Newsletter January 2012

Attention Branch Eaters! (Koalas?)

Starting this weekend, and next week, Nicole and I are officially writing the next chapter of ‘The Little Restaurant That Could’... We are, it turns out, exactly where we want to be, where we want to stay, and ready to take the reins and try something new.

It has already started to happen; the spaghetti, you may have noticed, has disappeared…as has the stir-fry. We will always stay true to our love of locally sourced and organic foods—but it is time to take the leap and to make a change that has been a long time coming official at last! As of this weekend, and evolving over the next few weeks and months, ‘The Branch Restaurant’ will become what it was probably always meant to be ‘The Branch Restaurant and Texas Grill.’

This change is not just nominal. The fact is that over the course of my career I have come to realize that no matter what food I handle; I always revert to what I call ‘Tex-nique’: applying flavour combinations and cooking methods that inevitably hail back to some delectable morsel from my mother’s table or some other favourite meal or snack from my childhood…and even from the first month at the Branch, it seems that my preparations that revisit those moments carry with them the most resonance—plates like our nachos, our ‘Austin City Limits’ which is a sort of Texas style bbq mixed grill, or other items like our authentic fajitas or enchiladas that get requested so frequently that I am forced to make them into signature items…But as of now…with a new look and a new attitude, we are ready to make it official—we are ready to make it real.

We will still be North Grenville’s (Ottawa South’s?) premiere live music venue, but even more so—in true Austin style, we will now be bringing you music 5 days a week, kicking off every Wednesday at 8pm with a Beau’s Beer sponsored ‘College Night’ (there is a $5 cover, but students with an i.d. get in free in January…) featuring ‘Hot Country’ covers with The Exes along with pitchers, specials on nachos and other munchies, and even with door prizes provided by Beau’s All Natural (don’t worry, college kids of all ages are welcome)…Thursday night shows will include regular appearance by Keith Glass (on the first Thursday of every month) and a Songwriters Circle (on the last Thursday) hosted by yours truly. Fridays will still be the domain of the two and only Frank Western and Birdie Whyte, Sundays will continue to feature our Rubber Boots buffet and Open Mike. Saturdays will be a home for some of the best music anywhere with some real marquee names like Jim Bryson, Cuff the Duke and Danny Michel already booked in before summer!

Our new menu will feature at least three types of real Texas wood-fired bbq by the sandwich, plate, or even by the pound…we will still have our famous fajitas and enchiladas, but we’ll also have some new features like jalapeno-cheese fritters and a dinner sized Fajita Salad or a big bowl of Texas style chili. Vegetarians and gluten sensitive folks have no need to worry about the new menu as we’ll still have lots of choices for you as well. Our seasonal specials will also still rotate regularly—staying in the Texan theme, sometimes, but giving us a little room to colour outside the lines as well.

As you may have noticed, the Branch has been closed for the last two weeks in anticipation of these changes and to give us a chance to do some long overdue kitchen renovations—but the good news that the renos are ahead of schedule and in fact, the crew is so excited to try out serving the new menu that we are re-opening even earlier than we had planned in order to give everyone a head start on trying out our new Texas Grill menu goodies! Reserve now for this Saturday night and come out to hear local favourites the Standby Brothers performing a pile of harmonious covers and even some choice and catchy original tunes! Barbecarmony! We will also be open Sunday for our Rubber Boots Buffet from 2-8pm and how about some Chef Bruce’e Loose and Juicy Jams for all of our Branch deprived pals? That’s happening from 3-6pm, and anyone and everyone is welcome to bring down a guitar, bassoon or marimba, pan pipes, or even just your own pipes (etc…) and to join right in with all the fun!

January Music:

Wednesdays January 18 & 25, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company presents: College Night at the Branch, featuring Hot Country with The Exes, $5, free with Student i.d.: it’s the ‘College Night’ premiere with The Exes, featuring Kim (Yes, That Kim) coming out from behind the bar to show off her singing chops, if you haven’t heard her yet at one of our open stages, you’re missing out, come out the Wednesday and prepare to be wowed…

Thursday, January 19th, Petunia, 9pm $10; Spending the early part of his career playing on every major street corner, subway station and park bench in Canada (and NY city), picking, grinning and singing for his living, Petunia has been a regular on the Canadian touring circuit for many years now. He plays 150 shows/ year all over Canada and has begun touring into the USA, with his band out of Vancouver, "The Vipers".…he has a unique, surreal style all of his own…his live performances have been likened to an Avant-Country night club scene from a David Lynch movie.

Fridays, January 20 & 27; The Frank and Birdie Show, 7pm, free: Frank Western and Birdie Whyte are the dynamic duo, the tune-ular twosome, the corporeal couple, the magnificent mates…they are what happen one and one are added to become not two but two times two times two….which is a number that is significantly higher than two. Obviously. Come see them.

Saturday, January 21; Chris Brown, 9pm $12: Chris Brown formerly of The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir and (briefly) the Barenaked Ladies and currently with The Open Hearts Society is back—last time he popped into town, he snuck his friend Sarah Harmer in with him and she helped him out for a brief but beautiful 3 song set… bet you wish you’d caught that! He is well worth the visit, his organ styling’s as well as his guitar based originals are catchy, soulful, complex and bear up under repeated listening’s…This guy is a true Canadian original and well worth the visit, in fact don’t believe me, listen to these folks: here’s an abbreviated list of folks with whom Chris has collaborated over the years: Sarah Harmer, Ani DiFranco, Ashley MacIsaac, Barenaked Ladies, Big Sugar, Crash Test Dummies, Christian Doscher, DJ Logic, Hermine Deurloo, Jason Collett, Rosanna Goodman, Kate Fenner, Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos, Luther Wright and the Wrongs, Natasha Alexandra (NLX), Po' Girl, Propagandhi, The Tragically Hip, Tom Jones… and more! Chris is a legend, please don’t miss this show, did I mention that he is also, enthusiastically ‘Abigail approved’?

Sunday, January 22, 3-6pm, free! Elvis Presley Birthday Tribute Open Stage, everyone is welcome to come out and sing their favourite Elvis songs…sideburns are not required, extreme pelvis movement is, however, highly recommended…

Saturday, January 28; Amanda Rheaume, 9pm, $5; This is Amanda’s first branch show, but judging by the early buzz around this one, it won’t be the last—Amanda is a beautiful Ottawa based singer-songwriter and will be bringing a band along to help her out—the following was cribbed from her website: “…Rheaume is a powerful vocalist with just a touch of grit and an instantly-accessible roots-pop-Americana sound -- has been a pillar of her local Ottawa music scene for about a decade now. A $40,000 winner in Live 88.5’s 2008 Big Money Shot competition, Rheaume is not only a regular at local festivals and joints like the Rainbow Bistro, she has also distinguished herself as one of the city’s, if not the country’s, most selflessly giving musicians. She organizes Ottawa’s Bluebird North songwriter showcases, she participated in the Babes for Breasts tour to raise money for breast cancer, she recorded a charity Christmas EP for Boys and Girls club of Ottawa – selling 6500 copies just in Ottawa, she donated a dollar from each album sold during her last tour to a fund for the families of military personnel, and she’s even performed for the troops in Afghanistan…twice.”