BEST OF 2011: Our favourite posts from the year that was
Going Out

BEST OF 2011: Our favourite posts from the year that was
BY Ottawa Magazine
POSTED December 23, 2011 11:15 am

• 1. Don’t you hate it when the week your Top 10 Restaurants issue hits the newsstands turns out to be the same week on of your Top 10 chefs announces that she’s packing up and leaving for Toronto? Us, too. But we’re sure the Whalesbone is in good hands. Chef Charlotte Langley’s heartfelt goodbye post was one of the most-read stories of October.

• 2: Seeing orange — a lunchtime chat with NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau. Sure, you knew about Vegas. But how about the tattoos and the cigarettes?

• 3: CityBites blog courted controversy with a provocatively titled post “Why the Canadian Celebrity Chefs event left a bad taste in my mouth.” Might it have been better to stay at home watching back-to-back episodes of Iron Chef, blogger Shawna Wagman asked. The NAC just announced the 2012 Chefs event – will be interesting to see whether they took any of of the CityBites recommendations for improvement to heart.

• 4: Meet the press! An interview with CBC Morning radio host Robyn Bresnahan three days before her big Ottawa gig started on Dec. 5.

• 5: Meet the press, part 2! Queen of the Hill Kady O’Malley, the irreverent parliamentary reporter with 15,000 Twitter followers, talks about what it’s like to be trending.

• 6: Politics and poverty. In the wake of the subsequent scandal about living conditions in Attawapiskat, it’s interesting to note that Politics Chatter called it the “real election issue” way back in April 2011.

• 7 : Meet the artist. On the record with digital phenom, artist, teacher, and all-round dabbler Eric Chan — better known to his fans as Eepmon.

• 8: Politics Chatter blogger Mark Bourrie was perfectly placed to talk about lust and espionage in the wake of the scandal involving Tory MP Bob Dechert. After all, he worked for the Xinhua news agency at the time. “It makes for wonderful copy when a middle-aged backbencher sends lusty e-mails to a Xinhua reporter, but if Xinhua is typical of a Chinese spy agency, we have nothing to worry about,” wrote Bourrie in his analysis.

• 9: File this one for next spring! It’s already overrun by those in the know on the north side of the river, but after City Bites extolled the virtues of La Sucrerie de la Montagne at Rigaud sugaring off time (the Top 10 reasons to visit included an ode to crispy-fried pork rinds) the reservations line must have been ringing off the hook.

• 10: Internationally known design blogger Kim Johnson — she of the Desire to Inspire website — talks about her devoted following and her passion for all things beautiful.

• 11: Culture columnist Fateema Sayani profiles some brilliant collaborations between local literary pros and musicians. The result? Beautiful lyrics AND beautiful music.

• 12: The Hidden Ottawa series profiles nine overlooked cafes that offer great grub and a cozy vibe.

• 13: Artful Blogger Paul Gessell was among the first to break the news that Dale Smith Gallery was closing shop. Artists lauded Dale’s dedication and professionalism while musing on their next move.

• 14: Shop Talk took readers behind the scenes on headshot day to reveal the personal styles of St. Joseph Media editors Sarah Brown, Dayanti Karunaratne, and Misa Kobayashi.

• 15: When art aficionado/high-tech entrepreneur John Irving sold one-fifth of his 250-piece collection at Patrick Gordon Framing, our arts blogger previewed the offerings. With such names as James Lahey, Jean-François Provost, and Claude Tousignant, this was a very unusual art sale not to be missed by serious art collectors.