Happy Canada Day to my northern neighbors! I haven't made it to Canada this year for the…read morefestivities but I have happy memories of a long weekend in Montreal when I got to celebrate Canada Day with fireworks, poutine, smoked meat and vague French accents. Canada is one of three countries that make up North America, the others being the United States and México. Canada was granted independence from the United Kingdom on July 1 1867 as part of the formation of the Dominion of Canada though the term has faded as part of post-colonial nationalism. And that's about all I know about Canadian history. Sorry, friends. We just don't teach it much (or much of anything outside America) in American schools. I've been all about (aboot?) your wonderful nation though I have way more to explore. Only around 240 reviews across six of your ten provinces. I'll do better, I promise! https://www.yelp.com/collection/Gxf6xvx-hAJmXl4V_7f3gw/ [Review 19963 overall - 96 in Ontario - 937 of 2023.]

My track record visiting Ottawa is fascinating. I have visited the city in September once. The…read moremultiple other times have been in November. I tend to take in Remembrance Day ceremonies. I decided to visit Ottawa in July this year. It was a nice change to put away the winter gear and break out summery clothing. Fortunately, I got to take part in the Canada Day celebrations at Parliament Hill. I loved it! I drove to Rideau Centre and parked. I spent several hours taking in the Canadian national anthem, speeches by the Prime Minister and Governor General, and various performances, both dance and song. I stood behind the gates at Parliament Hill. It was fine until a dog liked my left leg and decided it was a good place to pee. The dog didn't pee on my leg or shoe, thankfully. The dog's aim was horrible, but it worked out perfectly for me! I enjoyed performances by K'naan, Alan Doyle from Great Big Sea, William Prince, and more at around noon and stayed there until nearly 3 pm. They were all great. Sadly, I forgot to apply sunscreen, so my arms nearly matched the red on my Canada t-shirt. Lesson learned! I am peeling these days. How attractive! Ottawa does Canada Day well. It was wonderful seeing everyone in red and white, showing off their Canadian pride. It was simply a great day. After the performances, I went to Rideau Centre and ByWard Market to walk around. You can take in some shopping and buskers, respectively. It's also fun to walk on streets that are typically buzzing with traffic. There are fireworks and even more performances at night. I decided to skip them and watch at the hotel. I needed a break from the heat and enjoyed the air conditioning. I do recommend giving Canada Day a try in Ottawa. You'll feel great that you did. (241)

Being the glutton that I am, one of the that things I love about Ottawa is all the food festivals…read more I'm only there once a month, but I've already been to a few in the past year.  When a friend was in town visiting my wife, we were looking for some food while doing a mix of tourist-y stuff and less interesting errands that I was running while in possession of a car. Always on the look out for trying new food trucks as I am, I gave the Street Food App a look, and saw that a couple were located in front of city hall. Knowing that this is where a lot of events occur, I delved a little further and found out that there was a mac and cheese food fest going on. This was going to happen. The mac and cheese fest wasn't to the scale of poutine fest(s) or others that have been held in the same space. Maybe it was because it was just the mid-afternoon, but there was just a handful of slingers of cheese-y decadence, a couple dessert ones, and a lone leomade vendor to sate your thirst. The beergarden was empty, save one couple whose motto was likely "it's five o'clock somewhere" and the band soldiering on despite sound issues and the lack of an audience.  However, when you're there for a simple meal and not to engage in a full out day of pasta gorging, you don't need that much selection. I picked out Smoke n' Steam, a rustic-looking hut on top of a trailer, as they had several types of mac and cheese to choose from, and at a more respectable price point than some of their competitors. Among their options there was chunky bacon, shrimp, hotdog (for the young and young at heart), and what I ended up going with, the Reuben. There wasn't much of a line up, so we quickly had our orders in and then in hand, taking seat in the nearby colourful Muskoka chairs.  The container was generously filled with big hunks of smoked meat, sauerkraut, and pasta in a white cheese sauce that was presumably Swiss, in true Reuben fashion. It was the type of mac and cheese that called out to be mixed altogether, mostly since I'm not enough of a sauerkraut fan to want mouthfuls of just that. Everything came together quite nicely, as the sauerkraut cut through the richness of the cheese and smokey, tender meat, but wasn't too funky. The pasta itself was a tight spiral similar to gemelli, and was a nice al dente, which was pleasant to find, since pasta served at big events like this can often be over cooked from sitting in a heating tray. I got an order of their smoked meat mac and cheese to take home to my studious wife, and look forward to trying Smoke n' Steam's regular menu of smoked meat goodness in the future.

Best food truck in the city! The smoked meat is out of the world. Have been looking for something…read moreto remind me of Montreal and this is above and beyond. Best smoked meat I have ever had.

Amazing taco truck. The al pastor with pineapple was amazing, so much flavour. Only con is the…read moreprice for the size but I get everything is increasing to adjust the rising cost of ingredients.

Customer oriented service was excellent…read more The trailer they are cooking out of is well kept and clean. They appear to be working out of (beside) Tai Social, similar to Hugo's Cafe (inside). We tried Pork, beef, veggie and shrimp tacos. Everything was well cooked and tasty. Notably, there was no chicken taco. The tacos are on the wetter side, sloppy, so wear suitable clothing! The weather was beautiful, so this was the perfect dinner stop.

After hearing some buzz about a bacon mac and cheese from a food truck I hadn't tried yet, I made…read moreit my mission to venture out to the confusing Ottawa U campus to find it on my lunch hour. I'm not at all familiar with this campus, so it took us a little while to find it, however, I believe it is pretty much stationed in the same spot and does not really move around like other trucks do. The S'Mac and Cheese, as they call it, has bacon, old cheddar, crispy jalapenos and onions, truck red sauce, herbs, and buttermilk dressing. I believe it was around $10 for the bowl, but I found it to be surprisingly large for a food truck meal and could have easily been shared (but I didn't, of course, because I'm greedy like that). It was just too good to stop eating, so I guess I must have just scarfed it down without a second thought. It was creamy and cheesy, and the red truck sauce was a welcomed addition, but I was mostly impressed with how crispy the bacon and jalapenos were, even after covering the container and walking back to work. There was a bit of a kick to it, but nothing really spicy, and I was actually pretty impressed that this wasn't your standard street food. The quality was no different than that of a sit-down restaurant. In fact, I've paid more for less quality and taste at restaurants than what I got from Relish. My only (minor) complaint was that we did have to wait awhile for it, more than 10 minutes, and there was nowhere to sit at the time. A lineup started to form behind us, but the people running the truck were extremely sweet and did their best to keep up with the demand. Their items vary day to day, but usually include three main dishes, one of which may be vegetarian, and a dessert. The items can include curry dishes, burgers, tacos, sandwiches, or their famous S'Mac and Cheese, and cookies, cakes, or fried donuts for dessert. If I remember correctly, I thought I saw a post on their Facebook page that said students from Ottawa U could use their meal plan credits there as well. I appreciate that they post their menu for the following day on their Facebook page, and any other updates, such as unexpected closures, so you wouldn't be making the trip there for nothing. Their Facebook page currently shows that they're closed Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, but not sure if this changes with the season.

If there's something pretty reliable about me, it's that I don't care for fancy food. I'm pretty…read moreunadventurous when it comes to the standbys of my own culture: burgers, pizza, and so on. I can get a little crazy with ethnic food, but for me messing with the classics results in just a mess. This truck, though. Wow. They only have weird stuff, and with the two times I've been there it's always been fabulous. Last time I had a meatloaf on a bun with some crazy green sauce. To drink I had a stawberry-watermelon-basil fizzy. Try out this truck. It's really something. On the campus of uOttawa.

Wow. No words. AMAZING…read more There's no sign for Sasha, just a white sack that says poutine, hot dogs, sausages. There's seating in the back. Amazing. No words it was immaculate. Poutine had lots of gravy and cheese curds, every bite had the perfect ratio. Even with so much sauce and cheese, fries are crispy even after 30 minutes of eating. The gravy is so well flavored, I liked the bowl clean of the gravy with my sausage. The polish sausage was amazing- Smokey juicy and grilled so yummy. The bread was soft and melted so well with the sausage. I put some gravy on top of the sausage and wow. A MUST! CASH ONLY BTW! The lady so sweet and explained the different flavorings of the sausages :) SO WORTH IT! The best places are the local mom and pop shops! :)

Regrettably, I did not get poutine, but I did get a sausage and it was great!…read more I'm not normally in this area at all, especially at night on a weekend, but we were on the patio at the Laff across the street for a friend's birthday and wanted some grub with our drinks after the Laff's kitchen had closed. We walked over to this little stand, which I actually had no idea existed, to get something quick to-go. There was no line late on a Friday night. We got a few different sausages and poutines and brought them back over to eat on the Laff's patio. It had been a long while since I had a grilled Polish sausage, so that's what I got with a little ketchup, mustard, and some chopped raw white onions. The sausage was perfect, tasty, hot, and not overcooked, just what I was craving and very satisfying. There was only one person behind the counter, a young guy who was very sweet, super fast, and we were really impressed he remembered everything we ordered. They have a small menu of your standard chip wagon fare - fries and poutine, hot dogs and sausages, pogos, and drinks, plus ice cream. Great spot that's open late (until 3am I think) for before/during/after a night out at the bars.

I just came out of an awesome yoga class at Yogatown when I realized I didn't have enough change…read morefor the bus. I walked over to Preston Shawarma to use the ATM, but didn't find anything there that I wanted to buy to get some change. The Town Fryer is a yellow truck directly beside Yogatown and pretty visible, but you can smell fried potatoes from a block or two away. I chose a smoked bratwurst sausage for $5 flat instead of fries or poutine. They also have Polish sausage, turkey sausage, and other typical food truck fare, plus coconut water for all of those coming of yoga. The sausage was cut cross-crossed and bun was toasted. The bun seemed a bit rounder/fluffier than usual hot dog buns, but it was toasted a little too much, so it sort of just crumbled everywhere as I ate. The sausage was small but pretty tasty, with a good smokey flavour, as expected. I would've liked it to be cooked a bit longer (I like mine a little burnt), but he made it quickly and I was able to catch my bus in time. Price is average, sausage was pretty good, all in all a good choice, but next time I'd like to try the fries.. maybe just not after yoga :)

This food truck is incredible!!! The food is all so fresh & delicious. Friendly owner sure to put a…read moresmile on your face. Menu has wide variety but the jerk chicken roti is toooo good 10/10 check this local spot out

This food truck packs so much flavour in its food! I always get the jerk chicken poutine or the…read morelamb......I'm not normally a traditional poutine person but god this stuff is good. It's a Caribbean truck so your gonna wait alittle, just like on vacation but seriously worth the wait. The Beef Roti is excellent as well Enjoy