my scene, I thought.

Nevertheless, I was quite happy to accept the invitation, and a few weeks later, Mrs. Waffle and I were able to go and we met up with Claira at Mambo.

Mambo opened in the Spring of 2007, taking the spot occupied in the By Ward market by Meditheo. A little brother to Kinki, which is also owned by Marisol Somes and Zadek Ramowski, Mambo is quite different, yet has some similarities.

For instance, both restaurants are meant to be sexy.  Mambo’s decor is an interesting combination of exposed brick walls and bold, vibrant, warm colors.  The lighting can create either a warm and intimate atmosphere or a callende party place.  At the very back of the restaurant is a very colourful, inviting bar.

There is private room on the lower level, perfect for bigger events. Mambo also has a rooftop patio which is a rarity in Ottawa and is likely worth checking out, if only to have a new perspective on the Market fauna. Even though it offers a full lunch, dinner and brunch menu, the most popular items on the menu are the tapas.  You can enjoy them with a glass of Sangria, Mojito or Margarita and during Happy Hour, you get double portion Tapas for a reduced price.

But we were here for dinner. Chef Pablo Robaina joined us at our table and sat down to talk about his food, his inspiration and the path that lead him to Mambo. Quite at ease, he generously shared his story with us and we had a great conversation as he discussed his vision of Latin Food – which is not your ordinary beans and rice Tex-Mex!  Born in Venezuela, Robaina got his passion for food from his grandmother, who raised him.  He was clasically trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Mexico before moving to Ottawa, where he notably worked at Amate, the now defunct little Mexican restaurant in Westboro.

A bowl of freshly made popcorn was brought to our table for us to munch on while chatting with our hosts.  Seasoned with a spicy-lime salt, it is a fun snack, and different than the usual bread-filling basket most restaurants bring first.  Mrs. Waffle couldn’t stop herself from indulging.

Mambo is calling itself a nuevo latino restaurant, giving Chef Robaina the liberty of creating dishes with a large spectrum of influence, from South America to Mexico, from Spain to even Portugal, and perhaps even their overseas colonies.  But don’t talk to Chef Robaina about fusion cuisine: “Fusion is confusion,” he stated when I asked him about it.  “I am using Latin influence from all over the world to create modern dishes.”

Chef Robaina created a specialty meal for us to try out, showcasing new items from their 2012 menu.  A couple of appetizers to share, followed by a different entrée for each of us. We were happy to oblige.

First up were the Camarones al Ajillo ($14), or garlic shrimp, a classic Mexican dish often served as an appetizer, and also very popular in Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries.

Here, the shrimp are served in a zesty sauce, made with garlic, paprika, parsley and guajillo pepper.

The guajillo, used regularly in Mexican cuisine, has an earthy flavour and will give some heat, somewhere between an anaheim and a  jalapeño. It gave the sauce its deep, red colour.  The shrimp were also garnished with a sprig of rosemary, more for the look than the flavour.  On the side, a couple of lemon wedges and some naan bread.

The shrimp were of a nice calibre, meaty. They were well cooked,  though one or two were a tad overdone.   The sauce was quite zesty, not too spicy. It made the dish feel very fresh on the palate. No need to add more lemon, though, there was plenty of citrus flavour in there.  The garlic does not have a very strong presence however, so if that is the dominant flavour you are looking for, you may may be disappointed.  Mel on the other hand is always looking for a citrus punch, and seemed at one point to be contemplating eating the last of the sauce with a spoon.

The naan bread is an interesting choice to go along with this dish.  It doesn’t add or remove anything from the shrimp, but it is made fresh and is nice to dip in the sauce once you run out of shrimp – which will happen fast if you do share the dish.

Next, the Verano Flat Bread ($12) was brought to us. Verano, as in Summer.  Summer, as in Fresh Produce.

The dish looked fantastic, and had a great combination of ingredients.  Pesto in lieu of pizza sauce, goat cheese, onions,  jalapeños, cucumbers, tomatoes.  To add even more summer to the dish: fresh strawberries, a great flash.  To garnish, some slivers of roasted almonds and a balsamic reduction.

I have to admit that I enjoyed this dish quite a lot.  Different, fresh, lots of different flavour and texture and levels.  The strawberries, very present, worked beautifully with the balsamic flavour. Simple, yet complex.  A great dish to share, or as a light meal.

Our main entrées arrived shortly after. Continue reading »

A St-Hubert Lasagna

I don’t buy a lot of frozen meals. I haven’t for a long time. But, from time to time, convenience trumps my passion for cooking. Perhaps we had a busy day, perhaps we have a busy evening, perhaps we are tired or simply not keen on cooking. Ordering delivery is expensive, so from time to time, I just pop something in the oven, set it and forget it. Well, I don’t forget it because if I do it’ll burn. But you get the idea.

So I was walking down the frozen aisle section at my local IGA when I saw a new product, discounted at 50% : the St-Hubert Creamy Chicken Lasagna. Say what? A St-Hubert Lasagna? Indeed. In fact, St-Hubert has a couple of frozen lasagnas available in grocery stores, the other one being called the Garden & Chicken Lasagna. But do not expect to find any lasagna in their restaurants. You just won’t find any. Why?

Well I did ask St-Hubert about it. Why wasn’t lasagna on St-Hubert’s menu? Why come up with it at all? St-Hubert answered The Waffle: “At first, it was to expand our product line with different meals with chicken. A couple of restaurants did some tests with it but the success wasn’t there, so we decided to stop selling these items,” explained Joanne Cyr from Meilleurs Marques, the distributor behind St-Hubert’s grocery products. Meilleurs Marques’ brand portfolio also includes Angostura, Valentine and Loney’s.

The product is a 1 kg Lasagna, made with fresh pasta and 3 cheeses and white chicken meat. It is meant to serve 4 people as a main. Convenient, it kind of is, as you just have to play with your oven. Quick, it is not, as it needs 45 minutes of cooking, 15 minutes of broiling and another 10 mins to rest and cool down before serving. Thankfully, St-Hubert warns us that the tray will be hot and to use caution when removing said tray from the oven. Fair warning. Another warning on the box, though, is a tad more worrisome: We cannot guarantee that all chicken cubes are totally free of pieces of bones. Er, they should at least wish us good luck. (We were lucky – no bones in our lasagna.)

Continue reading »

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(Thanks to Shay for pointing this out from 9gag.com)