Home Food Check List - Pumphouse Brewery

Visiting home wouldn't be complete without my trusty food check list. This list is comprised of foods I often think about when in Ottawa, things I crave and talk about way too much, foods that remind me of being home in Moncton, NB.

First up, our very own micro brewery, the Pumphouse (Brewery). It's central, something you recommend to your visiting friends, and best of all, the beer is good and now sold in stores throughout the province.

The food is mostly infused with or uses beer in some way. I'm a fan of their pizzas, as they're cooked in a wood fire oven which gives 'em a greater bolder bubbly crust. This time, I was so bent on beer +out of town friends + seeing old friends = excitement, that I barely looked over the menu. If I had, I would have surely picked the buffalo burger.

Instead I went with a friend's favorite, the Roasted Veggie Pizza (sans mozzarella).

I like the idea of loads of toppings, but also getting ample tomatoey crust to dip into their tasty flavored olive dipping oils. I'm glad I didn't get mozza. Sure, it would have tasted good, cheese usually does, but it's also lactose overkill for me as the 'za also had feta, which I didn't omit. The pizza was good enough that I completely forgot about my Cadian Ale until I'd finished eating.

On a side note, I think I'm the only one who adds salt & pepper to their pizza..

Often I've been caught ordering the Beer Steamed Mussels. It comes with beer bread, which tastes like normal good multigrain bread to us regular folk.

The size of the mussels left to be desired when I compare it to the Clocktower's even if they were both PEI mussels. The taste was perfectly good if I can give them redemption after I've dissed their size (could have been a one time fluke). The beer broth was soaked up with what bread I had, and if I'd had a spoon, I would have turned it into a soup after that too.

The only question I have left is why I haven't tried their sister restaurant, the Barnyard BBQ. My brother raves about their gumbo. Or was it their chili. Next time, next list, I'll have both.