The travel experience can provide us with space to think, create, and be inspired. If you’re a foodie, what better way to bring that feeling home than by starting your own restaurant based on your experiences? Imagination, tenacity, hard work and passion for food are key ingredients that inspired restauranteur, Rod Castro, to create two of Hintonburg’s hottest eateries, 10Fourteen and Pubblico 1331.

Rod has lived in the bustling community of Hintonburg for more than a decade and has strived to bring his travel-inspired cuisine to his fellow residents.

A hint of Montreal and New York in Hintonburg

Reminiscent of the neighbourhood haunts found in Montreal, 10Fourteen offers a selection of expertly crafted cocktails, carefully curated beer and wine, and a fantastic small-plate menu. Many guests return again and again just to experience the latest charcuterie offering. Says Rod, "This is a cozy little spot, and we love that everyone feels welcome to stop by, make new friends, hang out and spend some time together.” According to Rod, 10Fourteen has received invaluable support from the community at a time when many restaurants have struggled to stay open.

Inspired by the “If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere” attitude of New York, Pubblico offers all of the “must eat” menu items found across the big city. From Brooklyn to the Bronx, “we took all the best casual food from New York – pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta and we brought it to Pubblico”. After visiting the Big Apple, Rod was inspired by the profound sense of community in their local businesses – the same sense of community he experiences in Hintonburg, and so Pubblico was born. It opened in 2019 as Hintonburg’s New York-style sports pub serving travel-inspired fare.

Buy local, serve local

Borrowing from the sense of community Rod witnessed in his travels, both 10Fourteen and Pubblico support local business by shopping local – buying fresh bread at local bakeries, fish from Wellington Fish Market and produce from local vendors. 

Rod says he'll help whenever he can. "We try to invest in our neighbourhood as much as possible”.

Love for Hintonburg

Rod has lived in Hintonburg for more than a decade and enjoys the people, views, and other amenities the neighbourhood offers. In fact, he lives right here in Hintonburg Connection! "Hintonburg Connection might have the best view of the city I have ever seen!" says Rod.

When he’s not serving guests at 10Fourteen or Pubblico, Rod can be found meeting the neighbours on Hintonburg Connection’s exclusive rooftop patio. “We're starting to see familiar faces and we're starting to recognize one another and have these interesting conversations." 

About Discover Local

Discover Local is an exclusive program to familiarize Hintonburg Connection residents, with the neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services. It's all about revealing what makes Hintonburg so vibrant, inspiring and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local. There's a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!

The post Enjoy a taste of New York and Montreal right here in Hintonburg at 10Fourteen and Pubblico appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.

A variation of this post was first published on the Westboro Connection blog.

If you were to pose the following question to the average Ottawan, you may receive a few blank stares or perhaps even the odd head scratch in response: what’s the actual difference between gelato and ice cream?

Luckily for residents of Hintonburg and the Glebe, we have a world-class, award-winning gelato master nearby, who can offer some clarity on the matter.

“It’s in the purity of the flavours,” says Tammy Giuliani, Master Gelato Chef and owner of Stella Luna Gelato Café. “Gelato is milk-based and, compared to ice cream, it has a quarter of the fat. So, when you take a spoonful of gelato, there’s less fat coating your tastebuds. Since fat inhibits flavour, you’re able to perceive that flavour more with gelato.”

Sounds simple enough in theory, but for Tammy, the creation of high quality and authentic gelato is much more than the sum of its ingredients – it’s also about a commitment to the craft, learning from the best, and taking creative chances.

“Making gelato from scratch by hand is an old traditional art,” says Tammy. “Not many people around the world, and even in Italy, are willing to do it. The gelato we make is what you would have eaten if you were a child growing up in Italy. We don’t use any pre-packaged mixes; we create from scratch.”

Tammy (along with her husband and three adult children who help with operations) has been going that extra mile in terms of making authentic gelato since 2011 when she opened the first Stella Luna Café in the Glebe. It didn’t take long for locals to catch on, and locations in Hintonburg as well as Merrickville followed. Word soon spread, and gelato aficionados from near and far began to seek out Tammy’s sweet creations.

Understandably so – Tammy is a Master Gelato Chef, having trained extensively under the masters at Italy’s Carpigiani Gelato University to learn the traditional craft. Today, her frozen creations run the gamut from the traditional such as hazelnut, pistachio and madagascar vanilla, to the award-winning chocolate bourbon-pecan, which took bronze at the 2017 Gelato World Tour, to the tantalizingly unexpected such as chocolate cinnamon chillies and fuzzy peach schnapps.

Tammy’s gelato and sorbet menu changes just about every day, and in the busy summer months she will offer 24 varieties (six of which are always vegan). Tammy imports a great many of her gelato products from Italy, and nothing is done halfway – not even the cones. However, these sweet and icy treats are only a small part of what draws locals to Stella Luna Café, which recently landed on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in Canada list.

The expansive menu also features an ever-evolving selection of house-baked goods including pies, scones, squares and tarts. Ever since the pandemic made in-store dining an impossibility, however, Tammy and her team have pivoted to make Stella Luna Café into an Italian specialty store featuring olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars, pastas and much more. “We brought in some of our favourite products from Italy,” says Tammy. The cafés have also begun selling prepared grab-and-go meals including lasagna, arancini, and steak and mushroom pie.

With summer on the horizon, one can imagine that the demand for a satisfying gelato will be high in Hintonburg. The last year has been beyond challenging for businesses like Stella Luna Café, but when you hear Tammy speak about her gelato and how passionate she is about making a mouth-wateringly good product, you can’t help but get caught up in the simple magic of a dessert made with love and care.

“In the summer, when you get a lemon sorbet with freshly squeezed lemon juice, the taste is just so refreshing,” says Tammy. “Or during strawberry season – there’s nothing like the aroma of local berries in season. Add a little prosecco, and it’s like strawberries and champagne.”
 

About Discover Local

Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents, created to better acquaint them with their neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services therein. It’s all about discovering what makes their local community so vibrant, inspiring, and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local – there’s a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!

The post Bringing Old World Flavours to Hintonburg appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.

A variation of this post was first published on the Westboro Connection blog.

Running a restaurant – even one as well-known and well-liked as Westboro’s Savoy Brasserie – can be challenging enough without the added wildcard of a global pandemic. Instead of folding under the uncertainty of everything, the restaurant decided to use the last year as an opportunity to refine and revitalize its take on comforting and palate-pleasing French cuisine.

As it turns out, this meant getting back to basics for the restaurant’s manager Chris Ibey, who explains that the Savoy had two main goals for its revamp: the food needed to focus on French cuisine, and the beer needed to be local. “We combine two things in the name Savoy Brasserie,” he explains, “‘Savoy,’ from the region in France, and ‘Brasserie,’ representing beer.”The Savoy went about updating its menu by drawing inspiration from its namesake, the southeastern region of France. “The Savoy is all about hearty meals,” says Ibey, who added classic dishes such as coq au vin, Provençal stuffed squid, and a fall-off-the-bone lamb shankalongside customer favourites like escargots à la bourguignonne and beef bourguignon which is “absolutely delicious,” adds Ibey, “and if you can’t finish it, it holds well.”

The Savoy’s revamped beer selection is equally tempting. Ibey explains how the restaurant went about switching its 34 taps from suds brewed in Toronto and Niagara to locally produced varieties from Ashton Brewing, Big Rig, Beyond the Pale, Overflow Brewing and Calabogie Brewing among others – with more new options on the way! Between the lengthy beer menu, French cuisine faves, and an atmosphere that’s welcoming and classically designed with subway tiling, high ceilings, cozy booths and a bar running nearly the length of the room, the only thing currently missing is the hubbub, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“A lot of what we want to do with the Savoy is to bring back the social aspect,” says Ibey. “I know it’s tough right now with the pandemic, but I’m looking long-term.” He goes on to explain his vision that the brasserie continues to be the spot for friends to gather, food to be savoured, and socializing to be part of the fun.

They certainly shouldn’t have much trouble attracting patrons, especially with the introduction of a cinq-á-sept menu for the après-work crowd, along with signature days including Buck-a- Shuck Tuesdays, Discover Wine Wednesdays, Mimosa Fridays, and Caesar Sundays. Ibey is also planning events such as a brewer’s dinner.

“A big focus is local beers,” he explains, “so we’ll be inviting a few people from each brewery to come in try each other’s beers. People from the public can come in and meet the brewers and can learn more about the process and discover beer.”

Even though life may feel a little slow right now, there will be plenty of reasons for Westboro locals to spend time to the Savoy once things get back to normal – although they may want to bring a healthy appetite for great food and beer with them.

About Discover Local

Discover Local is an exclusive program for our residents, created to better acquaint them with their neighbourhood and the many local businesses and services therein. It’s all about discovering what makes their local community so vibrant, inspiring and livable. From cafes and restaurants to retailers, gyms and beyond, we invite you to discover local. There’s a whole neighbourhood waiting to be discovered!

The post The Savoy Brasserie’s Classic Comfort & French Flair appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.

A variation of this post was first published on the Westboro Connection blog.

It’s hard to believe how much our relationships with local restaurants have changed over the last year. Not so very long ago, we took for granted the idea of going out for a meal – now, however, it’s anything but commonplace.

In recognition and celebration of our beloved neighbourhood restaurants, we’ve put together a list of recommended places to try. We hope you’ll discover a new favourite dish, a must-try cocktail kit, or a bit of comfort you didn’t know you’d been missing. Bon appétit!
 

The Hintonburg Public House

It could be the cozy, feels-right-at-home atmosphere that locals love about the Hintonburg Public House, or it could be the inspiring collection of local contemporary art adorning the walls. Either way, the Wellington Street West vibe certainly translates into the takeaway menu (and if we can’t relax and enjoy a drink and a bite with friends inside, isn’t well-prepared takeaway the next best thing?). 

Imagine elevated comfort food done exceptionally well! You can expect favourites here like the HPH Burger, fish and chips, a grilled cheese you need to taste to believe, and desserts like the must-try baked-to-order cookies. Don’t forget to check out the impressive selection of craft brews and artisanal cocktails too!

Takeout and delivery options available.
 

Bar Lupulus

As a dine-in experience, Wellington Street West’s Bar Lupulus has carved out its own culinary niche – somewhere between mouth-wateringly innovative and esoterically-minded. Sophisticated charcuterie and cheese boards stand alongside Mediterranean-inspired dishes, but the truly awesome craft beer (the restaurant’s name comes from Humulus lupulus, which is Latin for ‘the common hop’), natural wine and cider menu often threatens to take centre stage. Hefty varieties of the iconic pizzas are available in classic pepperoni, vegetarian, sausage, and rotating specials, but it would be wise to save room for their duck wings (perfectly coated in Gochujang and honey sauce) and wild boar jalapeño poppers (as decadent as you can imagine). This is comfort food on a whole new level.

Takeout and limited patio seating currently available.
 

Carben 

At first glance, you might mistake the dishes from Hintonburg’s Carben as edible works of art, so beautiful and vibrant is the culinary imagination of wife-and-husband team Caroline Ngo and Kevin Benes. And with an interior design as modern and sophisticated as the food, Carben’s dine-in experience was something to talk about. 

For the time being, however, Ngo and Benes have adapted their menu to accommodate the necessity of takeaway meals – all without sacrificing any of the nuance, flavour, and imagination that has made Carben a go-to destination for locals and out-of-towners alike. 

Keep an eye out for a weekly revolving takeout menu with a heavy emphasis on comfort food: soft-as-a-cloud Hokkaido milk buns (seriously – try the milk buns ASAP) with miso butter, hearty rabbit with braised lentils, and uplifting salads tempt just as much as wood ear mushrooms with a miso glaze and fried hen with celeriac remoulade. And then there’s the selection of Ngo’s dessert tarts – made to order – including the decadent chocolate tart with milk chocolate and white chocolate ganache, pretzel sweet crust and a chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream.

Equal parts comforting and sophisticated, Carben’s menu is one to try at home along with a nice bottle of wine and some good company (even if the company’s over Zoom!).

Takeout options available.
 

The Soca Kitchen

Perhaps one of the more unexpected results of the pandemic is how restaurants have upped their takeaway game in exciting and innovative ways. No doubt that Holland Avenue’s The Soca is at the top of the list when it comes to offering lavish and elaborate takeout meal options – whether it’s to celebrate the end of another week, or simply for the joy of a meal bursting with flavour.

The restaurant offers several globetrotting ‘dinner for two’ options such as a Caribbean-themed meal with shrimp ceviche, plantain bandera, a whole fried fish and more. The Mexican-themed option is also drool-worthy its house-made guac, shrimp tostadas, cochinita, carne asada, and chicken tacos. But these meals are only a small part of what’s on offer – The Soca’s specialty market boasts a wide selection of house-made products including reductions, sauces, preserves, and more. Depending on your meal choices, you’ll want to find some time before tucking in to enjoy their house-made cocktail mixer kits.

Takeout options available.

The post Your Hintonburg Takeout Food Guide appeared first on Hintonburg Connection Blog.