Just shy of an hour west of Ottawa is the small community of Mississippi Mills, home to about 12,000 residents and soon to be home to 1 brand new brewery. Cartwright Springs Brewery, opening in 2015, is named after the fresh water spring the brewery sources locally to brew its beer. The CSBeer team currently consists of André Rieux, Eduardo Guerra and Hien Hoang. Right now, the brewery is running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds so they can build a tasteful tasting bar. BrewBrahs.com had the chance to chat with the... | Continue reading article

Fresh off the wildly successful Support Local initiative in October comes the Christmas Market. Opening its doors this past Sunday, the Christmas Market will be held at the new Landsdowne Park for a total of five days this month. The 116-year-old Aberdeen Pavilion, colloquially known as the Cattle Castle, celebrated the commencement of the new holiday shopping experience with festive music, decorations, and 120 local artisans. Merchandise for sale included, but was certainly not limited to, fresh produce, preserves, home décor items, and even children’s toys. With no admission and... | Continue reading article

This first weekend of the final month of the year has arrived and it seems as though the snow and cold is here to stay! Not to worry, we’ve got plenty going on to cheer up those winter blues this weekend. As always, there is plenty of music happening. Thursday night brings a night of jazz, with the Craig Pedersen Quartet at Raw Sugar. For those of you that love folk, Raw Sugar is the place to be on Friday night. Krista Muir and Friends will be putting on an... | Continue reading article

Tea tipplers unite. The fourth annual Ottawa Tea Festival descends on the Capital this weekend, promising two days steeped in culture and caffeine. The event will take place at the Library and Archives and organizers are expecting a record turnout. “Last year we had over 2,000 guests. This year we expect around 3,000,” says organizer Jessica Lahrkamp. “Anyone who loves tea, artisanal food, exploring different cultures, amazing performances, fantastic music, and education will fit right in.” The festival was founded by Kimiko Uriu, one of the first certified tea specialists... | Continue reading article

Today marks the vernissage of Intersections, a photography show featuring Brant Thompson, at the Atomic Rooster. A showcase of the best of hundreds of shots and his first photography show, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Brant this past weekend about what inspires him as a photographer and what led him to this point. Brant became interested in photography in his late teens and early twenties. He took the photography program at Algonquin College and, for a while, was really into it. Over the years life... | Continue reading article

“Service, service, service,” is what sets Giovanni’s Ristorante apart, says general manager and tonight’s Maitre D’, Fabio Vitagliano. It’s a motto that would explain the Italian eatery’s longevity on Preston Street – it’s been here for more than 30 years – but it’s only part of the fine dining experience. And make no mistake, dinner at Giovanni’s is an experience. With the exception of pizza, I’m not one to dine out on Italian often. I find many Italian restaurants, especially those in Little Italy, either kitschy or old fashioned. Frankly,... | Continue reading article

Less than a month till Christmas, and already we’re alternating between snowfall and flooding. The true Canadian way is to persevere through the most bipolar of weather, and the best method of forgetting your dwindling bank account is to get out and do things! Let’s start off with what the musical community has to offer this weekend, starting with Ill Scarlet playing Mavericks Thursday night with Lemon Cash, Stereokid and Remember the Fire. Patty Bolands is holding their 5th Annual No Pants Party Thursday night as well, allowing the people... | Continue reading article

Bourbon. The name immediately evokes images of Tom Waits, smokey bars and amber liquor. The smell is sharp like scotch, but has an underlying sweetness to it that warms you from the inside as you sip it. It’s that good, and more. Which is why Ottawa now has a whole week of it. Bourbon Week is on now until November 27th with local bars and haunts participating in the week long celebration of all things Bourbon. The city’s best Bourbon houses are taking part during the seven days, including Hooch,... | Continue reading article

Katie is a lover of all things local and likes to play with her food. You can find her blogging about her explorations near and far at Kate’s Plate. Though I was initially saddened to hear that one of my favourite Ottawa-based musicians would be taking a break from the music scene, I perked up once I learned of Kathleen Edwards’ plans to open a coffee shop in Stittsville.  As a west-end suburban dweller, I was eagerly anticipating this new addition to our coffee shop selection and it didn’t disappoint.... | Continue reading article

Winter is here (yuck) and so is the weekend (yay)! For those of you who have not begun your winter hibernation just yet, there is plenty to do out-and-about in Ottawa. Keep warm this weekend with a glass of bourbon, at the first ever Ottawa Bourbon Week, which kicks off this Friday night at Two Six {Ate}. Beginning this weekend, and continuing on through next week, you can enjoy some delicious drinks paired with inventive eats at some of the best venues in the city – all in honour of... | Continue reading article