ottawa foodies

Here is a link to their weekly specials. This way I can check when Parmigiana Reggiano is on sale. Specials change every Monday.

www.nicastros.com/specials/

I was dissapointed. I wanted to like them. Everyone was really nice. No qualms about service. But I was on a mission to find fresh spinach pasta or angel hair pasta.
I found neither at the Merivale location. I picked up some dry noodles that were out of this world but didn't satiate my appetite.
I did manage to find a prepackaged Spinach fettucine but I was really craving fresh, made on site sort of thing. O Sole Mio just wasn't up to par.

I might go back to try the sandwiches I've read about but I wasn't impressed especially when the employee told me my dry noodles are better than what they make on site.

The meat looked good but I was not in need of anything

Thanks, Nuken. I buy all my ground meat there as well as the store made sausages and chickens (capons), along with pasta and various other odds and ends. I'm in there at least once a week and for the life of me, I don't know why I never asked about their pork bellies. So, thanks again.

It most certainly was. I have since been back and had amazing service, they remembered me and were quick to ask me how the bacon turned out! AMAZING service!

Nukem, was this the Nicastro's on Merivale road?

Bought a pork belly from them right before Canada day weekend. Had to order it a couple of days in advance, no problem with that. I was extremely pleased with the service I got, as well as the price (4kg belly for 26ish taxes in)...

I will definitely be going back there for more!

-Nukem

Well... in my experience they are virtually the same sandwich. Whether or not the ownership is different, was not the point of my post.

The price was aprox. the same at about 5 bucks and the toppings were the same to my knowledge.

Um....while the owners of Bottega and Nicastro's are related by blood, the stores are not the same and that sandwiches are not the same (in terms of price/toppings available/etc.)

The Nicastro's on Merivale and the one on Bank Street are owned by the same immediately family, while Bottega and Il Negozio are family relations.

Stopped in yesterday on my way to band practice for a sandwich. The sandwich stall was closed, but the girl behind the deli helped me out anyway. Score!

This is the same sandwich that is served at La Botega and I'm sure quite a lot of you have tried it. I had an Italian ham and hot salami sandwich with the works.

Excellent sandwich and I wouldn't expect anything less from Nicastro’s.

Was in there today on Merivale and they have Quail eggs, super cute, would be good for a party appetizer.

When I head out to Merivale for an all day shopping spree I often stop at Nicastro's for a midday meal. Their sandwiches are my favourite! They have a selection of buns near the sandwich counter so you can pick one then load up on fillings. Customers are given a choice of meats (you can pick up to three different meats), cheese and toppings. My favourite is prosciutto, provolone, spicy eggplant and hot peppers. They have now added chicken/veal parmigiana on a bun and meatballs on a bun. On a trip there last fall I asked for veal parmigiana on a bun however they were all out of veal so I had the chicken. I was given a generous portion of chicken and tomato sauce and my choice of cheese and toppings. I stuck with provolone cheese deciding that extra toppings would be too much for an already full sandwich. Everything was delicious although hard to manage since the sandwich was so well packed the superfluous chicken and tomato sauce squished out the end of the bun. That's just a small quibble though since their sandwiches are so good. On a trip to Merivale over the Christmas holidays I headed back to try the meatballs on a bun. The sandwich included two really big meatballs which they sliced then placed in the bun then topped with tomato sauce. I was also given a choice of cheese and toppings however I settled for some slices of provolone since the sandwich was already full. It was just as awesome as the chicken parmigiana I ordered on my last trip to Nicastro's. There are a couple of other restos on Merivale I would like to try but it will be a challenge to tear myself away from Nicastro's to try them...

These sandwiches used to be $3 until Cheap Eats Ottawa ousted them! Anyhow it's a great sandwich that rivals that of another local Italian grocer. The paninis are smaller and softer than that of their competitors (which I prefer) and they certainly give a generous helping of your choice of deli meat (prosciutto or pastrami being my favs) Love that pickled eggplant!

If I had a picture for every sandwich I've had over a lunch at Nicastro's, I'd have a lot of pictures. Assembled before your very eyes from a heap of delicious meats (your $4 sandwich will contain more than $4 of prosciutto, I swear), fresh cheese, and tasty condiments. I'm particularly fond of the marinated, chili-spiked eggplant that they offer.

I love that you can get a sample if you ask . . . it's wonderful buying cheese from "people" rather than refrigerated bins.

There's a semi-ripened goat cheese (like a tree trunk, with concentric circles of ripeness), covered with yellow plastic straws. It's my absolute favourite cheese. It was the first food I requested after my first child was born.

The Merivale location has consistently good prices for parmegiano reggiano (watch for their specials), gorgonzola dolce, emmenthal and many other European cheeses.

I was here the other day for the first time in a long time and picked up a bag of frozen Ravioli from "Ontario Ravioli Ltd". The ingredients were all real foods with no preservatives - and it is extremely yummy! A real hit with everyone except the boy who does not like pasta that much. But the boy who does just loves it. I do not recall price but I do recall it was pretty reasonable and not priced in the "specialty product" range (otherwise I probably would not have bought it)

If you're looking for dried, spicy Spanish chorizo, don't buy it from behind the counter. Sift through the refridgerated bins around the deli. You can find a good one eventually.

Great selection - also found a wonderful olive oil that is unfiltered and freshly bottled from Italy...and they can't stock it fast enough. Talk to staff and they can recommend type of oil to suit your foodie flavours.

The Byward Market Location (at 64 on George Street) has a very good selection of olive oils from all over Italian regions (Lazio, Puglia, Sicilia, Calabria, Umbria, Toscana, and even the Alpine Lombardia). Many of these are low in acidity and light, since they're pressed at low temperatures: ideal choices for dressing any kind of bruschetta and fresh salads. To try also some Greek olive oils.

Yeah, they do have sausage casings here. I have seen em.

Typically pigs, although sometimes sheep (think haggis). Pig intestines are the classic sausage casing material. Of course they need to be very clean...

From what animal?

P.S. Yikes!

I'm told that Nicastro's is one of the places in Ottawa that sells these. Locating hard-to-find products is one of the main purposes of this site...

I'm not Rizak but mine is 2.993 kilos and cost 16.96. That is pretty much the average weight. They don't grow to the size of turkeys. If you want one, don't wait too long as they do sell out.

Rizak, how big was the bird?

I have been buying Capons from them for years. Excellent value, the breast meat doesn't dry out and it gas a high ratio of meat to bone. I too dont understand why more people don't buy them. We picked ours up today as well.

We picked up our capon yesterday for $15. It's a really amazing deal. I don't know why they aren't more popular.

They had fresh and freshly frozen. I wanted to store it for a couple of days before cooking, so got the frozen option. A nice idea.