CheapEats Ottawa restaurant guide blog

Vintages Value List November 26, 2011

2011-11-25T18:23:14-05:00

Season’s Greetings!

This is the 2nd last Vintages release before Christmas and the holiday wines are hitting the shelves. That is not great news for you bargain hunters as the big guns tend to come out at this time of year and big guns = big $$$. We still managed to taste a few great wines in the value range and we are even including some exceptional wines above the value threshold because they are fantastic and a bargain at the > $25 price point. Besides – it’s pretty darn stressful this time of year and you deserve to pamper yourself with some extra special libations OR they will certainly make a generous gift for someone.

SPARKLING WINE

53215 Belcanto de Bellusi Extra Dry Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCg (Veneto, Italy) $17.95

A decent little sparkly number here. It is ever-so-sweet with some oomph on the end. A great evening starter …

WHITE WINE

82404 Camino Del Inca Torrontes 2010 (Argentina) $15.95

The Torrontes grape makes a very interesting, flavourful white wine. This one is slightly off-dry and quite exotic. It would pair well with spicy food. Score: 90, Jay Miller, erobertparker.com

RED WINE

243923 Chateau Canteloup 2004 (Medoc, Bordeaux) $14.95

Dry, dry, dry with a manure nose that precedes a very well-crafted wine. It has some age and a VERY reasonable price for the maturity.

657601 Benmarco Malbec 2009 (Mendoza, Argentina) $16.95

An intense nose (KAPOW!) and then some pepper, berries and lush, large mouthfeel.

243634 Bird In Hand Two in the Bush Shiraz 2009 (Adelaide, Australia) $17.95

This is an amazing shiraz – not too big, not too small – just right! Look for spice, blackberries and a distinct freshness at the finish.

247163 Mad Fish Sideways Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2009 (W. Australia) $23.95

Smooth and bright with a distinct black olive nose and a large palate – but not at all overwhelming.

191494 Chateau Faizeau Vielles Vignes 2009 (St. Emilion, Bordeaux) $27

Chocolate, coffee, black cherry flavours reside in this bottle of wine from a stellar vintage. Score: 90-92, Robert Parker Jr., erobertparker.com

ALP

Karen & Rose

Vintages Value List Release October 29 2011

2011-10-31T15:47:28-04:00

HI!

The busy-ness continues and we had to engage in some speed tasting this week. We slurped and spit at a ferocious pace and it was hard because there are some real gems in this release at a great price!

White Wine

37648 ZENATO PINOT GRIGIO 2010 (VENETO) $13.95

Quite flavorful, features white pear, floral notes, mineral and crisp refreshing acidity following through on a generous finish.

158501 SNOQUALMIE NAKED CHARDONNAY 2009 (WASHINGTON STATE) $15.95

This Washington number is organic, sporting flavors of fresh ripe peach and some graphite, it is off dry and has an oily mouth feel. Pair with mildly spicy dishes.

513705 STONEY RIDGE KASPER VINEYARD SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009 (NIAGARA PENINSULA) $16.95

Home grown, Sauvignon Blanc thrives in a cool climate. This number is winner of the 2010 Canadian Wine Championships. Featuring orchard fruit flavors of crisp apple and pear, refreshingly crisp acidity on a long finish.

680983 KIM CRAWFORD PINOT GRIS 2009 (NEW ZEALAND) $19.95

Kim Crawford rarely disappoints and this Pinot Gris is not shy on flavors of yellow plum, dried herbs and spritzy acidity.

685362 MARC BRÉDIF VOUVRAY 2009 (LOIRE) $20.95

MMM was how my note started – look for ripe peach, pear and mineral flavors, mildly spiced on the mid palate leading out to an ample finish.

Red Wine

677559 FAMIGLIA BIANCHI MALBEC 2008 (ARGENTINA) $14.95

A delicious Malbec at a great price. It is dense and dark but surprisingly smooth. Score 89 Jay Miller erobertparker.com.

18721 VINA TARAPACA GRAN RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008 (CHILE) $15

This is one of 2 Food & Drink Discovery wines that Vintages has on offer right now. It is a satisfying New World Cab with hints of mint and eucalyptus on the nose, then tons of berries on the palate. Score 90 James Molesworth winespectator.com.

244772 SABOR REAL VINAS CENTENARIAS TEMPRANILLO 2007 (SPAIN) $15

Here’s the other Food & Drink Discovery wine. It is a great value. It has some age, it was made with wines that are > 70 years, terrific flavor and length. Buy it, buy lots – it won’t last long! Score 91 Jay Miller erobertparker.com

38075 FREI BROTHERS RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008 (SONOMA COUNTY) $23.95

Quite big and meaty - smoked meat aromas and flavors, dark plum, black currant, spice and earth and a hint of oak. This Cali number will drink well for the next 10 years. Score 90 Robert Parker Jr. erobertparker.com. At this price, age ability and score why not buy a case!

Karen & Rose

p.s. don’t forget you have until Wednesday Nov 2nd to enter the CheapEats Ottawa Fielding Winery Giveaway and win a private tour and tasting at Fielding Estate Winery and 2 bottles of their wines. Click here to enter

Giveaway: Fielding Wine Private Tour for 6

2011-10-26T10:39:18-04:00

When the folks representing Fielding Estate Winery asked if I would be interested in giving away 2 bottles of wine and a private tour & tasting for 6 at their vineyard to you guys, I said “Hell yes!”

You may remember that Fielding was one of the wines mentioned in our Quaffing Locally post earlier this year, so we were delighted to share some of their wine with you!

Since the Fielding Wines are great paired with food:

To enter: just tell me your favourite place to enjoy a glass of Ontario wine with dinner in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you order too, that’ll get you a second entry in the draw!

Draw: will be held Wednesday Nov 2nd after 5pm. The winner will be announced and contacted to arrange delivery of their prize pack.

You must be 19+ years old to win this contest.

Some more information about the prize:

You’ll receive a wine box containing a gift certificate for a Private Tour & Tasting at Fielding Estate Winery for 6 people, valued at $100, and 2 bottles of Fielding Estates Wine:

1 bottle of Red Conception: Fielding’s most popular red wine, Red Conception is a unique blend of premium varietals (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah). Medium red in colour with inviting aromas of dark cherries, blackberry, licorice, cedar-smoke and warm spices. Midweight on the palate with a nice mouthfeel, good acid backbone, and flavours that carry on the finish. An excellent 'food wine' that can easily be paired with a number of dishes.
1 bottle of White Conception: Concentrated and complex aromatics of nectarine, honeysuckle, poached pears, almond, orange zest, brioche and Chinese five-spice. Very good richness on the palate, solid acid backbone, and long spicy finish.

Both wines are $18.95 and currently available at Vintages but in 2012 will be available on the VQA shelves at the LCBO

Some more information about Fielding Estate Winery

Fielding Estate Winery is located on the Beamsville Bench which, while a relatively small appellation, has a unique set of growing conditions which provide a natural complexity to the regions wines. It’s well worth a trip to Fielding, especially if you win a tour & tasting for 6! Besides it’s a beautiful season for a roadtrip!

Since it’s always good to know a bit more about our Canadian wine regions, here’s a little squib about the Beamsville Bench Sub-Appellation directly from Fielding's site :

The Beamsville Bench is a narrow strip of land located along the edge of the Niagara Escarpment. The land is well-sloped which promotes good air flow to combat disease and extends the growing season well into the fall. The clay loam soil and deep limestone base provide good natural drainage. Cooler and prolonged growing seasons are well-suited to making wines with good acid backbone, intensely concentrated flavours in the berries and unmistakable minerality on the finish.

Vintages Value List Release October 15, 2011

2011-10-14T14:45:30-04:00

Hello Fellow Tipplers!
Hope you are all doing well and embracing the change of season – whatever that means to you! For us, it means a pretty busy work schedule as we amp up for the busy holiday season here at the LCBO and we get back into the swing of things when people stop taking summer vacation and meetings are full and the ensuing task list fuller! This preamble will be short and sweet, but we thoroughly appreciated being able to taste these past two weeks and there are some beauties on offer this weekend in Vintages :

SPARKLING WINE

163634 OYSTER BAY BRUT SPARKLING CUVÉE (NEW ZEALAND) $21.95
Made from 100% chardonnay this sparkler is packed with flavours of ripe peach, bitter peach pit on the mid-palate and lively acidity. Fresh, lively and quenchable with anything.

WHITE WINE

747600 PIERRE SPARR RÉSERVE GEWURZTRAMINER 2009 (ALSACE) $17.95
Pretty and nice with an abundance of rose petal and paraffin nose leading to exotic flavours of lychee, pineapple and red grapefruit. This is an absolute beauty and true to its varietal character.

235937 SANTA BARBARA WINE COMPANY CHARDONNAY 2009 (CALIFORNIA) $19.95
Everything you expect in a Cali chard – big and toasty with smooth butter and melon notes.

146746 PENFOLDS THOMAS HYLAND RIESLING 2008 (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) $19.95
Wow was our first impression – exuding spring blossom and pear tones, loads of mouth watering apple, pear flavours and zippy acidity. Score 90 (Harvey Steiman, winespectator.com)

196659 ANDRÉ & EMOND FIGEAT LES CHAUMIENNES POUILLY-FUMÉ 2010 (LOIRE) $21.95
Big on flavours of apple and pear with a hint of smoke and a nice seam of acidity keeping it all in check.

RED WINE

230649 VINEA CORVINA 2007 (VENETO) $12.95
This Italian charmer features flavours of red berry, red cherry and lively acidity with a hint of spice. This is your mid week pasta wine.

164814 SCOPETANI CHIANTI RISERVA 2007 (TUSCANY) $14.95
Old world Italian – aromas and flavours of ripe cherry, red berries, coffee and spice.

246645 SXS STEP TWO SHIRAZ 2008 (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) $14.95
This is a luscious shiraz that is big on blueberry, ripe strawberry and menthol with a good dose of spice. Excellent value here! Score 90 (Wine & Spirits)

104240 GUENOC CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009 (CALIFORNIA) $17.95
We loved this Cali Cab. Look for dark chocolate, big berry fruit and gripping tannins. It’s not for the timid and it is absolutely delish!

128629 LUIGI BOSCA RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008 (ARGENTINA) $17.95
Super, duper cabernet sauvignon. Rich with ripe berries, cassis and vanilla notes. Great nose too.

76331 DOMAINE GRAND VENEUR LES CHAMPAUVINS CÔTES DU RHÔNE-VILLAGES 2009 (RHÔNE) $18.95
GREAT – that’s what it said when we looked back on the notes. A fab Rhone blend of Grenache, syrah and mourvedre. (Score 90+ Rpbert Parker Jr., erobertparker.com)

243584 TAIT THE WILD RIDE SHIRAZ 2007 (SOUTH AUSTRALIA) $19.95
Look for eucalyptus, licorice notes at the get-go. Jam-a-rama and deep purple aptly describe this one – so if that’s your preference – you will be delighted!

241166 DOMAINE J. BOULON MORGON 2009 (BEAUJOLAIS) $19.95
A lovely French number. Ripe red berries and balanced acidity. It is fairly large for a Beaujolais – but very tasty indeed!

237776 KINGS RIDGE PINOT NOIR 2009 (OREGAON) $21.95
Quite impressive number exuding black cherry and black pepper aromas and flavours rounding out to generous finish.

685263 LUCE DELLA VITE LUCE 2008 (TOSCANA) $99.95
The “value” factor is in question here BUT if you have the coin and love Italian wine – this is spectacular – really spectacular!! The ’08 has not been rated yet but this wine has never received a score below 90 from the Wine Spectator since 2003.

ALP
Karen & Rose

Hello Goodbye to Nyssa

2011-08-30T16:38:08-04:00

It seems right to finally introduce you to Nyssa so you can say goodbye.

Yes, while it feels like only yesterday that Nyssa joined us to start her internship, it’s already her last day. Now to be fair it was an exceptionally short internship, but Nyssa got a lot done.

Who are you and where are you from?
I am Nyssa Tilford. I am, I guess, from Vancouver. But have been living in Toronto for the last 3 years.

What do you do at Plethora Press?
I post Photo of the Week and see if any of the restaurants have closed down and if they have I do a Red Pen Update. And I’m working on a secret project.

Where is your home town and what is it's signature dish?
My home town is Vancouver and we have the best sushi outside of Japan.

What is your favourite comfort food?
Let’s go with the cliché of ice cream. Cookie Dough or Brownie Bits or Vanilla or Moose Tracks or like very ice cream flavour there is, except Mint Chocolate. I hate Mint Chocolate.

What is your favourite food discovery?
Oh, Peking Duck. The first week I was in Toronto, Jason took me out for Chinese food, with my new group of friends and we had Peking Duck. They roasted the entire duck with the neck and the head, then sliced it in front of us. It was really tasty! Ironically the restaurant we went to is called the Peking Man up on Sheppard in North York.

What cuisine are you looking forward to trying?
I’ve never had Vietnamese. I’ve never had Ethiopian. I’m pretty much up for anything.

What is your favourite CheapEat in Vancouver and why?
There’s a restaurant in North Vancouver called Tomahawk, my parents used to take me there for breakfast. It would just fit into CheapEats but it’s really good food and one of the best Eggs Benedicts I’ve ever had.
White Spot! I miss White Spot. I love White Spot. They are famous for burgers and fries. They originally started as a diner chain. But my favourite thing on the menu is a beef dip with a caesar salad. It’s SO good.

Thanks Nyssa. It’s been a great month having you in the office, have a great time at Waterloo!

New Offices, Lots of Friends.

2011-08-26T12:33:40-04:00

We are delighted to announce that Plethora Press has new office space. Unfortunately it’s in Toronto. We’ve moved the head office of Plethora Press into Camaraderie, a great co-working space in the St. Lawrence Market area of Toronto. Camaraderie has just opened up a couple of dedicated office spaces and we were one of the lucky few companies to be able to get one of them.

Along with the guys at EventMobi, Tamajii and the great group of freelancers, consultants and entrepreneurs that work out of Camaraderie, we had an office warming party on Wednesday night.

Photographer and friend Pat Anderson was kind enough to take some photos of the brave souls who said “Feh!” to the tornado warnings to come and help us break in our new office space.

Note: Pat also snuck in a photo of my cocktail recipe for the evening. I wonder what other confidential material she photographed… hmmm.

New Red Pen Updates

2011-08-23T18:11:00-04:00

Here are new Red Pen Updates:

Closed:

Pho Thang Luong (page 81)

Cuppedia (page 44)

To see a complete list of all Red Pen Updates click here.

Nyssa Joins The Team

2011-08-19T19:50:00-04:00

We have a new intern for August, Nyssa Tilford. She has only been working with us for 2 weeks, but she's already getting stuff done in a big way. In fact, she has taken on a project that has been waiting for someone just like her to come along. More on that in Sept.

More about Nyssa in her intro post next week.

Welcome to the team Nyssa!

Poll: Deep Fried Potato Goodness!

2011-08-16T12:35:02-04:00

Inspired by this week’s Photo of the Week, we decided it’s time for a little poll action again.

So, Best Fries and Best Poutine in the National Capital Region. What do you think?

The Double Decker Bus

2011-08-16T12:14:53-04:00

CheapEats Ottawa photo of the week is The Double Decker Bus, Manotick by Emily

The double decker bus is iconically British and poutine (the specialty of the Double Decker Bus) is iconically Canadian. Kind of a cool and fun little spot to get a bit of our iconic history... or at least iconic lunch.

Besides in a recent Best Fries In Town poll that the guys at CTV ran, the Double Decker Bus actually beat S&G Fries who has been leading the pack for years.

Double Decker Bus (Main St. Manotick) (39 %)
S&G Fries (1845 Carling Avenue) (35 %)
Wes's Chip Truck (198 Madawaska Blvd. Arnprior) (12 %)
Fritomania (2442 Saint Joseph Blvd. Orleans) (7 %)
Glen's Chip Truck (Richmond Road/Island Park) (6 %)

Thanks Emily for getting the conversation about best fries and best poutine rolling again.

Add your own photo to CheapEats Ottawa Flickr Group and it could be our next Photo of the Week.