Last night we went out for Valentine's Day (okay, a few hours before the stroke of midnight but so close to the 14th as not to count). One of my favourite restaurants a few years ago was Allium on Holland Avenue. For some reason, time passed and we had not been back. In looking for a place to celebrate Valentine's Day, I suggested Allium. Monday night is tapas night and that allows me to taste a few things without ending up with a huge plate of only one type of food. I was not disappointed! We had great service, wonderful tapas and then for only $4.00 a half of a Banoffee pie (see the photo from the Allium website above to realize that this was not a huge serving but JUST RIGHT. I saw a Jamie Oliver television show where he made one of these pies and it stuck as something that I would like to taste. Mission accomplished. It is made of graham crumb crust, toffee, bananas, whipped cream and shaved chocolate. Not something for every day but a treat.

Part of what made the evening was the variety of patrons in the restaurant. There were a couple of families with school aged children, women out with their girlfriends, couples, and groups. The atmosphere was lively and upbeat.

I highly recommend a meal at Allium or (if you are like me and like variety) the Monday tapas evening. Make a reservation just to be sure to have a spot.

Allium 87 Holland Avenue; Ottawa, Ontario;

613-792-1313

Beyond City Limits: Life in Ottawa’s Suburbs

Part 1: East of Ottawa

The East of Ottawa has always been a popular place for families to settle. There is so much to do in the area that you never really need to leave it to find exactly what you are looking for. There are four areas in the East that are currently booming:

Blackburn Hamlet - average resale price $261,162

Chapel Hill - average resale price $405,422

Convent Glen North - average resale price $292,571

Avalon - average resale price $351,124

Blackburn Hamlet is a very special part of Ottawa since it is surrounded by Greenbelt, and definitely won’t be getting much bigger. This community is perfect for people who are looking for that small town feel without being too far out of the city. What’s really great about Blackburn is the mature feel of the small ‘hamlet’. It has mature trees, large lots and a pedestrian friendly layout. Houses here generally sell very quickly, within three weeks, since it is such an exclusive area.

Chapel Hill is very close to Blackburn Hamlet, but has a very different feel. Houses are generally newer in this community; dating from the 1990’s onward. People shopping in this area are generally looking for newer & larger single family homes. The Chapel Hill area also features mature trees, many parks and great schools. Chapel Hill is a great place for families and since it is in Orleans, has many great amenities nearby such as recreation complexes, movie theatres and libraries. If you love Orleans, but find Avalon is too ‘new’ and far out for your tastes, Chapel Hill is the answer.

Convent Glen North is a lovely mish mash community within Orleans. It features everything from condos to large four bedroom homes. Many homebuyers love the Convent Glen area since they can move within the same neighbourhood as their needs and budgets change and grow. This part of Orleans is also covered with parks & amazing trails, including the bike trail along the Ottawa river which takes you right down to parliament! Another hidden treasure in Convent Glen (well maybe not so hidden) is Taffy Lane! Every year the residents of Taffy Lane decorate their homes beautifully during the Christmas holidays. People come from all over the city to drive by and see the amazing array of decorations.

Avalon, as the sign at the entrance states, is a “perfectly planned community”. It will eventually hold over 3,500 houses. What’s great about this area is the ability for homebuyers to have their ideal homes built. Some really nice features of the community are the central squares (circles really). These are small parks within roundabouts; they feature parks and a great place to let your pets and kids run around. Even though this community is less than six years old, it already has a very active lifestyle with elementary schools and a brand new community centre.

And there you have it folks, the East of Ottawa is still expanding and full of many hidden gems and great family friendly communities. Many people think of the East of Ottawa as a sleepy government employee community, but as all of the expansion along Innes has proven, it is much more than that. In the East you can find that new development you're craving or that small town feel, if that’s more your speed. The above four communities are not the only gems the East of Ottawa has to offer, you can also find many other flourishing neighbourhoods such as: Fallingbrook, Orleans Wood, Chatelaine Village, Queenswood Heights, Springridge and Bradley Estates. I think it’s safe to say that the East really does, have it all!

(This blog post references the May 2011 issue of Ottawa Magazine)

LOVE IS IN THE AIR…

Win a spa manicure & pedicure basket from Beauticontrol by Joan Jesion or a Romantic ‘Tour of Italy’ Evening at Cuisine & Passion with executive Chef Marc Miron!

How to enter:
It’s simple! Comment on this post and tell us why you’d love to win!

Want additional entries? Hop on facebook or twitter!

1) "Like" Christiane Lafleur - YOUR Real Estate Professional & leave a comment

2) Follow me on TWITTER (@Christiane_L) & tweet: I'd love to win #valentinesdaycontest w @Christiane_L (Would you? http://goo.gl/aTiDt)

Feel free to comment as many times as you’d like until February 13th at 10AM. Each unique comment you submit counts as one entry!

The winner will be announced February 13th 2012 at 12NOON; just in time for a last minute Valentine’s Day Surprise - STAY TUNED!

For more information, Please call or email
The Christiane Lafleur Real Estate Team
(613) 859-0809 or admin@christianelafleur.com

It is a well know fact that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. They are the two most important rooms in a house since, if we’re going to be politically incorrect, women spend 99% of their time in the kitchen and men 99% in the bathroom, right? Well, let’s focus on what’s important and review some great tips on how to remodel your kitchens on a dime, without breaking the bank!

Let’s start with cabinetry. I know it scares us all to think about having to tear down our old, shall we say “rustic” looking cabinets and replace them with sleek modern cabinets, but fear not, there is another way! Instead of paying between $5,000 to $20,000 dollars on new cabinets, why not paint and reface your existing cabinets? Sure it’ll take a little bit of elbow grease and time, but isn’t it worth the thousands of dollars of savings? For an extra great finish top off your newly finished cabinets with beautiful new hardware; how’s that for kitchens on a dime!?

The next most important item when thinking of kitchen renovation is definitely the countertop. Of course we all dream of having granite, natural stone or other pricy materials, but why would we go for that when we can buy fake-outs for a quarter of the cost? Ceramic tiles are a gorgeous alternative, and now they even have amazing laminates which look like faux natural stones or faux granites. It’s like spanks for women… Why pay for plastic surgery when we can cover it all up so well with our handy dandy spanks! Go ahead and fake it!

The last item which can make or break a beautiful kitchen is the floor. Let’s face it; if everything else in the kitchen is beautiful and the floor is atrocious… it’s like indulging on a fabulous dinner with no dessert, talk about an incomplete night! The trend right now for “high end” kitchens is marble flooring which can cost from $10 to $30 per square foot, yikes! A great alternative for a fraction of the cost is to use ceramic or porcelain tiles which are $5 to $20 dollars per square foot, much more reasonable and in my opinion, will look just as beautiful!

So there you have it, a few great tips to have a wonderfully updated space for a reasonable price. How did you enjoy Kitchens on a dime? Obviously these are only a few of the many wonderful tips out there, so here’s your chance… what are YOUR tips for renovating on a budget?

The year 2011 is over, the holidays are over and it's time to get back in to the regular routine.

Have you been thinking about buying a home in Ottawa? You are not sure where to start, what to do, who to call, etc... There are so many options out there. How is the Ottawa Real Estate market doing? Where should I buy? What should I by? Do I call a realtor or a mortgage broker first?

Why not come over and have a coffee so we can talk about the Ottawa Real Estate market. It will be an up close and personal event. If you go to a large event it can be a bit of a challenge to get all of your questions answered. This is why we have put this format together so that you can get the straight talk on real estate.

Visit CoffeeWithJean.com to register and reserve your spot. There is limited space available, so hurry!