Byward Market Ottawa

 I love farmer and open air markets.  There is a very nice one in the my area, but it never seems to compare to ones I  visit in other major cities. Take for example the famous Byward Market in Ottawa, Ontario. On a recent trip this summer for a youth hockey tournament, we were able to visit the market in full swing. The outstanding produce displays get me every time. I love the fact that these are real people pulling really foodstuffs from the earth.  Perhaps I romanticize it too much, but when you see produce like this,  the stuff you see in the  supermarket pales by comparison. The variety of colors and textures is amazing. I want to taste everything. I want to grab a shopping basket, load up with food and go find a place to cook. Nothing gets my cooking juices going like a farmers’ market.

Here are a few more  pictures to give you an idea of what I’m talking about.

I suppose what really strikes me about this market is how European it really is.  In addition to the farmer stands, there are number of specialty shops.  Want some fresh fish, pop in to the fish monger. As soon as you walked in it was like smelling the ocean; fresh, crisp and clean.

Want some cheese? Who wouldn’t love to browse through a cheese shop with a wide selection of fromage that would do some serious damage to my checkbook.

 

The last place that blew me away was the big bakery and cafe. I should have grabbed the actual name, but if you visit Byward Market, you won’t miss it.

The collection of breads,  pastries, sandwiches, tartes, pies and more was incredible.

The bottom line is that if there is a open air or farmers market in your area, I hope you’ll support it. And if you get a chance to visit Byward Market I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Tasting Notes: 2004 Peller Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

Whenever we come back from an overnight trip to Canada, we almost always stop at the duty free shop, primarily so I can pick up a few bottles of Canadian wine. Don’t laugh. I’ve written about wines from the Niagara-on-the-Lake region before and if you can find something to try, I strongly encourage you. One of the bottles I picked up was a 2oo4 Peller Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, released under their Private Reserve label. 

From the very first sip upon opening, to later in the evening there is a hint of oakiness. This is a light to medium-bodied cab. Definitely not “chewy”. However it is very smooth and balanced with a hints of dark berries and plum. The finish I would describe as a gentle smokiness with the slightest tannic touch. I served it with a pan seared T-bone steak and it held up nicely. Peller’s description mentions a slight peppery finish on their cabs, which I don’t fully pick up here. Although there is a touch of something that I would characterize as spice.

Peller is well known for their ice wines, which I enjoy and am sure to write about at some point. But their reds are quite wonderful as well and very reasonably prices, assuming you can track them down. Peller, like many Canadian wineries, can’t sell outside their province or Canada. So you’ll have to look for these wines in a duty free store or ask your favorite wine merchant to track a few bottles down for you.

Tasting Notes: Jackson-Triggs 2005 Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon

When you see the phrase, “fine Canadian wine”, you probably see it as an oxymoron, like “military intelligence” or “jumbo shrimp”. However you would be sadly mistaken, for there are parts of Canada that produce some very fine wines indeed. One of my favorite regions is the Niagara-on-th-Lake area just north of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Due to geologic happenstance, this region can produce some exquisite vintages.

Tonight I’m tasting a 2005 Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon blend by Jackson-Triggs under their Proprietor's Edition label. This is a Niagara Estates vintage.  At first I thought I should have waited another year before opening this bottle, but after an hour or so the wine really came into its own.

There are notes of of cherry and cassis with a gentle spiciness and a wafting of tobacco. The wine ends with long tannic finish. I served it with a marinated and grilled flank steak, if that is of any interest to you.

This is a solid wine, although it won’t knock anyone’s socks off. Still, if you can get your hands on some Jackson-Triggs I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. According to their web site, the 2007 vintage was released in August 2009.

It is very hard to fine Canadian wines like this, even in central NY. Whenever we go to Canada I make it a point to bring a few back since the winery can’t ship directly outside of Canada. You can look forward to other Canadian tastings.

Cafe Saffron

During a recent youth hockey trip to Ottawa, Ontario my family and I ventured out to discover someplace for dinner. We didn’t have much time, didn’t want to spend a lot of money and needed a place we could all agree on. Fortunately we discovered a small Asian restaurant very close to the hotel that was a very pleasant surprise.

Cafe Saffron is a small eatery in what I suspect was a former Starbucks location, not that it makes any difference.  We arrived relatively early for dinner, around 5:00PM on a Friday evening and had hardly any wait. The menu offered a mix of Asian cuisines with something for everyone in my family. I ordered a house special, Saffron Spicy Chicken.

Our dishes were a little slow to arrive, but only because they were piping hot and were obviously made to order. My dish teased me with huge chunks of chicken in a fiery yellow sauce with plenty of flash fried red chilies.  The first thing I noticed was the chicken. In many Asian eateries chicken entrees offer small, indifferent shreds of meat. Not here. These were large chunks of breast meat that tasted very fresh, had terrific “chicken-ness” and was moist.

The sauce was sweet with a slow, quiet burn at the end. I thought the heat  would eventually catch up with me but it never did. Every sweet bite promised bit of heat, but it never really came. Perhaps I was supposed to nibble on one of the red chilies. But I was quite happy with my dish as it was.

The cafe had an empty steam table and judging from the rest of the menu and setup, I suspect it does a very respectable lunch business. The prices are very reasonable, the service attentive and I felt it was a very family-friendly establishment. Certainly not haute cuisine chinois, but very satisfying and everyone was happy.

I’m sure if stay close to Cafe Saffron on any future trips to Ottawa that it will merit a repeat visit.

Cafe Saffron
195 Kent Street
Ottawa, ON K2P 2M4, Canada
(613) 233-8989