Well, not actually ‘haute’.
The closest to a dining facility at the Rotel is ‘Best’s Vending Machines’.
They don’t pretend to be gourmet, but the food is fresh – at pretty fair ‘Loonie’ prices – and the super reliable microwave substitutes the ‘hot’ for the ‘haute’.
I have to admit that I haven’t actually tried any of Best’s ‘faux-gourmet’ selections.
Lucky me, beside what meals I have hauled back here from the local Loblaws, Farm Boy and the great kitchen cafeteria at the Ottawa General Hospital – thanks to my brother Bob – my friends have very generously provided me with some of their own cuisine delights.
See the menu below.
Many of these dishes will go unsung from a photo perspective since I was regrettably more preoccupied with gulping them down than documenting them:
- Smoked Meat Sandwich with side of Potato Salad Supreme and Lemon Squares a la JOKE
- Dave’s Meals and Deals on Wheels – Baked Beans with a Bang
- Chef Ken’s Lasagne aux Épinards avec Brownie JO Pour Le Désert
- Dave’s Super Charged Stew with Lots of Ground Pepper
- Linda’s Corny Shepherd’s Pie – a Mystery?
- Dave’s Awesome Lasagna Packed with Lots of Goodies
- Dave’s Lower Octane Stew – Reincarnated
- Linda’s Muffins – I Don’t Love Them!
- Dave’s Sphagetti and Meatballs in a Bowl – So Good!
- JOKE’s 9’s Club Dinér – Alimentation Croûte de Tarte à la Quiche surmonté d’une Mousse au Chocolat
Ken (JOKE Navigator) outdid himself with his diet-conscious pastry recipe – my favourite crust ever and no worries about the waistline! Notice the bit of missing crust that I sampled sans quiche to get the true unfettered taste of the crust.
Jo-Ann (JOKE CCO – Chief Control Officer) prepared a ‘Mousse au Chocolat’ that defied gravity – I think it’s set now Chief – mmm, delicious !!
So, what do I know from ‘quiche’ – it was really a ham and spinach pie – I stand corrected. Change that menu item to:
- Alimentation Croûte de Jambon et Tarte aux Épinards surmonté d’une Mousse au Chocolat
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Even with all of these fantastic ‘meals and deals on wheels’ prepared and delivered so lovingly, it was nice to get out of the Rotel to dine every once in a while.
Fortunately, I have a great friend, Lori, who lives not too far away. She makes a meal to die for – fresh home baked bread and Spaghetti Casserole – the leftovers made it back to the Rotel for another round the next day!
My long time cohort, Doug, rescued me the other day from another Rotel microwave meal – he treated me with a scrumptious lasagna from The Amici Café in Little Italy on Preston Street. It’s a charming little place near the famous Preston Hardware store, and the food has a nice home cooked taste. I won the leftover lottery again – the plate had more than enough for two, so I took a ‘doggy bag’ back with me – thanks doubly, Doug!
And then, there is the Colonnade …
A friend Paul from Montreal drove down for a visit and treated me to lunch at Ottawa’s best Pizza restaurant – the Colonnade! Boy was it good. That was not Paul’s first choice, however. When I looked at the reviews for his intended pick, I had to give him the bad news and I already had a great alternative in mind from the JOKE team (Jo-Ann and Ken).
I have to admit here and now to Jo-Ann and Ken and my brother Chris that I stole their thunder because they arranged for a birthday dinner for me at – guess where – the same Colonnade Pizza restaurant four days later!
Don’t worry – the second time around was like leftovers – my favorite food.
Thanks for the tip, JOKEsters!
I won’t mention it too loudly – shhh! – but I couldn’t help tripping over the odd Tim Horton’s and Second Cup delight during my walking exercise – wait til you see my weight stats during my stay here!
So, you see — the Rotel was just the hub for many great culinary treats and retreats from not so ‘haute’ to fantastic cuisine with friends.
Thank you all.
