august, 2011
chef’s tasting menu:
branch caprese...
a pile of ripe, peak season, heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, goat cheese, olive oil, cider-maple vinegar
mushroom pizzette...
grilled flatbread, local shiitake and button mushrooms, red onion, rosemary, béchamel, blue cheese
pollo flauta verde...
morsels of herb roasted chicken, seasonal veggies, corn crepes, tomatillo salsa verde, sour cream
fred’s ribs...
house-smoked beef ‘dino’ ribs, bbq sauce, grilled sweet corn, slaw
a berry parfait ending...
fresh berries, tea cake, whipped cream, caramel
$55 per person
a la carte pricing available on request...
authentic texas specialties, amazing live music, incredible selection of local, microbrewed draft beers and locally sourced and organic foods...
Friday, August 26, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
on the menu tonight!
enchiladas lenguas verde...
local, natural beef tongue, seasonal veggies, corn crepes, tomatillo salsa verde, sour cream
local, natural beef tongue, seasonal veggies, corn crepes, tomatillo salsa verde, sour cream
Friday, August 12, 2011
this weekend's tasting menu
august 12, 13, 2011
chef’s tasting menu:
middle eastern ontario...
local lamb dolmade, hummous, raita, chutney, tomato, grilled flat bread
how you bean...
warm green bean salad, smoked portobello mushrooms, goat’s cheese, red onion, maple-cider vinaigrette
jambalaya...
pickerel, chicken, sausage, veggies, cajun tomato sauce, pickled okra, roasted tomato remoulade, rice
housesmoked ribs...
local, natural, baby back pork ribs, house bbq sauce, potato salad, slaw, pickles,
red onion
a berry parfait ending...
fresh berries, tea cake, whipped cream, caramel
$55 per person
a la carte pricing available on request...
Friday, August 5, 2011
this weekend's tasting menu...
august 5 & 6, 2011
chef’s tasting menu:
this little piggy...
seed to sausage salami, housemade pâté, tomme de gaston cheese, chutney, pickles, bread, crackers
warm green bean salad...
red onions, smoked portobello mushrooms, goat’s cheese, dried cranberries, maple-cider vinaigrette
turkey flauta verde...
house smoked lyon’s turkey, crêpe,
salsa verde, sour cream
sirloin schnitzel...
breaded aubin farms sirloin cutlet, béchamel, smashed potatoes, veggies
a berry parfait ending...
fresh berries, tea cake, whipped cream, caramel
$55 per person
chef’s tasting menu:
this little piggy...
seed to sausage salami, housemade pâté, tomme de gaston cheese, chutney, pickles, bread, crackers
warm green bean salad...
red onions, smoked portobello mushrooms, goat’s cheese, dried cranberries, maple-cider vinaigrette
turkey flauta verde...
house smoked lyon’s turkey, crêpe,
salsa verde, sour cream
sirloin schnitzel...
breaded aubin farms sirloin cutlet, béchamel, smashed potatoes, veggies
a berry parfait ending...
fresh berries, tea cake, whipped cream, caramel
$55 per person
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
A complicated crisis.
Recently a flurry of comments responded to the Ottawa Citizen’s Food Section editor Ron Eade’s blog about the sudden closure of Benitz’s Bistro, a chef-driven Ottawa restaurant manned by Chef Derek Benitz and his wife. I met Derek only once, at a Savour Ottawa food event—and I recognized him immediately: he had the same wild, harried look I see sometimes in my own eyes, usually right as the latest bus is barreling down the ramp towards me. I do not profess to know him and I do not write this as any sort of defense; this is just my emotional reaction to the piece as presented in the Ottawa Citizen’s ‘Omnivore’s Ottawa’ blog…But, like I mentioned, it was a Savour Ottawa event where I met him, and that means that he was on my team, a local foods guy, a guy with values, someone else who is out there trying to change the system. Turns out, we are alike in more ways than one…the fact is that I gasped as I read the article, airing out the Benitz family’s dirty laundry—knowing that my own story would read, depending on how it was written, with just as much seemingly salacious detail...the unpaid bills, the personal failures, trials and errors that seemed to err more than try...Whatever catastrophe finally pushed Derek and his business past the point of no return, I haven’t got a clue, but I do know this; ‘There, but for the grace of God, go I....’
I don’t know if my business will still be here next week. At the time of this writing there are any of a dozen different serious crises that could destroy the last four years of blood, sweat, and tears that have made the branch restaurant what it has become. Another slow week and we’ll miss one of two payments, either to HST, who will freeze our account, seize whatever they can get and prevent us from paying any other bills, or to our mortgage company...who, probably, wouldn’t do anything right away, but they could, and that would set a very bad domino at the front of a long line of other bad dominos into a forward falling motion--you know, like that HST I mentioned, or PST, source deductions...payroll, our liquor license renewal, or any of a number of other creditors including our families, our friends...purveyors, artists; all of whom expect and often need for us to pay them.... Or the walk-in refrigerator could stop working, or the stove.... The health unit could decide our grace period for putting in a new kitchen floor was over. Or I could get run over by a bus. We don’t see too many buses in Kemptville these days, but, you know, it could happen. Everyone always throws that ‘run over by a bus’ line into the string of worst case scenarios; I wonder how that started? I know why it’s there; it’s a placeholder, a reminder—‘it could be worse!’, ‘You’ve got your health!’, or more to the point...’quit complaining! Life is short, get on with it!’
My dad was an entrepreneur; that’s where I got the bug. Even before he opened ‘Samuel’s’, his namesake restaurant, the place where I fell in love with this, with my industry, (and, perhaps more importantly, his last business...) he had a string of other ventures, including, you guessed it, a bus station. That idea, getting run over by a bus, resonates in a strange way to me—Some folks, when they hear that, probably picture a bus from the outside, from a distance—I was so young and at such an exploratory age when we had the bus station that sometimes it feels like I was born on one. Like a bus is in my DNA. I don’t just picture it...I hear it rumble, belch, and hiss, I smell diesel, the sooty smoke, I remember standing next to the wheels when they were so tall that I couldn’t touch the tops. I remember crawling through the luggage compartments, unlatching the whole back end to reveal the gigantic motor; I remember the antiseptic smell of the on-board washroom, the fabric and vinyl seats, the ashtrays in the armrests at the back, the bus driver with his giant movie-screen-sized windshield. But mostly, I remember my Dad, the boss of the bus; conducting a symphony of bus; choreographing a ballet of bus. Yeah, I could get run over by a bus; in some ways, I already did.
In 2006, it occurred to me for the first time that I might actually be able to open my own business. I got run over by a bus when the first dozen attempts at financing fell through, then in October of that year I got hit by another bus when we actually opened our doors. I got run over by another one on our first busy night, during the blackout, again when the Hydro company threatened to shut us off because of a stack of mis-mailed bills, when I had to fire someone for the first time, when a cook unplugged the meat fridge overnight, when the health inspector showed up during a busy lunch, when we over-prepared for an Ottawa festival by a factor of ten and got stuck holding the bag.... When I got my first complaint, when I got my first review which implied (mistakenly) that I served grapefruit! (...it was grape chutney, Anne; the grapes were from our own vine out back!) Honestly? I’ve been hit by, knocked down with, run over by, and sent to the back of the bus in some way or another every week since we opened.
But every time, I have gotten back up. We did find financing, we survived opening, busy nights and blackouts, we passed health inspections (with flying colours, in case you’re worried...) and have paid our bills, paid our bills, and paid our bills; sometimes late, sometimes on installments, and sometimes with little more than promises and hopes. But when push has come to shove, for four and a half years, we have rolled up our sleeves, gotten back up and we have done what had to be done.
And more. We started a thriving Farmers’ Market; we host three or four charity events every year. We provide an income and stability to our employees and their families. We manage the upkeep of a piece of local history, our 160 year old stone and timber building in the heart of downtown. There is nothing farther away from staring at the grill of that oncoming Greyhound than reading our customer comment cards that say: ‘excellent, excellent, excellent, amazing, 10 out of 10, best meal ever!’ Or, ‘we love it here!’
And we have managed this entire project in line with our values. I set out to open an organic and local foods restaurant, a business that did minimal impact to an environment that is even more stressed out than me—And, four and a half years later, we still buy local and organic as much as or more than the day we opened—more than almost anyone you know—Our meats do not come from factories, our vegetables taste fresh from the field because they are, and our pantry is stocked, floor to ceiling with certified organic foods. We still use natural, biodegradable cleaners, recycled and compostable paper goods, and we don’t even have a dumpster because most of our waste is either recycled or composted...In addition to those local, small farmed and natural meats, we include lots of healthy, vegetarian and vegan options, we use mostly whole grains and we even control portions of salt and fats, easy to do when you prepare almost everything from scratch—and you don’t even have to ask us about MSG or trans-fat because there is none here. We don’t have to add veggies to our kid’s meals, they already have them.
For now. Today, we are here; tomorrow, I may get run over by a bus.
Which brings me back to Ron Eade’s blog and Benitz’s bistro. The comments on the blog were what really got to me. They ranged in scope from impassioned defense to cruel accusation, and, in all truth, having nothing more than a passing recollection of the chef in question, I cannot say where the blame should lie. But here is what I imagine: Derek had another slow week. Fewer customers came in than the week before, fewer regulars returned, fewer new people saw the sign or the ads. A bill was put off, because there wasn’t quite as much money as he thought there would be. He worked harder, he made the food better, he tried a new approach, but, whatever it was, it didn’t take. He had another slow week, he put off another bill. A piece of equipment broke, it slowed service, it made his work harder, but there was no money to fix it, so he plugged on, worked around it. The slower service turned a few people who were on the line about his restaurant around—they told a friend or two, and Derek had another slow week. Each of these things became a domino in a row, the bills, the broken equipment, the slower service, and as each one of those dominos lined up, he tried new things, he crossed his fingers and he hoped. He stuck to his guns, he worked on the delivery, on cutting costs, on keeping people happy...But one day, he put off one bill too many, or maybe something else broke that he couldn’t repair. One day the bus ran him down and he couldn’t get back up.
Was this a personal failure? Should he have fought on against all odds? Sure. I have this conversation with myself every week, and if I didn’t keep saying ‘Yes! Fight on! Find a way!’ then this adventure would have ended in defeat long before this day...But does that make him a villain? No. Fraudulent? Again, no. Our culture is littered with stories of winning against all odds, of pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps, of turning lemons into lemonade....To have quit any sooner than was absolutely necessary would have been his, and would also be my end. As long as there is a chance that this company can turn itself around, I will keep trying. As long as people keep turning up, keep encouraging us to succeed, keep thanking us for doing what we do, I will keep on fighting, I will keep on trying.
My Dad showed me how to put those buses in line. He taught me how to be not just a business owner, but a good one, a fair one—but in the end, a restaurant took him down. Restaurants are bigger than buses, and meaner; just ask Derek Benitz, or, I’m sure 99 out of 100 restaurant owners you could meet. Margins are slim, diners are fickle, trends and tastes change with the wind and season. And how many newspapers have a ‘Haircut Reviews’ section waiting to pounce on the first barber who tapers unevenly or fails to provide a perfect bob? Restaurants are hard work; they are demanding, intense and unforgiving.
My restaurant may not be here next week. It probably will, and every instinct has told me not to tell this story, this truth, to let you see behind the veil.... But I get tired when I see good guys like Derek lose the fight, like my brother, like my dad. I don’t want to be one of those guys or gals. I made it past the first hurdle; I didn’t fail, like 23% do, in my first year, and I’d like to not be one of the 60% that fail in the first five....The fact is that I love this place. I love the work, I love the response, I love the people, I love being able to effect change by the simple fact of existing and I love that I don’t have to be like McDonald’s, The Keg, or the Olive Garden to do it. I love that I can depend on local farmers and not buy from big, industrial suppliers like the others. But if I’ve learned anything, if stories like Derek’s have taught me anything, it’s that I’m not going to succeed by laying down in the ditch, waiting for the trouble to pass, I’ve got to get out in front of that bus and make the driver stop and let me on.
So here goes. Tomorrow, I really could get run over by a bus, so it’s time for me to quit complaining and to get on with it. So what, pray tell, am I trying to say? How about this: if you value your local and local foods restaurants, visit them. Frequent them. This is not an easy business; fun, yes, but not easy. Come to the branch; buy something this week or next. If you can’t come, send a friend; if you can come, bring a friend. We want to succeed. We want nothing more than to offer you a little home away from home; a friendly, smiling face, and a great meal grown and raised by the good people all around you. If you value that in us, if you value that in any restaurant, then support us. Support all of us; give us a chance to get on the bus. Honestly? Give us a chance to drive the bus.
And that is what I really want to say.
I don’t know if my business will still be here next week. At the time of this writing there are any of a dozen different serious crises that could destroy the last four years of blood, sweat, and tears that have made the branch restaurant what it has become. Another slow week and we’ll miss one of two payments, either to HST, who will freeze our account, seize whatever they can get and prevent us from paying any other bills, or to our mortgage company...who, probably, wouldn’t do anything right away, but they could, and that would set a very bad domino at the front of a long line of other bad dominos into a forward falling motion--you know, like that HST I mentioned, or PST, source deductions...payroll, our liquor license renewal, or any of a number of other creditors including our families, our friends...purveyors, artists; all of whom expect and often need for us to pay them.... Or the walk-in refrigerator could stop working, or the stove.... The health unit could decide our grace period for putting in a new kitchen floor was over. Or I could get run over by a bus. We don’t see too many buses in Kemptville these days, but, you know, it could happen. Everyone always throws that ‘run over by a bus’ line into the string of worst case scenarios; I wonder how that started? I know why it’s there; it’s a placeholder, a reminder—‘it could be worse!’, ‘You’ve got your health!’, or more to the point...’quit complaining! Life is short, get on with it!’
My dad was an entrepreneur; that’s where I got the bug. Even before he opened ‘Samuel’s’, his namesake restaurant, the place where I fell in love with this, with my industry, (and, perhaps more importantly, his last business...) he had a string of other ventures, including, you guessed it, a bus station. That idea, getting run over by a bus, resonates in a strange way to me—Some folks, when they hear that, probably picture a bus from the outside, from a distance—I was so young and at such an exploratory age when we had the bus station that sometimes it feels like I was born on one. Like a bus is in my DNA. I don’t just picture it...I hear it rumble, belch, and hiss, I smell diesel, the sooty smoke, I remember standing next to the wheels when they were so tall that I couldn’t touch the tops. I remember crawling through the luggage compartments, unlatching the whole back end to reveal the gigantic motor; I remember the antiseptic smell of the on-board washroom, the fabric and vinyl seats, the ashtrays in the armrests at the back, the bus driver with his giant movie-screen-sized windshield. But mostly, I remember my Dad, the boss of the bus; conducting a symphony of bus; choreographing a ballet of bus. Yeah, I could get run over by a bus; in some ways, I already did.
In 2006, it occurred to me for the first time that I might actually be able to open my own business. I got run over by a bus when the first dozen attempts at financing fell through, then in October of that year I got hit by another bus when we actually opened our doors. I got run over by another one on our first busy night, during the blackout, again when the Hydro company threatened to shut us off because of a stack of mis-mailed bills, when I had to fire someone for the first time, when a cook unplugged the meat fridge overnight, when the health inspector showed up during a busy lunch, when we over-prepared for an Ottawa festival by a factor of ten and got stuck holding the bag.... When I got my first complaint, when I got my first review which implied (mistakenly) that I served grapefruit! (...it was grape chutney, Anne; the grapes were from our own vine out back!) Honestly? I’ve been hit by, knocked down with, run over by, and sent to the back of the bus in some way or another every week since we opened.
But every time, I have gotten back up. We did find financing, we survived opening, busy nights and blackouts, we passed health inspections (with flying colours, in case you’re worried...) and have paid our bills, paid our bills, and paid our bills; sometimes late, sometimes on installments, and sometimes with little more than promises and hopes. But when push has come to shove, for four and a half years, we have rolled up our sleeves, gotten back up and we have done what had to be done.
And more. We started a thriving Farmers’ Market; we host three or four charity events every year. We provide an income and stability to our employees and their families. We manage the upkeep of a piece of local history, our 160 year old stone and timber building in the heart of downtown. There is nothing farther away from staring at the grill of that oncoming Greyhound than reading our customer comment cards that say: ‘excellent, excellent, excellent, amazing, 10 out of 10, best meal ever!’ Or, ‘we love it here!’
And we have managed this entire project in line with our values. I set out to open an organic and local foods restaurant, a business that did minimal impact to an environment that is even more stressed out than me—And, four and a half years later, we still buy local and organic as much as or more than the day we opened—more than almost anyone you know—Our meats do not come from factories, our vegetables taste fresh from the field because they are, and our pantry is stocked, floor to ceiling with certified organic foods. We still use natural, biodegradable cleaners, recycled and compostable paper goods, and we don’t even have a dumpster because most of our waste is either recycled or composted...In addition to those local, small farmed and natural meats, we include lots of healthy, vegetarian and vegan options, we use mostly whole grains and we even control portions of salt and fats, easy to do when you prepare almost everything from scratch—and you don’t even have to ask us about MSG or trans-fat because there is none here. We don’t have to add veggies to our kid’s meals, they already have them.
For now. Today, we are here; tomorrow, I may get run over by a bus.
Which brings me back to Ron Eade’s blog and Benitz’s bistro. The comments on the blog were what really got to me. They ranged in scope from impassioned defense to cruel accusation, and, in all truth, having nothing more than a passing recollection of the chef in question, I cannot say where the blame should lie. But here is what I imagine: Derek had another slow week. Fewer customers came in than the week before, fewer regulars returned, fewer new people saw the sign or the ads. A bill was put off, because there wasn’t quite as much money as he thought there would be. He worked harder, he made the food better, he tried a new approach, but, whatever it was, it didn’t take. He had another slow week, he put off another bill. A piece of equipment broke, it slowed service, it made his work harder, but there was no money to fix it, so he plugged on, worked around it. The slower service turned a few people who were on the line about his restaurant around—they told a friend or two, and Derek had another slow week. Each of these things became a domino in a row, the bills, the broken equipment, the slower service, and as each one of those dominos lined up, he tried new things, he crossed his fingers and he hoped. He stuck to his guns, he worked on the delivery, on cutting costs, on keeping people happy...But one day, he put off one bill too many, or maybe something else broke that he couldn’t repair. One day the bus ran him down and he couldn’t get back up.
Was this a personal failure? Should he have fought on against all odds? Sure. I have this conversation with myself every week, and if I didn’t keep saying ‘Yes! Fight on! Find a way!’ then this adventure would have ended in defeat long before this day...But does that make him a villain? No. Fraudulent? Again, no. Our culture is littered with stories of winning against all odds, of pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps, of turning lemons into lemonade....To have quit any sooner than was absolutely necessary would have been his, and would also be my end. As long as there is a chance that this company can turn itself around, I will keep trying. As long as people keep turning up, keep encouraging us to succeed, keep thanking us for doing what we do, I will keep on fighting, I will keep on trying.
My Dad showed me how to put those buses in line. He taught me how to be not just a business owner, but a good one, a fair one—but in the end, a restaurant took him down. Restaurants are bigger than buses, and meaner; just ask Derek Benitz, or, I’m sure 99 out of 100 restaurant owners you could meet. Margins are slim, diners are fickle, trends and tastes change with the wind and season. And how many newspapers have a ‘Haircut Reviews’ section waiting to pounce on the first barber who tapers unevenly or fails to provide a perfect bob? Restaurants are hard work; they are demanding, intense and unforgiving.
My restaurant may not be here next week. It probably will, and every instinct has told me not to tell this story, this truth, to let you see behind the veil.... But I get tired when I see good guys like Derek lose the fight, like my brother, like my dad. I don’t want to be one of those guys or gals. I made it past the first hurdle; I didn’t fail, like 23% do, in my first year, and I’d like to not be one of the 60% that fail in the first five....The fact is that I love this place. I love the work, I love the response, I love the people, I love being able to effect change by the simple fact of existing and I love that I don’t have to be like McDonald’s, The Keg, or the Olive Garden to do it. I love that I can depend on local farmers and not buy from big, industrial suppliers like the others. But if I’ve learned anything, if stories like Derek’s have taught me anything, it’s that I’m not going to succeed by laying down in the ditch, waiting for the trouble to pass, I’ve got to get out in front of that bus and make the driver stop and let me on.
So here goes. Tomorrow, I really could get run over by a bus, so it’s time for me to quit complaining and to get on with it. So what, pray tell, am I trying to say? How about this: if you value your local and local foods restaurants, visit them. Frequent them. This is not an easy business; fun, yes, but not easy. Come to the branch; buy something this week or next. If you can’t come, send a friend; if you can come, bring a friend. We want to succeed. We want nothing more than to offer you a little home away from home; a friendly, smiling face, and a great meal grown and raised by the good people all around you. If you value that in us, if you value that in any restaurant, then support us. Support all of us; give us a chance to get on the bus. Honestly? Give us a chance to drive the bus.
And that is what I really want to say.
August Newsletter 2011
Well, August is upon us, and all I can say is…wow. The fact is, I’ve written a very difficult story this month. It was difficult to write and has been even more difficult to send, but I hope you’ll take a minute (…OK, more like 15 minutes, who am I kidding?) and read it, and, maybe, if you’d like, share it, pass it along...I don’t know. You’ll see what I’m talking about. So anyway, that’s out of the way…let’s talk news….
Tonight (if you’re getting this on Tuesday August 2nd) is a Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute at the branch…Jerry was the center of the musical phenomenon, The Grateful Dead, that sprang out of the idealistic and slightly drugged up culture that was San Francisco in the 60s—I’ve lived in SF (not in the 60s, duh.), I’ve enjoyed their music for years, and I even got to see a show, in 1989, just a few short years before Jerry died and music lost his unique voice forever…His songs, ones he co-wrote or even just performed, however, live on…tonight, with the help of host, Dave Scully, we will celebrate his life and legacy with an intimate show and some jams at the branch, come on out if you are interested in good music or even, really, just good times.
August Art and August Charity Event and August Movie Night:
I’ll cover a couple more points of interest before I get to the rest of the music. August, at the branch, has become the month we set aside to support one of our finest local charities: Ryan’s Well. The following Press Release gives a pretty good run-down of the month’s clean water initiative related events: please feel free to cut and paste it in part or in total and send it around to anyone and/or everyone that you think may be interested:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thirsty? Glass of water only 25¢ during August.
Ryan’s Well won’t run dry this summer with the help of the branch restaurant and its generous customers.
For every glass of water served this month, guests are encouraged to donate 25¢ towards Ryan’s Well Foundation programs; the branch restaurant will match the donations collected and present them to the internationally recognized Kemptville-based charity.
In 1998, when local boy Ryan Hreljac was in Grade 1, he learned from his teacher that people were dying because they didn't have clean water to drink. He decided that raising money for those without access to this basic need was the right thing to do. He worked for four months doing extra chores around his house to earn his first $70. Ryan was just seven years old when his first well was built in 1999 at a school in a Ugandan village. The well continues to serve thousands of people. Ryan's vision, as a young boy in 1998 and to this day as a young man, is for every person in the world to have a simple necessity – access to safe water. Ryan and his Foundation continue to pursue this goal of clean water and sanitation for all. The Foundation has helped build 682 water projects and 821 latrines, bringing safe water and improved sanitation to 723,375 people.
Ryan’s story has made people realize that anyone, even kids in Grade 1, can make a difference.
In late February 2010, Ryan's Well representatives travelled to Uganda and were joined by professional photographer, Lesley Marino. Ms. Marino’s photos capture the incredible people, communities, struggles, impacts, and un-told stories the water and sanitation projects - her incredible photography really does prove that a picture is worth 1,000 words.
The branch restaurant is honoured to have Ms. Marino’s photos documenting the work of Ryan’s Well on display during the month of August. Don’t miss the opportunity to view them anytime this month. Come to the vernissage and meet the artist on Tuesday, August 23rdfrom 5 to 8pm.
Thirsty for more about water? Sustainable North Grenville is pleased to screen the movie 'Blue Gold’: World Water Wars' at The Branch Restaurant on Monday, August 8th, which also features Kemptville’s Ryan Hreljac.
Doors open at 6:45 with refreshments, a light buffet, coffee and sweets by donation, as well as a cash bar. The film starts at 7:00pm. $5.00 admission at the door.' For more info contact the branch restaurant , 15 Clothier Street East, Old Town Kemptville, 613-258-3737.
August Music:
As mentioned, tonight we will feature host Dave Scully leading us in a Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute and jam…bring a guitar or something, it’s gonna be fun…(Tuesday, August 2; 7pm, no cover) This Friday and for three other Fridays this month, Frank and Birdie will be back singing songs of love, redemption and hope. And meatballs (Fridays 5, 19 &26; 7pm, no cover). This Saturday, Trevor Alguire is bringing his original country rock and rootsy stylings back to the branch… not only is he the master of the soulful country rock ballad, I've also been informed that he is also the master of a triple olly on a half-pipe (...a poor attempt by this clumsy fella at a skateboard in-joke, in case you were wondering...) but Saturday, he is back for another night of magic in his 'favourite place to play',(...but I'm sure he says that to all the venues...blushes...) (Saturday, August 6; 9pm, $10)
Next Friday, come see the Heroic Mad Peasants, aka; Shawn, Katie and Doug, as they bring their strings and sings from folk to roots to harmony and back again for all ages, from all ages and, despite the name, with hardly ever a single torch and pitchfork laden march on the town square to date. You wouldn’t want to miss the first one though, would you? Just sayin…(Friday, August 12; 7pm, no cover.) And next Saturday, speaking of heroic mad people, Brandon Agnew, branch favourite and one of Ottawa’s most exciting hidden treasures is back—Brandon brings a bit of New Orleans grit to a unique, honest lyric driven style that ranges from folk to indie to a kind of outsider jazz—He is a character, a storyteller, and an excellent way to spend a Saturday night! (Saturday, August 13; 9pm, $5)
The following Thursday is the return of Christo—The young talented Mr. Graham is well known locally for his precocious talent, at the tender age of just like 17 or 18 or something, he is at the branch to release his third(!) cd…He is joined on the record by Amanda Giles and for the show will feature a band going under the moniker ‘The Men of Science’. This, my friends, is a must-see. (Thursday, August 18; 9pm, $5) But just in case you can’t make it…he’s back with his pal Alex Leggett on that Saturday…Alex is another young, vibrant spirit—a Ganonoque kid whose music has taken from our nearest shore to a number of other venues abroad, including Wakefield’s famous stage at the Black Sheep Inn. He will be joined by Christo Graham as an opener, followed by a headline set of his own original pop and indie tunes. It’s a smiley show, folks, highly recommended! (Saturday, August 20; 9pm, $5)
Come back the next Thursday for another cd release show, this time with touring songstress Sarah MacDougall, her bio says it all: “Sarah MacDougall is a rising star on the Canadian Folk Music scene with her dynamite songs, blistering guitar chops and astounding voice. She has been earning rave reviews and topping major music writers top ten album of the year lists as a songwriter with her official debut album Across the Atlantic (2009), all the while producing and engineering her own music. Born in Sweden, 24 hrs Vancouver called her ‘one of the most promising exports out of Sweden since Abba’ and Across the Atlantic got four-star reviews in such notable publications as Q magazine, the Irish Times, No Depression, and many more.” So yeah, that’s Kemptville on Thursday night, where are you gonna be? Patrick Brealey, another touring singer songwriter will be opening… (Thursday August 25; 9pm--$10 advance or $12 at the door). Then come on back that Saturday for…well…me! That’s right, I, Chef Bruce, will be taking on a Saturday night on August 27thfor a rare appearance with the latest incarnation of a bit of a band thing we’ve got happening these days…aka ‘The Burning Sensations,’ featuring Jay Williams on bass and Ben Mullin on guitar, as well as some other folks, if they’re willin’! (Saturday, August 27; 9pm, no cover!)
OK, so I came to Canada for the first time in 2003 and settled here officially in 2005…So let’s just say I missed out on the whole ‘Spirit of the West’ thing…Trust me, I am making up for lost time. The branch is honoured this month to be a host to an actual Canadian legend, John Mann, lead singer and songwriter for the popular and talented band in question: here’s and excerpt from his website: ‘Mann pens beautiful melodies with emotionally honest lyrics that capture the intimate moments of his hometown of Vancouver, its occupants, the fragile details of their dysfunctional love and the loss of a city’s innocence. If Damien Rice was Jeff Tweedy and Jeff Tweedy was Josh Ritter, you’d come away with something kindred to December Looms.’ That, my friends is the making of an exciting evening at the branch—one to tell the kids about…(Tuesday, August 30; 8pm $22) Best to reserve ahead for this one, it is already filling up!
August Calendar:
Tuesday 2 ~ Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute ...Deadheads Unite! ...7pm, free!
Friday 5 ~ Frank Westernand Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 6 ~ Trevor Alguire, he's back! ...9pm, $10
Friday 12 ~ Heroic Mad Peasants …7pm, free!
Saturday 13 ~ Brandon Agnew...9pm, $5
Thursday 18 ~ Christo Graham, CD Release Party! ...9pm, $5
Friday 19 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 20 ~ Alex Leggett...9pm, $5
Thursday 25 ~ Sarah Macdougall, 9pm, $12 ($10 advance) with Patrick Brealeyopening
Friday 26 ~ Frank Westernand Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 27 ~ Chef Bruce and the Burning Sensations …9pm, free!
Tuesday 30 ~ John Mann, former ‘Spirit of the West’ …8pm, $22
Tonight (if you’re getting this on Tuesday August 2nd) is a Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute at the branch…Jerry was the center of the musical phenomenon, The Grateful Dead, that sprang out of the idealistic and slightly drugged up culture that was San Francisco in the 60s—I’ve lived in SF (not in the 60s, duh.), I’ve enjoyed their music for years, and I even got to see a show, in 1989, just a few short years before Jerry died and music lost his unique voice forever…His songs, ones he co-wrote or even just performed, however, live on…tonight, with the help of host, Dave Scully, we will celebrate his life and legacy with an intimate show and some jams at the branch, come on out if you are interested in good music or even, really, just good times.
August Art and August Charity Event and August Movie Night:
I’ll cover a couple more points of interest before I get to the rest of the music. August, at the branch, has become the month we set aside to support one of our finest local charities: Ryan’s Well. The following Press Release gives a pretty good run-down of the month’s clean water initiative related events: please feel free to cut and paste it in part or in total and send it around to anyone and/or everyone that you think may be interested:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thirsty? Glass of water only 25¢ during August.
Ryan’s Well won’t run dry this summer with the help of the branch restaurant and its generous customers.
For every glass of water served this month, guests are encouraged to donate 25¢ towards Ryan’s Well Foundation programs; the branch restaurant will match the donations collected and present them to the internationally recognized Kemptville-based charity.
In 1998, when local boy Ryan Hreljac was in Grade 1, he learned from his teacher that people were dying because they didn't have clean water to drink. He decided that raising money for those without access to this basic need was the right thing to do. He worked for four months doing extra chores around his house to earn his first $70. Ryan was just seven years old when his first well was built in 1999 at a school in a Ugandan village. The well continues to serve thousands of people. Ryan's vision, as a young boy in 1998 and to this day as a young man, is for every person in the world to have a simple necessity – access to safe water. Ryan and his Foundation continue to pursue this goal of clean water and sanitation for all. The Foundation has helped build 682 water projects and 821 latrines, bringing safe water and improved sanitation to 723,375 people.
Ryan’s story has made people realize that anyone, even kids in Grade 1, can make a difference.
In late February 2010, Ryan's Well representatives travelled to Uganda and were joined by professional photographer, Lesley Marino. Ms. Marino’s photos capture the incredible people, communities, struggles, impacts, and un-told stories the water and sanitation projects - her incredible photography really does prove that a picture is worth 1,000 words.
The branch restaurant is honoured to have Ms. Marino’s photos documenting the work of Ryan’s Well on display during the month of August. Don’t miss the opportunity to view them anytime this month. Come to the vernissage and meet the artist on Tuesday, August 23rdfrom 5 to 8pm.
Thirsty for more about water? Sustainable North Grenville is pleased to screen the movie 'Blue Gold’: World Water Wars' at The Branch Restaurant on Monday, August 8th, which also features Kemptville’s Ryan Hreljac.
Doors open at 6:45 with refreshments, a light buffet, coffee and sweets by donation, as well as a cash bar. The film starts at 7:00pm. $5.00 admission at the door.' For more info contact the branch restaurant , 15 Clothier Street East, Old Town Kemptville, 613-258-3737.
August Music:
As mentioned, tonight we will feature host Dave Scully leading us in a Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute and jam…bring a guitar or something, it’s gonna be fun…(Tuesday, August 2; 7pm, no cover) This Friday and for three other Fridays this month, Frank and Birdie will be back singing songs of love, redemption and hope. And meatballs (Fridays 5, 19 &26; 7pm, no cover). This Saturday, Trevor Alguire is bringing his original country rock and rootsy stylings back to the branch… not only is he the master of the soulful country rock ballad, I've also been informed that he is also the master of a triple olly on a half-pipe (...a poor attempt by this clumsy fella at a skateboard in-joke, in case you were wondering...) but Saturday, he is back for another night of magic in his 'favourite place to play',(...but I'm sure he says that to all the venues...blushes...) (Saturday, August 6; 9pm, $10)
Next Friday, come see the Heroic Mad Peasants, aka; Shawn, Katie and Doug, as they bring their strings and sings from folk to roots to harmony and back again for all ages, from all ages and, despite the name, with hardly ever a single torch and pitchfork laden march on the town square to date. You wouldn’t want to miss the first one though, would you? Just sayin…(Friday, August 12; 7pm, no cover.) And next Saturday, speaking of heroic mad people, Brandon Agnew, branch favourite and one of Ottawa’s most exciting hidden treasures is back—Brandon brings a bit of New Orleans grit to a unique, honest lyric driven style that ranges from folk to indie to a kind of outsider jazz—He is a character, a storyteller, and an excellent way to spend a Saturday night! (Saturday, August 13; 9pm, $5)
The following Thursday is the return of Christo—The young talented Mr. Graham is well known locally for his precocious talent, at the tender age of just like 17 or 18 or something, he is at the branch to release his third(!) cd…He is joined on the record by Amanda Giles and for the show will feature a band going under the moniker ‘The Men of Science’. This, my friends, is a must-see. (Thursday, August 18; 9pm, $5) But just in case you can’t make it…he’s back with his pal Alex Leggett on that Saturday…Alex is another young, vibrant spirit—a Ganonoque kid whose music has taken from our nearest shore to a number of other venues abroad, including Wakefield’s famous stage at the Black Sheep Inn. He will be joined by Christo Graham as an opener, followed by a headline set of his own original pop and indie tunes. It’s a smiley show, folks, highly recommended! (Saturday, August 20; 9pm, $5)
Come back the next Thursday for another cd release show, this time with touring songstress Sarah MacDougall, her bio says it all: “Sarah MacDougall is a rising star on the Canadian Folk Music scene with her dynamite songs, blistering guitar chops and astounding voice. She has been earning rave reviews and topping major music writers top ten album of the year lists as a songwriter with her official debut album Across the Atlantic (2009), all the while producing and engineering her own music. Born in Sweden, 24 hrs Vancouver called her ‘one of the most promising exports out of Sweden since Abba’ and Across the Atlantic got four-star reviews in such notable publications as Q magazine, the Irish Times, No Depression, and many more.” So yeah, that’s Kemptville on Thursday night, where are you gonna be? Patrick Brealey, another touring singer songwriter will be opening… (Thursday August 25; 9pm--$10 advance or $12 at the door). Then come on back that Saturday for…well…me! That’s right, I, Chef Bruce, will be taking on a Saturday night on August 27thfor a rare appearance with the latest incarnation of a bit of a band thing we’ve got happening these days…aka ‘The Burning Sensations,’ featuring Jay Williams on bass and Ben Mullin on guitar, as well as some other folks, if they’re willin’! (Saturday, August 27; 9pm, no cover!)
OK, so I came to Canada for the first time in 2003 and settled here officially in 2005…So let’s just say I missed out on the whole ‘Spirit of the West’ thing…Trust me, I am making up for lost time. The branch is honoured this month to be a host to an actual Canadian legend, John Mann, lead singer and songwriter for the popular and talented band in question: here’s and excerpt from his website: ‘Mann pens beautiful melodies with emotionally honest lyrics that capture the intimate moments of his hometown of Vancouver, its occupants, the fragile details of their dysfunctional love and the loss of a city’s innocence. If Damien Rice was Jeff Tweedy and Jeff Tweedy was Josh Ritter, you’d come away with something kindred to December Looms.’ That, my friends is the making of an exciting evening at the branch—one to tell the kids about…(Tuesday, August 30; 8pm $22) Best to reserve ahead for this one, it is already filling up!
August Calendar:
Tuesday 2 ~ Jerry Garcia Birthday Tribute ...Deadheads Unite! ...7pm, free!
Friday 5 ~ Frank Westernand Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 6 ~ Trevor Alguire, he's back! ...9pm, $10
Friday 12 ~ Heroic Mad Peasants …7pm, free!
Saturday 13 ~ Brandon Agnew...9pm, $5
Thursday 18 ~ Christo Graham, CD Release Party! ...9pm, $5
Friday 19 ~ Frank Western and Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 20 ~ Alex Leggett...9pm, $5
Thursday 25 ~ Sarah Macdougall, 9pm, $12 ($10 advance) with Patrick Brealeyopening
Friday 26 ~ Frank Westernand Birdie Whyte...7pm, free!
Saturday 27 ~ Chef Bruce and the Burning Sensations …9pm, free!
Tuesday 30 ~ John Mann, former ‘Spirit of the West’ …8pm, $22
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