In this new biweekly feature, Apt613 asks blog contributors and local food lovers about their recent Ottawa area restaurant highlights to help you find new tasty treats to discover or revisit when someone inevitably asks “Where do you want to eat?” We want to hear about something that you ate and loved! Leave comments below and if you’d like to contribute to a future edition of Best Bites, email <editors@apt613.ca>.
Best bites this week:
- Umbrella Burger (186 Preston St.)
- Paninaro (642 Somerset St. W)
- Café Palmier (40 chemin Scott, Chelsea)
- Ten Toes Somerset ( 837 Somerset St. W)
Holy cow. We stopped into Umbrella Burger before a recent show at The Gladstone and left full and extremely happy. I ordered the single burger (hold the onions) and my companion the double, and we split an order of sweet potato fries. That was the right call; the serving size is generous, though I’d definitely have eaten more—they were crinkle-cut and actually crispy on the outside without being battered or overcooked, a rare treat. The sweet and spicy sauce they came with was divine. As for the burgers, the patties arrived smashed to salty, rich, crispy-edged perfection, wedged onto soft but not mushy rolls, topped with finely shredded iceberg lettuce, crinkle-cut pickle coins, a slice of melty American cheese, and “burger sauce”—Thousand Island-style, but not overly sweet. Next time I’d order extra on the side (I like it saucy). The single burger was a generous serving for $8.50; my self-declared “very hungry” dining partner said the double was just a bit too much, but if you’ve got a giant appetite, for $12.50, I say go for it. The side of fries was $7 and perfect to share. This might be my new favourite burger in town, honestly.
Umbrella does a brisk takeout and delivery-app business, but there’s half a dozen tables and a counter bar if you want to eat in, as we did. The vibe is industrial-meets-Instagram, and it features a funky coloured banquette/plant wall where you can perch and observe the busy open kitchen. For warmer weather, they have a welcoming front patio I’m totally going to sit on next summer.
—Alison Larabie Chase
View this post on Instagram
It feels like I’m sharing a state secret when I tell you that you have to head to Chinatown and look for Paninaro’s hidden sandwich window on Somerset. Tucked behind 5:2:8 Creative Coffee Collective, down a brightly painted alley by iconic local artist @falldowng, you will find loud music, a sparse patio/backyard, and the biggest sandwich you’ve ever seen. We had the Milano Mingle (salami, pecorino cream, artichoke cream, spicy eggplant) and the Pistachio Passeggiata (pistachio cream, stracciatella, sun-dried tomato, spicy zucchini, spicy eggplant, pistachio crumble, arugula) both made on Paninaro’s signature schiacciata bread, which they tell you is not focaccia, but is definitely savoury and chewy and dense and perfect.
Photo: Kiersten Vuorimaki.
Sandwiches are exactly $15 and you can save 10% when you buy a coffee from 5:2:8, which is the ultimate pairing. Perch on a bench or take the sandwich home, because it is enormous and messy and amazing. The spicy eggplant is very spicy, and the homemade artichoke and pistachio creams are rich and thick. They are only open during the lunch hour or until they run out, and by the time we got there at 12:30pm on the first freezing day of November, they had already sold out of two sandwiches. The lineup was long, but moved quickly. Definitely ask them to cut it in half, because it is a monumental task to eat the whole thing.
—Kiersten Vuorimaki
Café Palmier has been one of my favourite cool coffee spots in the area for years, and recently I got to experience the greatest breakfast sandwich I have ever had, on their sunny patio. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, dontcha know? The simplicity of a fried egg on a brioche bun with avocado, microgreens, and smoked cheese makes the sandwich filling but not too heavy. We added hefty strips of bacon and a sausage patty to ours for some extra decadence. The microgreens cut some of the richness and give the sandwich a lovely crunch, while the pickled onions are some sort of magical sweet pickle that added a bit of vinegar and sweetness to the meal. You most definitely cannot pick the sandwich up, so you’ll need cutlery. It’s perfect with a cortado, and followed by one of the amazing baked goods that has made Palmier and their sister café Red Door Provisions famous. I’d recommend this as the perfect start to a day at the spa or Gatineau Park. Or as a destination brunch spot, since it’s only 15 minutes from downtown.
—Kiersten Vuorimaki
Photo: Kiersten Vuorimaki.
It’s soup season! Now, I’m not normally one to order soup when I’m out and about, but let me describe to you the perfect scenario: It’s chilly outside, and maybe it’s a brisk afternoon, or a very dark early evening. You’re hungry, and cold, and maybe you have a load of laundry to do. You head to Ten Toes on Somerset with a book or some homework or your best friend, and order a latté and a bowl of homemade soup. Maybe you also get half a sandwich with it, your call. Either way, a large hot bowl of savoury, rich, chunky soup arrives at your table only moments later and your life is changed. You’ve found Ten Toes soup.
There’s a different soup every day, but each time I order the soup, I am blown away. Their chicken noodle is better than anything I’ve ever had before, with huge chunks of chicken and vegetables and a salty, garlicky, rich, herbaceous broth. The roasted potato and onion has large slices of caramelized onion and a creamy potato base with a peppery heat. There was once a squash soup that tasted more like vegetables and less like dessert than any squash soup I’ve had before, which is exactly how soup should be. I cannot tell you which soup they will be serving today, but I can guarantee that it’s dynamite, and it’s only $6.50 a bowl, or $8.99 for soup and half a sandwich.
—Kiersten Vuorimaki
Photo: Kiersten Vuorimaki.
.gif)
