Ottawa Foodies

2

It's about time I give this restaurant some love. This (St-Joseph in Hull, north of St-Raymond) store is one of two Tuscanos locations, as far as I know, the other being on Greber.

They have a 10-year anniversary promotion where their brochette plates are $9.95. They used to have the veal parmigiana at the same price, and that is a great meal as well.

Yesterday, my girlfriend and I came in for the brochettes, she had the filet mignon, I had the chicken. Both were excellent.

The chicken was marinated and very juicy, with peppers and onions in between. All grilled to perfection. The sides are these buttery, delicious, perfectly cooked scalloped potatoes, nicely coated (pan-fried?) vegetables including carrots, broccoli and red peppers, and some very tasty rice.

Unlike other places in the area where 'chicken brochette' means chicken souvlaki, ie. small pieces, this is the real deal, typical of Montreal brochetteries, large cubes of white breast meat. And grilled, not fried.

Our starter Caesar salad was very good and reasonably priced at $4.95. It came with warm ciabatta bread and butter (they use the same quality bread for their garlic bread starter which I have had before and is great especially au gratin).

A side of tzatziki, though not as garlicky and savoury as I'd like, was decent, and only $1.95. Most restos charge 4-5 bucks for a side of tzatziki.

They have the full Keiths line on draft. The coffee was good.

The ambience is nice, with a few TVs here and there, and they were nice enough to turn the channel to Sunday Night Football match, as well as the sound. The service was great.

We've been here 3 times for the veal parmigiana. Yesterday was the first brochette meal. I will continue to come here even after the promotion ends, and return to regular price. Very good value, regardless.