ottawa foodies

A new knife store just opened up at 800 Bank Street.

knifewear.com

They have stores in Calgary and Kelowna already, and just opened this week, I think. They sell custom, hand-made Japanese chef knives and pretty much nothing else. I think that's a great business model. No fantasy knives, no throwing stars. If you want a serious knife for preparing your food ...

I'm about to make a quick visit to get my knives hand-sharpened after the horrible job I did on them myself. I'll report back later.

Thanks for sharing. With two chefs in the family, I'm always looking for new gift ideas.

Well, that was an interesting visit. I traded bitters and a DrinkPuck for getting 5 knives hand sharpened by a guy who really knows what he was was about. We'll talk later about them carrying those products. DEAL!

I may be able to get them to carry my MagnaBlocks (magnetic knife blocks) if we can work out the details.

As if I didn't have enough to do ...

They have a great selection of straight razors, boar-bristle brushes and shaving soaps. Also, a varied selection of kitchen gadgets. It's kind of an eclectic mix of items, but once you spend some time in the shop you kind of get the vibe they're throwing out.

The store's selection of Japanese knives is absolutely out of this world. Really nice.

I saved 2 of the 7 knives I had brought with me so I can use them when I attend the first of their sharpening classes on August 1st. I've got all the equipment I'll need in the way of wetstones and such, I just need some tips on technique. I do all my own chisels, but I have some trouble with the longer blades. I'm sure a different style is required.

I just got my brother to bring me a hammered textured Damascus Sujihiki from Korin in NYC...I'll have to check this place out. Are the owners Japanese, or just specializing in Japanese style knives?

I've attached a picture of the resident sharpening expert at Korin putting the initial 80/20 sharpening on my knife, they do this in the store, which I think is super cool.

BTW Rizak, I was telling a couple of scotch snobs about your rocks at a wedding last night and they were dying to find out how to buy them...

That info is all in my profile.

Sweet! I've been looking for another place to get my knives done (that one on Norman or wherever didn't impress me much.)

FYI, non-barter prices range from $6 (Western paring knife) to $15 (Japanese large knife). I could definitely see myself paying serious dollaridoos today...

Opening night party on Tuesday, Aug. 6. RSVP. Music, food, beer, coffee, knives.
us2.campaign-archive1.com

Definitely going to their shindig on Tuesday, even though I stopped by on my walk home today. Meant to just take a quick look, ended up staying a little while checking out the knives.

The lovely salesperson allowed me to buy one of the Tadafusas they'll be selling on Tuesday with the implied promise that I would still show up. Very nice piece of kit, especially considering the price!

I'm not going to lie, I sniffed the knife when I got home, something about camphorwood and steel; we're all adults here.

How was their sharpening?

What did you get done and what results / likes / dislikes etc.?

I haven't picked them up yet. I dropped off...all my knives.

Stuart: The owners aren't Japanese, by the looks of it. The staff definitely know their stuff.

I dropped off 5 knives. They are all sharp enough to get a paper-thin slice off of a tomato. I took their first sharpening class and I worked on my two largest that I had held off for this purpose. They are now equally sharp. The technique is almost the opposite of what I use to sharpen my chisels and other equipment with large flat planing surface edges.

If you have the money, take the course and get some stones. It'll probably end up costing you about $200 to get all of the equipment, but you'll be the master of your own cutlery. Amaze your friends and family when you visit by giving their knives a REAL working edge.

I already had most of what I needed. I only had to pick up a 220 stone. Oh, you also get 10% off stones and knives when you take the class ($60).

A dull knife is a dangerous tool.

I thought it was clothing for using knives. I saw kevlar gloves on sale on ebay and bought some. They are supposed to stop a knife cut.

You can get kevlar gloves at Russell in Little Italy for $20 - and you can try them on first to make sure you buy the right size. They work pretty well against cuts.

Hope to see some of you guys there! My wife and I will be the ones crazy enough to bring an 11-month-old to a knife party ;)

I'll be the guy with the shotgun.

Anyone go home with some new knives? I only showed up briefly as I'd already bought a knife last week. Had a beer, picked up a couple of protectors for my semi-retired knives. Glad to see so many people showed up, lots of enthusiasm for the store and their products.

We couldn't stick around for long since the little gaffer was getting fussy. Had a beer, picked up our sharpened knives, and generally admired the merch without buying any of it.

Shame I already own a knife roll. They have some in nifty colours and patterns. To think that I was content with just black!