ottawa foodies

Heard about this on CBC this morning, has anyone read either volumes before and is it any good?

I'd consider buying it as long as they had some form of standard other than being "cheap".

www.cheapeatsottawa.com/

I don't have the Ottawa one yet but I bought the Toronto edition a few years ago since I visit often and am always looking for affordable places to eat. I know in the Toronto edition at least they seem to have alot of local "favourites" and on the most part they seem to be reputable places. I also heard that interview this morning and they definitely piqued my curiousity. I will definitely have to have a look at it!

I picked it up, and it's pretty neat. It's like a Zagat Survey for cheapskates: there are ratings for things other than affordability, such as cleanliness of the place, quality of food, etc.

They've set the bar pretty high, though: for it to be considered "cheap" you have to spend no more than $5 on breakfast, $10 on lunch, or $15 on dinner before taxes.

A lot of the places on the list are reputable establishments, many with nigh-cult followings. Definitely piqued my interest.

Hmm. The bookstore across the street has it, so i'll pop over and check it out. This sounds very interesting, and i'll probably end up buying it.

Thanks for the heads up!

I bought the first volume when it came out a few years ago. It's a great little guide for frugal foodies. Nothing satisfies me more than eating a low cost/high quality meal! I have a great job that affords me the luxury of eating out, but I find the "economies of scale" kick in once you hit a certain threshold of price.

Like momomoto said they have criterion as to what is considered "cheap" (the figures he gave have to be satisfied PLUS include a beverage with the meal as well). The reviews have a 1-5 rating on budget, food quality, cleanliness and style, and have "tags" much like Ottawa Foodies does.

There were 225 listings in the first volume which sounds like a lot - but I only picked out a few gems that at the time I had never tried (Yres, Mellos Coffee Shop, few others)

Overall - worth the read and having it handy, but it's not something I refer to often. Ironically the book itself doesn't come cheap ringing in at $12-$13 for a tiny paperback :P (my cheapness again, showing itself haha)

I have both V1 & V2, and it's a great book to keep handy in the car when you want to try something new and not break the bank. Ours was bought at Collected Works on Wellington @ Holland. It might prove useful for some parents on Ottawa Foodies, as I believe it has a tag for restaurants that are kid friendly.