Looking for the original Bar Towel blog? You can find it at www.thebartowel.com.
We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
The Cheshire Cat is on Fire.
The Cheshire Cat is on Fire.
This is very bad news.
-
JeffPorter
- Beer Superstar
- Posts: 2552
- Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:39 am
- Location: Brampton, ON
Not sure age, but it had some kind of heritage designation. Former school house.
I'm certainly no engineer or contractor, but man that damage looks and sounds extensive. Hopefully they had adequate insurance and can re-start (if not rebuild) at some point. Even if the old school-house character is gone forever, the owners clearly knew how to build and manage a great pub so there's hope for something good (even if different) in the future.
Huge loss to craft breweries too, I would assume, as the Cat must have been a pretty substantial account for some of them.
I'm certainly no engineer or contractor, but man that damage looks and sounds extensive. Hopefully they had adequate insurance and can re-start (if not rebuild) at some point. Even if the old school-house character is gone forever, the owners clearly knew how to build and manage a great pub so there's hope for something good (even if different) in the future.
Huge loss to craft breweries too, I would assume, as the Cat must have been a pretty substantial account for some of them.
Devastating news to wake up to.
As someone who lives in Kanata, The Cat was the only real place around with a great rotating craft selection, fantastic food, and a one of a kind atmosphere to back it up. I absolutely loved the place. The owners loved the place, and it showed. Dustin is a great guy and I'm not surprised to see him moving on and talking rebuild already. Whatever they decide to do, I'm sure it will be awesome.
RIP The Cat.
As someone who lives in Kanata, The Cat was the only real place around with a great rotating craft selection, fantastic food, and a one of a kind atmosphere to back it up. I absolutely loved the place. The owners loved the place, and it showed. Dustin is a great guy and I'm not surprised to see him moving on and talking rebuild already. Whatever they decide to do, I'm sure it will be awesome.
RIP The Cat.
Looks like the original structure was built in 1883:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/st ... royed.html
I was only there once, a decade ago, before the current owners took over. It certainly had some historic charm, and even at that time it was a surprisingly good pub! (we just happened to stop in on a trip to the Diefenbunker).
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/st ... royed.html
I was only there once, a decade ago, before the current owners took over. It certainly had some historic charm, and even at that time it was a surprisingly good pub! (we just happened to stop in on a trip to the Diefenbunker).
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/04/ ... agic-fire/
The good news is, the building was insured and Therrien expects to act as his own general contractor to save a few bucks during reconstruction. If all goes well, he hopes to reopen for Labour Day or, failing that, Remembrance Day, and promises the look before and after will be pretty much the same.
Oh, but there’s much more to the story than the rebirth of Cheshire Cat …
Nothing like a clean insurance rebuild to make a place even better I guess - and ironically cheaper to insure as a modern-code structure with much lower liability to the Co.
Reading about the food this place has/had, the football-sized Haddock and chips, I really want to go visit the Cheshire mkII. Remarkable story all around.
Reading about the food this place has/had, the football-sized Haddock and chips, I really want to go visit the Cheshire mkII. Remarkable story all around.
In Beerum Veritas
The Cat is back!
I stopped in tonight. Certainly a bit more modern, but the stone foundation, vibe, bar, people, food, is all the same as before. They have a peat smoked "Brown" IPA collab with Flying Monkeys on tap at the moment. Not much smoke, but nicely hopped and goes down easy (like a lighter Netherworld). They also had Beau's Bourbon Two Weeks Notice, which was light on the bourbon but good enough considering I don't really care for the original. Tap selection isn't too crazy otherwise, but some good proven Ontario stuff and a few rotating taps. The casks should be up and running tomorrow with Winter Beard in one and eventually some rotating Kichissipi and GLB (if I heard corredctly). The beer menu on the website is not accurate at all, check them out on Twitter or Facebook.
I had some pork wings which were perfect. Nice and meaty, cooked to perfection. The menu looked much the same otherwise, not much that I wouldn't order. All the great English styled stuff remains.
All in all, stoked to see it back as someone who lives just down the road. Such great people there, such great food, and the beer selection is more than adequate. Without a doubt my favourite place in Ottawa to have a pint.
I stopped in tonight. Certainly a bit more modern, but the stone foundation, vibe, bar, people, food, is all the same as before. They have a peat smoked "Brown" IPA collab with Flying Monkeys on tap at the moment. Not much smoke, but nicely hopped and goes down easy (like a lighter Netherworld). They also had Beau's Bourbon Two Weeks Notice, which was light on the bourbon but good enough considering I don't really care for the original. Tap selection isn't too crazy otherwise, but some good proven Ontario stuff and a few rotating taps. The casks should be up and running tomorrow with Winter Beard in one and eventually some rotating Kichissipi and GLB (if I heard corredctly). The beer menu on the website is not accurate at all, check them out on Twitter or Facebook.
I had some pork wings which were perfect. Nice and meaty, cooked to perfection. The menu looked much the same otherwise, not much that I wouldn't order. All the great English styled stuff remains.
All in all, stoked to see it back as someone who lives just down the road. Such great people there, such great food, and the beer selection is more than adequate. Without a doubt my favourite place in Ottawa to have a pint.
-
Frere Ambroise
- Posts: 138
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 12:32 am
- Location: Toronto