jilleasy: EAST COAST INVASION - PART II

The second leg of my adventure was very exciting because I got to see my family.

I hopped on the train in Montreal and headed to a station just outside of Ottawa. While we did visit Ottawa (honorable mention: Social Restaurant & Lounge= Best Courtyard Patio), I feel the need to talk about another place.

My auntie Carol and cousin Heather took me to a cozy town called Merrickville to check out the shops. This is an extremely small town, with a strangely large population of bikers moseying around. I kid you not - Harleys & their leather-clad, biker couple counterparts were in every direction.

There are your fair share of touristy shops - the ones that make you feel a little bit weird when you go in. For example, there was a year-round Christmas shop there. I think the picture will be able to tell a story a lot better than I will:

HOWEVER... There were two places that were absolutely incredible. I would recommend anyone in the Ottawa area to check these spots out if you are a fan of food.

The first words out of my mouth when I walked into Mrs. McGarrigle's Fine Food Shop were "Ohhhh no..", because I knew my wallet (and my stomach) were in big trouble. This place is PACKED full of condiments, chocolates, pasta, cheese, and all things delicious. And the best part? There are samples for almost EVERYTHING. They bake baguettes in-house to serve with the hundreds of jams, mustards and marinades, as well as have a fully functional deli in the back. I'd call it a "Foodie IKEA".

Storefront photo, courtesy of Rideau Heritage Route.
I ended up walking out with a jar of Mrs. McGarrigle's Lemon-Dill Mustard, and a "Garlic Expressions" Classic Vinaigrette that you drizzle over warm bread, use on salads, you name it. It's decadent. I really hope this store ships to BC.

After checking out some bikers and a few more shops, we managed to work up an appetite... Despite all the samples ingested, as previously mentioned. We headed over to The Yellow Canoe Cafe, which has a killer patio and even better food. They make all of their bread in house for their top notch sandwiches, and have a massive array of sweets for after lunch.

Patio photo, courtesy of Yellow Canoe Cafe
With that said, my #1 suggestion for what to get here is boozy (surprise, surprise). Get the Sangria. It's kind of like fruit salad in a glass, so that constitutes as a meal in itself... right? It was a whole lot of very berry goodness, loaded (no pun intended) with strawberry slices, blueberries and raspberries. This will taste even better on the patio, while you're taking in the sunshine.

This is your prescription for relaxation, my friends.

The remainder of my time was spent somewhere even more relaxing - my uncle Bob & Auntie Carol's place. It had been 10 years since I'd been there. I am already trying to think up reasons to go back and spend more time with my amazing family and wonderful second cousins I got to hang out with for the first time.