Quality Clocktower Mixed with a Little Priceyness

Friday evening I wanted to try finding a new pub place in the Byward Market area that we could visit.  I had decent food at another Clocktower Brew Pub with a coworker in the New Edinburgh area of Ottawa previously.

We arrived at 4:30 P.M. after meeting my wife after work.  There was a couple of people enjoying some after work drinks at the bar.  We stood at the front entrance looking lost.  Eventually one of the servers, who turned out to possibly be the manager, said we could sit anywhere we wanted.  So my wife selected one of the tables along the wall near the front window.  The manager stopped by and dropped off menus before disappearing.

We perused the rather limited menu selection.  Sure the menus are limited, but Clocktower concentrates it's attention on providing a selection of their brewed beer instead of providing a wide ranging amount of pub food.

A waitress stopped by, took our drink order and left towards the bar area.

Five minutes later the manager who brought our menus over at the beginning came by and inquired what we would like to drink?

Really? What was the point of the other waitress stopping by then?  For kicks?

We pointed out we had let the waitress that was just here know.

The manager responded that she will have the drinks in two seconds but was with another customer and left.

In this odd situation, the manager could have easily explained the situation that the waitress was being held up by another customer and said he would personally get our drink order and be right back.  But instead of explaining the situation (i.e. the waitress was occupied) he asked for the drink order, we explained that we had given it to the waitress, he explains the waitress is occupied and then leaves empty handed.  As customers, we wanted to avoid a service screw up where we end up with two sets of drinks and be billed for it.  Instead, we ended up with nothing on the manager's attempt to be helpful.

The waitress eventually returned with our drinks and we indicated we were ready to order.

The Order: 1 Clocktower Club (Grilled Chicken breast, peameal bacon, mayo, lettuce & tomato served on a ciabatta bun) with fries and a Pepsi and 1 Ale Fish & Chips (Beer-battered haddock, fresh-cut fries, cole slaw, tarter & lemon) with a glass of water.

The waitress was off to hopefully drop off our food order.

A respectable fifteen minutes later a gentlemen returned with our food.  This was interesting considering first we started with the manager who sat us, a waitress who took our drink and food orders and now a waiter who was bringing us our food?  It seems they have many hands at this Clocktower to serve their customers, especially as we were now the second table to be occupied as another group started arriving that didn't sit to far from us.

The Clocktower Club sandwich plate was the same appearance in quantity as last time.  A sandwich on a plate served with a bowl full of french fries.  I am still questioning the need to put the fries in a bowl upon a plate. Is this for presentation or to try and increase the number of french fries?  I still can not comprehend the need for the bowl.

Taste wise the club sandwich was of perfection.  A still warm tasting piece of chicken with fresh tasting toppings accompanied by a different tasting ciabatta bun instead of the traditional white or brown bread.

The fries were also a decent offering in terms of taste and temperature.  The hot fries were a nice golden shade on the outside but still soft on the inside.  They tasted fresh but I'm doubt with Clocktower Brew Pub being a four location chain, that the fries are made on site.

The Ale Fish & Chips were excellent.  A nice large crispy on the outside piece of fish with a soft but cooked inside accompanied with the same well prepared style of french fries as the club sandwich above.  The coleslaw, I didn't get a chance to eat as my wife devoured it.  So I estimate the slaw was at the very least satisfactory.

After finishing our meal we wanted to see what would happen next.  Who would be around to clear the plates, try and entice us into coffee or tea or offer the bill?  Would it be the manager, waitress or waiter?  Who would win this game of restaurant roulette?  

The waiter returned, picked up each and every plate to clear them away.  While he was doing the traditional waiter clearing the table juggling act he asked if we wanted some coffee or tea or anything else.  Just the bill please came the reply from us.  And the waiter returned two minutes later with the bill.

Overall, Clocktower Brew Pub does well food taste wise.  Price and service need a little assistance.  The Club Sandwich rang in at $13.50 before taxes which I believe is a dollar more than other traditional club sandwiches at pubs.  Add to this the sandwich is more of a grilled chicken sandwich with club sandwich toppings and not three pieces of bread with bacon lettuce and tomato etc. cut in quarters and served with a skewer to hold it together with fries is another issue.  The portion of fries is a little suspect as they come in a bowl instead of on the plate with the sandwich so it is hard to tell.  The Fish and Chips rang in at $14.50 before taxes which is also a little high in price as well.  Add to his the traditional customer at a Brew Pub would have a beer instead of a soft drink and the price for an average meal probably is pushed over $20.00 easily per person.  Service wise we ended up with a cornucopia of people serving us.  Perhaps better service could be provided if one waiter/waitress serve a table at a time.  At least the bill was correct at the end though.  We left Clocktower feeling that sure the food was well prepared but the price at close to $40 after taxes for two people without alcoholic drinks was a little steep.

Still a Happy Holidays at Tim Hortons

I've visited this Tim Hortons (269 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa) a couple of times since moving to Ottawa.  Located downtown near the intersection of Bank Street and Laurier Avenue, this Tim Hortons location is convenient to stop off at to meet someone after work during the week.  During the week? Yes, this location is oddly closed on weekends as it mostly caters to the local government office worker clientele who vacate the downtown on weekends.

Recently I visited on Friday afternoon to find about three tables occupied by government employees chatting over coffee.  I joined the sparse customer line with only one person in front of me waiting.  I've waited in this line on previous occasions to find myself fifth in line and not going fast.  Thus, it really depends on when this location is busy or if you speed through the line or end up languishing waiting for service.

The main issue with this Tim Hortons location is the lack of bakery orders which means there is not a dedicated person to make the bakery items like sandwiches, chili and bagels for those at the front.  This means individual front counter employees end up making the bakery items or a manager has to be found to make the items.  Otherwise it could be a lack of staffing for the busier times at this location.  Perhaps better study and management of personnel to increase during busier times might be in order to tweak this issue.

This time I was lucky and was served right away.  Once being attended to by the Tim Hortons employees at this location everything usually goes well.  They are attentive and fast to retrieve what you need if it is available.  Yes, later in the days the front display case of donuts and other sweet treats can be sparse.  But with a closing time of 5:30 P.M. weekdays and closed on the weekends this is expected.

I ordered, handed my change over and looked for a seat along the long counter overlooking the window to watch the passing pedestrians.

The Order: 1 Medium black coffee.

I was surprised to see my coffee to poured into and handed to me in a Tim Hortons printed Holiday cup.  Most other locations in the Ottawa area had run out and moved onto the regular boring run of the mill paper cups or onto the new Tim Hortons 50th anniversary cups.

Tim Hortons Medium Size Holiday Cup

I sat down, looked out the window and sipped my coffee quietly.  Just the great taste of a regular Tim Hortons coffee made to spec.  No screw ups by adding sugar or making it too strong, just coffee made to Tim Hortons expectations.

Overall, this Tim Hortons location needs a little tweaking.  Sometimes during busier times, service is slow and inconsistent.  During slower times service is decently apportioned.  Perhaps Tim Hortons management could gauge high and low customer demand times and reapportion staffing hours accordingly.  Otherwise this Tim Hortons works to serve the local government employee clientele.  Weekends though? Try elsewhere as this one is closed.

A New/Old Wendy's on Innes

It must be a slow burger month in January.  This past week I received some Wendy's coupons in my mailbox.  On top of these, in the previous three weeks I've received Burger King, Harvey's and McDonald's.  Seems they are hard up to sell their burgers and fries.  The end of the Christmas season has probably lead these big burger boosters to see a traditional decline in sales in January.  Not one to argue, I will gladly take the coupons and set out to see what I can find.

I needed to visit RONA for some home improvement items after a recent furnace inspection and the technician recommended a few venting options that would make our system run better.

Before visiting RONA, I decided I would investigate the nearby Wendy's (1511 Innes Road, Ottawa) for some lunch.  This Wendy's  is situated off of Innes but is accessible via the Home Depot and Homesense parking lot from Cyrville Road.    I entered via the Innes Road across from the nearby Travelodge.

Wendy's on Innes Road

I had been to this Wendy's before and found it to be a mediocre run of the mill Wendy's that corporate would be proud of.  The same usual carpeting with tables with decent food and service up to standard.  So I wasn't expecting much as I opened the front door after returning more than a month after my previous visit.

Upon entering, I was met with by a whole new wood floor themed look.  There was even two fancy fake fireplaces gracing a partition in the middle of the seating area. Look like the same tables and chairs as before but carpeting and a few other features were improved.  As well a new drink and condiment station had been installed meaning this was my first Wendy's where customers could actually be trusted to pour their own beverage of choice and obtain free refills!

I went through the line quickly as there was only one other customer ahead of me, dumped my coupon on the counter and ordered.

The Order: 1 Single Cheeseburger Combo with fries and Coke.

The cashier first rang in the order at the regular price resulting in a price of $7.89.  But before I could say anything realized the mistake and said "let me try this again."  She first got the coupon correct ($4.99 before tax with the coupon) and then totalled it correctly with tax for a grand total of $5.64.

Next we waited for the food to be ready.  It took a little while and the behind the counter organization looked a little disorganized.  One lady was working the burger area with a drive thru headset on.  She was busy scurrying about making burgers, cooking fries and ensuring the drive thru was taken care of.  But what about the front counter where I was standing?

The cashier moved onto the next customers as I waited.  The kitchen was empty for about 15 seconds before kitchen lady returned, made my burger and left it for pickup.  The cashier finished ringing in the next customer's order and retrieved my burger and put it on my tray along with cup for the Coke. She then disappeared out of site in the direction of the fries.   But she came back empty handed.  She avoided my gaze and looked for the next customer.

Just before I was about to say something, the kitchen lady appeared, dropped off my fries and I left for the soft drink machine and the table.

I sat down and gazed at my order.

Single Cheeseburger Combo including small fries and drink.

Memories of going to Wendy's in Aurora during my teens flooded back.  Sure the prices were cheaper back then.  Now without the coupon, I would have paid $7.89 including tax for this.  In my teenage years and not to long ago this combo would have been different.  This same combo would be a regular burger without cheese, a medium fries and a medium drink.  Both the fries and drink have been cut back in size to today's small sizes.  The burger has been changed by adding a piece of cheese.  Not sure why Wendy's corporate decided to go with adding cheese when the original option of upgrading a regular burger to add cheese was always an option.

Taste wise the burger was delicious slightly moist with decent toppings.  It was a regular size and not noticeably shrunk like has been occurring somewhat at other fast food places.

The fries sure may been shrunk in quantity in combo size, but were just as I remembered them as a teen.  Chewy on the inside and outside but not soggy gross.  

The Coke was even satisfactory as well for a fountain drink.  I only mention this as it was a nice touch of Wendy's to allow free refills.  But I guess the move by McDonald's to institute the idea of moving the soft drink machines from behind the counter might of pushed Wendy's into doing this.

Overall, this Wendy's has improved over my last visit.  The redesign was totally worth while to present a modern dining approach while still maintaining the fast food burger experience.  Added plus was the cashier adding another sheet of coupons to each tray in hopes of enticing customers to return in the future.  This is the first time I have seen in a while where a fast food place actually puts out coupons at the store to entice people to return.  Will I return? Most definitely if the coupons are still valid for my next visit. Otherwise, at $7.89 including taxes for a single cheeseburger, small fries and small drink, probably not.

Don't Presse for too Much at this Cafe

Was at the Ottawa Public Library returning a book and decided to try out a nearby coffee shop to see if it was any good.  I visited Presse Cafe (140 O'Connor Street, Ottawa)  shortly after 12:30 P.M. to find the modern looking Parisian deli style cafe full of federal government office workers enjoying their lunch.

I decided to line up to obtain my coffee.  I started by walking past the deli part of the service area.  Along one wall was a a deli with different meats, vegetables and salads with two workers behind it filling orders. Next was the cash counter where I stopped to wait for the two customers ahead of me to pay and leave.

First customer cooperated and was out the door in 30 seconds.  The second, no such luck.  She took her sweet time extracting her wallet out of her purse, finding the change and handing it to the cashier before trying to reorganize her wallet into her life story holder called "the purse".   This delay meant one of the customers who was getting his order together at the deli was now breathing down the back of my neck to pay for his while I stood their empty handed.  

I pivoted and went back to the deli and inquired with one of the deli employees if I could get a coffee.  Sure came the reply and I ordered

The Order: 1 Medium Black French Vanilla Coffee.

My coffee cup was filled and brought to the cash counter where I got behind the gentlemen in line who was finishing up paying for his lunch.  He was much more organized and was out the door.  I paid $2.35 for the coffee (taxes included) and left.

$2.35 was a little expensive for a Medium coffee in the Ottawa area.  Even worse, it is more expensive of "Ministry of Coffee" ($2.10) which, as an average coffee drinker, would be more of an authority on coffee than Presse Cafe.  But was Presse's coffee worth the extra coinage?

The French Vanilla Coffee was pretty good.  A little creamier than a Second Cup French Vanilla offering but excellent offering.  It tasted like Cafe Presse added real cream instead of probably the fake or less than enough cream offered by their competitors.

Size wise, the coffee filled an equivalent cup to that of a Tim Horton's Medium.  So quantity wise Presse Cafe doesn't skimp.

Overall, the coffee was a little pricey for an average cup of coffee. But quantity and quality wise it either meets or beats it's rivals.  Prices seem to be a little higher as well for lunches ranging around $7.00 for a sandwich.  But at least the ingredients look fresh and each lunch is hand made to perfection.  Presse Cafe seems to be taken the restaurant plan of quality as well as quantity which means the prices are going to be slightly higher.  Thus, Press Cafe is not necessarily your everyday cafe but a place to go if you are looking to celebrate a small milestone like finishing the work week or a tough work project.

Harvey's Makes Your Hamburger an Innes Road Thing

Recently received some coupons for Harvey's in my mailbox.  With an Original combo for $4.99 I thought I would venture out to Gloucester to try the Harvey's (1899 Cyrville Road, Ottawa) there.

I visited at 12:30 P.M. right in the middle of the Friday afternoon lunch rush.  The Harvey's is a newish modernly built restaurant with tile flooring and modern furniture as opposed the old school fast food style other locations posses.

I ventured up the counter and only had to wait for one customer to finish ordering before cashier could take my order.  I handed her my coupon and ordered.

The Order: 1 Original Hamburger Combo with Regular Fries and 20 Oz Pepsi.

My receipt was printed and the cashier inquired if I would like my order "for here" or "to go".  "For here" was the answer.

I was then shuffled off to the area where the burgers and drinks are prepared.  The cashier quickly poured the drink from the soft drink dispenser and added it and a handful of napkins to my tray.  

Next I wait in the traditional "Harvey's Pergatory".  After placing your order your receipt waits in front of the topping stations with your tray or "to go" paper bag for someone to fill your orders.  Some days it can seem like hours pass by you to finally win the Harvey's lottery, get your burger topped, fries given and out the door to go.  To add to fun in "Harvey's Pergatory" sometimes someone comes by, shuffles your tray down and leaves or moves you down to another station where you sit three deep waiting for the guy behind the counter to finish the two customers ahead of you he's dutifully been assigned.  But at least at this Harvey's you don't get that.

Sure you get set up for the "Harvey's Pergatory" and all things were set to point for a long wait.  The supervisor was seen scurrying around near the cash and moving trays up to the topping area. I really didn't understand what she was doing but running around looking like a chicken with her head cut off.  My tray must have been shuffled down two times before reaching the "I'm next" phase.  

Things were looking pretty dire as there was only one employee topping burgers and she had three to go before my tray.  I was settling in for at least five minutes of waiting for her to fetch the burgers, top them, figure out how many fries were needed and then getting to me.   Just as she left to get the burgers a mirage happenned.

Could it be?

Another employee came by, scooped up my tray and called out my order.  I caught his attention and we were off to another station.  He reviewed the receipt, put on a pair of gloves, grabbed my burger and asked what I wanted on it.  Soon I was off with an original burger topped with everything but hot peppers to find a seat.

I found a round table near the front windows to watch the busy parking lot of Innes Road Plaza and, in the distance the passing suburban traffic of Innes Road.  Great parking lot view!

The Original burger was perfectly topped Harvey's style.  Slightly sloppy but not tastefully good with somewhat fresh toppings.  "Somewhat fresh?" Yes, Harvey's centrally distributes all the toppings instead of having them delivered fresh unlike what might happen at the more mom and pop burger places.  But were the toppings overly bad? No sir, they were just average Harvey's toppings not fresh but not rotting turn your stomach either.

The fries were a little disappointing.  Harvey's fries always seem to be little pieces of deep fried potatoes with a few slightly longer ones that make it worthwhile.  Today's batch seemed to be all the little pieces no bigger than the finger nail of my thumb.  The odd thing is at this Harvey's I could see in the background of the kitchen a guy wearing a plastic apron feeding potatoes through the slicer.  I guess the fruits of his toiling were not for the average french fries of Harvey's but for some other higher priced newly invented Harvey's delacacy.  The weird part of this potato slicing was this was the first time I've seen anyone in a Harvey's working a slicer with potatoes.

Overall, this Harvey's is a modern looking Harvey's with the same quality of corporate rule following food you would find at an average Harvey's throughout southern Ontario.  Nothing special but also nothing outlandishly off.  Sure the fries may have been smaller than normal, but the fries tasted just the same as always.

A World of Tea in Maple Valley

Was downtown yesterday to visit my wife after work.  I had some time and was a little cold. How to quell the bone chilling cold?  A tea would be excellent!  I ventured over to the Byward Market Square building to visit Maple Valley Tea World (55 Byward Market Square, Ottawa).

I visited this little tea shop artfully arranged with a couple of tables surrounded by shelves of nothing but large jars of loose leaf tea and tea pots.  

This spot is quite popular during the summer months as the store opens the side windows to give a pseudo outdoor seating affect and to let those that wish to people watch the nearby busy sidewalk.

There was only one table taken by  a couple enjoying their afternoon tea.

Thus, the person behind the counter was available immediately to take my order.

The Order:  1 Regular Peppermint Tea.

A quick wait for the server to visit one of the shelves, grab the peppermint loose leaf tea, pour hot water and hand me my cup and I was off for the -24 degree Celsius trudge to pick up my wife from work.

The peppermint tea cup size, for a regular, was significant.  It was similar to the size of a Tim Hortons Medium.  For $2.50 it may seem steep, but for loose leaf tea specially prepared it is worth it and tastes better than local coffee shops offerings.

Overall, if you love tea and happen to be in the Byward Market, check out Maple Valley Tea World. You will be glad you did as they provide an assortment of tea coupled with friendly advice to answer your tea related questions. Pretty cool idea to tour the market with a nice hot cup of tea in your hand.

Happy New Year!

Last night my wife and I headed over to Ottawa City Hall to check out the 2nd annual Hogmanay celebration presented by the The Scottish Society of Ottawa.  After hearing about and seeing the results of last year's Hogmanay celebrations at Ottawa City Hall, we thought we would actually go and take a peak.

We got off the bus at the Mackenzie King Bridge station behind the Rideau Centre and ventured toward Ottawa City Hall.  From the Mackenzie King Bridge Ottawa City Hall was colourfully lit up for the Christmas Season. 

Ottawa City Hall lit up for Christmas Season

There was some to do at City Hall.  First, in front of city hall was the usual slap your skates on and enjoy the Rink of Dreams ice with fully lit up neon lit boards.  

Rink of Dreams

Still outside of City Hall, near the Rink of Dreams, was an outdoor stage to be used after 9 P.M. for an outdoor concert until shortly before midnight followed by fireworks lit from the roof of City Hall. It being one of the coldest nights in Ottawa in 2013, we decided to skip this part, so no fireworks for us that night.

Inside were six foot long tables lining each side of the hallway of City Hall with things for kids to do. Also, on these tables were displays of Scottish heritage information explaining what exactly a Hogmanay is.

At 6 P.M. the events inside were to start at the indoor stage set up in Jean Pigott place.  First up of course was a short introduction followed by the Glengarry Pipe Band.   The pipers and drummers lined up outside the council chamber to receive instructions and march in. 

Glengarry Pipe Band receiving instructions.

The unfortunate part of the evening was the phone I was taking pictures with died as the Glengarry Pipe Band was marching into Jean Pigott Place to play.  But at least I caught some of the video. 

We left City Hall looking to check out what was happening on Sparks Street.  Tried first entering Sparks Street from Elgin Street only to be faced with high blue metal fencing and what appeared to be the back of a stage area.  This was understandably a back entrance for performers and others.  So we walked around to Wellington Street and Metcalfe, admired the Christmas lights on Parliament Hill, and reattempted.  Nope, more high blue fencing accompanied by large yellow burly looking security guards.  

One last crack at it by going down to O'Connor and Sparks Street via Wellington Street.  At Wellington and O'Connor we were met by a bubbily female security guard who was guarding a traffic barrier and only letting in authorized vehicles.  We explained our plight of trying to get to Sparks Street after noticing more blue fencing further down on O'Connor.  She replied we could go in via O'Connor and the blue fencing we saw as on the south side of Sparks Street.  We walked along there to Sparks Street.  

At the intersection of Sparks Street and O'Connor was a large crane with maple leaf light box attached to it.  Looked like a pretty lame attempt to recreate the ball drop of New York City's Time Square.  But word is that a permanent structure will be built somewhere on the street hopefully to make it look better.  We continued to walk eastward along Sparks towards Metcalfe where there didn't seem to be a whole lot going on yet.  Being cold, we decided to skip the return to City Hall for the 7 P.M. New Years Eve countdown for Scotland's new year and headed home and enjoyed the movie This is 40 along with popcorn and warm cup of tea.