Ottawa Foodies

4

Desserts: oh my, yes, they do desserts here, the challenge is in leaving room for one of their sweet temptations. The buttermilk cream parfait with strawberries is a great little tart and a rich finish to a meal, another one to share IMO.

At right is the chocolate peanut butter bar best likened to the inside of a Crisp chocolate bar, with chocolate and the white powder on top is actually bacon powder. In case you're wondering, yes, chocolate, bacon and peanuts make beautiful music together. This one is brittle, and a bit harder to share, so feel free not to if it comes down to it.

5

This restaurant is an excellent addition to the growing number of Ottawa restauarants that are raising the bar in terms of "great food experience."

We had the radish salad to start - i'm usually not one for salads but this was off the charts. Everything in the salad worked real well together. The duck for main course was superbly cooked and flavoured. We got the cheese gritz on the side - no regrets their....well maybe because we didn't order a second portion!

If you love desserts, you'll be confused because everything (all 3) were scrumptios and different. You can't go wrong.

Not to mention we loved the communal table setting, and that they split our main and app into 2 portions without us asking (we planned to share anyways).

2

Only got a taste of the cornmeal dusted lousiana catfish & creole remoulade but it was fantastic great texture without that metallic taste we have come across with catfish in Ottawa. The grits were a little different but still very tasty think that is my next main. Can't wait to try the greens next time out.

2

Our new favorite place to eat. Boiled peanuts were soooo tasty. Tried them for our first time from of all places at a gas station passing through Virginia but it is a whole different ball game when they are fresh cooked and hot especially with a cold Kichesippi served in a mason jar.

3

Met up with two friends of mine who had been dining at Union 613 to grab some drinks.

First off, the atmosphere is fantastic. The lighting and decor really hits a vibe that says young and urban. Love the bookshelf next to the couch. We sat at a little side table in the kitchen, watching the chef and cooks do their thing.

I was only there for drinks, but my friends who had dined there were stuffed and had saved a little bit of everything for me; I couldn't have been more pleased! Here's what I tried:

- green beans: perfect sauce/seasoning, the lemony acidity is just right, and it makes for a really balanced taste
- fried yardbird: crispy, perfect skin, juicy meat. the homemade hot sauce taht came with it makes the dish.
- cornbread with bourbon brown butter: by far, without a doubt the BEST CORNBREAD THAT HAS EVER TOUCHED MY LIPS. Seriously. I would go back just for this alone.
- coleslaw: I normally hate creamy slaw (I'm a fan of the vinegar kind) but their creamy dressing was pure garlicky, mayo-y fantasticness without a hint of sweetness (which is what I usually hate most about creamy slaw)
- crispy pig ear: my favourite dish (followed very, very closely by the cornbread). perfectly seasoned, spicy, flavourful and very crispy. it's not on the menu; it was just recommended to my dining companions because one of them is friends with several of the cooks. However, I would DEFINITELY recommend asking for this.

Bottom line: DEFINITELY going back. After watching the cooks work their magic, I particularly want to try the beking eggs!

3

I had such a good lunch here today that this place shot into my top 5 in the city after one visit. Excellent food, service and overall atmosphere. My friend and I shared the radish, watermelon and arugula salad, I had the Texas shrimp grits as my main while my friend had the Kentucky hot brown (an open-faced turkey sandwich) and we shared two desserts (one chocolate and another raspberry/lavender). My grits were a flavour bomb - of the best variety. The tasso gave the dish a spicy, Southern kick that was just a delight. As noted in HMB's review, the grits are not typical (at least not in my experience), but they were very tasty and went well with the dish. I'll definitely be back and soon.

9

New post on Union 613.
happymouth.ca/?p=7257

Exerpt:
"When we heard that Chris Lord, formerly of the Whalesbone Oyster House and, most recently, of Wellington Gastropub opened his new restaurant, UNION 613, on Somerset St. and it specialized in Southern-inspired dishes, we had to check for ourselves. it's location on Somerset Street has suffered from high turnover in recent years having been at least four different eateries in recent memory. We certainly hope that the latest tenant breaks the pattern. We loved tonight's visit. The menu made good on the promise of a refined (but only slightly) take on southern classics, most of which were represented in some form or another. Fried greed tomatoes, pimento cheese, muffuletas, fried chicken, mac salad, grits, biscuits and gravy, fried catfish, ribs and cornbread all made appearances."

5

Wow! Just what my neighbourhood needed. Full disclosure: one of the partners in this new resto is a friend of mine from high school, but I had no idea that he had turned into a restauranteur with such an amazing place!

My visit on Sunday night was a solo venture, just for a drink and to check out the renovations. When I asked for something in the theme of a scotch & soda, but more the barkeep's style, I was treated to a cocktail with Sazerac rye, absinthe and something else, with a twist of lemon peel. Wow! Then I enjoyed the mint julep they had on special (because once you start with bourbon...). To ensure that I didn't feel terrible the next day, I needed some carbs and that is where I experienced the cornbread of my dreams. Prepared obviously a la minute and served in a cast iron pan, this cornbread (that comes with a healthy dollop of browned butter) is ethereal.

Tonight my friends and I decided to really give the place a go and ordered a LOT of the menu. The biscuits & rabbit gravy were universally acknowledged as "to die for" and the rabbit gravy isn't an ordinary "gravy" - more of a rabbit ragu. Delicious. Other hits were the cheddar and roasted garlic grits - perfection - as well as the incredible watermelon/arugula/feta/etc salad. The oysters were amazing and fresh, and the charcuterie plate was really tasty. I am a huge fan of devilled eggs and could have eaten a few more of these all to myself. The salad with fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese was also splendid, a great mix of tastes... I am promising myself to come back for the late nite menu, which features my dream sandwich - grilled pimento cheese. Looks amazing and I wish I was eating it right now!

Great friends, food and a very well made Pimm's cup. Lots of tasty and interesting beers on tap and a decent wine list. Yes, this is going to be my summer "go to" spot!

fyi re Vendor`s page: the Website and Location links aren't working properly.

Website: union613.ca/

Location: 315 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON

Phone: 613-231-1010

6

The cocktail list changes weekly and it consistently delivers inspiring implementations of classic and modern drinks.

Pictured here is the "Gin Auld Fashioned" from this week, involving Botanist gin, housemade Earl Grey syrup, orange blossom water, and Spanish bitters. It was so good that I went out and bought a bottle of Botanist gin soon after. Drinking here isn't just a pleasure -- it's an educational lifestyle enhancer! ;-)

Ottawa has a limited selection of dessert places, so Union: Local 613 fills an important niche with its late night service hours and excellent desserts.

Delizioso, I also had the fluffernutter dessert on my last visit but I was underwhelmed to the point of not even mentioning it in my comments here. It was clever to be sure, but no more pleasurable to my senses than an actual PBJ/fluffer sandwich would have been. Just thought I'd add a counter-opinion to the glowing ones here, for balance. :-)

I absolutely *loved* the cheesecake parfait here. Definitely one of the best desserts I've had anywhere.

2

FLUFFERNUTTER!! Best thing, I've ever eaten. The food, drinks, and service were great as everyone else has mentioned but the dessert was the high point by far. I would go back and just order this dessert. I cannot say it enough, BEST DESSERT EVER....Maybe even best dish EVER!!!

Cardamom describes it accurately, so I won't repost the description. But it's a must try dish for sure.

3

Pretzel shaped beignet with lime glaze, dark chocolate sauce, sea salt and chile bits. Suzie Q who?

I heart Union. Right now the plan is to order 3 of these next time around, one as an app, one as a main and one for dessert, naturally ;o)

1

After previously stating that I'm not overly keen on the desserts here, it looks like I might have to change my tune. A girlfriend and I shared their new fluffernutter dessert last night (peanut butter mousse, marshmallow fluff, brioche french toast sticks and Concord grape jelly) and seriously went speechless after the first bite. It was so perfect. I haven't felt this way about a new dish around town since Art-is-in's fried pickle melt :) It just hits all the right notes and is delicious and inventive without being at all pretentious: salty/sweet, melting softness/crunchy peanut, comfort food goodness/pig-shaped jelly... you know, all the usual stuff you'd expect from a great dessert. Anyways, try this one. I need to go back to try their new peach and buttermilk tart.

Also, thanks FF for the gin old fashioned tip. That was one enjoyable drink. The Earl Grey simple syrup was a subtle twist that really worked. I had another great drink there a couple of weeks ago with ginger syrup and basil, but that one was on the sweeter side.