A lot of food trends start in New York City and spread out across the continent. Many spring out of the many ethnic communities that call the city home. But one that hasn’t made it out of the city yet and seems more firmly rooted in American culture is a
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A BCer in Ottawa: Eating in New York: Potato pancakes at a Ukrainian diner in the East Village
When doing my New York City dining option research, I did identify a few breakfast options. But with the long trek into Manhattan from Newark and my enjoyment of sleep, I only made it for the first meal of the day once: a Veterans Day trek in the rain to
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating in New York: Shake Shack
I know for most New York City food adventurers, regional burger chains aren’t near the top of their lists. But Shake Shack is to the Eastern US and In-and-Out is to California, so with a short window for a bite between a Late Night taping and a stand-up show, I
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating in New York: Los Tacos No. 1
In my advance research for good eats to try during my trip to New York City, I decided to favour authenticity and value over fancy and bougie. And when Los Tacos No. 1 came up in both my googling and a friend recommendation, who also reminded me of this Bon
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating on the road: Keg’s prime rib a miss
I end up at The Keg maybe twice a year and I invariably order the same thing: garlic cheese toast appy, Keg classic NY strip with Caesar salad starter, mushrooms, veg. Reliable but satisfying. During a recent visit to a Keg to the north of Toronto (though it doesn’t matter,
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating up the Hill: One Tuesday, two receptions, lots of seafood
Someone told me there were 13 receptions around Parliament Hill on Monday night. That may well be true, I don’t keep an exhaustive list. But I did delay my nightly collapse onto my couch to venture to two that had caught my eye: Restaurants Canada at Riviera and Pacific Salmon
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating on the road: Three trains, three lunches with VIA Rail
I took the train down to Scarborough a few weeks back in business, which is really the best way to travel by train. But pro-tip: the bar car usually opens around 11AM so schedule your trip accordingly. After all, you don’t want to pay a premium for just an omelette
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating off the Hill: Berlin street food in the German Ambassador’s backyard
Before Fall took full hold in Ottawa I had the opportunity to attend a reception at the German Ambassador to Canada’s residence in commemoration of the anniversary of German reunification. The headliner: Berlin street food. I lived in West Germany for four years in my youth, another three months in
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating up the Hill: Committee scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam
I feel at this point that, after seven years working in the halls of Parliament, I’ve sampled most of what the Hill’s catering services have to offer. But we had something I hadn’t tried before at committee on Friday and, while I didn’t go in with high expectations, I was
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating up the Hill: Smashburgers with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association
One of the highlights of the Parliamentary reception circuit has long been the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association annual beef BBQ in the East Block courtyard, held before the Ottawa weather gets too cool. It had to go away during the pandemic but thankfully it made a triumphant return to the Hill
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating on the road: Penny’s Hot Chicken in Toronto
As chronicled previously, Nashville Hot Chicken is all the rage these days. Very on trend. And when delivered in chicken sandwich form it ticks several boxes for me. So finding myself in Toronto over the lunching hour recently, some googling brought me to Penny’s Hot Chicken near Yonge Dundas Square.
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating on the road: Wings at Gabriel’s Gate in Buffalo
I’m a big fan of chicken wings. But chicken wings done right. In Toronto, I had Duff’s Famous Wings. In Ottawa, there’s not really any good spots for wings. Local Heroes isn’t bad, but it’s not worth the trek. If you’re anywhere near Buffalo though, the home of chicken wings,
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating up the Hill: The evolution of the caf’s General Tso Chicken
You’re not going to get high-quality Chinese food from a Parliament Hill Cafeteria — you’d do better at a nearby mall food court or, better yet, walk down to Sommerset Street and Chinatown. But for a quick lunch that is a nice change, I always try to make it to
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating on the road: A smashburger in Muskoka
I’m always on the lookout for a good smashburger in my travels, and during my summer visit to Muskoka I was pointed to the Fare Food Co. It’s a food truck located behind a Shell gas station on the way into Port Carling, and if you didn’t know it was
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating off the Hill: Ein gutes deutsches Essen bei SchnitzelWorks — schnitzel lunch!
I again found myself with a rental car today before I head out of town for the long weekend tomorrow, and so my thoughts of course turned to where can I go for lunch that I couldn’t easily on transit? Having been watching a lot of German food videos lately,
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: We used to be able to disagree without thinking you’re being controlled by a global elitist cabal
Taking a break from food reviews because this is too long for Twitter. The harassment of female journalists and politicians has been highlighted by high-profile incidents in recent weeks. They deserve to be called out. But these are not unique incidents. They’re signs of a breaking down of societal norms,
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating off the Hill: New McDonalds chicken sandwich, the McCrispy
I’m always on the look-out for chicken sammy updates, and so when I heard McDonald’s had a new chicken sandwich I knew I had to try it out for lunch my next in office day. McDonald’s has has two main chicken sandwiches on its menu, the cheaper McChicken with processed
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating on the road: Coast in Vancouver
When I’m on the West Coast (aka the best coast) I need to have fish. It’s the rules. So when I took a break from work last night in Vancouver, I had to find a great spot for quality fish. I considered a few possibilities, but Coast was well-recommended, had
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating on the road: Smoque N’ Bones in Toronto
Regular readers will know I enjoy some good Texas-style BBQ, spoiled as I was for other options after a few trips to Austin for the real deal during my tech journalism days. So when looking at dining options during my trip to Toronto, BBQ was on my list and I
Continue readingA BCer in Ottawa: Eating on the road: Fusraro’s Italian Kitchen in Toronto
I’m down in Toronto for a week working in our community office and this trip I’m staying downtown, so I’m getting the opportunity to try some new restaurants. Last night, on the recommendation of friends, I dined at Fusaro’s Italian Kitchen at Spadina and Richmond. There was a patio on
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