Drunk ‘n Lonely ‘n Ottawa?

Looking for Love in all the wrong (or right) places? Happen to be on Elgin Street? Well, here are a few places for the late-night lucky, or the hoping-to-be: The Fire Station (360A Elgin St., 236-5915), The Mayflower (247 Elgin St., 238-3731), Fox & Feather Pub & Swagman Jacks (283 Elgin St., 233-2219), Hooley’s Pub (292 Elgin St., 231-2888), Lieutenant’s Pump (361 Elgin St., 238-2949) or The Bulldog (380 Elgin St., 567-0921). Just remember to keep your nonsense to a minimum; in 2006, a number of
Elgin Street bars and restaurants partnered with the Ottawa police to permanently evict troublemakers from particular establishments, causing anyone to potentially be barred from all bars along the street. If so, you can always make your way across the bridge into Gatineau (in a cab, of course) for Pop-o-Bar (75 Boul. Gréber, 819-246-8382).

Drink At Home in Ottawa!

If you can’t be bothered to go out for your nightlife, call 2-4 Beer & Liquor Delivery Service at 731-2337. Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8:45 p.m. for liquor, and 9:45 p.m. for beer; Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for both.

Bars, Bars, Ottawa Bars

Here are a few places off that beaten path that are worth dropping into. A charming secret in Little Italy is Pubwells (96 Preston St., 236-1175), a quiet working-class bar that features a fine selection of beer and spirits as well as some of the best pizza around, and a good weekend breakfast special. It’s my local, so I might be biased, but I doubt it. Another little spot is the Mad Cow Pub (1070 Bank St., 730-1020) in Old Ottawa South that has musicians performing various country and folk tunes on guitar (and their open-mike Wednesdays offer the usual combination of dreadful and extremely compelling). Still looking for the drink that once drove European artists mad? Well, your search stops here at the Absinthe Cafe Resto Bar (1208 Wellington St., 761-1138). The drink of choice for Oscar Wilde, Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent Van Gogh, Edgar Allen Poe, and Charles Baudelaire, absinthe was banned in France in 1915, but was never outlawed in Canada.

In the heart of the market, the Empire Grill (47 Clarence St., 241-1343) is a good place to spend an afternoon on the patio with martinis, or enjoy some of the finest dining in the city. Don’t let the name fool you; buttless chaps and thigh-high boots are not required when drinking at Kinki (41 York St., 789-7559). If you can put up with the slightly self-conscious hipness, come check out the impressive Asian-fusion cuisine, including two-for-one sushi during happy hours (3-5 p.m., weekdays), and DJs as well as various live musicians from Wednesday to Saturday nights. If mixing dining and politics is more your bag, check out Parliament Pub (101 Sparks St., 563-0636), directly across from the Hill.

If you want to enjoy a martini while listening to a live DJ, the best and coolest place for both is at the Mercury Lounge, (56 Byward Market, upstairs, 789-5324). Or check out the Foundation (18B York St., 562-9331), in one of the few remaining (as they claim) “historically rich, heritage buildings.”
Otherwise, there’s Helsinki Lounge (15 George St., 241-2868), or the Aloha Room beneath Barrymore’s (323 Bank St., 233-0307), where you can get pints and hear the DJ spin tunes from your older brother’s record collection. You might even see some musicians hanging out from shows upstairs, or maybe Gord Downie from the Tragically Hip, just passing through town. Still, I prefer the lounge’s original name: Pete’s Nervous Onion.

If you’re in Corso Italia (Little Italy), check out the centre of all activity: Pub Italia (434&1/2 Preston St., 232-2326, ). “The world’s only Italian pub” (so they tell us), it features 165 distinctive beers from around the world (each with its own glass) with 34 taps, as well as food and ground coffee. Sit in the main section, which is their showcase Belgian pub, The Abbey, or on the outdoor patio.

For yummy blinis, good vodka, weird pickle plates, and intriguing ambience, go to Avant-Garde Bar & Gift Shop (135&1/2 Besserer St., 321-8908). Chosen in 2006 as the unofficial International Animation Film Festival drinking hole and meeting place, here you can get a variety of drinks and a bowl of munchables as you take in their heady decor, a mix of Russian constructivism and artwork inspired by Kandinski. They even play European music videos on the overhead television.

Located downstairs at 370 Elgin Street (231-2070), The Manx Pub is one of those friendly neighbourhood pubs you’d love to have close to where you live. Cornering the market on cool, the Manx Pub often sees the likes of musicians Kathleen Edwards, Jim Bryson, or Danny Michel on any given night, or writers Ken Babstock, John Metcalf, or Michael Winter. Even the staff is made up of writers and artists, including visual artist Andrew Farrell and poet David O’Meara, who hosts a reading series here on irregular Saturday afternoons. With a fine menu for lunch, weekend brunch, dinner, and appetizers, the Manx also offers a range of beers and scotch, as well as regular art shows and musical entertainment on Monday nights. But get there early, as this small venue fills up pretty quickly.

Ottawa Craft

If you want to enjoy a martini while listening to a live DJ and doing crafts, the best and coolest place for both is at a spins + needles night. Hosted at various bars, galleries, legions, or your own private party, Melanie Yugo (crafter/designer) and Jason Pelletier (DJ) offer funky DIY crafts while a perfect beat spins for knit one, purl two. A small cover charge includes materials and instructions.

Ottawa Late Night

Once you’ve exhausted yourself from taking in too much loud music and drink, stop in at one of various late-night establishments, whether it be Vietnamese soup at the late-night Pho-Bo-Ga 2 (843 Somerset St. W., 234-7089), open daily until 5 a.m., the 24-hour Zak’s Diner (14 Byward Market, 241-2401), or the 24-hour
Elgin Street Diner (374 Elgin St., 237-9700).

Ottawa Comedy

For some of the best in live comedy, you can’t really go wrong with the old standard, the Ottawa location of Mark Breslin’s national chain of Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Clubs (88 Albert St., 236-5233); but don’t overlook Little Italy, which has its own small club, Absolute Comedy (412 Preston St., 233-8000), with seven shows a week, running Wednesday to Sunday.

Ottawa Blues

If you can’t wait for July to get to Bluesfest, check out the Rainbow Bistro (76 Murray St., 241-5123, therainbow.ca), the original home of Ottawa’s blues, jazz, and swing scene, offering a friendly, cozy atmosphere with live performances throughout the year. Jeff Healey, Powder Blues, Fathead, Mumbo Jumbo Voodoo Combo, and Roxanne Potvin have all graced the stage over the 20 years the club has been in existence, and they recently put out a retrospective CD of some of their favorite performers. A bit farther outside the downtown core is Tuscon’s (244- Bank St., 738-7596) where you’ll find what they claim is “the best in food and blues.”

Sounds Like Ottawa

A fun thing to do late at night (wandering home from a pub, perhaps) is to walk through the sound sculpture called V.I.P. on the grounds of the new Ottawa City hall (110 Laurier Ave. W.), on the walkway from Laurier running between the two buildings. Designed like a kind of walk-in theremin, the piece is activated by
motion, and plays a range of sound depending on where you stand and what you do between them (the city seems only to turn it off as winter approaches). Currently owned by the City of Ottawa, the piece was made by Michael Bussiere in 1994.

Gay Ottawa

Despite its sleepy government veneer, Ottawa is home to a vibrant gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender population. For proof, just look at the number of bars for the LGBT community. The oldest (still existing) hangout is the Centretown Pub (340 Somerset St. W., 594-0233), with its heritage architecture and outdoor patio. Predominantly for men, there’s Swizzles Bar & Grill (246-B Queen St., 232-4200), with special nights that feature karaoke hosted by Swizzles regular Dog & Pony Sound, Sunday to Tuesday nights, as well as the Dusty Owl Reading Series once or twice a month. The Lookout Bar 41 York St., 789-1624 not only has a great second-floor balcony overlooking the Byward Market, but has regular boys nights and girls nights. It also hosts karaoke with Dog & Pony Sound (see p. 133) on Wednesday nights (they sure do get around!). For other gay clubs, there’s the Edge (212 Sparks St.), for the college crowd. Open at around 10 p.m., with events hosted by drag star Robin de Cradle, the place doesn’t get rippin’ until midnight. The rooftop patio, four floors above the basement bar, is open during the summer. For a more conservative feel, there’s Heaven (400A Dalhousie St., 482-9898), a three-storey club with regular events. Helsinki Lounge (15 George St., 241-2868) has drag shows and dancing on Wednesday nights, and, according to sources, the quickest pick-ups in the city. Touché (87 Clarence St., 241-8787) is good for cheap drinks and cheap dates, complete with an illuminated dance floor. If adventure is your thing, checkout Breathless (318 Lisgar St.), a BDSM community space (above Venus Envy), for swingers and public sex types. One In Ten (216 Bank St., 563-0110) is a sex shop and adult video store, with a back room with “glory holes,” open 24 hours. There are bathhouses too, including Club Ottawa Baths (1069 Wellington St., 722-8978), with a steam room, sauna, showers, and videos, or Steamworks for Men (487 Lewis St., 230-8431) with sauna, whirlpool, steam room, and glory holes (both venues open 24 hours). If you have to ask what glory
holes are, then you probably shouldn’t be going in there.
For further information, check out gayottawa.com.