Edgar Is Serving Up Their 2014 Calendar

Edgar re-opened yesterday after a much deserved holiday break and so I headed over specifically to pick up my 2014 Edgar calendar.

Flavour wizard and owner Marysol Foucault recently took Gold at the regional Gold Medal Plates competition here in Ottawa last November, winning her a spot to compete nationally. Ron Eade, food journalist and retired Food editor at the Ottawa Citizen, detailed that event.

The proceeds from the calendars are intended to defray travel costs for the Edgar team flying to Kelowna in February. Led by Marysol, they are going head to head with ten other top Canadian chefs at the Gold Medal Plates' Canadian Culinary Championships.

The calendar is a compilation of pictures that includes Marysol herself and also her colleagues from the wee eatery in Gatineau. What impressive team spirit and a great show of support.

Marysol is Miss July.  She looks quite confident in her high-style swimwear and go-go boots. I seriously doubt any of her other competitors will have employed that kind of spunk and ingenuity just to get their entourage out to the west coast.

But it won't be her swimsuit that will win this competition.  It will be her incredibly innate sense for understanding the complexity of flavours.  Marysol knows how to make them and she knows how to lay them down together.  Although the accomplished artist in her will help to create plates of beauty, in the end, flavour will be her secret weapon. Something the judges will not ignore.

Of course I couldn't have a mid-afternoon visit to Edgar without my requisite mug of Cha Yi Rooibos Safari tea.  I like the peace and quiet in the place at that time of the day. To sit, arms stretched out at the front window as the team behind me takes a breath following the lunch rush.  They are regrouping to get ready for the take-out crowd coming at the end of the day for their prepared meals.

I can't resist her chocolate dipped coconut macaroons.  A substantial mound it is.  I conquered it handily.

Cha Yi Rooibos Safari Tea $2.50. Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroon $2.

Marysol Foucault's food has been turning heads - those of her dining clientele and food critics alike - since Edgar opened October 2010 and Odile which opened in May 2012 (she has since closed Odile to manage her workload).

By all indications, her future continues to be bright. When her name is bandied about freely along with other well-known Canadian chefs, I'll be able to say, "I knew her when....".

The calendar is only $10.  A keepsake for sure.

So, do you want to get a glimpse at Miss July? Then get thee to Edgar. Help Marysol travel to Kelowna to represent the Ottawa-Gatineau region and bring home Gold.

Ten bucks. Just ten bucks. It's a steal.

Edgar
60 rue Bégin
Gatineau (Hull sector), Quebec
819.205.1110

Tues to Fri: 10 am - 6:30 pm
Sat: 10 am - 5 pm (Brunch 10 am - 2 pm)
Sun: 9:30 am - 5 pm (Brunch 9:30 am - 2 pm)
Mon: Closed

Facebook:  Edgar
Twitter: ChezEdgar
Web:  www.chezedgar.ca

Farewell to Odile

I've had a number of days now to absorb the news that Marysol Foucault plans to close Odile at the end of August (only 15 months young) and focus her energy on her first restaurant, Edgar, which she opened in October 2010.

The mister and I dropped into Odile a few weeks ago.  Without a reservation, they gave us spots on the high stools where we had a full view of the action in the kitchen.

I had been craving something rhubarb.  With 18 pounds nestled in my own freezer, I could have easily solved this problem myself.  But my rhubarb-y senses told me that Marysol was likely the doctor to write the prescription I needed.  It seemed foolish to self-medicate.

 

As predicted, the dessert was spot on.  A hefty chunk of orange pound cake sitting in macerated strawberries and rhubarb compote. It was adorned with cool, creamy balls of avocado lime sorbet and strawberry ginger ice cream. Playfully arranged on top were sweet little gooseberries.

The dessert was a shining example of why her food stands out in this town.  It is creative. The dishes have depth of flavour and character.  They are loosely precise and artistically presented. Not necessarily formal.  Definitely fun.

Odile will have regular dinner service until mid-month.  Then starting Wednesday, August 21, for the last 8 dinners closing out Odile, Marysol will be amping up her 'playful'.  Expect the unusual. Bring your adventurous self and come on out. Without a reservation, your wait in line should be just as enjoyable as your time at your table.  Reminisce with regulars or indoctrinate the 'I-always-wanted-to-come-here-but-never-quite-made-it' team.

I'll miss the linger-shminger that her sit-down place allows for in a dining-out date-night experience.  Though I, like many, can draw solace knowing her kitchen creativity can still be had at Edgar.  Most notable, her brunches. A different venue. A different time of the day. A different vibe. But thankfully still Marysol, through and though.

Three Weekend Brunches Here in Ottawa-Gatineau

As a couple, our weekend mornings are often lazy and slow to get moving.

The first button pushed as our feet hit the warmth of our kitchen's oak floor, is to rev up Silvia The Espresso Machine. That girl is almost vintage now at 11 1/2 years. She's bullet-proof reliable  We have fun getting all science-y - frothing our milky micro-bubbles, measuring our grinds and weighing the espresso output, all in an effort to pull the perfect shot.

Eventually the curtains are drawn on our full wall of windows, letting the light flood in. No matter how grey and snowy, it brightens our morning nest.

Sometimes there is music. Sometimes CBC. More often than not we just sit quietly together and read. No one more hurried than the other. It is relaxing and easy. Truth be told, it is me who is slowing down for this togetherness feeling.

As time passes, the growling starts and the stomachs call out. That morning feast can be anything from steel cut oats to crêpes and fruit salad. We let the fridge and pantry decide.

But when the mister is not home, my 'type-A, morning girl' personality usurps the agenda. Over the past month I have happily been accepting brunch dates and even venturing on my own.

Here is some of what I have been tasting as I brunched around town.

Domus Cafe [87 Murray Street, Ottawa]: Crispy East Coast Fish Cake with wilted greens, crème fraîche, soft boiled egg and citrus-caper marmalade. $24

gezellig [337 Richmond Road, Ottawa]: Fritatta with chorizo, fresh herbs, chèvre, cherry tomatoes and fingerling home fries. $13

Odile [47 rue Montclair, Hull]: Smoked salmon, poached eggs, capers, Brussels sprouts, fennel and fingerling potatoes. $14

What have I learned? I do like eggs but I like them best soft and jiggly.  Go easy on the carbs. Hold the bread and toast. Load me up on veggies, if you can. They are full flavour and the colour makes for pretty. If you can make a killer coffee, my head will turn. Price and location do matter.

Big bright windows, cozy seats and a relaxing atmosphere will have me feeling like I am right at home.

Odile in Hull - Sunday Brunch

 

It has taken me 6 visits to Odile to figure out that I go when I am missing my honey. Another habit of mine is to roll into Marysol's kitchen just before closing time.

Today they served 90+ covers and I was the last of the day. That seems like not a bad start to the new year on their first weekend open for 2013.

The twenty-seater is cozy and not too loud when it is full. I slide into the only empty table. Sitting alone I just soak it all in. A multi-generational family, good friends catching up, lovestruck couples whiling away their Sunday hours. Even on a grey, drizzly day (which I happen to love), the small eatery has a sunny brightness to it, with the big windows, light wood tables and white walls.

Brunch is usually a 3 choice offering. The duck was a hit and when it sold out, owner/chef Marysol  Foucault and her trusty kitchen partner, Justin Tse, developed the dish that I would come to select. Fingerling potatoes, smoked salmon, poached eggs, capers, Brussels sprouts and fennel ($14). My honey probably would have picked the same.

Sometimes I get lucky for being a lingerer and Marysol has a moment for a hello. I wow at all the attention she and Odile have been receiving in the local papers and city magazines, cookbooks and gal chef cook-ups, 'best of' and 'top 10' lists. She's cheffing February 8 for Takeover Weekend at Oz Kafe. We chat about the 'old' days.

I like the front ....? We don't know what to call it. Even in French. A portico? No that's not quite right. I guess it's a vestibule. It smells of cedar. And even on the inside, it has style with its bows of green. She confirms the Christmas lights adorning the side windows will stay a bit longer. They must.

It's habit to pitch in. I bring my plate to the back and help tidy the tables. Then bucket brigade dirty dishes across the small space. A mom thing perhaps, we wonder. Kindly, Marysol tells me I'm too young to be House Mom at Odile. It's closing time. The visit was short but restful.

Steely and determined in the kitchen, Marysol's tender-hearted self asks after the honey. How is he? Is he okay? I breathe a sigh of relief and say yes, yes he's fine.
 

Sitting outside for a bit, I reflect. It really is good food. Always so pretty. Perfectly plated. Flavours delicately balanced. It comforts. The way 'you can count on me' does when you seek out that strength.

No surprise, I suppose, that I go to Odile when I am missing my honey.

ODILE
47 rue Montclair (at the corner of Berri)
Hull, Quebec
819.205.4425
Facebook: Odile
Twitter: chezodile

Wed to Fri: 5:30 - 9:30 pm
Sat: 9:30 am - 2 pm; 5:30 - 9:30 pm
Sun: 9:30 am - 2 pm

Odile is Habit Forming

Odile is habit forming.

Day 4 of Odile's opening week and I returned for lunch. If my Saturday brunch visit was any indication, this was going to be memorable. Again.

Odile is Marysol Foucault's second eatery opened 19 months following Edgar's arrival at 60 rue Bégin in Hull. She prepares high quality, local, seasonal food at both locations.




I quenched the high heat of the day with a Pamplemoussi - sparkling water, grapefruit juice and ginger syrup ($3.25) The serving size is substantial.



Then on to the lunch choices.



I picked the seared halibut accompanied with grape tomatoes, tapenade, capers, eggplant fondant, fiddleheads, black quinoa and of all things, daisy buds. ($16)



I had NO room for dessert but hoped to leak the house-made lemon gelato around and through the lunch crevices.

Marysol delivered the bad news that it was all sold out. She insisted that the the tarte tatin must be tried [at least that's how I remembered it ;) ] and I had this treat on the house. Pear and pistachio praline. Marysol whips her cream by hand so with muscles like that, resistance is futile.



I regret that I only saw her Rocket espresso machine as I said my good-byes and thank-you's. That would have made for a fine, fine finish. Next time.

Yep, Odile is habit forming.

Odile
47 rue Montclair (at the corner of Berri)
Hull, Quebec
819.205.4425
Facebook: Odile
Twitter: chezodile

Odile is Open

Odile is open.

When Marysol Foucault's vision of her first eatery, Edgar, came to fruition Halloween weekend 2010, who knew that this dynamo culinary queen of tastes, quality and presentation would dare to be on to a second location so soon.

Odile is larger than the 11-seater Edgar, though still somewhat compact. Along with a few floor tables, there is a full wall banquette allowing for a lingering sit-down visit at typical restaurant sized tables. High stools line up at a counter for those craving a view of the outdoors and the side patio scene. (A patio also larger than Edgar's.) A few high stools also give you a close up view of the open kitchen. Her overall feel is bright and inviting.

The Odile experience comes with table service. The brunch menu presented on this first day offered 3 mouth-watering choices.





Wanting protein, I picked the "Forestier". Two poached eggs, fingerling potatoes, double smoked lardons, mixed mushrooms, fiddleheads, brown butter, arugula oil. Slices of fresh bread on the side served with herbes salées du Bas-du-Fleuve. ($14)





As my dish was being made with tender loving care just steps from me in the high heat of the kitchen, I sipped away on my refreshing sparkling lemon soda with a sour cherry reduction. ($3.25) Waiting for me at the bottom of the drink were 10 flavour-soaked cherries for the munch.



Some might consider $14 pricey for a brunch outing. But Marysol will also fill this place too and likely with line-ups out the door. There are plenty of people that want the peace of mind that comes with eating local ingredients prepared flawlessly, with layers and layers of flavour so carefully placed in harmony. Marysol is one of the few eateries in the region that delivers on this consistently.

Odile is not just a bigger Edgar. When the liquor license comes through, she will be open for dinner service as well.

I, for one, am delighted to soak in the visionary goodness of Marysol's never-ending ambition.

Odile
47 rue Montclair (at the corner of Berri)
Hull, Quebec
819.205.4425
Facebook: Odile
Twitter: chezodile