Eat Here Before You Die: Culinary Conspiracy (Ottawa)

Is it just me or have most of my recent posts been about food? My waistline would agree with that statement! My apologies to my readers who aren't interested in where to eat but I have to share this little treasure located right here in Ottawa called Culinary Conspiracy.

Culinary Conspiracy (great name by the way) is actually a catering company who also offers eat-in and take out orders to accommodate a lunch crowd. Smart! My co-workers and I had been referred to try this place for lunch based on a high recommendation by another co-worker who has frequented CC on several occasions. Let me tell you, they did not disappoint and lived up to the hype we had been dished (pun intended).

Located right around the corner from our office on at 855 Industrial Ave in Ottawa, Ontario (sorry my non-Ottawa readers!) this place looks unassuming from the outside but once entering, it is an open, modern, bright and clean first impression. You can see the open kitchen right at the back and there's a bar to eat-in if you so wish. They can't accommodate a huge eat-in lunch crowd so go early if you can. At the front of the shop they have their in-house Ketchup, BBQ sauce, Seasonal Soups and Pasta sauce for sale; all homemade. Their lunch menu offers, sandwiches, burgers, soups and salads; all very reasonably priced. Fancy coffee is also available; Americanos, Lattes, Cappuccinos etc...

I ordered a smoked Turkey Sandwich ($7) and a side of Homemade Chips ($2) that also came with a small side of coleslaw. I can't tell you how many Turkey sandwiches I have eaten in my lifetime but this one was the BEST I have had in recent memory. I will let the pictures speak for themselves for the moment...

That's right, that's real smoked turkey you are seeing there. Not just breast meat either, real dark meat thickly sliced and smoked - like the real deal smoked. Topped with lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayo nestled between multigrain bread, toasted to perfection; I think you can see why this sandwich won it's way straight to my heart!

These homemade chips were a kettle cooked style and they were crispy, salty (but not too salty) and complimented the sandwich beautifully. All of this food for $9 and the portion size was so big that I couldn't finish the other half of my sandwich - -  that NEVER happens to me.

Culinary Conspiracy believes in creating homemade gourmet food made from fresh and more importantly real ingredients and I can attest to that being a true statement. They will also tailor to meet dietary needs such as vegan or gluten free. If their catering is anything like their eat-in meals, then I would definitely have them cater my next event. They can cater me making my bed in the morning for that matter!

If you need to cater any event (min for ten people) or if you want to try a new spot for lunch that serves a great sandwiches and soups made from fresh gourmet ingredients AND is affordable, Culinary Conspiracy is a conspiracy you will want to be entangled in. 


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Vancouver - July 2013 Recap 1

I have returned from one my best visits to Vancouver that I have ever had! My Dad, 3 older Sisters and my little Brother all reside in and around the Vancouver area so I try to visit them when I can. It's so hard to be so far away from Family! This post will be picture heavy so you can continue on after the jump.

This visit was AWESOME! 

I left last Saturday and landed in Vancouver around 8PM local time -  I had the luck to sit next to the stinkiest guy on the plane for the better part of 5 hours - UGH! Two of my Sisters and my Niece picked me up at the airport and we headed over to Angela's place for some apps and to relax. My body clock was 3 hours ahead so we kept it chill and I tried to get a good night's sleep because in the morning we were headed to Whistler!

 Six hour layover in the Toronto Airport

 Still waiting......*sigh*

The next morning we picked up some food and got ourselves organized to hop on the Sea to Sky Highway, one of the most picturesque and breathtaking drives in the world.

View from the car on the Sea to Sky Highway

*As a side note, all of my readers know I LOVES to eat! I have three very important meals that I HAVE to have every time I am on the left coast:

1) White Spot burger - Triple O Sauce is the draw

2) Fish & Chips - Halibut is my fav which you can rarely find in Ontario

3) Sushi! - Nuff said

So we crossed the first item off my list my stopping at a White Spot on the way to Whistler in beautiful Squamish, BC.

 The White Spot and the Chief in the background

Angela had organized this whole trip to Whistler including the hotel, the dinner and a terrifying but thrilling Zip Line Tour, provided by Zip Trek Eco Tours - more on that in a minute.

We arrived at the Delta Suites in the afternoon and checked into our suite which was SWEET! We were at the end off the hall so we had front and back balconies, a full kitchen, a living room a bedroom and bathroom and a whole separate other bedroom and bathroom as well. Much needed when you have 4 women in the same hotel room!

 View from the Front Balcony

View from the Back Balcony

Peak to Peak

 Our Suite!

We walked around the village, relaxed and made our own cheese and meat plate with wine and it was truly BLISS!

 The Olympic Rings

 Walking in Whistler Village

My Sisters, Laura Lee (Lolly) and Angela

The next day we were up early to get ready to Zip Trek over Whistler Mountain. I have to admit, I don't love heights so I was a little nervous but excited to be outside my comfort zone. I kept telling myself "This is a once in a lifetime experience, so enjoy it!"

We arrived on the mountain and got geared up.

My Sister Bonni, me and Lolly - We are ready!

This post will be picture heavy so you can see more after the jump!

Eat Here Before You Die: Angeline's/ the Hubb in Bloomfield, Ontario

I have had hundreds of Burgers in my life: McDonald's, Burger King, Harvey's, A&W, White Spot (a fav), Five Guys, Johnny Rockets, excellent homemade burgers.....you name it, I ate it!

But I haven't had a Burger experience like the one I had on my recent trip to Prince Edward County. By happy accident, me and 3 girlfriends stayed in the Motel section of Angeline's Inn for a weekend away to tour local wineries and some gastronomical fair. Our first night there, we headed just across the parking lot to Angeline's in house restaurant called The Hubb Eatery and Lounge. The Hubb offers dishes that are made with local fresh ingredients served by a friendly, knowledgeable and laid back staff headed by Chef Elliot and his wife Sommelier Laura. 

Though the inside is tiny, it was decorated beautifully and simply. They have a large patio as well but it was chilly so we sat inside. The quaint atmosphere just begs you to sit down, have a great meal and relaaaaaaaaaaaax.

Photo Source: The Lemon Kitchen

The Menu offers so many unique options, from Mix and Match meat and cheeses to small plates of Beets or Tuna Crudo; you won't find any deep fried greasy zucchini sticks or nachos here.... and I LOVE that! As soon as I laid eyes on the menu, I thought "this is REAL food".

The Waiter (who was adorable and super attentive) brought us an amuse bouche to get our palate going, it was sweet melon with a cream sauce, divine! 

Next we ordered the Mix N' Match Cheese and Charcuterie of tiny pickles, Indian mustard and amazing local cheeses and meats. This had all the flavor you could ask for, sweet from the pickles, spicy meats and mustard, rich decadent cheese. To. Die. For!

Photo Source: www.angelines.ca

For my main course I got The Hubb Burger - hand ground beef, aged cheddar, onion marmalade, shaved lettuce, house made bun, Hubb sauce and baby spuds on the side. To make it even more luxurious I added bacon jam and fois grais. Yes, you read that right, fois grais on a burger; if that's wrong, I don't want to be right! It was juicy and the flavors are indescribably good. Meaty and rich with sweetness from the onion marmalade and the fois grais added an existential dimension that I have never had with another burger.  

The ketchup was homemade as well, it was spicy and way better than anything Heinz could come up with. Price - Burger alone $15, bacon jam $3 and fois gras $8.

You would think that I would have been laying-on-the-floor stuffed by now, and I was. But that didn't stop me from trying some of the incredible Pappardelle pasta with a creamy brown butter sauce that my girlfriend couldn't finish. It was like crack for a pasta lover! It was a Special so not on their regular menu, but oh my goodness it should be! (Sorry no pic of that, I was in a trance while eating it).

After one of the most memorable meals I have had, we waddled across the parking lot to finish the night outside hanging out at a table between our two rooms. The night was calm, we had full bellies of food and wine and we just sat back to watch the comings and goings of this lovely little piece of heaven in the County. It was the perfect ending to the perfect meal. 

As you can tell, my opinion of this restaurant is that I loved it, I recommend it and I will be back. 

A big thank you to the staff at Angeline's and the Hubb! You all are passionate and enjoy what you do....and it shows!

Tommy Hilfiger Dress

Happy Hump Day MelMac'ers! I wanted to start taking outdoor outfit pictures for the blog because I have a snazzy new Nikon camera that I am slowly learning to use properly. So I headed out on my lunch hour today to scout out a place to take said pictures with a cool back ground that would also offer privacy. Fellow bloggers, know what I am talking about; you don't want to be the weirdo talking selfies in plain view. 

So I drove, and I drove, then I drove some more.....then I hit a gravel road (I am now in the middle of nowhere if you can't tell), then I drove a little more to reach a dead end that was a parking lot for a hiking trail. Though not convenient this spot was private! So with bees buzzing around I managed to snap a few shots. Hope you like them!

This dress is a favorite of mine, I bought it at Tommy Hilfiger in the Trainyards (a box store plaza here in Ottawa). With the extreme heat we are experiencing, our office has declared that we can wear "Friday" attire for the remainder of the week to keep us comfortable. We do have A/C so I don't really know what the point is but I will take it! 

This dress is super comfortable and you can wear it endlessly -- for shopping, golfing or a casual day at work like me :-)

Before I went on my scouting adventure I stopped at my "go-to" salad bar for lunch, Farmboy which is also located in the Trainyards. 

How good does this look?

I used the Food setting on my camera for this shot

Let me know if you like this location for pictures in the comments below. I will continue scouting for a location that is closer to get to, but for now this spot is pretty and private. However, I can see getting to this location being an issue in the Winter months :-)

Neon and....Scallops?

Hi All! Kind of a weird Blog Title today but I didn't really know how else to summarize today's post :-)

So last night I made dinner for my Roomie and I wanted to share the recipe with you as it is tasty, received raved reviews and best of all, it's good for you!

This was originally a Weight Watcher's recipe that I tweaked a little but it is still Low-Cal so not to worry. If you like scallops you will love how these Pan Fried Spiced Scallops turn out.

What you'll need:

1 Bag of Scallops - Spend the money and buy the big fresh ones. For frozen, I think you can't beat Costco.
1/2 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1/2 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
2 Tbsp Bread Crumbs (they can be Italian)
1/2 tsp Salt (sea salt is best but you don't need to use it)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp butter

What you'll do:

1) Take your defrosted scallops and pat them dry with a paper towel.
2) In a small bowl combine all of the spices and breadcrumbs, EXCEPT for the salt and place them on a small plate.
3) Take one of the scallops and gently roll it around in the spice/breadcrumb mixture until completely coated. Place coated scallop on a separate plate. Repeat this step with all of your remaining scallops.
4) On Med to Med-High heat, heat a non stick pan on your stove. Pour the Olive Oil and butter onto the pan and let the butter melt.
5) Place the scallops into the pan making sure not the crowd them. You may need to do two batches depending on how many scallops you have and the size of your pan.  If you place too many scallops in the pan they will not brown! Also do not touch the scallops once they are in the pan or that will cause them to steam rather than get crispy on the bottom.Check the heat and turn down if there's too much smoke.
6) After about 2 mins, peak at the bottom of your scallops, they should be golden brown. Flip all of the scallops in the pan to cook the other side for another minute or so.
7) Once the other sides are golden brown, remove scallops from the pan and place on a clean plate.
8) Sprinkle the salt over the scallops while they are steaming hot and enjoy!

We served the scallops with a favorite salad mixture called 7 Super Foods and a Wasabi Sour Cream sauce on the side. For the side sauce all you do is take about a 3/4 cup low fat or non-fat sour cream and mix in wasabi powder to taste -- add a little at a time and taste before you add more. If you dump a bunch of the powder in at once, WOOOOOOWWWEEEEE!

Here's the finished product! It's a light meal with BIG flavor; perfect for the Summer. You can also serve these golden little medallions of scallop heaven in a tortilla with the Wasabi Sour Cream sauce drizzled on top. With a nice glass of Pinot Grigio ....so YUM!

Here's a look at today's outfit and a Top that I picked up at...you guessed it, Wal-Mart!

 Top: American Apparel, shown here

Skirt: (New) Wal-Mart for $8 and they still have some in stock!

Flip-Flops: Fairweather, shown here

Look down from above

This is a top I picked up at Wal-Mart. I think it will look cute with some skinny jeans or a pencil skirt.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Melmac oxoxoxox

Happy 4th to Our US Friends!

I hope all of my wonderful US readers have a great Independence Day! I have traveled all over the US and even lived Virginia for a brief time; I so enjoy each visit to the Unites States. They are so proud of their country and welcoming to their neighbors in the North.

Not wearing stars for today's outfit but I do have on stripes!

Top: Tommy Hilfiger, seen here

Skirt: Ricki's, seen here and here

Bracelets: Mexico, seen here

One thing I learned about Americans, they really know how to BBQ! While in Virginia we had a Pot Luck almost every week at work. Now this isn't a Pot Luck where everyone just brings potato salad and calls it a day. Oh no....people brought in BBQs and Grills to set up in the parking lot, slow cooked baked beans, enormous bowls of banana and bread pudding and loads of sweet tea (not like regular iced tea). It would turn into a full on tail-gating PAR-TAY!

Click here for some Pin-speration to create your own Fourth of July BBQ feast!

Eat Here Before You Die: Buddha Dog

This edition of Eat Here Before You Die is a hot dog lover's heaven. I mentioned this cute, laid back spot to grab a doggy in a recent post about my fabulous trip to Prince Edward County where we partook in a Wine Tour. Prior to loading in the van to get started on our guided tour, my girlfriends and I stopped at Buddha Dog to grab a bite before downing glass after glass of Pinots, Gamays and Cab Sauvs. I had visited Buddha a few years back and will definitely return to this unique and locally driven eatery located right in the heart of Picton, Ontario. 

Founded in 2005, Buddha dog thrives on the principle that you can support local dairies, farmers, bakers and butchers to create a tasty, natural hot dog, void of nasty fillers, that showcases what PEC has to offer. Everything on Buddha's menu comes local; that includes the bread, cheese and the diverse range of sauces to top your doggies and create a different twist on the traditional ball park hot dog.

Ever thought of a butter chicken sauce to pair with white cheddar cheese as a hot dog topping? Yeah me neither but let me tell you it was SO delicious! 

 The hard working ladies of Buddha Dog

As we couldn't possibly choose from all of the sauces and cheese selections (see the menu below), we had the Ladies do the choosing for us. We ordered a selections of 3 hot dogs each; Buddha Dogs are smaller than regular hot dogs. They came beautifully decorated with colorful sauces ranging from spicy to sweet to savory and each had a different cheese pairing. All YUMMY! 

Menu Source: mycollingwood.ca

 The chalk drawing is a map of the area of Prince Edward County and shows where Buddha Dog obtains all of their ingredients.  Support and promote local culinary businesses in one beautifully drawn mural.

Here is one of the platters. You can see that someone couldn't even wait for a picture to be taken before diving in!

 A refreshing iced tea with mint concoction served in a mason jar, readily available in a fridge. Sooo good on a hot day.

 Beth and Laurie all smiles at Buddha

Terribly blurry picture of Denise and I, patiently waiting for our food.

I am so happy to feature this business on my blog. Having been laid off from a job of ten years due to globalization and offshore job creation, I have a profound appreciation for maintaining local business practices and refuting the "big box store" mentality. It doesn't allow for our Mom & Pop businesses much of a chance to thrive but the smart people of Buddha Dog are showing that eating locally works and tastes incredible!

*Please note that Buddha Dog has not provided any compensation for this blog feature and all of the opinions expressed on this blog are my own*

A Wine Tour in Prince Edward County - Part 2

On Monday I took you through Part 1 of my Girls Weekend Getaway to Prince Edward County. This follow up post will be picture heavy, are you ready? Okay, let's hit it!

We left off at Karlo Estates Winery, which was my favorite visit. Not that the other stops of the wine tour weren't fabulous but Karlo's had me at "do you want food pairings with your tasting?"

Our next stop was Keint-He Winery and Vineyard and it was in a really beautiful spot. They have north and south facing slopes for their vineyard and that allows for some really different tasting blends coming from one winery. As you can see from the pictures it was so tranquil; you can see lake Ontario just past the vines.

Next we visited one of the more popular wineries in Ontario, Sandbanks, named after the Provincial Park. I have loved their Baco Noir for many years so I tried tasting some different varieties and they were all delish!

 There was some musical entertainment at Sandbanks. At this point on the tour I will pretty pickled so  I sat back, enjoyed the breeze and the relaxing tunes at a near by Adirondack Chair

 Inside the tasting area

Some of the wares at Sandbanks. When you shop while under the influence you buy more! Smart people these Sandbankers.

On to the next! We went to Norman Hardie, another very popular winery. They import their vines from France so if you enjoy French wine, you should check this brand out. I tried their 2010 Chardonnay which I LOVED. It tasted the way you would expect it to be; light, citrus and lingering flavor on the tongue.

Vats at Norman Hardie

Sadly our tour was ending, but our tour guide was smart when she chose Hinterland Wine Company for our last stop. They only create sparkling wine, which I love. Ending a great day with a celebratory "CHEERS" with Champagne flutes filled with bubbly goodness. I tried their Whitecap 2012 Method Charmat.... 

AHHH-MAZING!

 As the vines do not grow very tall in this region of Ontario, the grapes need to be picked by hand. Here are some of the workers returning from a long day out in the field. I stumbled through some Spanish with them and they were super friendly even after a long day working outside.

 #FarmLife

We arrived back at Angeline's just after 6PM and we sat in this little trellis area and chatted, relaxed and let our wine buzz wash over us with satisfaction. Seven wineries on one tour, not too shabby!

 Me, Denise, Kelly and you can spot Beth in the distance Face Timing.

The night we ate dinner at the Waring House, which I have frequented many times and it's consistently a good time with great food. 

 This is a poorly taken iPhone picture with a messy room in the back ground. Oh well, you make do!

Dress: NEW! Vero Moda

Shoes: Adlo

Clutch: Le Chateau

County Cider and Cheddar Soup, YES! 

Another bad iPhone snap of the band Pearl who kept us tapping our toes while enjoying our meal. 

And FINALLY we reach the end of another lengthy post. I really hope you enjoy me taking you through this wine tour and PEC visit. Part 3 will be short (I promise!) and you will get to see which wines I ended up purchasing! Save the best for last I say :-)