Ironstone Grill at The Marshes Golf Club

The Ironstone Grill is the restaurant and bar on the main floor of the Marshes Golf Club in Kanata. The club is part of the Brookstreet Hotel over on Legget Drive.

The restaurant is nice and open - high ceilings built using a timber-frame construction. A bar faces out on Terry Fox Drive, with the restaurant taking up the rest of the space. A combination of booths and tables is provided, with lots of privacy for business talk. There's also a selection of tables outside - nice in the summertime.

The menu is "high-class pub" style - a mix of burgers, sandwiches, steak, Indian pizza, and some Canadian classics like salmon. The food is good - nothing overly inspiring, but nothing too bad. My steak sandwich was a bit grisly, and overcooked - but they were running out of them due to the lunch-hour rush. They delivered my steak about 5 minutes before my wife's salmon - which gave her time to steal a good portion of my fries. Dale's salmon was good, but not huge - she was quite happy with it.

The restaurant has a nice selection of draft beers and wines - just a few wines available by the glass.

The staff is all summer students, and we were there early in the season, on a very busy lunch-hour (Why so busy on a Wednesday???) - they were certainly unprepared for the rush. If you were patient, and not in a hurry, lunch was fine. If you were there for a quick business lunch, you'd be quite annoyed at the delay.

The restaurant is trimmed out with a center-room divider made of wood topped with tree-branches sticking up vertically. Why do I mention this? The tree branches WERE FILTHY DIRTY. When they opened the clubhouse in the spring they should have done a thorough cleaning - and it appears they missed these utterly.

So, all in all a mixed review - our problem is that there are only a couple of places to eat out near our office - and this is one of the better ones. I hope they clean up their decor!

Ironstone Grill
320 Terry Fox Drive
(behind Brookstreet)

Reservations:
613.271.3370 (listen to the instructions - press "2")

Monday - Saturday
breakfast (small menu) 9 - 11 am
lunch 11 am - 2 pm
bar menu 2 - 5 pm
Sunday
As above, but with additional brunch 10 am - 2 pm

The Ritz on Elgin

The Ritz on Elgin has been around forever - it's always been an Ottawa favorite, and it's still good, but it's beginning to show it's age.

The Ritz is a small restaurant - it seats about 40 people. We ended up here the other night after trying to get into a few other restaurants on Elgin - which were packed. The Ritz was pleasantly (frighteningly) empty.

The menu is basically unchanged since at least 2004. We ordered a mix of items off the menu, and the daily specials.
The food was good - nice salads, and my wife's favorite spinach with goat cheese was very tasty. I had the chicken special - it was not bad - the potatoes had sat around for quite a while and were a bit rubbery.

The place could use a little fixiing up. It's not bad - I wouldn't hesitate to return, or to bring guests here, but the place is lacking a general cleaning, polishing, and a coat of paint.
The Ritz on Elgin
274 Elgin St,
Ottawa, ON
K2P1M2
613-235-7027

Dirienzo's

A trip to Dirienzo’s is a trip indeed.

In the heart of Little Italy, Dirienzio’s looms immortal in Ottawa for its fresh Italian deli sandwiches and groceries. It’s one of those rare local spots that are pleasingly untouched by the grip of modernization.

Dirienzio’s is known best for its “football” sandwiches, affordability and relaxed approach. All of the sandwiches options are clearly explained so you know exactly what you’re ordering. There are no surprises here – just the kind of good sandwich and intimate service that you’d expect from a neighborhood deli. Sandwiches made fast and fresh to order - the spicy eggplant is a must.

Other, more corporate grocery delis in town have bigger selections, trendier items, cleaner, more updated looks and little personality. None offer the historic, "hometown proud" experience that good old Dirienzio’s serves up. It’s so welcoming, in fact, that there is no beating the lunch crowd here; clusters of people line up to grab a tasty sandwich. It’s the kind of place you might run into familiar faces.

Also available are freshly made pasta dishes as well as free baked goods.

Did I mention affordability? All sandwiches and fresh pasta – $3.50! taxes in!

If you haven’t had the pleasure as of yet… I suggest you make a visit… it will definitely be worth your while.

Dirienzo’s Food & Grocery
111 Beech St. (off Preston St)

Juniper Restaurant

(Guest reviewer: Dale)

Well I just LOVE the new Juniper Restaurant.

I always liked Juniper, but then again I am a chick. They have always had excellent chick-food (you know, 8 million ingredients, pretty on the plate, lots of nice seafood, lovely fizzy fruity drinks). But in its new incarnation on Richmond Road in the old Subaru dealership, Juniper's has finally found its restaurant balls.

They have all the chick food, but they have EXCELLENT guy food as well. The menu states its point very clearly: BEEF, DUCK, SALMON . . . the main ingredient shouts out at you in an elegant way. So chicks, guys and anyone in between can find what they like and order it. The presentation and the taste is just heavenly.

The ambiance is very New York. The open concept is wonderful - airy, modern, makes you feel like you're on display and part of the very nouveau scene. Comfy seating, great lighting, great open bar area.

Service is top-notch at Juniper too. The waiters and waitresses are very attentive and friendly. The whole experience starts off with a tres amusant amuse-bouche: a nice surprise, and a hint of lovely taste combinations to come

The food is superb. So gals, bring your guys - they'll love it. And you will too.

http://www.juniperdining.ca/

Lunch
Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2p.m.

Dinner
Monday through Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 10p.m.
Small Plates & Bar open all week from 5p.m. to 11p.m.
(until midnight on week-ends)

The restaurant is casual fine dining.

245 Richmond Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1Z 6W7
t. 613.728.0220 | f. 613.728.3993
Reservations are recommended.

Hiring a contractor - some resources

Hiring a contractor to work on your home can be one of the most stressful experiences in your life.

We recently watched an excellent episode of CBC's MarketPlace where they absolutely trashed the Toronto contractor Max Pies, the Hummer driving rip-off artist who leaves behind dozens of unfinished jobs and unhappy clients.

Go check out the show online - CBC has posted the entire episode.

Also, check out Mike Holmes site - he's got tons of excellent tips for anyone thinking of having any work done at their home or office.

Some of the basics (from CBC):

• Get Bids - make sure the contractor comes to your house, and thoroughly understands the work.
• Check references. Actually talk to people who have had work done. Also check the BBB, and the contractor database.
• Get a contract. Get it in writing. Make sure that the contract specifies in great detail everything you want done, including things like permits, insurance, completion dates, who's going to pay for the dumpster, etc.
• Check the contractor's license. Make sure it's valid.
• Check the contractor's insurance. Often, your home insurance will NOT cover the costs if the house is damaged by a contractor while they are working on your house.
• Make sure the contractor gets building permits for all the work. Specify this in the contract.
• Split the payments up. Pay no more than 25% down payment, and then pay out bits along the way when you are satisfied. Have a 15% holdback that is not paid for a month or two after the work is complete.
• Check out the CBC's Red Flags section - watch out for these signs that the contractor is a fraud, or at least, worrisome.

Have you had good or bad experiences with contractors in Ottawa? Let us know here at ReviewOttawa.com either via email, or by a comment to this blog entry.

The Keg Manor

Years ago we used to dine frequently at the Maplelawn Cafe on Richmond Road. We loved the ambiance, the wonderful old building, the relaxed atmosphere, and the owner, Peter Fallis was great. I guess there weren't enough of us regular visitors, so Peter ended up selling our fav restaurant to the Keg - a semi-ok chain restaurant generally suited for the tourist crowd.

Well we decided to stop by tonight on our way out to see the Bare Naked Ladies, and boy were we pleasantly surprised!

It being a cold winter evening, we asked for a table by the fireplace, a wish granted immediately. Our waitress, Korleen, was terrific, suggesting an excellent red wine for starters. We each ordered the Prime Rib Dinner which comes with Caesar salad and a choice of potato for $26. We generally like our beef rare, and thought the prime rib was medium rare, it was excellent - well prepared and tasty. The side vegetables were excellent, and the baked and mashed potatoes were very good as well. Nothing at all to complain about.

The restaurant has lots of nooks and crannies. You can easily find yourself a nice quiet place to eat, or a whole room to host an office party or lunch, though we recommend the nice area by the fire place, close to the entrance.

The washrooms are nice and clean and spacious by the back door.

The Keg Manor
529 Richmond Road
613-724-1242

Little India Cafe

This very small restaurant is a secret gem. You have to "understand" in order to appreciate this place. It has all of 8 or 10 tables, and it's often crowded beyond capacity. Service is not great, but that's not their specialty. You come here for the food, and it's great!

The food here is excellent and authentic Indian food. Everything on the menu is terrific. People come back again and again, just loving this place. Especially telling is the continuous lineup of people picking up takeout meals. Sure, there's only a few tables in this small restaurant, but they are feeding dozens of takeout meals for every meal served in-house! This may in fact be the best way to appreciate the Little India Cafe - use it for excellent Indian take-out!

Washrooms are small and cramped in the back. Nothing special, but not horrifying either.

Little India Cafe

66 Wylie Avenue
Ottawa, ON K2B 6M4

(613) 828-2696

littleindiacafe.com

Mediterranean Restaurant & Butchery

This small lunch counter is in a strip mall on Carling, near many high-tech firms. There are a few restaurants in this strip mall, but this one is consistently busy every day - even while the others are bare.

There's a small butcher counter at the back, an old style butcher where the meat is fresh and the service friendly.

Join the small line for lunch, and treat yourself to an excellent meal. There are lots of specials, including Shawarma, Kababs, and lots of plate lunches. Try anything, you won't go wrong.

And, for atmosphere, you'll probably enjoy the continuous world cup soccer match replays on the TV!

The washrooms are at the back, nothing special, but not too bad.

Mediterranean Restaurant & Butchery

4055 Carling Avenue
Kanata, ON K2K 2A4

(613) 599-9610

Melrose Grocery Store & Helen's Kitchen

You won't find this restaurant listed any where, but it's home to one of the hardest working Lebanese Chefs in the city. Helen's family owns and operates this small corner grocery store which features a small kitchen at the back where Helen fashions authentic Lebanese dishes, with a special every day. The food here is excellent, always fresh and well prepared. Even the simple salads are terrific! Ask Helen what's fresh, and you're sure to get a treat.

Helen has added a few tables to the space in the last year, so you can sit down while you eat. Soak up the family atmosphere as Dad putters about, and the daughter manages the cash.

There's a humble washroom for the family that customers can use if necessary. The place isn't as clean as you'd hope, but the food and friendly service more than make up for it.

Melrose Grocery Store & Helen's Kitchen
1082 Wellington Street West
Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Y5

(613) 728-2566

Tony's Snowblowing / Tony's Roofing

Tony's Snowblowing provides TERRIBLE HORRIBLE AWFUL SERVICE. This company advertized heavily in the fall of 2006, including circulars in the Citizen multiple times per week. Their rates were competitive, but we didn't check any further than that before signing up.

Fortunately, we've had a very lean winter in terms of snowfall. I say fortunately because if we had been relying on Tony's Snowblowing for any service what-so-ever, we'd be in a terrible state.

We've had two snowfalls which would merit their actions, and both times, service has been terrible. The first snowfall, Tony didn't bother to show up at all! We waited all night, and all day, but no snowblowing. We finally phoned the next day, and their voice-mailbox was full! We couldn't even leave a message!

The next snowfall occured just a couple of days ago. Tony showed up late at night and cleared 1/2 of our driveway, didn't bother to clean around the car we have to leave parked in the other half of the driveway, and certainly didn't clear our walkway. We called again, left a message, and still haven't heard from them. TERRIBLE SERVICE.

Further digging has shown lots of unsatisfied Tony's customers:

• Canuckflack
• Bad listing in the Ottawa Better Business Bureau
• And even a news story by the CBC showing how terrible they are!
  

Update: March 02. We had a big snowfall today, and Tony's up to his usual tricks. Check the comments for more confirmations of Tony's terrible service. At least this time, he showed up and cleaned part of our driveway within 24 hours of the snowfall - but he left a huge swath uncleaned in front of our garage. If YOU'VE had terrible service from Tony or any other contractor, let us know! Our email address is near the top of the page, or, leave a comment!

Update: March 18. Some of the comments have mentioned a CBC story on Friday March 16 saying that Tony's has been sued! I'm only sorry there hasn't been a better opportunity for more of us to get in on the suit. I'll update as more info becomes available.

Update: September 2007. Tony has sent out a contrite letter explaining last year's issues and promising to do much better this year. I'm stunned that he would think that ANYONE would use him two years in a row. Here's a link to the letter he sent, and this year's contract. I don't understand how the contract says "Under New Management" yet the letter is signed by "Tony Putinski!!!!

Update: Dec 9, 2007. Tony's still up to his same old tricks in 2007/2008. Many many complaints are being posted to this and other blogs and forums. I'm sorry if you got caught using Tony again, and I'm sad Tony has not improved.