Elgin Street Diner

Three weekends ago I went to the Elgin Street Diner, in Ottawa (our nation's capital), with a buddy of mine. I was visiting him for a house warming party he was throwing. The last time I was in Ottawa, we went there too. It was a day after Canada Day in 2004, and an hour before I was leaving on my 4.5 hour drive back to Toronto!

Big mistake.

That was probably the stupidest thing I could have done. I made so many bathroom stops, it took me an extra hour to get home. I cursed my friend who honestly didn’t think it would have bothered me so much. What exactly did I eat? Probably the greatest poutine ever made outside of Quebec!

This time around, we’d just left The Comic Book Shoppe in downtown Ottawa. I picked up a Star Wars VOTC Han Solo from there for $10. I was happy about my purchase and we were starting to get a little hungry. The party wasn’t for another few hours... basically, we had some time to kill.

We hit the Elgin Street Diner at around 3pm that Saturday afternoon. Found a "TV parking" spot a few feet from the Diner... no line-ups walking in. Which was nice. We sat down and immediately ordered two Montreal Smoke Meat Poutines. Check out this baby in photo’s on the side.

Yeah. I know.

Basically, it had all the goodness of any average poutine; gravy (which was extra heavy), fries (cooked just right) and cheese curds (yummy), topped off with real Montreal Smoked Meat. Dee-Lish.

The only problem I had with it? Holy crap...it was filling.

I couldn’t finish it. I don't know how my friend did, but I could only eat half of it. It was so good, I wanted to eat more. I was forced, instead, to get a doggie bag. I felt like a moron.

It was so filling, that I didn’t need to eat anything else that evening at his party. I couldn't even drink alcohol that night. I looked at the snacks he had on his table, but couldn't force myself to have any of them.

The next day? I skipped breakfast. I munched on a few things throughout the day. But that was it. I didn’t eat an actual meal until about Wednesday that week. And I’m dead serious about this. Something about that poutine put me off food that I couldn’t eat for 4 days!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting the place down. It’s an institution around those parts. But the two times I’d been at the Elgin Street Diner have both been interesting experiences. I’d recommend going to that place just to see how it'll effect you!

It’s open 24 hours and the prices aren’t that bad. I honestly can't remember how much we spent, but it must have been around $20 for the two of us (and that's the poutine and a pop each). So check them out the next time you’re in Ottawa.