Ottawa Foodies

2

I knew there had to be a low-cal option somewhere on the menu: half portion of the fried green tomato salad.

This was my first time trying fried green tomatoes and I really got into them. The wedges were coated in cornmeal and then fried, while the salad itself was dressed with a homemade ranch and generously garnished with juicy chunks of bacon goodness. The plate itself was painted with a swath of the most awesome pimento cheese, spicy without being too hot and a nice creamy counterpoint to the tartness of the green tomatoes.

I will be ordering this again, and am quite certain it will leave me with a calorie deficit that can be transferred to dessert. ;o)

2

While I debated going back to Play, Union was nearer to some of the other errands that I had to run.

I stopped in for a late lunch and had just water to drink but the fact that they make all of their sodas in house was tempting. They had cola and cream soda at the time, I believe.

I ordered the shrimp and grits and it was a larger dish than I had anticipated. It was also quite hearty and filling. I won't speak too much to it since it's been well-covered below but it was a delicious flavour combination and you should probably give it a shot. My only complaint is that it seemed like some of the shrimp (there were 5 large ones) were a bit overcooked. Oh well.

Service was great and the complementary boiled peanuts were a nice touch. Surprisingly addictive.

5

What can I say that hasn't been said already? Our expectations were very high and we were not disappointed. Bethann was so charming at the bar that we opted to give up our table in favour of the forward-slippery bar stools.

Drinkswise, we had an absolutely wonderful time sampling the spectacular El Presidente (housemade grenadine), the easy drinking Greenwich Sour (housemade marinated cherry), and the addictively fresh Mai Tai (housemade orgeat syrup). As you can see from my repeated use of the word, "housemade", they take their drinks seriously here and they go the extra mile to make them unique and special. The cocktail menu changes often so don't expect these options to be available on your visit. Follow twitter.com/tasket on Twitter if you want to know what they're concocting next! Or just follow twitter.com/Unionlocal613 for announcements.

The food was simultaneously comforting and exciting... the sort of fare you might expect if your southern grandma got along really well with an international celebrity chef in the kitchen.

* Boiled peanuts were tasty and fun. My wife compared them to chestnuts.
* Deviled eggs were heaped and salty/tasty.
* Chilled corn & chile soup (lobster roe & oil, celery cress, lime yogurt) was complex and delicious.
* Buttermilk fried yardbird was fantastic: succulent, crispy, tender, and the housemade hot sauce just gave it that extra wow.
* Pulled pork sandwich was my wife's favourite dish and my least favourite (not bad, just not super interesting for me).
* Cornbread skillet was externally crisp and internally moist in a delightful way. I'm already looking forward to having it again.
* "Shrimp" boil macaroni salad was certainly one of the best macaroni salads I've encountered.
* String beans (chile, lemon, & mint) were excitingly spicy, zesty, minty! Really cool combination.
* We shared a cheesecake parfait for dessert that had the most amazing crunchy candied granola-like clusters in it (I can't remember exactly what they were). Unreal.

We left with big smiles on our faces. There is good reason this place seems to have become a go-to restaurant for Ottawa's community of chefs and restaurateurs.

1

After reading amazing review upon amazing review about this place I was happy to have the time to drop in for lunch. I immediately liked the vibe of the place – casual with lots of light bulbs hanging down, exposed wood, pipes and concrete. The atmosphere sort of reminded me of a mix of the Wellington Gastropub, Hintonburg Public House and Table 40. We shared one of the long communal tables with two other couples who were already seated when we arrived so we got a clear view of some of the menu items before making our choices.

As others have pointed out, a bowl of boiled peanuts were delivered to our table instead of bread as a “free” starter. I thoroughly enjoyed them, soft and salty, but they weren’t that popular with my dining companion. This was also the case with one of the couples beside us – he was not so fond of them but she like them. I would have to admit that they were a little difficult to eat (but worth it) and probably should be served with a stack of paper napkins.

Their menu, which comes on a clip board with a burlap cover, is divided into drinks, wines and food. Our choices were:
- Texas white shrimp & grits, tasso, zucchini, cherry tomato & scallions - Once I saw the shrimp and grits being delivered to the guy beside me I was sold. I loved the complex flavours of this dish, in fact quite spicy, and was particularly enamoured with the consistency of the hominy grits – sort of like risotto. Although the plate was not that large it ended up being the perfect sized helping as it was quite rich. I would have this dish again in a heartbeat.
- Buttermilk fried yard bird & hot sauce (2pcs) - Unfortunately the review of the fried chicken was not as good as the shrimp. Although it came with an individual bottle of hot sauce, it was declared that the chicken by itself did not have much flavour.

It is odd as we usually have similar feelings about restaurants – either love or hate them. I think this is the first time that our experience at a place has been polar opposite. I would like to return but it will have to be with a different dining companion.

Service was attentive, helpful and friendly but unobtrusive – as it should be.

4

I realize this is quite the lovefest, but just wanted to chime in on something that I haven't seen mentioned yet. They are extremely welcoming of and great with kids. In fact, I went with my little ones last weekend for a 5:30 reservation and, within minutes, the rest of the restaurant was full of other families, all with young kids (including Stephen Beckta and his family, so there you go). They had us all fed and happy and out the door in time for the hipsters arriving at 7ish. They accommodated my request for a pimiento cheese sandwich off the late-night menu for my youngest, whose chewing abilities remain limited, and took the time to ask my eldest about his food, which had him over the moon.

All in all, hospitality done right (including no apparent dress code, in reference to one of the OF forum discussions, with everything from cargo shorts to sexy dresses happily co-existing in the presence of great food).

One thing I will say about the food though is that I myself am not as huge a fan of the desserts as others here. It's entirely possible that I'm eating entirely way too much and then not able to appreciate what's going on in the dessert department since everything else is so dang good, but I'm personally a little tired of the seemingly ubiquitous chocolate and bacon pairing. I also found the chocolate to be too slab-like and lacking complexity (I can hear the virtual tomatoes whizzing already). The lavender tart I've had mixed experiences with (once was great, the next time not so much). And the cheesecake was confusing, in that we didn't detect any actual cake (maybe we misread this item...?). Anyways, none of these were awful - not by a long shot - but neither were they anything that I'd go out of my way to order.

Now, the devilled eggs and the shrimp grits... those I'd walk on glass for.

2

Sorry to be a bore, but just had my new favourite dish at Union, the Texas white shrimp and andouille on grits, with sauteed scallions, zucchini and cherry tomatoes.

This was an absolute flavour bomb on a skillet, the texture of the grits along with the combination of the plump, plucky shrimps and the house made sausage -- juicy, spicy without being 'hot' -- left me in silence throughout the meal. In fact, it was a rare moment where I wished I wasn't sharing, but in the end it was for the better as it left me space for the chocolate mousse bar with bacon powder (and another one that I could have had to myself.) ;o)

Caveat emptor: menu has been changing up so if you haven't yet visited Union, no time like the present!

I also agree on the bar seats! I had to brace my knees against the bar so as to not slide off. Everything else was great. We like to sit at the bar but will not at Union 613 until the seats are changed. Too bad.

3

Well they can't get everything right:( Noticed a new item on the menu brisket with a chipotle and coffee BBQ sauce and salsa verde. The brisket itself was very lean with not much flavor. They need a Bradley in the kitchen or a smoker out back to do brisket right IMO. No real big flavor from the chipotle coffee BBQ sauce. The salsa verde was off I couldn't detect any tomatillo definitely needs work. My dirty rice was still hard not sure if it was supposed to be that way and it had a bit of a chalky consistency but did have lots of flavor from the unabsorbed powder present. My second time trying dirty rice so not sure what should be expected but a southern plantation rice instead of a thin long rice might have worked better with the absorption factor. I know now to stick to the catfish and chicken or maybe the swine of the day.

2

Twice in one week. Friends wanted to go no complaints here. Tried the pigs ears and loved them wow they were tasty. The biscuits in rabbit gravy were something. Both dishes are very rich and the rabbit gravy had nice chunks of tender rabbit with a nice crunchy biscuit for texture defiantly ordering theses again. Pic is the rabbit.

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.