Politics Mar 4, 2009 The Waffle No Comments NDP MP Peter Stoffer hosted his 12th All-Party Party last night.  The Sackville–Eastern-Shore MP was first elected in 1997 as part of the NDP wave led by Alexa McDonough. As the story goes, or at least as he tells it, Stoffer was surprised to find out that Christmas parties on the Hill were held by each party, as opposed to a joint Parliament Christmas party for all Hillites.   Peter therefore decided to hold a party for everyone – he bought booze, some snacks, and invited people over and held the First All-Party Party on December 12, 1997, in the rotunda outside his office, on the 3rd floor of the Confederation building. To his surprise, hundreds came. The party grew over the years, with Stoffer doing a better marketing job to invite people and moved it to 200 WB.  It is now the most attended Party on the Hill, and the declared…

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General Feb 28, 2009 The Waffle 3 Comments I like to go to the movies, and I am nostalgic when I think about the theatre of old, smelling of popcorn and sugar, with its bright yellow lights behind the concessions counters, with ushers at the door with classic uniforms.    I remember fondly my trips to Le Cinéma de Paris, on the Carré D’Youville, which is now Le Cabaret du Capitole, or at Place Charest.  The movie experience was almost solemn: movie-goers were not bombarded by video games, advertisements and loud music and noises of all kinds.  And people could actually walk to the movies before the trend became to build theatres in big box complexes, squeezed between a Wal Mart and a Home Depot.     In Ottawa, there are two classic old-fashioned theatres, the Bytowne and the Mayfair; who have been open for 62 and 76 years respectively.   I…

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Restaurant Feb 28, 2009 The Waffle 2 Comments After having shared a bag of popcorn with Mel while watching part 1 of Che at the Bytowne, we felt that more substantial food was needed.  Théo’s original idea was to go to Nate’s, which is according to him, the best Deli in Ottawa. unfortunately, it was closed – quite early for a Friday Night.  (Too bad – everyone needs to catch Nate’s Smoked Meat while they can – the clock is ticking.) So we opted for something easy, close by, and so Canadian it’s not even funny: Don Cherry’s Sports Grill.  Don Cherry’s is a typical Canadian sports bar and grill, but the one on Rideau Street is not a very nice one. Attached to the Quality Hotel, they have 26 TVs, most of them small and old, the 5 big screens are also kind of old.  A few cool pieces of paraphernalia…

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Uncategorized Feb 26, 2009 The Waffle 6 Comments I went to the Olympic Stadium yesterday in Montreal to be one of the 55 571 fans witness the Montreal Impact defeat the Santos Laguna by the score of 2-0 in the first game of the quarterfinal series of the CONCACAF Champions League. I won’t complain too much about the craziness around the stadium and the total absence of police officers or parking staff to help direct traffic, which made us miss the kick-off – (we almost felt like we were there already by listening to the broadcast on The Team – almost), or about the lack of ushers inside the stadium to direct people to their seats, or about the fact that people didn’t seem to know what was actually going on on the field (Is Montreal really a soccer town?), and I will say that I had a good time. Because…

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Restaurant Feb 14, 2009 The Waffle No Comments We decided to eat out tonight, and didn’t think about the fact that this was the eve of Valentine’s Day.  And, marketing obliged, Le Bifthèque had prepared a lovely menu for those who wanted to celebrate love.  Their regular menu was available, except for the appetizers, but the three course special was attractive enought at $25 that we decided to go for it.   In Gatineau, Le Bifthèque (which I think should be named La Bifthèque – as La Bibliothèque, La Discothèque, La Vidéothèque – but I digress) is located in the  Ramada Plaza – Le Manoir du Casino, just accross the Casino du Lac-Leamy.    And tonight, Le Bifthèque was hosting Anne-Marie and Yvon Farmer  for the first of their two Valentine’s Day shows.  Such luck! For some reason, the menu was incomprehensible to many. I even offered my services when the couple beside us asked for…

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