Drinks were called Conductor and the other was called Jump up and kiss me. It’s true. Had both glasses at home. There was also a bar called Brandies next door sound that time.
Loved this place, I worked their around 79-81. Use to love the meatball sandwiches, yumm. Was always a busy place and then there was Scotland Yard bar next door, a good place to have a brew after work.
Several of my friends and I got jobs there right at the beginning. What fun. Many went on to bigger and better in the ottawa restaurant scene. Spumoni ice cream is all I remember from the menu.
Night Out in Lost Ottawa, featuring the menu from the Old Spaghetti Factory on York Street.
The menu doesn’t seem exactly exciting, although many people remember the Spaghetti with the Burnt Butter and Mizithra cheese. The prices are astonishing, even for the era this restaurant lasted, which was 1975 to 1986.
Alas, no drinks menu, so no “Jump Up and Kiss Me!”
(From a book of collected menus I found in the vertical files of the public library.)
The waiting bar for the Factory Scotland Yard, was a great place to hang out in. Especially when you knew the bouncer. lol. Many good memories in both of those places!
In the top left corner it says they accept Mastercard, American Express and CX that would be Chargex….I have not heard that in decades…. LOL Wow, steak and spaghetti for $7.00…. thats unheard of now days. Its move than $7.00 for just the spaghetti alone now never mind the steak. LOL
Used to love going there in the 70’s. A lot younger then, I used to eat the lasanga, warm mini loaf bread with garlic butter and SPUMONI ICECREAM for after. Almost rolled out of there wih my overfilled belly . Could not get that much down now. Such lovely memories
Met my future wife in Ottawa 1980 and loved going to the Old Spaghetti Factory on York St. Still together after 43 years along with our special glasses on Vancouver Island
Let’s say you’re sitting around one day fondling your money when three brothers burst in and ask you to invest in their really terrific restaurant idea.
You: OK guys. First brother: We want to start this restaurant chain in old factories and warehouses. We’d like to open near skid row in Vancouver, in Winnipeg’s warehouse district, in an old building on The Esplanade, a dying area near Toronto’s waterfront, and in a warehouse in Ottawa’s farmers’ market.
You: OK, you’re putting restaurants in slum buildings. What the devil is the decor?
Second brother: Used furniture. Lot’s of it. And old drawings, junk, street signs, barber chairs, street cars, stained glass windows, old machinery, and…
You: Sure guys. Sure. And what are you going to serve?
Third brother: Mostly spaghetti.
You: Anyone can make spaghetti. How can you feature spaghetti? And how are you going to make money on a cheap dish like that?
Third brother: Well we have different sauces. One of them tastes a bit like a fish chowder and another features burnt butter.
I wouldn’t have invested in an operation serving spaghetti in warehouses located in run-down districts and filled with second-hand furniture. And I would have made a mistake. Successful chain By doing basically what I’ve outlined, three millionaire Canadians, the Poulas brothers, have built-up one of Canada’s most successful and profitable restaurant chains, the Old Spaghetti Factories.
Hamalainen’s new sign can be seen a long way off –in fact, he hopes people in Britain will notice it. The 34-year-old Finnish-born artist has built what he believes is the largest hand-carved pub sign in existence, and wants to make sure the world, and the Guinness Book of World Records, know about it. The sign, which went up this week in front of the York Street building housing the Old Spaghetti Factory, Brandy’s, and Scotland Yard, measures 2.82 metres high, 2.9S metres wide and weight approximately 1.200 kilograms.
Made of British Columbian cedar, it is elaborately carved on both sides with the logos of the three establishments. As Spaghetti Factory employee Ryan Memory put it, “From a distance, it looks like a big engraved piece of chocolate.” “1 Hamalainen, a graphic artist who sculpts as a hobby, first got the idea from a newspaper article about pub signs, a popular form of art in England. He had previously sold a smaller sculpture to the Spaghetti Factory and when the restaurant owners asked him to build a sign, “this was my opportunity.”
Hamalainen started working on the sign in February it took 511 hours to build. He took slides of the logos, then projected the images onto the wood before beginning to carve. “I didn’t want to make any spelling mistakes,” he said Wednesday. Although the Guinness Book doesn’t yet have a category for pub signs, Hamalainen said he hopes his entry will be accepted, adding that the book does list the world’s largest neon sign. And while he’s not completely sure his sign is the world’s largest, he’s optimistic.
Ottawa Found – check your own facts. Skyline was built by Campeau Corporation and designed by Campeau’s chief architect, Peter Dobbing. Ian, you’re right about the bowl on height limits, but Campeau still had to get permission to exceed the height permitted for that location. It was quite a fuss at the time and once this exemption was granted, the others followed.
My old boss, Harry Koffman, also said it was Campeau who was responsible for the height restriction easing. Harry owned the Belle Claire on Queen St. and he and his brother Sammy held out until 1974 before selling to Cadillac Fairvee. By then, it was worth a small fortune.
my uncle Gilbert Vezina was the boss electrician on that job He told me that a one horse power motor was all that was needed to turn the restaurant around
The Rotating Restaurant was at the “Holiday Inn”….now the Mariott Hotel, I worked at this hotel, which was built by Campeau as part of the Place de Ville complex, this hotel was originally built as an apartment complex, before opening as the Holiday Inn, with the rotating restaurant (room still rotates today) as La Ronde,….Dan D
It was called Le Ronde if my memory serves me correctly and was at the now Marriott. My boss took our department there for Christmas in early70’s. They had the best “ Steak Dianne”!
It was built by Campeau and very controversial because it broke the city height bylaws that protected the view of the Parliament Buildings. All those anonymous glass and steel blocks have followed. It really was the beginning of “Lost Ottawa”, along with the demolition of the Flats of course.
Had my wedding reception there! 1972. They put together a package deal—- I got married at 7:00 pm. The deal was for 40 people— hors d’ourves, wine for the toasts, the wedding cake, bridal suite for the night and breakfast in the morning for 6 people. My Dad paid for the open bar. All that for the princely sum of—- wait for it———$131.75. I still have the bill. Soft spot for the old Skyline!
A lot of newbies, including myself, would make the error of putting their briefcase or purse on the window ledge. When the meal was finished. the latter would have “magically” disappeared. You would then have to walk around the entire loop of the restaurant, to find your missing item. This was particularly interesting, if the person involved had consumed a few beverages during the meal.
My husband Denis and I stayed at the hotel the first night we were married and the following night we had a wonderful dinner at the restaurant. The rotation was so slow that you did not feel it moving the only reason you knew it was rotating is because the scenery was changing.
I own a vibraphone (mallet percussion instrument) that came from LaRonde originally, and apparently lived there for years. I guess any serious dinner restaurant had to have their own vibraphone to go with the lounge music of that era….?
Blind Pig brings back memories… I used to live downtown in the late 70’s and drank there all the time. The bands that played there were great. I ate at La Ronde once with the family and that was enough for me. The movement, although slow, made me so sick.
It was certainly a novelty, and a great place to dine and enjoy the bright lights and landmarks of down town Ottawa at night, as the La Ronde restaurant rotated at a slow pace. Had a few company celebration dinners there.The most difficult part of an evening was trying to find your table location after a washroom visit. The ride up and down in the high speed elevator also added a thrill !
Gazing out over the Parliament Buildings and the Ottawa River in June of 1971. Wouldn’t this be quite the Ottawa coffee break — or possibly he’s having a smoke?.
I don’t have access to the Ottawa Journal, but I think this chap is working on the Holiday Inn (the one with the spinning restaurant on top) — which is now the Marriott (with the rarely spinning and not usually-open restaurant on top).
I wonder if the would spin it up if we held a Lost Ottawa dinner in there!
Holiday Inn, then a Radisson, now a Marriott. Stayed there for the first time in the late 70s. Benito Migliorati, now GM of the Chateau Vaudreuil outside of Montreal, was F&B Manager. Was a franchise operated by Commonwealth Holiday Inns of Canada Ltd of London,ON…”the most accommodating people in the world”. Had a Sunday Brunch in La Ronde (the name of the revolving restaurant at the time), during a fam trip weekend hosted during Winterlude 1988 by Kensel Tracy, then with Ottawa CVB. Stayed there again in Oct/2011 when Markus Fisher was DOSM.
Hi everyone: this is actually my grandfather: Gilbert Pilon. He’s 86 now and he loves this photo. He’ll be thrilled to know so many people are getting a kick out of this photo today.
Dude is probably thinking, the Portage Bridge to the discos is gonna be completed in 6 years and then it will be 43 years and counting before the next one to La Ferme Rouge Dance Hall.
As a reporter with The Ottawa Citizen, I was assigned to write a story about the revolving restaurant — a marvel coming to Ottawa. Went up to the roof with photographer and site manager on the construction elevator and had the magnificent view of the city , the river and the Gatineau Hills. I think this experience gave me the fear of heights which I still have all these years later. In its day, it was a wonderful place to go for a meal on a special occasion.
Fine dining justifies trip to the top of the Marriott It was a masterpiece night for dining 29 floors high: the evening sky was clear, the sun blazed over the Gatineau Hills, a squadron of kayaks pirouetted down the Ottawa River. It would have been the perfect evening to haul tourists to the top of the Marriott Hotel to see the panoramic splendour that is Ottawa on a late August night. As it was, I dined in the excellent company of two local friends along with my husband and brother, for whom such beauty should have been familiar. Still, 29 floors up and going ’round and ’round, it can all look new. The view alone was a tonic for us jaded Ottawa old-timers. We do live in a good-looking city. And we ate in a restaurant that’s been part of the city for more than 29 years … though, in different incarnations.
The Ottawa Marriott is what became of the Radisson Hotel, and Merlot is what happened to La Ronde. The only part of the former La Ronde restaurant that remains at Merlot is the revolving part. The restaurant spins .;. slowly. (Still, I take no chances and face forward. My dinner always stays ahead of me in rotating eateries.) In a 1995 review, I wrote, “La Ronde is a restaurant that has a big view, a big menu and big prices. What you are paying for is being up high and going around in circles. That may be worth the price, but the food is not. Nor is the service.” In 1995, I would not have brought a tourist to show off the city from the 29th floor of the Radisson Hotel. (At least, not to eat.) But, based on my dinner experience at Merlot, I would grab a dozen.
The meal was not flawless. Mistakes were made. But not many. And they were mostly forgivable, given the obvious efforts made and pains taken to get things right. There was much that was right with the bread basket offerings (although they could lose the flavoured butter balls, they scream “hotel”) and with the appetizers we sampled. My weakness in restaurants, generally, is for the starters. I could happily eat an entire meal from The only part of the former La Ronde restaurant that remains at Merlot is the revolving part. that portion of the menu alone. And here, it was indeed the starters that caught our attention. A potato leek and Stilton soup, enriched with Port, was memorable for its intense flavour, perfect seasoning, rich chicken broth and its dappled oil surface. A second soup boasted perfect seafood in a delightful tomato broth, spiked with chili-heat, perfumed with fennel and cilantro and floating “purses” of grated vegetables and herbs encased in crisp wonton wrappers.
Medallions of sashimi-grade tuna were quiveringly-good: the outside crusted with cracked pepper and flash- seared but, inside, a glorious purple-flesh, utterly rare, prettily settled on a won-tcfli “crisp” treated with black sesame seed and coarse salt. Surrounding the rare tuna and its crisp bed were braised baby bok choy and black-eyed peas in a pool of subtle curry-spiced sauce. Blueberries and jus de cassis provided the sweet touch in the dark rosemary-scented sauce for the sweetbreads, the nuggets tender and perfectly paired with wild mushrooms and strips of crisp pancetta. If I had a quibble with this one it would be the salt, which was too much for my taste. We had three completely delightful main dishes and two that were less so. My salmon (“fresh from the icy waters of Alaska”) was sadly, nastily overcooked. Had I not been on the job I would have sent it back.
The pork tenderloin was surrounded with terrific, tasty things: nuggets of roasted potato, onion, peppers and a compote of softened apples and sweet, dried cranberries all treated with a whisky-doused sauce. But the pork itself was grey and had a stewed taste and texture that were disappointing. Much better was my husband’s rack of lamb, perfectly roasted to medium-rare, coated with coarse mustard and served with a classic mint-infused lamb jus reduction. A colourful salsa, of corn and tomatoes and “calypso” beans cuddled up with buddy Jane’s terrific, slow-roasted, juicy chicken. Also on that plate were roasted portobello mushrooms and surprisingly light gnocchi, perfumed with lemon and sage. It all worked. And finally, the loin of deer, intensely gamey, dark and rich, with a full-bodied wine sauce that balanced.
Ottawa Marriott Hotel 100 Kent St., 783-4212 Food: Good to excellent. Accessible: Elevator to the penthouse level. Access from there is up a flight of stairs. Wheelchair access possible through service elevator. Price: Appetizers, $12 to $14; main dishes, $20 to $34. Hours: Dinner service only, Tuesday through Sunday. came with hardy roasted root vegetables and a touch of fragility too, in the form of ag-nolotti (like a big ravioli) lightly stuffed with mushrooms and herbs. Yum. For dessert, we enjoyed a maple mousse cake of glorious maple flavour and a delightful concoction of oh-so-dark chocolate, which had been moulded into an espresso cup, complete with handle, and filled with impossibly rich chocolate ganache. Both desserts were gloriously presented with all the spun sugar flourishes and ripe fruit garnishes you would expect from a pastry chef artist. At $7 and $9 respectively, they were a steal. A round of cappucinos, that arrived piping hot, despite the 29-floor elevator ride they endured (because of a defunct machine en haut) completed our evening. We splurged on a bottle (two, actually) of Berringer Merlot (from a lengthy list that held some treasures) and, with those and with all of the above, our bill for dinner for five came, with taxes and tip, to $460. Like we did, you will pay. But this time round, for more than the view and the ride.
DINNER. BY Elizabeth Elmsley View great, You’ve got to admit that after you’ve zipped up 25or so storeys in an elevator then huffed up the last flight of stairs, the view from the Radisson Hotel’s La Ronde is awesome. Spectacular. Enough to take your breath away. And if your breath isn’t taken away by the view, it will surely be sucked out of you when you try to find the washrooms. It’s rather like a game of round and round the mulberry bush as you try to relocate the entrance of this slowly revolving restaurant Once there, you must descend the stairs, turn left and walk a goodly distance. Then, of course, there’s the return journey. In short, dinner at La Ronde is not for the short of breath, the elderly, the incontinent and those with no sense of direction. It can be, however, an enjoyable experience if you adore watching the beauty of Ottawa and the Gatineau Hills roll by and if you enjoy eyeball-ing birds and hot air balloons. It’s been years since I last reviewed La Ronde. I remember saying then that the food had improved immeasurably that it was finally worth the view. Yes there were problems a dish whose flavors warred with each other, an inattentive waiter and a mariachi band whose music drove one to distraction. But generally, I enjoyed the evening. I enjoyed my evening this time as well. But the pleasure had more to do with the view, the attentive service and my companion than, unfortunately, the food.
We got off to a brilliant start. My companion ordered a feuillete filled with oyster, morel and shiitake mushrooms in a chantilly herb sauce ($7.75). It was utterly delicious the pastry flaky and tender, the mushrooms and herb sauce beautifully matched. The same could be said for the es-cargots which had been gently sauteed more like poached in garlic-herb sauce accented with slivers of tart sun-dried tomatoes ($8.25). Excellent Delightful. I wish they’d been our main courses. For here we ventured into the dinner disappointing –yes abyss. It was almost as if there’d been a change in chefs in the kitchen that forms the core of this circular restaurant.
My companion ordered the roast pork tenderloin wrapped in phyllo pastry served with a moutarde de meaux sauce ($21.25) and I ordered the lake trout steamed in a parchment pocket garnished with a julienne of vegetables in a delicate champagne sauce ($21.50). In passing, I should let you know that neither of us was being extravagant in our choices. The pork and the trout are at the very bottom of -La Ronde’s main course prices; for $30 per person, there’s Chateaubriand or grilled filet of venison, for $24 there’s medallions of veal loin or gulf shrimp flambeed with pernod, for $27 there’s braised partridge. We might have done better with ! other selections for the pork a quite intimidating serving, by the way had been cooked to the point where germs stood no chance of survival. It was also dry, tough and chewy. And there wasn’t enough sauce to allow the hunks of meat to slide down. As for my main course well, it certainly was unlike any trout I’ve ever tasted. In fact it very much tasted like the last item on the menu: “Whole Dover sole prepared to your taste.” Now I have eaten quite a bit of Dover sole in my not-so-brief lifetime and a well prepared Dover sole is heaven. But a previously frozen sole that may or may not be Dover is not my idea of a gourmet dining experience. And this wasn’t. For dessert we had a slightly over set creme caramel ($4.25) and an okay raspberry mousse cake ($3.75). The coffee, however, was very good. And, as I mentioned, the view was fantastic.
By Marilyn Mlnnes Don’t place your purse on the window ledge. It will stay there. So will the window ledge. But you, your companions and the dining table will move onwards. It takes about 80 minutes for your return to the same spot. Any restaurant that revolves at 27 storeys (or 2,000 eggs strung shell to shell as determined by a recent promotion) to expose the heart and skyline of a city to the diner, is a tourist come-on. But now La Ronde offers more than that.
In fact the Holiday Inn’s penthouse restaurant has improved its image lately. Mind you, it did have a long way to go. One of the biggest criticisms yesteryear was that service was arrogant, .Waiters were known to tap their pencils impatiently waiting to take an order. There’s still a hint of that, but altogether La Ronde has become much less stuffy. Our waiter was even noted to have offered and performed the cutting up of a youngster’s meat an operation that was deftly handled. However, he wasn’t much impressed with our order of a Canadian wine, Moulin Blanc, at $1.90 a bottle. It along with other Canadian wines, are the only ones left to be had for under $5. And that’s at the old prices.
I had a glimpse of the new listings, ready for when the older-priced stock runs out. The tab for Pouilly-Vinzelles, now $11.05, will soar to $22. And that’s enough to take away anyone’s appetite. What else does La Ronde offer you? Six nights a week, there’s music to dance by (dinner guests only), with time to enjoy the dance floor between courses The music is good, requests can be made, the room is romantic.
Half-price for half portions, dimmed and, as the sunlight fades, single carnations on each table gracefully silhouetted against the panoramic view of Ottawa by night. As for the food, it remains mediocre. The occasional dish is better than that. Nothing is outstanding. The only unacceptable item was the Caesar’s salad ($5 for two) that had been carefully prepared at the table with all the right ingredients to give it healthy zip, including copious bits of bacon, crisp croutons and a shower of parmesan. But tossed into the dressing were romaine leaves that had faded and were limp and tasteless.
We started with an appetizer of smoked salmon ($4.50), short on flavor but ample in quantity. Plated arrange arranged with capers, rings of onion, creamy horseradish, tomato wedges and a small creamed cheese sandwich. Our main course choices were scampi amoureuse ($15.25), the delicately-flavored crusacean sauteed (at the table) with shallots and tomato and then flamed with pernod and cream. It is a tasty dish, complemented by a bed of bland rice, and colorfully presented with plain frozen green beans and what appeared to be canned baby carrots.
Like the scampi, the veal scaloppine ($11.50) was tender; tasty and well prepared. Again the vegetables were the weak sisters: overcooked zucchini and not-quite-crisp fried potato balls. Other main course items include fish and shellfish, steaks and roast, chicken tarragon, rack of lamb ($28.50 for two), Chateaubriand ($28.50 for two), veal kidney and pork tenderloin. Points must be given for plates that remained hot throughout; a menu showing off a few Canadian specialties, namely salmon and fiddleheads; and explicit descriptions of both the dinner items and the wine list.
Desserts, revolved around strawberries. One was a feather light but ordinary cheesecake ($2) with a strawberry preserve sauce, the other, fresh berries Komanoff ($2.75) sat atop ice cream scooped into a water pocket. The bill for two, presented with After Eights chocolate mints, was about $52 (not including tip). That’s not extraordinarily high for the setting and the french-style service. Now that the attitude permits one to enjoy the altitude, how about some inspiration with the food.
Suzanne Champagne and trilliums in wood at Shaky Maple, near Lanark village Citizen photos by Lynn Ball
The last leg of our jaunt included a luncheon stop at the Shaky Maple Restaurant at the Lanark village limits (look for the sign on the left side of the road). The food is good (especially the Queen Elizabeth coffee cake), the prices are reasonable and the Shaky Maple is open all weekend.
Shaky Maple, a huge new restaurant operation recently opened by two Carleton Place couples: Terry and Lynn Julian and Wayne and Dianne Shaver. It used to be a wilderness survival training school and now is a dining room and banquet hall, fully licensed. They offer Sunday brunch buffets at $5.25. There’s a Mother’s Day special at $6.25 and although the place can hold more than 300 persons, a reservation would be a good idea (259-2985). They talk about plans to open a campsite and rent canoes that will allow for.
There are long rides along the winding Clyde River in that area. The history and beauty of Lanark is something Americans seem to have discovered. When our bus arrived at the Glenayr Kitten Mills in the centre of town, an American tour bus was already there. Mill personnel said hardly a day goes by that one or more busloads of Americans don’t arrive for that tour. The setting is old. The cornerstone of the mill building says 1860. Inside the equipment is modern and baffling.
The tug-of-war over the ministry of natural resources building turned into a verbal boxing match at an all-candidates meeting here Thursday, but the 125 voters who turned out to the Shaky Maple restaurant seemed more content to watch than participate. Round one began when Liberal Ray Matthey said the proposed move of the ministry’s offices from Lanark Village to Carleton Place will result in a loss of part-time work for about 60 local farmers and about $25,000 in revenue to local merchants.
Throughout the meeting, both he and NDP candidate Cliff Bennett accused Tory MLA Doug Wiseman of bowing to the Davis government and turning a deaf ear to his constituents. “Why does he ignore the people’s wishes and cram statistics down our throats all the time?” Bennett asked. Wiseman, exasperated by the lack of time to explain the situation properly, said he had to fight to keep the building in Lanark and has been “working like the devil” to convince the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority to take over the vacant quarters.
The MCVA’s 11 full-time employees and 40 summer students “will probably bring more money to the merchants of Lanark” than the ministry’s 23 full-time workers, he said. Wiseman said his opponents “forget there’s a caucus and a leader. You can’t have 40 members going in different directions.” Nuclear energy, government assistance to the Children’s Aid Society and Interval House, doctors opting out of OH IP and provincial sales tax were also raised briefly.
On the question of job prospects in Lanark, Wiseman defended his government’s economic performance, pointing to 89 loans worth more than $15 million to industries and tourism, and 3,600 new jobs over a five-year period. He told how Lanark has benefited under his 10-year reign, citing $2.1 -million worth of improvements to Calabogie Road and grants to farmers and industries as examples. Bennett reiterated his party’s made-in-Onta-rio economic strategy, while Matthey said he would bring representatives of several municipalities together to build a community industrial park to provide better roads, communication and facilities. Matthey said tourism in the riding is being developed at the expense of agriculture, and promised to stop foreigners from buying farms and leaving them fallow.
Yes you certainly had a good business there. Food was great and no matter when you went you would always meet someone you knew. That was a wonderful venue.
Nice Shirley, I hear the food was really good and very friendly atmosphere!
Eleanor Wright
In the early 20’s my husband was ill. Friends used to take me for a Sunday drive for a change of scenery. We would stop at Perry’s for a snack. Without fail, Perry would cook up a big order of fried mushrooms and send them home to my husband. This was his favourite treat when he was able to drop in when he was well. My husband died in 2011 and this is still a fond memory of Perry’s kindness
Thanks to Mark and the Waterfront Gastropub for the wonderful buffet they had for the Caldwell- Dunlop and Jaimeson reunion Saturday October 30,2021.. Pictures just do not do it justice… It just was so wonderful and the food kept on coming.
Don’t forget the Gastro Pub is closed until Nov 9th for repairs.
Linda Nilson-Rogers I worked there for Salim and Salha Houchaimi, in the mid 80’s. They held staff Christmas parties, and supported many local sports teams!
Mary Anne Harrison Margaret Mantil worked at that restaurant for many years. Probably through many of its reincarnations
Sharron Davis I had so many great meals there as a kid with mom and dad and we always had a good visit with Salim and Sally and Gail.
Mary Anne Harrison Bob and Marg McDonald owned the convenience store at the same location. After mom did the groceries at the IGA (where the heritage mall is now) my brother and I were always given a quarter and we stopped at McDonald’s on our way out of town. I always got a bag of S&V chips and a coke. The cokes were in a cooler that had cold water in it and you had to slide your drinks through it to get them out. Mom probably made that stop so that we would be quiet the rest of the trip home to Corkery.
Gwen OneillIt was also called mel’s at one time. Mel and Cecilia Lockhart built the place in the 50s then sold it to lamoureux in the 60s
Gwen OneillThat dinning room was actually a garage where George Villeneuve was the mechanic. He had a swing in there for my brother and i to swing on. I think my parents sold the store in 1959. I was young then so could be wrong.
Catherine Chick McDonaldIt was also called Bob and Marg’s…late 60s..early 70s…because my Mom and Dad owned it.
Gerry NewtonSandy and I used to pump gas there in the 60’s
Lisa Stanley SheehanLoved this store growing up…mello rolls and the greatest folks
Rose Crawford McCormickMy mom and dad….Pat and Earl Crawford of Ashton…..loved to eat there.
Shirley FlaxmanWas that up on the hwy to Ottawa behind St James St??
Shirley FlaxmanScott Bolton We (Hutts) lived on St James St and visited that restaurant many, many times – great place. Early 60″s to late 60″s!!!
Christine Richards-BayleyMy family use to go almost every Friday .. sit in the dining rm & I always had to have a Shirley temple . Still love them
Allison VaughanChristine Richards-Bayley yep remember that! Also remember my mum and dad going there every Friday night and then going back up Saturdays to pay their bill lol !!! They had a great time there always!
Jean GossetWe live right beside all these incarnations of the same building, so we knew all the families that operated it over the years. They were all great neighbours, and complimented Irish town.
Jayne Munro-OuimetThe Eldali family who bought the restaurant from Bob and Marg, came from Madjel Balhis Lebanon. They came to Canada as a result of an unexpected evacuation when their village became a target war zone. The whole village was evacuated, the villagers left by plane to Canada and by boat to neighbouring country not affected by the war. They could not speak English, and a number of families in the Ramsay Almonte area helped them to learn. The youngest son Shaied went to Almonte High School for a few years.
Dawn JonesJayne Munro-Ouimet I think you mean the Eldali family. Said was a year older than i. Very nice family. I found out recently from one of the older brothers (who owns the pizza place in Lanark) that Said moved back to Lebanon is married with 6 kids and he is employed as an architect.
Dawn JonesJayne Munro-Ouimet : Salin Houchiami and his wife ran the Gourmet Restaurant in Carleton place for years. I’m sure his wife is one of those girls. Mike is now running the Gourmet. They also have a younger son Albert who is a heavy equipment mechanic.
Pansy MetcalfeI remember Mamma’s Place Restaurant and I knew the whole family! Helped them learn English and Their daughter Sabah was in my class and we became good friends!
Andy Williams-Mamma’s Place, was named after Rose Mantil who lived in Corkery. She was affectionately called “Mamma” by many, including her daughter Margaret who was a waitress at the restaurant for many years. Margaret was the one who suggested the name.
Cate JohnsonUsed to go there on Sundays way back when (liquor stores weren’t open then, and you could only drink if you ordered a meal) eat and drink our faces off! Lots of people did that and it always turned out to be a HUGE party every Sunday
Jean GossetI think before the Eldali family, the operator was Roy O’Connell, maybe my order is off a little, but he was there for a short time in the early 70’s. Of course Gail, and Margaret would be the best resources on this subject, rest their souls.
John CurrieWen’t There About 1954 To See The Hockey Games They Were About the Only Store In Almonte With A Black & White TV.
Donald ScottMan they had the ,best Pizza in the County back in the day 70’s n 80’s
Darlene MacDonaldDonna Manson worked here for many years and followed to work at the one in the mall
Donna Webb MunroGood memories. In the early 60’s- that is when my Almonte memories start- the farmers would take the milk in to the dairy and then congregate at Mommas for coffee and swap stories before heading home to work. IRA, the girls and I often ate there. Fond memories. IRA had many stories of Wayne Lockhart was a young lad – hitting the plastic ketchup bottle a certain way would put ketchup on the ceiling and also a certain young lad and would sneak downstairs after Dad had baked some pies. Never found out if he had a favourite kind.
Bobby GallantJayne Munro and Sylvia Ford took me there for one of my first legal drinks. They got me a Singapore Sling lol it was good
Brenda MunroI don’t think I missed a day of going over to Mel and Cecilia ‘s store.. The candy was great, and My Dad took me over every evening .right Gwen.
Shannon CastonguayUsed to work there with Gail and Sue it was my first waitress job
1964 Almonte Gazette
Lisa Stanley SheehanThey were located on Ottawa St at the beginning, where Mamm’a use to be…They had grocery, restaurant
Marion MacDonaldon Ottawa Street near where the Green Mill food truck is today
Cathy McRae SharbotBefore mum and dad moved here permanently we used to come up for the weekend and we would stop at Bob and Marg’s for mellow rolls on the way home
Jim HillUsed to eat there on occasion great food back then.
Did you know Mama’s Place opened in 1979? Who remembers when they were in a ‘house setting’ on Ottawa Street?
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Linda MillsThey made a great filet mignon! Mr. Eldali and his sons
Peggy ByrneTotally different – they are a much smaller operation now than when they had the larger restaurant – they are now a small diner as opposed to a full restaurant that they were at the other larger location
Laurie McgregorCould walk up from home. Loved their pizza too
Heather Birchall TalvitieI do. My grandpa’s favourite place. He was a policeman in CP for many years I too, was established in 1969, the first of many grandchildren
And before it was Mama’s Place, it was Bob and Marg’s. They lived above the restaurant with their family – hope I get them all: Sandy, Paul, Jeff, Michelle, Larry, and Catherine (Chicky) McDonald
Oh the memories!! I worked there as a teenager with the two Linda’s, Nilsson and Lee, Gail and of course many others as they employed many. Salim, Sally, their children and Eddie were lovely people to work for and with!! There were so many regulars, the bus drivers, truck drivers, you knew before they were in the door what their order was. It was a great meeting place for folks and a fabulous place for celebrations. I really enjoyed my time there!
Nothing like gathering up some ladies and having finger-lickin’ fun food from Mama’s Place to kick start the weekend. Of course, Anna & Megan apparently provided the entertainment but sometimes what happens at the Haven – well all I can say is the ladies know when to talk about it and when to keep it in the toe of their shoe!lmonte Country Haven March 6, 2020 ·
Nothing like gathering up some ladies and having finger-lickin’ fun food from Mama’s Place to kick start the weekend. Of course, Anna & Megan apparently provided the entertainment but sometimes what happens at the Haven – well all I can say is the ladies know when to talk about it and when to keep it in the toe of their shoe!Karen Hirst June 11, 2018 ·
Nora HeadleyBadour’s was across from the “old” water tower. It was the second building before Harold Street, as you are leaving town. They had juke boxes.
Mary Anne HarrisonIt was a real treat to stay in town and get to go across the street to the restaurant.
Peggy ByrneThe white three story Badour house on the corner of Ottawa St. and Harold St. is currently for sale and the restaurant was in the smaller building beside it.
Stacey FarrellPeggy Byrne Gale Farrell (Badour) was my grandma she raised my dad and 2 other siblings in the tiny White House
Peggy ByrneStacey Farrell , yes, I knew your Grandma & Grampa as well as your Great Grandparents as my family lived across the road on Ottawa St when I was just a kid.
Bob BranjeGail farrell was a badour. Believe her family owned ot and gail worked in diner connected to it.was farrell home fr years.
Stacey Farrellmy granny was Gale Badour and her mother was Laura Badour that owner the 44 inn it was indeed on Ottawa street!!
Gwen OneillStacey Farrell Stacey your dad was called after Gail’s brother Donnie who died in the 2nd world war.
Donna BeauvaisI rented a small apt when Gail was working the diner. The Badours treated me very well and even though it was small I enjoyed my time there. They were wonderful people and I always remember them with fondness. .
Gwen OneillDonna Beauvais yes mrs Badour helped my mom when my family had Mel’s snack bar and I believe Gail worked there as well all with Marlene and Sandra Perfitt.Great fun there with Gail and Jerome
Paul LeBlancGwen Oneill I had the pleasure of working with Gail when she worked at the Superior, wonderful wonderful lady
Theresa C ToshIt was located right beside the apartment building on the corner of Ottawa and Harold street. There’s a small house there now. My aunt worked there.
Sharon SavardSpent a lot of time in the Forty Four Inn We just called it Badours.
Gwen OneillSharon Savard yes i forgot they called it the forty four inn. The good old days when the restaurant closed we would have a beer or 2.
Ray O’KeefeOne of my favorite eating places on Sat. night. Food was great and the prices were affordable.
Mary Anne HarrisonDidn’t Gail work at the original Mammas Place after Badour’s closed.
Arlene SavardYes she did M A, was a great waitress too.
Pakenham downtown thanks to Marilyn Snedden via the collection of Margie Argue and her late brother Dan Paige–read-Pakenham Community Centre Photos
Do you ever watch a movie, set in a small town where people go into a restaurant or pass each other on the street and greet each other? You wish for instant that you lived in a town like that and Almonte is that with the Superior Restaurant and Pakenham is that sort of town with the Centennial. That is what these restaurants should be best known for. It is the place where families gather, where people go after church, where the guys gather before they go hunting. It’s where people greet one another when they walk in the door. For a moment you can feel like you belong and just take in the laid-back friendliness. Let’s keep these restaurants alive!!!!
The Citizen, Ottawa, Tuesday, September 6, 1977 An artistic salute to a good restaurant By Robert Smythe
The women at the Centennial Restaurant in , Pakenham, Chit., have been serving up good restaurant food and motherly advice for some time, and it is in recognition of their service to the community that the owners of Andrew Dickson’s craft ; store and gallery have put together a month long “Salute to the Ladies of the Centennial Restaurant”. Of course the show’s food theme affords the perfect opportunity to display predictable plates, goblets and place mats all of which abound at the Salute, in the earth tone chunkiness that you come to expect from local potters.
But those who have abandoned this homespun functionalism have done so with a good deal of humor. Their totally impractical tributes to the Centennial are the brightest of this group effort. Ice-cream is really the restaurant’s ace special, and so it is only natural that Paddy Mann’s vanilla cone banner should be hanging outside the old stone building. The image has also found its way onto colored T-shirts, screened by Jane Bonnell.
Gail Bent has made Gobelin tapestries of a stove and a Scottish frugal fridge (with only one carrot in it), but her funniest piece is Holstein By Any Other Name. It is a white wood udder, whose four generous teats are delivering a gushing stream of fibre milk down the wall into a waiting galvanized bucket. Across its side is emblazoned a silver MOO. Alice Paige’s jars of jam jelly look luscious sitting in the window with the sum streaming through them, especially when their deep clear color is echoed by a pair of ruby red satin lips hanging nearby.
Other clever and cute stuffed toys include some glossy eggplants, halved avocados, and a delicious chocolate wafer ice cream bar with a large bite taken out of it. Regular stuffed sandwiches come in several separate layers one for the lettuce, one for the meat, two for slices of bread. Inedible food was also heaped onto brooch pins. Of these, Neil Stewart’s jewelery work was exceptional. Using ivory, silver and brass he has assembled a miniature breakfast of bacon and eggs sunnyside-up, on a tiny round plate. Another piece features a slice of pie (a la mode?) and accompanying fork. At the other extreme of scale is Wayne Cardinelli’s oversized Blue Ribbon Pie in the Sky Award for the Centennial. The medal, which is at least one foot across, has been struck in clay for the occasion.
Sally TuffinI remember when it had red and white checkered tablecloths and shelving where local hand crafts were displayed for sale. Food was excellent.Then when I was a student at Pakenham Public we used to go out with friends to lunch at the Centennial.At the end of the schoolyear our bus drivers used to buy us all an ice cream at the ice cream counter. Worked there for a year when I was a teenager.
Heaps of ice cream in the biggest cone in the country (maybe in the whole world) goes for 50 cents at the Centennial Restaurant in Pakenham. Ont., on Highway 29 and it’s big. People come from all over the Ottawa Valley, and beyond, to try the cone they’ve heard about at the Centennial, as its name suggests, opened in 1967, and Elsa Stewart, its proprietor, explains: “We started serving the big cones around 1970. Some of the girls at the restaurant began scooping out larger cones and I encouraged them to continue.” She describes the cones, modestly, as “two, good-sized scoops.” Some of her customers liken them to softballs and its Sealtest and it’s good, but it’s the hefty scoops that really impress everybody. The restaurant keeps three freezers packed with tubs of ice cream and there’s good variety chocolate, vanilla, tutti frutti. strawberry, chocolate-walnut, maple, and heavenly hash a devastating mix of marshmallow-chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and a few nuts. One of the nicest things you can do on a warm summer day is stop at the Centennial, pick up a cone and stroll two blocks to the lovely, old stone bridge that crosses the Mississippi River at Pakenham.
Bev Deugo I worked at Centennial Restaurant in Pakenham in the summer when Elsa Stewart owned it…scooped ice cream until my fingers froze ….Cones were huge, lineups were long, we scooped for hours on a hot summer day.
This arched landmark is one of only a few such bridges in North America. Built in 1903 across the Mississippi River, it is less than eight metres wide and was designed for horses and wagons. As the years went on, motor vehicle traffic put such stress on the bridge that it was threatened with demolition. Instead, after history lovers protested, the stones were taken down, catalogued and then replaced over a reinforced concrete structure in 1984.
Details: The bridge is near the intersection of Kinburn Side Road and County Road 29, just as you come into Pakenham.
While you’re in the area: The grey tower of St. Peter Celestine Roman Catholic Church dominates the village. The lovely stone building opened in 1893.
Who has been to the Centennial in Pakenham??? Carebridge Community Support1 min · So happy to work with community builder Omar of Pakenham’s Centennial Restaurant. Using donations from our MMTogether fund initiative we purchased gift certificates for tenants of 5 Arches Housing and members of the Pakenham SeniorsClub. The Centennial and Omar have been fixtures in downtown Pakenham for over 25 years!
Having lunch with my UCW group in Pakenham Centennial Restaurant had the best rice pudding with raisins and whipped cream. The best I ever tasted.
Elsa Stewart former owner
Turning over of Stewart House at Pakenham to United Church
Sunday took place when Mrs. Elsa Stewart, left, hands Rev. Murray McBride case containing golden key, while he already holds deeds given to properties. Other property is White House next door to shelter those on lay retreats and conferences. Photo by Peter Greene
Mrs. Elsa H. Stewart Deceased Pakenham, Ontario, Canada Order of Canada Member of the Order of Canada Awarded on: June 20, 1983 Invested on: October 05, 1983 R. ARTHUR STEWART, C.M. Operators of a model livestock-breeding farm, the Stewarts have been active in many farm organizations, founded university entrance bursaries to the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph for local students, and donated and worked in a United Church retreat house. They have also been major contributors to the restoration and revitalization of the village of Pakenham, Ontario.
Art and Elsa Stewart
Pakenham’s Stewart Community Centre was named for Art and Elsa Stewart who greatly contributed to the restoration and revitalization of Pakenham in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. It was opened in 1974, replacing the old Community Hall. Art and Elsa were awarded the Order of Canada in June of 1983. Operators of a model livestock-breeding farm, the Stewarts were active in many farm organizations and founded university entrance bursaries to the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph for local students.
tJuliana Mcfarlane-Sabourin and Omar from the Centennial restaurantJuliana Mcfarlane-Sabourin and Omar from the Centennial restaurant
Last night I had a dream about a former neighbour’s Salt and Pepper Shaker collection. That is a pretty strange thing to remember in the back of your memory files, but the late great Mrs. Wilson played a large part in my preteen years. Meg Wilson lived next door to us when her daughter Verna was going to Cowansville High School in the late 50s and early 60s. My mother was nearing the end of her life during those years and Mrs. Wilson was like a guardian angel for our whole family. She cooked, she cleaned and she kept the family together.
If I had a problem she was always there with her firm but kind words. I played sick a lot more times than necessary in those days and after she had made us lunch I always went over to her home to play Yahtzee. She made wax candles and waxed leaves, and best of all she had this amazing salt and pepper collection.
It didn’t matter how many pairs she had on her shelves, the pair I was most attracted to most were the milkshake shakers. One was brown for chocolate and the other one was pink for strawberry. Set in glasses with a silver holder it reminded me of the milkshakes at the Bus Terminal on South Street in Cowansville.
We had a lot of great restaurants in those days on South and Main Street, but my father always loved to go to the old Bus Terminal, a hop skip and a jump from the train station and the Vilas Furniture Co. I could never figure out why he loved that place so much as it was very small and busy. We could have sat in a nice booth at the restaurant across the street, but we always went to the terminus.
My Dad liked conversation, there is no doubt about that, and this was one place he could indulge in his favourite pastime. He would always greet strangers with a firm handshake and a very loud greeting,
”Hello, Arthur Knight from Cowansville”.
It didn’t matter where he was located the greeting was always the same and he had this habit of talking with his eyes closed. I never understood why he did that until I met other people that did the same thing. They say that closing your eyes while speaking is a way of going inside to connect with your inner feelings. It is a common gesture that was seen in philosophers. That my Dad definitely was, he had an opinion on everything.
They kept things simple at the Bus Terminal restaurant.They scribbled your order onto a pad of paper and asking for substitutions from a limited list of straightforward mains, sides and desserts would have gotten you a dirty look. I can’t remember much of what I ate there but I always ordered a milkshake similar to Mrs. Wilson’s salt and pepper shakers. A tall glass with a straw and the traditional tall stainless steel cup with the remains was served to you. Another thing I seem to remember is that the traditional small glass of water they served to everyone seemed warm and I bet it came with a great amount of pollutants from the public water system. I think whatever my Dad ate there certainly involved fries served with a side of smoke. It was common in those days for eateries to be shrouded in a veil of cigarette smoke as diners puffed throughout the meal– and my Dad was one of them.
Conversation was always centred around the counter and banter would be continuous between the tables and counter as people loved to flock there for a cup of coffee, read the newspaper, and have a sandwich and a cold Coca-Cola on tap at the fountain. Around Christmas time the counter folks would be eating that traditional roast turkey dinner which cost a mere 75 cents in those days.
The jukeboxes blared above the conversation and you had to wonder how anyone understood anything while the younger crowd controlled the countless song selections. I always took my time sipping that milkshake as I watched people purchase tickets for the daily Voyageur busses and people throwing some change on the counter as there were no credit cards amid boisterous goodbyes.
One day I heard my father talking with the owner of the Bus Terminal and the owner was worried that times were changing and he might have to close. Eavesdropping I heard conversations of how the owner was going to put air conditioning in hoping to draw in customers, especially during hot, summer days.
Then there was the fact that the soda fountain business was slowing down because of others doing the same things. Ice cream sodas and egg creams were on the wane and TV dinners were now available in every grocery store. People just began eating out less in the ’60s. But, the worst thing he said was that transistor radios were putting the jukebox business out of business. As I sat in the car with my tiny ear buds on listening to my transistor radio I thought he had a point. But there was my father throwing his hands up in the air saying there was no way that was going to happen.
My father argued that jukeboxes were a test market for the record companies and that 75% of the records produced during that time went to jukeboxes first. He kept telling the owner over and over not to worry. I sat there feeling sad as I knew all my friends walked around with transistor radios and they were not going anywhere. With my head down I also knew it was the beginning of no longer relying on the jukebox for music.
After that day we never seemed to go to the Bus Terminus to eat, and things were changing quickly. The last time I went to the South Street Bus Terminus was a year later when my father put me on the bus to Montreal where I was beginning a new era in my life. A few years later my Dad drove me out to see Mrs. Wilson who was living on the Hadlock Farm near Frelighsburg with her daughter and son-in-law. Things had changed like the Bus Terminal restaurant but she still had her salt and pepper shakers. There were still some familiar ones, the ones family gave her and the ones she got on vacation. But there sitting on one of the shelves were the milkshake salt and peppers that I loved. Even though life sends lots of change you have to take life with a grain of salt, and even though things come and go in the era of a head shake and a handshake I still prefer a milkshake.
. Could not get that much down now. Such lovely memories 
(Not sure which was the cause.)
lindaseccaspina 