Spotted - Luxe Bistro, Ottawa

I had the pleasure of meeting with Luxe Bistro's executive chef, Duane Keats, to shoot the breeze. He is one of the most down to earth people I have met, and I enjoyed chatting about food, family, and work with him. At the end of the conversation, I convinced him to be my Spotted interview for March. Down to the last wire with just a few hours to spare, this month's spotted is at Luxe Bistro, Ottawa. Where are you from: St. John's, Newfoundland Your...

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Cupcake Camp Ottawa

Not far from The Ottawa Home Show was Cupcake Camp Ottawa. This event was a first for Ottawa, and all proceeds went to Ottawa's Woman Alive/Femme Active Program. I honestly expected this to be a tame event where people stroll in with their kids to buy a few cupcakes, but I was wrong. It was lively, and flamboyant!I arrived to a HUGE line up where I ended up waiting in line for 45 minutes. Why, you ask? Like everyone else, I was curious to see...

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FoodMODE at Ottawa Home Show

I found out that FoodMODE magazine was hosting a series of kitchen demos at the Ottawa Home Show, so I decided to go check it out today. I was not disappointed, and was actually surprised at how well organized things were. The FoodMODE kitchen demos helped folks gear up for the summer time by creating presentations with a BBQ and grilling theme. Each demo consisted of a chef/local farm pair, so that you could eat good food and be educated on...

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Shamshiri, Los Angeles

In L.A. where Farsi may as well be the third official language, it would have been a shame not to try Persian food while visiting. Our choice was Shamshiri, recommended by CK’s parents.As soon as we parked our car and got out, we could smell kabob grilling from a block away! Not only was the restaurant open for service at 2 in the afternoon, but the place was PACKED! We asked each other, “How can all these people be feasting on Persian food at...

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's Baggers, Nuremburg

I recently got an inquiry about when I was going to post my eatings around Germany. In response to that, here’s one now. This restaurant was at the top of my list of places to eat in Nuremburg, and I was lucky enough to snag a last minute reservation. I was supposed to eat here with a friend who was meeting me in the city, but after checking the restaurant’s calendar, it turned out that they were closed the entire week except for the day I landed....

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North Korea Opens Its First Pizzeria

I heard on the radio this morning that North Korea has just opened its first pizzeria. The country's dictator, Kim Jong-il, has a palate for fine foods, and has finally authorized the opening of the Italian restaurant after almost 10 years of trying to perfect the Italian pizza pie. In the 90's, Kim Jong-il flew a few Chefs from Italy to North Korea in efforts to help train his men on how to make pizza. One of the chefs was Ermanno Furlanis. Even after the training, he was dissatisfied with the results. Recently, he flew some of his chefs to...

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Bill Granger's Pastel De Nata Recipe

CK has been back in Sydney for less than a week, and already, we have a long list of new places to eat the next time I visit. Ever since I started my blog, he has been more aware of the food surrounding him, and he calls me up daily telling me of cool new restaurants/markets that he saw or passed by. I'm definitely looking forward to my next trip there.One thing we recently talked about was the pastel de nata, a Portuguese custard tart. Ever since...

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The French Baker, Ottawa

As a continuation from my last post, here is what I picked up at The French Baker after my brunch at Benny's Bistro last weekend.Before I dive into my post, let me preface it by saying that I have always been a fan of The French Baker, and my past experiences have been positive ones (proof in this past post). But for some reason, everything I bought was just off that day. My favorite cookie at the French Baker is their sablés à la confiture....

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Weekend Brunch at Benny's Bistro, Ottawa

CK and I met up with some of our friends, that we went to high school with, this past weekend for brunch at Benny's Bistro. Boy, how time flies. We found out that our good friend, J, is expecting a new baby boy soon. We also caught up on high school gos (gossip), which I always find interesting. We shared stories on who ended up where, and even though we haven't kept in touch with a lot of the people since high school, you always feel like you...

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