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3 Unique Spa Experiences in Ottawa

To keep you looking and feeling good all year, we round up a trio of local spas that offer something out of the ordinary.

The outdoor baths at Le Nordik are especially romantic on winter evenings.

OUTDOOR OASIS
The main draw at Le Nordik Scandinavian Spa is the outdoor baths. With a combination of temperate, hot, and cold pools, plus sauna, steam bath, and relaxation stations all nestled in a rural atmosphere, a visit here offers total relaxation and rejuvenation. And while it’s a go-to destination year-round, it’s especially romantic in winter. 16 Chemin Nordik, Old Chelsea, 819-827-1111. (more…)

Hot Dining: Eco-Friendly Green Table Restaurants

Pork rack chop with Parmesan gnocchi and bacon jus, at Hamilton Street Grill. Photo by KK Law

4 Eco-Friendly Eats

Looking for a meal that’s as good for the environment as it is for you? These Green Table–certified restaurants are sustainable from top to bottom.

1 Hamilton Street Grill Warm and friendly, this converted Yaletown warehouse is known for certified Angus steaks and great seafood.

2 Raincity Grill Across the street from English Bay beach, regional-seasonal plates are paired with wines from throughout the Pacific Northwest.

3 Commune Cafe Right downtown, this minimalist cafeteria-style spot with a hipster buzz serves all things free-range, organic and sustainable, from dawn to dusk and beyond. (more…)

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner: Windsor, Ontario

Taloola Café

By Waheeda Harris

Breakfast

Bring your appetite to The Lumberjack, a friendly spot tempting diners with country breakfasts, omelettes, sweet offerings from the Sugar Shack or the make no decisions option with the specials – the Timber Special offers a bite of everything – eggs, bacon or ham, flapjacks or French toast, home fries and toast. With a bottomless cup of coffee, a stop here will make a morning even better.

The Lumberjack, 475 Tecumseh Road East, Windsor ON 519-254-5538

Lunch

Healthy, organic, fair trade and tasty – these words are the mantra of Taloola Café, located near the historic Walkerville neighbourhood. Whether it’s one of the hearty grilled sandwiches, rice bowls, or small plates featuring a mini antipasti selections of cheese, dip and raw veggies, from ominivore to vegan, anyone can find several options to satisfy midday cravings on this comprehensive menu. And if gluten, sugar or dairy are diet enemies, not to worry there are sweet options made just for you too.

Taloola Café, 396 Devonshire Road, Windsor ON 519-254-6652

Dinner

Locals will encourage a visit to Via Italia, a Windsor nabe dedicated to all things Italian. Indulge in antipasti, primi and secondi with Nico Chefs Nick Politi and Joseph Graziano who focus on culinary traditions from Calabria and Sicily. Selected imported ingredients and several house specialities are must haves, such as grilled squid with arugula, radicchio and mixed greens or house-made gnocchi with ricotta, asiago, mozzarella and parmesan cream – bellisimo!

Nico Ristorante, 851 Windsor Street, East Windsor ON 519-255-7428

Hot Dining: 4 Family Favourites

Rocky Mountain Flatbread photo by KK Law

Just because you have kids in tow doesn’t mean you can’t eat well and healthily.
1 Rocky Mountain Flatbread (pictured) Find the tastiest organic pizza in town, as well as a children’s play area, a smart menu for youngsters and make-your-own Sunday and Monday evenings.
2 The Old Spaghetti Factory This Gastown haunt caters to all comers with home-style Italian plates and an affordable kids’ menu in a fun and lively setting.
3 White Spot The Vancouver institution pampers toddlers with its $5.99 Pirate Pak, served in a cardboard boat, with options such as a grilled cheese sandwich, crispy coated chicken and battered cod, followed by ice cream, of course.
4 Red Robin Kids love the child-sized portions of popular burgers, corn dogs, spaghetti and more, with a choice of sides from fries to salad, while parents love the child-sized prices.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Shopping: Save the Planet

Show your love for Vancouver with this stylish reusable bag from Me + You

Did you know that Canadians use 55 million plastic bags each week? This Earth Day (Apr. 22; www.earthday.org), make Mother Nature happy: carry your own reusable, environmentally friendly tote. The handy umbrella bag (pictured; $29.99), made from a blend of natural and organic cottons by local company Me + You (www.meandyou.ca), is roomy enough to hold all your purchases and has extra pockets to store Vancouver essentials such as both a brolly and sunglasses.—Sheri Radford

Hot Dining: Visionary

John Bishop in his restaurant, Bishop's. Photo by KK Law

Twenty-five years ago, if you went out to dine in Vancouver, chances are it was for French or Italian or perhaps continental. The notion of BC cuisine wasn’t fathomable, let alone viable. Then John Bishop opened his West Side dining room, Bishop’s. Now Bishop is hailed as the local sustainable godfather, on the leading edge of the organic movement. The restaurant’s style has evolved, but the theme of West Coast ingredients, simply but elegantly prepared—impeccably served against a backdrop of BC art—remains.—Tim Pawsey

Hot Dining: Monkey See, Monkey Do

Photo: Communications Nova Scotia

Beloved by the Hali-famous, The Wooden Monkey counts local-girl-made-good Ellen Page among its legions of fans. The Grafton Street bistro gets raves for its unreserved championing of organic, macrobiotic, and locally grown flavours. The Nova Scotia Seafood Chowder is unforgettable; the Sweet Apple Salad is a unique showcase of a provincial specialty.

Hot Shopping: In the Bag

Not only are these bags stylish, they're eco-friendly, too

F*@k Plastic! That’s one of the slogans from Me+You, a local company hoping to remind everyone that we can all make a difference by saying “no” to plastic bags. This eco-friendly line has just added four new designs to the roster, and all of the organic cotton totes are designed and sewn right here in Vancouver. Available for purchase at Whole Foods and Body Politic, and online at www.meandyou.ca.—Jennifer Patterson

Aromatic Cures

Spa Products from Mountain Wellness Day Spa

Mountain Wellness Day Spa’s Kirsten Boisvert hand blends organic aromatherapy oils in 12 formulations. Some scents help with mental and physical ailments, while others promote harmony and balance. These fragrant oils are used during the spa’s massage and facial treatments, and can be purchased ($15.50, $18.50). At home, add drops to your bath, dab on the skin or mix with coconut oil ($18.50) to make a massage blend. You heat the oil in a diffuser ($21.50) to scent a room.

You Are Here: Cambie Village

By Véronique Darwin

Check out Vancouver’s newest big-box shopping hot spot, located between two of the new Canada Line SkyTrain stations

The new Canada Line SkyTrain. Photo by KK Law

FASHION FINDS
Brand-name labels for a fraction of the price fill the racks at Winners. Stock is updated weekly, so you never know what’s in store. Sharing the space is HomeSense, selling unique items for the home and fun holiday decorations. Danish lingerie shop Change offers professional bra fittings and carries both comfortable and sexy underthings. Lululemon’s design store Lululab highlights in-store designers and sells a local must-have: yoga pants.

EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS
Need a pharmacy or a photo developer? Head to London Drugs for these and more, such as magazines, toiletries and local coffee chain Caffé Artigiano. Best Buy has

Try the Sumac Ridge sparkler, Tribute

everything electronic, including cameras, DVDs, laptops and iPods. In search of home hardware, outdoor gear or even batteries? Visit Canadian Tire or Home Depot.

TOP TASTES
Whole Foods Market, the massive natural and organic grocery store, curbs hunger cravings with a hot-food buffet, salad bar, brick-oven pizza slices and fresh-made burritos. Still feeling peckish? Head to Falafel Plus for organic, house-made falafels. At the nearby BC Liquor Store, pick up a bottle of Jackson Triggs Esprit or Sumac Ridge Tribute sparkling wine (pictured); proceeds support Canadian Olympic athletes.

Take the new Canada Line SkyTrain to the Olympic Village Station or the Broadway-City Hall Station, or walk south from downtown over the Cambie Street Bridge.