ottawa foodies

Bluesfest is approaching so I was researching my dining options.

Suffice to say, you are FAR better off stopping at Chinatown before and/or after Bluesfest for better value for money. Note also that this year if you have day tickets, you can’t re-enter the festival after going in (i.e. no popping out between acts). I don’t believe the 3/5 day or full wristbands have this restriction.

Strangely enough, the food vendors aren’t listed on the Bluesfest website, but are on the phone app (at least the iPhone version) and some even list menu & prices, which seem higher across the board. So here goes, a few interesting additions :

Backyard BBQ
no menu yet

Beaver Tails
Usual fare I expect

Bontina’s Catina
Overpriced tacos at $5.50 for beef/chicken or $6.00 for fish
Chicken taco salad ($11.50)
Mexican corn on the cob ($5). Please don’t buy a cob of corn for $5.

Caseys’s Grill
If you’ve seen people wandering around with some massive greasy fungus looking object covered in an orange sauce, that’s the Tornado Potato. Looks a bit like this (not my photo) media-cdn.tripadvisor.com . Basically a spud that's had a run in with a Dewalt power tool and then deep fried, salted and covered in mystery sauce. Only to be eaten (and I know I will) after several barley sodas, and which point the $10 price tag will seem irrelevant. Ok, so my $5 corn comment seems a bit hypocritical now.

Digby’s
At $8 for fish & chips ($10 for haddock), one of the relative bargain meals.
Alternatively Jumbo shrimp or clam strips with chips are $8 also.

East India Company
Veg / Chickpea / Butter Chicken curry, rice & Salad for $9, $9 & $10 respectively.
A change from the usual curry vendor I believe (Roses?).

Fadis (3 stands)
* Regular poutine ($8.75), or upgrade to a gourmet version for another $2 for either chicken shawarma, pulled pork or duck with brie (!)
* Hot Dogs
* Shawarma ($9.75)

Fitz’s BBQ SmokeHouse
Pulled pork on a bun w/ Fries ($13)
Philly on a bun w/ Fries ($13)
Jerk Chicken on a bun w/ Sweet Potato Fries ($13)
2 Fish tacos w/ spanish rice ($13). Makes Bontina’s look like a bargain …

Gabriels pizza
I can’t eat pizza :( but if they do their Bluesfest special again it looks and smells really good …

Greek on Wheels
Chicken Slouvaki wrap ($9.25)
Gyro wrap & spicy wedge fries ($13.50)
Chicken Slouvaki skewer w/ rice & salad ($13.50)
Calamari ($9.50). That’ll be nice after baking all day in the July sun …

Green Papaya (one of my favorites, although the prices have jumped this year …)
Pad Thai ($12)
Green Chicken Curry ($12)
Chicken Satay ($6)
Veg spring rolls ($6)

Grilled Cheeserie
Fancy grilled cheese that I’d love to try, but my body won’t let me.

Hintonburger
Now that’ll be interesting

Le Smoking BBQ
Looks like a newcomer from Montreal. Hope it’s good, the menu looks better value (relatively) than the competition
Pulled pork sandwich w/ fries ($11.50)
Pulled Pork Poutine ($11)
Half rack ribs w/ fries ($13.50)
Sausage & pulled pork w/ fries ($11.50). Get in ma belleh ….

Mugena’s Caribbean Cuisine
Jerk Chicken Platter ($11)
Curry Goat Platter ($12)
Roti ($10)
Jamaican patties ($3.50)

Sunnydays Gourmet Sausages & Dogs
no menu yet

And now the kicker. If you’ve looked at the map, you’ll have noticed with despair the Molsen Canadian Beer Tents and the Rickard Pub which will serve “… a wider variety of excellent beers …”. Hmmm, we’ll see.

Ratty.

Thanks for this Ratty.

BYOF still looks like the best bet .... unless one likes carny/carnie food (i.e. overpriced mediocre food that's usually lukewarm).

Is it my imagination that Boozefest food from recognized vendors is quite often a watered down version (bland, less meat, thinner sauce, etc.) of their restaurant offerings ?

A couple of points...

If any one has eaten at Hintonburger, you know the wait associated with ordering/cooking/serving a simple burger at their bricks and mortar establishment.

I can't imagine how they will cope when slammed by hundreds of fans between shows.

Rumour has it that Suzy Q was rejected because management fears they couldn't keep up with said rush.

Sigh...

I'm sure Hintonburger will adjust quickly.

A long line-up at there counter may work in their favour. Some call it the sheep effect. People seem to believe "It must be good. Look at the line up !".

The sheep effect can work in reverse: "It must be bad. Look no one is there!".

I used to help out my friend who ran a food concession at events, fairs, etc. If the line dwindled down to zero, I would take off my apron and become a 'customer' standing out front pretending to order food. This always rekindled the line.

I have to admit that I would never, ever, join a long line-up at one of these events for what nearly always turns out to be mediocre, over-priced food.

At a mediocre, overpriced event. ;-)

I'll never line up at hintonburgers overpriced, underwhelming restaurant again, much less wait 25 minutes in line to wait 25 minutes for a mediocre burger.

I'd rather jump in my car and get a quarter pounder with cheese and come back, in fact.

Not with a day pass you're not ;-)

1. Buy T-shirt cannon, 100 Quarter Pounders with Cheese
2. Have 'Burger Sniper' signage printed, set up shop outside the fences
3. ???????
4. PROFIT

Last July I went to Cactusfestival in Bruges, Belgium. The food there put the offerings at Bluesfest completely to shame. This pic is of the couscous stand.

Is it just me that thinks Mugena's goat curry and/or jerk chicken plates are the best tasting and best valued options at Jazzfest and Bluesfest???

I agree on Mugena's goat curry (first time I'd tried it). The Jerk Chicken was fine (others in my group approved). Their optional hot sauce was awesome/painful and I think the chicken didn't really get a look in as I'd just had a huge mouthful of rice covered in hot sauce.

My hands down favorite this year was Le Smoking BBQ. Both their ribs with fries & pulled pork poutine were delicious. Hope they come back, however the circus is over for another year.

Ratty.