Ottawa Foodies

1

I like to inform/ask servers about common ingredients I "detest" in the rare event that they can't read my mind.

3

It was definitely a beer menu, since I ordered a beer from it lol. It has been a few weeks since I've been there, so maybe they removed them.

It wasn't on their regular menu; although they did have a big sign up about their new spring menu so maybe they replaced the menus that did list their beers with new ones that don't.

5

I was there a few weeks ago. I also didn't seem to think there was a listing of their beers - but there is, on the regular menu, tucked away on the back - if I remember correctly. But wherever it is, it's not obvious, which is a big departure from all other brewpubs I've been to. Yes, I had a direct line of sight to the big wall-o-beer-list, but my eyesight is not the best.

Had you asked, the waitress would have happily shown you the normal beer list on the menu, as she did to me, then only rattled the 2-3 seasonals.

This said, I agree that beers need to be more visible.

1

There was a drink menu on the table but it didn't list the beers they offered in it. Maybe that's what you mistook for a beer menu.

Neither table on either side of me had anything other than that drink menu either.

2

hmmmmm the last 2 times I was there, they had the beer menu on the table, plus the server told us what the seasonal beer was....didn't have to ask.

7

Ummm....

"You'd think -> a place that brews it's own beer<- would want to make it easy for you to know what beers they brew."

"->Didn't feel like trying to get my waitress to recite them<-"

"so I just ordered ->water<- instead."

...i think you may have missed a key point there.

11

3

Nice enough place but there were some glaring issues when I was there.

Why is there no menu for the beers they offer? I couldn't see what was written on the taps from my table. You'd think a place that brews it's own beer would want to make it easy for you to know what beers they brew. Didn't feel like trying to get my waitress to recite them so I just ordered water instead.

Also their smoked meat pizza is listed on the menu as that. No other ingredients but when it came to the table it had mushrooms and green peppers on it as well. As someone who detests those ingredients, I'd never have ordered it if I knew it came with them.

They replaced the pizza with one that didn't have the unlisted ingredients on it but they didn't do anything else to make up for me having to wait for my meal while the other people at my table ate their meals. No discount on the bill or coupons or anything.

That being said, the pizza was really good and an enormous size for a small.

3

Wound up here after sugar shack visit failed due to long lines. Couldn't have been better!! We promised our 2 year old pancakes and Big Rig delivered! All kids' breakfasts are $3, which includes juice. We ordered him the Kids stack of 3 silver dollar pancakes. Out came 2 silver dollar and 1 regular size, with whipped cream in a happy face! Nice. Wife had the regular pancakes for $7.50. Huge, delicious cakes (4) with a substantial side of fresh fruit for that price. Real maple syrup is served in a decent size metal cup with each pancake order and there is NO charge if you ask for more. Sometimes pancakes can be tasteless vessels for syrup and butter. Not here, the cakes themselves have a nice buttermilk flavour. My Big Rig breakfast was huge: 3 eggs, 2 toast, 2 pancakes, 2 peameal bacon, 3 sausages, homefries, coffee. The sausages are not the tiny dried-up usual kind, they are big and juicy. The peameal bacon was good and some regular bacon was tossed on as well, which was not on the menu! Eggs were cooked as requested. Ketchup came in a metal cup too, no sticky bottle with dried up old ketchup to deal with here. If I had one quibble it was the homefries seemed under seasoned. I liked that they weren't the deep fried cuboid type, they were real potato hash, but they weren't cooked in garlic, onions and butter like some places, so the salt, pepper, and ketchup were required. Service was prompt and cheery and coffee (average) was refilled promptly. The server said they had no problem with people sharing a meal. I will be back for sure and we will all be stuffed after splitting just 1 Big Rig breakfast.

7

What's the policy on sticking your head under the tap?

2

I rarely enjoy a beer as much as I enjoyed the seasonal Scotch Ale here!

Rather than try to describe how it tastes, I'll list other beers I've enjoyed so you can see how our tastes match up. I'm not a big beer drinker and I like relatively malty and usually red beers. The beers I have loved in the past include: De Koninck, Boreale Cuivree, Kilkenny, Caffrey's, Beau's Nightmaerzen, Kichesippi 1855, Rickard's Red (draught only), Muskoka Cream Ale.

Most other beers I just don't like very much. :P

This Scotch Ale is something else. Good to the last drop, whereas I often grow tired of a beer half way through the pint.

2

I picked up a growler of their IPA. Very good on its on. Not so good when your 3 year old pours strawberry yogurt drink into it. Beer + Strawberry Yogurt != Lambic

8

Portion sizes here are ridiculously large (not something I ever complain about). I was ravenous when I ordered, and I opted for a small Quattro Carne pizza with thin crust ($16.95). I managed to eat half of it before hitting cheese overload. The regular crust is really thick and looks good too.

As you can see from the picture, this pizza is very well done -- even charred in places. I like this. The flavour was great in an ooey gooey yet refined way. It is touted as "Montreal style" pizza. I'm not sure what that means, but it's fine with me as a once-in-a-while alternative to the scantily dressed thin crust pizzas I've been enjoying from Ottawa's wood ovens.

I would order this again, although I'd probably pay 3 bucks less and just get the straight bacon one. I didn't think the pepperoni, salami, and meatballs added much to it.

11

At $16, these "pulled chicken nachos" are some of the priciest nachos in town but I bet they're also the biggest. I'm tired of seeing a skimpy flat portion of nachos for north of ten bucks (The Brew Table I'm looking at you).

I tasted one and found it to be the delicious tender-crisp kind of tortilla chip I like so much. It will be hard not to order this on my next visit. I would have to wear my eating pants.

I was pleased with the freshness and flavour of the rings here! Thick cut onion in a crunchy and tasty beer batter. These are classic rings done right, without any unnecessary cleverness or fancy.

Except for the dip. It was unnecessary and overpoweringly perfumed with liquid smoke. I found myself moving it some distance away so I could enjoy the rings without receiving unwanted input from my nose.

At $8.50 this is not exactly a bargain priced plate of rings, but it's a generous snack and it hits the spot with a pint.