Ottawa-Gatineau Restaurant News - Page 16

kwoldtimer · #**301** Posted **May 16, 2016, 1:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGoods

We tried going to Craft on Saturday night and the wait time was a minimum of 2 hours. The second floor seating wasn't open yet, they stated it should be opened by next week. Hopefully that will reduce the wait time.

Who in their right mind would wait 2 hours to get into a beer place, with dozens of other places within easy distance?

TheGoods · #**302** Posted **May 16, 2016, 2:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ac888yow

Apparently it's a reincarnation. It was open back in the day and then shut down when the owner/chef moved away, ostensibly to perfect his craft. He's now back and has reopened this restaurant. On my hit list for sure.

You are partly correct, Fairouz was a Lebanese fine dining restaurant and closed I would say at least 10 years ago, they must have been there for a good 20 years. Chef Walid El-Tawel was the former executive Chef of Eighteen Restaurant (which had replaced at the time Chef Matt Carmichael from Datsun and El Camino) and moved to Toronto, he was never the Chef at Fairouz. Walid was too young when the restaurant closed. The former owner of Fairouz contacted Walid when he was visiting family in Ottawa to discuss reopening the restaurant with a more modern twist.

TheGoods · #**303** Posted **May 16, 2016, 2:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Who in their right mind would wait 2 hours to get into a beer place, with dozens of other places within easy distance?

Agree, we did not even bother waiting but there were people that had no issues in waiting, crazy. Lansdowne was really busy on Saturday, all the restaurant had a wait time, some had 1 hour such as Joey and Local but finally decided to go to Jack Astor’s, they had a 15 minute wait time, got a booth at the bar area.

canabiz · #**304** Posted **May 16, 2016, 4:47 PM**

I was running errands in the downtown area and stopped by Sansotei Ramen for a quick bite. Today is their grand opening day (I believe they have locations in the GTA) and we were the 4th and 5th customers lining up to get in just after 11:00 as we wanted to beat the lunch crowd

Smaller place (can only accommodate up to 30 people) but pretty good ramen. My mom thinks it is a bit too salty for her taste though (she had the spicy tantan) Taxes and tips came to $25 for both of us. I'll probably come back another time if I were in the vicinity. They are open Monday - Saturday from 10:00 - 23:00 and closed on Sunday.

PB&J · #**305** Posted **May 16, 2016, 5:30 PM**

Does anyone know of any small restaurant spaces that are now vacant or will become vacant in the near future?

I've been looking for listings in the Market/Spark St area and can't seem to find any. (I'm in the very early stages of exploring a business opportunity and am not working with realtor just yet)

Also, has anyone ever owned/operated a restaurant in this area? I'd love to hear some stories

Thanks

mykl · #**306** Posted **May 17, 2016, 12:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PB&J

Does anyone know of any small restaurant spaces that are now vacant or will become vacant in the near future?

Oz Cafe on Elgin will soon be moving and vacating their little space. Not sure if that location will still be available or not.

YOWflier · #**307** Posted **May 17, 2016, 1:01 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PB&J

Does anyone know of any small restaurant spaces that are now vacant or will become vacant in the near future?

I've been looking for listings in the Market/Spark St area and can't seem to find any. (I'm in the very early stages of exploring a business opportunity and am not working with realtor just yet)

https://www.realtor.ca/Commercial/index.aspx

Lots of restaurant type spaces available for sale or lease.

canabiz · #**308** Posted **May 17, 2016, 1:04 AM**

I have a soft spot for Natas (Portuguese egg tarts) and picked up a dozen at Portuguese Bakery on Nelson St and boy are they good!

I live in Barrhaven so I usually get my fix from Lisbon Bakery on Baseline near Greenbank or T&T but I was downtown today so why the heck not. I'll have to try the ones at Mario Grocery on McArthur Ave one of these days, those are supposed to be the best in town, according to my colleague who is of Portuguese heritage.

citydwlr · #**309** Posted **May 18, 2016, 5:14 PM**

It looks like the Original Burger Joint in the Glebe has now closed (via The Ottawa Citizen's David Reevely):

Quote:

RIP, Original Burger Joint. #reevelywalkshome

17 May 2016

phil235 · #**310** Posted **May 18, 2016, 5:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by citydwlr

It looks like the Original Burger Joint in the Glebe has now closed (via The Ottawa Citizen's David Reevely):

Yeah, it closed about a month ago. Too bad, I really liked that place.

According to the owner, he sold the business as he was doing the cooking himself and couldn't keep up the schedule. That said, I see that the restaurant is still listed on MLS, so not sure if the sale fell through.

kwoldtimer · #**311** Posted **May 18, 2016, 5:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by canabiz

I have a soft spot for Natas (Portuguese egg tarts) and picked up a dozen at Portuguese Bakery on Nelson St and boy are they good!

I live in Barrhaven so I usually get my fix from Lisbon Bakery on Baseline near Greenbank or T&T but I was downtown today so why the heck not. I'll have to try the ones at Mario Grocery on McArthur Ave one of these days, those are supposed to be the best in town, according to my colleague who is of Portuguese heritage.

Pasteis de Nata are deadly good!

canabiz · #**312** Posted **May 19, 2016, 12:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Pasteis de Nata are deadly good!

Tell me about it! We are heading to Montreal on Monday and I'll do some research and seek out a good Portuguese spot to pick up a dozen.

waterloowarrior · #**313** Posted **May 30, 2016, 7:27 PM**

Ottawa restaurants: The next hotspots
Peter Hum
http://ottawacitizen.com/life/style/...-next-hotspots

YOWflier · #**314** Posted **May 30, 2016, 8:32 PM**

Nice ones to keep an eye out for and add to the long list of places to try.

Lepine's THRU looks hilarious; I'll have to try it before mortgage rates go up.

Will people's hatred for Andaz's building design stop them from going? I expect their roof top lounge will become one of the hottest spots in town.

waterloowarrior · #**315** Posted **May 31, 2016, 2:46 AM**

The Kent Street Whalesbone closes June 6
https://twitter.com/TheWhalesbone/st...52327588925441

Elgin Street still U/C

https://twitter.com/TheWhalesbone/st...10999812792321

waterloowarrior · #**316** Posted **May 31, 2016, 2:54 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by canabiz

I was running errands in the downtown area and stopped by Sansotei Ramen for a quick bite. Today is their grand opening day (I believe they have locations in the GTA) and we were the 4th and 5th customers lining up to get in just after 11:00 as we wanted to beat the lunch crowd

Smaller place (can only accommodate up to 30 people) but pretty good ramen. My mom thinks it is a bit too salty for her taste though (she had the spicy tantan) Taxes and tips came to $25 for both of us. I'll probably come back another time if I were in the vicinity. They are open Monday - Saturday from 10:00 - 23:00 and closed on Sunday.

I enjoyed it as well. Lineup out the door last week Thursday around 8pm. Heard more Japanese than I've ever heard in Ottawa in the lineup outside. They weren't serving appetizers and the service was a bit slow (packed!), but best ramen I've had in Ottawa. Bigger portions than Ginza.

phil235 · #**317** Posted **Jun 2, 2016, 8:08 PM**

Sad news - Share Freehouse has closed:

http://ottawacitizen.com/life/food/s...ar-in-business

That strip really seemed to be picking up lately. Sorry to read this MOnkeyman.

kwoldtimer · #**318** Posted **Jun 2, 2016, 10:59 PM**

What is it with Somerset Village? It's not exactly the graveyard of restaurants, but it doesn't have the buzz one would expect either.

canabiz · #**319** Posted **Jun 3, 2016, 1:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

What is it with Somerset Village? It's not exactly the graveyard of restaurants, but it doesn't have the buzz one would expect either.

About 13-14 years ago, my wife worked as a waitress at Joy Korean Restaurant (now Union 613 I believe) for a period of time. It survived for about 3 years and closed shop, not because it wasn't profitable but because the owners wanted to retire...I can't remember whether he sold the resto to somebody else or simply packed things up and called it a day.

I imagine this stretch is quite busy during the day with the government/financial/legal crowd in the area but there aren't too many residences in the immediate vicinity to support it in the evenings. Maybe things will be better once those condos on Metcalfe are complete. I forgot their names now.

m0nkyman · #**320** Posted **Jun 4, 2016, 12:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by phil235

Sad news - Share Freehouse has closed:

http://ottawacitizen.com/life/food/s...ar-in-business

That strip really seemed to be picking up lately. Sorry to read this MOnkeyman.

Thanks. Sucks, but it's a hard business. Figuring out my next move is the fun part.