Restaurant Reviews: Earl of Sussex, eating in Almonte, The 3 Brewers, Art Is In

Photo of Oregano's in the ByWard Market
by Shek's Aperture courtesy of Flickr
(Creative Commons)

Now that the weather is getting warmer, here are some recent restaurant reviews that contain some possible suggestions for eating out.

Sybaritica offers a good review of the Earl of Sussex at 431 Sussex.  "Someday, I would love to visit this place in the evening when there is a bit of a crowd but, for a Saturday afternoon, it is a very nice and comfortable place to while away a few hours," reads the review. "I don’t see myself rushing back there for the food, especially, but I still enjoyed my meal and received excellent service.

Turning to the Ottawa Valley, the blog If Music Be the Food of Love, Play on, reviews the Heirloom Café Bistro in Almonte (see also Facebook page and Twitter account).  "Prices are quite reasonable for the setting and food quality," reads the review.  "Service was attentive and helpful. The food exquisitely prepared."

In a separate post, If Music Be the Food ... writes about the clam chowder at Art Is In Bakery (see here for Facebook and Twitter accounts).  For its part, In a Nutshell reviews Supply and Demand.

Finally, Ottawa Citizen food critic Peter Hum gives a lukewarm review of The 3 Brewers at 240 Sparks. "Beef Bourguignon ($14.99) was a disappointing rendition of the great stew, with dry chunks of meat supported by very ordinary sauce and noodles," writes Hum.  "Similarly, a friend who ordered the 3 Brewers burger ($12.99) found it overcooked and tasteless, while the sweet potato fries that came with it were not much better."

As for the beer?  "I’ll share the assessments of the Citizen’s beer columnist Vito Pilieci," reads the review.  "He thinks highly of the white and blond brews, appreciating a glass of the latter that was particularly fresh. But he found samples of the amber thin and the brown roasty but under-carbonated."