Last week, we were thrilled to announce A Valentine’s Day TEA-ser, our upcoming fundraiser with Ottawa’s premier burlesque group, the Sexual Overtones. The event had everything – tea, crumpets, adhesive nipple patches – that is, everything except for a location. This Tuesday, our original venue decided to break their contract with us only 12 days before the event. While we have yet to receive an official explanation, we suspect it may have been canceled because of the ‘age 19+’ nature of the show. This is really quite unfortunate. The Overtones... | Continue reading article

You can always tell whether a person is interesting if they take you out to see something a little different. Something that shows originality.  Something that demonstrates that they don’t judge and are open to trying new things. No, I’m not talking about taking you to a sex shop and pointing out all the toys they haven’t tried — I mean making date night more than just dinner and a movie. So for all you want-to-be-heartthrobs, here’s our suggestion for a mid-January date:  bowling and Absinthe. Or, in our case,... | Continue reading article

Ever since the Food Network imported Iron Chef from Japan, cooking is becoming more and more like a competitive sport. Just like their non-edible counterparts, culinary sports come in a wide variety of flavours. At the WWF end of the spectrum is the hot dog eating contests, in which ‘reversals’ does not mean a string unexpected of goals. Perhaps more to the taste of the tennis and golf set are events like Juniper Restaurant’s Dueling Chef’s Food and Wine Pairing Event Like a heavyweight on steroids, Juniper is challenging every... | Continue reading article

Wakey Juice, Liquid Crack, the Black Ichor Of Life… Coffee by any other name would smell as sweet, especially first thing in the morning. More then just a beverage, coffee is ritual, wake up call, excuse for a break and more to millions of Canadians, not excluding Ottawans. Needless to say, the supreme importance bean juice plays in our daily lives means that the topic of the best brew is a highly personal, and hence contentious, issue. Luckily, Apartment613 never backs down from a challenge! However, for this particular Best... | Continue reading article

Update 2: So it turns out that it may not be legal to transport alcohol across provincial boundaries, therefore apartment613 does not condone this activity and would caution you to please consult a legal expert before moving any beverages from the SAQ into Ottawa Update: The LCBO and the Union have delayed a strike until a deal is signed or talks break-down. Just as we’re cooling off from the transit strike that ruined our winter,  Ottawans are realizing that BBQ season may be without refreshments if LCBO workers strike tonight... | Continue reading article

Every year for the last 35 years, there has been an Settimana Italiana in Ottawa. This year, the festivities take place from June 10th to 21st and will celebrate the Calabria region of Italy. There’s a lot to do throughout the 11 days. Here are some of the highlights: Viva Italia Concert by Capital Brassworks at St Anthony’s Soccer Club on Monday, June 15. Gastronomy Night “Calabria” on Tuesday, June 16 at Villa Marconi (free admission). The Ferraris (!!!) part of the Festivities on Preston St., Friday, June 19 to... | Continue reading article

It seems there are more reasons to celebrate this time of the year: weddings and all the pre-celebrations that come along with it – bridal showers, bachelor/ettes; summer BBQs; graduations; mother’s day/father’s day; birthdays and anniversaries. Many reasons to bring out the bubbly, so why not try something different? Sparkling Shiraz. Yes, you read right, great big bold red wine with sparkle. Taste just like champagne but juicier (pardon my lack of wine knowledge). Let’s simplify – you’ll love it. Find it at the LCBO on King Edward and Rideau.... | Continue reading article

The Glebe - the favourite hang-out of Ottawa’s dog and baby set - likely has more places to buy coffee per square meter then any other neighbourhood in the city. Sprinkled liberally between jewellery stores, upscale clothing boutiques and Ottawa’s composting worm outlet is a fine assortment of independent and chain latte retailers.  Apartment613 thought it made sense do a review of the yuppie version of the cup of Joe - the latte – in the heart of yuppie territory (mostly because it gave us an excuse to get jacked up on coffee while gossiping about Lex Luther Larry O’Brien).... | Continue reading article

Ce texte vient de notre collaborateur et ami Québécois, Alexandre Jobin-Lawler. Fan converti d’Ottawa et grand fan d’Apartment613. Je suis arrivée à Ottawa depuis 3 jours. En tant que résident de la ville de Québec, on entend souvent parler d’Ottawa comme une ville plate, mauditement plate. Y’a rien à faire, c’est tranquille, même un samedi soir… Est-ce un préjugé, une légende urbaine, je ne sais pas trop quoi penser!? Je n’ai jamais visité vraiment Ottawa et comme je suis chez un ami qui connait la ville, je me laisse conduire... | Continue reading article

We’ve taken to holding our editorial meetings for Apartment613 in some of Ottawa’s finest pubs each Tuesday night – and it seems we’ve found our new usual spot. Connor’s pub on Bank is offering jugs of Mill Street beer (sometimes Organic, sometimes Tankhouse) for just under 12 bucks. With the usual price now sitting around $17-19 at the Oak and others – a quality beer for less than 12 bucks a jug is tough to pass up. Any better deals out there we should check out? Where’s your most productive... | Continue reading article