Ottawa Foodies

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You forgot awesomesauce. Those are the bestest tatertot/homefriess in the civilized world.

I understand Stella's point re the garlic issue, but these are to pre-packaged home fries what Bruce Lee was to nunchucks.

garlic butter, chicken soup seasoning, fried onions, is what goes into their home fries... if I remember correctly and if the recipe hasn't changed.

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I wish their menu had indicated that their homefries are heavily doused in garlic butter. They were not what I was expecting and I certainly wouldn't have ordered them if I had known. I ate one and could still taste it hours later.

Garlic sensitivity is a fairly common thing for many people. If garlic is the predominant ingriedient in a dish, it should be clearly listed on the menu.

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The Preston location below the highway. Very good pulled pork and chicken parm sandwiches. I had the latter, very juicy chicken breast, nice light crisp coating smothered in a very tasty bolognese and melted mozza, on a soft floury bun.

My side Caesar was so-so, girlfriend's side house and dressing were very good. Decent ambience, open airy space, obliging, friendly hostess who turned on the sound for the Germany-Portugal game Sat p.m.

Will be back for lunch, and the weekend breakfast, served late.

Edit: Back twice since first visit.

One: breakfast, average at best. Decent eggs and sausage. Frozen 'home fries', bad sliced bread, hardly buttered, lousy LOUSY smoothie, OJ, and coffee. 'Best breakfast in Ottawa'? No way!

Two: lunch for the Eng-Ita game. Lousy service by a large, space cadet waitress. She didn't hesitate to play the 'I'm new' card before she even began with her multiple screwups.

First, she bungles the greeting and then makes some sort of vomiting sound to clear her brain and start again, enunciating clearer. I hate when people do this with bla-bla sounds thinking they're funny, but this was especially silly and disgusting.

Then she asks me if I want Keith's Red or White. I ask 'do you not have Blonde?' 'Oh, sorry, I meant Keith regular or white. Did I say red?'

Then she brings only one chicken parm sandwich for me and my girlfriend. (I had earlier said '2 times everything except the drinks'. We both ordered the same soup, same sandwich, and same side salad). 'oh sorry, I wasn't sure if it was 1 or 2?' So she's not sure, but instead of asking, she takes a gamble, and even thinks bringing only 1 is the safe bet?!

At one point she takes away my cutlery, and when we ask for it, it's 'oh THEY never gave you cutlery'. This is the classic case of a stupid waitress who is never to blame. It's always 'they' or 'I wasn't sure' or 'did I say red?'

If you get a table with this waitress, move.

The cauliflower cream soup was great. The side salads are lousy, and the sandwich wasn't as good. Drier, less mozza and bolognese, and for some reason they added lettuce and tomato in the sandwich to make up for less sauce and cheese I presume, and a pickle on the side (who takes a pickle with chicken parm?). The bun was untoasted and soggy, and the chicken was not cooked as well as the first time.

Not sure I'll be back. The ambience inside is pretty bad. Maybe for the patio, and try other sides, as the salads are lousy, and specifying toasted bun with extra sauce and mozza.

With the Hockey Playoffs upon us, thought I might do some reviews on local Sports Bars. I start here with my first on Broadway Bar & Grill - Barrhaven.

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In operation since 1992, and now with 9 locations across Ottawa, (Barrhaven, Central, Portobello, Innes, Kanata, Kemptville, Orleans, Riverside South and Stittsville) Broadway Bar & Grill is becoming a primary sports bar and family restaurant in every major suburb. Although all locations feature the same menu, there are some distinct differences in clientele, and hence the events and features offered (Golf Tournaments, Grey Cup Day, SuperBowl Sunday, NTN-Buzztime etc).

BARRHAVEN

The Original Broadway Bar & Grill, and one of the largest operations in this Ottawa chain. Made famous by their Weekend Breakfasts (expect a wait). A chameleon that is a friendly family restaurant by day, and a late night sports bar. Has a large following by local sports teams who come for brews & bites after (there is a loyalty team program). And a great place to catch “the game”. Hockey here is king, Game Nights the place is a rockin’. There is a large number of LCD & plasma tvs as well as a big screen in the main dining room. Oftentimes there are 3 games on at once. This location also has NTN Buzztime terminals. So all in all there is something for everyone, and hence a lot of Regulars.

The menu is extensive and features the usual munchies (chicken wings, nachos, etc) as well as wraps, sandwiches and mains. Although everyone has their favourites, I can’t say anything is outstanding, all in all standard roadhouse fare. My personal favourites are the nachos, chicken souvlaki, steak sandwich, and the baked spaghetti. In addition to the daily specials, (ie. 2 for 1 Fajitas on Wednesdays), that are at all Broadways, in an effort to compete with the recent growth of competition in the Barrhaven area this location also has half-priced appetizers in the evenings after 9 PM.

There is the usual selection of big name beers by the bottle and drafts (and pitchers). They sell both House White and Red Wines by the glass, and have a few other wines available by the bottle (just average fare). In fact, when it comes to beverages, as a local Ottawa business they could do so much better by adding a couple of good Ontario wines and perhaps a local craft beer to the mix.

Although Barrhaven is the oldest restaurant in the chain, they have done renovations in the last few years to update both the dining room and the patio. Now if they could just renovate / maintain the bathrooms (they are a little worn).

But overall a good local Pub / Sportsbar.

I hope to be back soon to refamilarize myself with the Weekend Breakfast and spring sunshine on the patio.

Stopped in here for the Weekend Breakfast. Had the standard Bacon & Eggs Breakfast. Ordered my Eggs Sunnyside, Bacon, and Brown Toast. Everything was tasty... eggs were perfectly done, bacon cooked thru and yet good and crispy.

As others have said the Hashbrown Potatoes here have to laced with drugs... they are super tasty and very very addictive... bits of onion and a hint of garlic. Crispy on the outside, smooth on the inside. You can't get much better than this.

As always the place was packed... if you go for breakfast on the weekend, expect a wait. Singles or doubles though can sometimes find a space to mosey up to at the bar. Service was good, fresh coffee was offered and refilled often. A great start to a weekend morning.

The home fries here are incredible. Vegetarians beware - I heard the home fries are deep fried first, then pan-fried in a mixture of garlic butter, onions and chicken broth.

They're smaller and less rich than classic diner style shakes, but I really enjoyed the oreo cookie flavour.

The menu claimed it was large and... it was! I had a salad and a diminutive milkshake with it and was holding my gut together on the way out. Their poutine isn't quite chip wagon grade but is certainly good enough to order again!