Travel Blog

My wife and I recently had lunch at the Ha Noi Pho Restaurant in Ottawa located at :4312 Innes Road, Unit 1,Orleans, Ontario. It is at the corner of Innes Road and Lanthier Road.

Ha Noi Pho Restaurant in Ottawa

We found that this restaurant not only serves excellent food, but the service also is great and there is a nice atmosphere as well. It is a relatively small restaurant and we were there late in the lunch hour period, so it was not too crowded.

We had a beer first which was ice cold, just the way we like it, and ordered vegetable rolls initially. We mentioned to the waitress that we wanted to enjoy our beer and then order our lunch a bit later.

She was really excellent not bothering us every 5 minutes to see if we were ready to order. Instead, she was very respectful and observed us from a distance. As soon as we were ready we were able to get her attention easily and place our orders.

I had General Tao’s chicken which is slightly spicy and comes with white rice. It was excellent and both the quantity and the taste of the food more than met our expectations. Although the lunch came to about $40,  we did have a beer each, an appetizer, and two great meals.

My wife has dined at this restaurant several times with a friend. She plans to return many more times for the food, the atmosphere, and of course that ice-cold beer. She has gone to this restaurant several times since our visit together. Each time she has enjoyed the meal.

They seem to be able to maintain consistency in terms of both services as well as food quality. This is difficult to do when staff changes etc. at many restaurants.

If you have not been to this restaurant in Orleans, it is definitely worth a try, especially if you enjoy Vietnamese food.

They have just opened a new Second Cup coffee shop in Orleans, Ontario Canada along Innes road. This Second Cup – Orleans, Ontario is located near Lowes.  I do not normally go to this particular chain for coffee, however my wife wanted to try it out. What a pleasant surprise! this location has become one of our favorite places to have coffee with friends and as a couple.

Canadians are actually friendly in some coffee shops. I recently posted about Tim Hortons and how unfriendly they are. Well at Second cup they actually said “good Morning” with a smile and asked ” how can I help you”! The store is new and I know they are trying to gain customers, and for me this is absolutely the best way to go about it. Nice friendly service. When we were leaving someone said to us from behind the counter, “Have a nice day”. You never see this at any of the competing coffee chains except for maybe Starbucks if they notice and have time.

Second Cup – Orleans, Ontario

It does not hurt that the place is brand new and decorated very nicely. They have the usual chairs and tables, but they also have a nice fireplace with soft leather chairs to sit in, read a book or chat with friends. There was also a spot over by the windows in a little alcove were you could also meet with 2 or 4 friends and have a great conversation on nice leather chairs. This is a very comfortable spot to go and we usually visit this coffee shop a couple of times a week.

This is absolutely the best way to go about it in terms of attracting customers and keeping them. Finally a coffee chain that recognizes that their customers want more than just a cup of coffee. They are looking for comfort and a cozy place to relax in, enjoy coffee and chat with friends and family.  We will definitely go back to this Second Cup for coffee in the near future!

For a list of more things to do in Palm Springs, click here.

There are two casinos located in the Ottawa, Canada region. The one that we will review in this post is called the Rideau Carleton Raceway Casino. This is the only Ottawa casino in the area. The other casino is located across the river in Quebec and is called the Lac Leamy Casino. We will review this casino in another post. As a result there is not much competition, the casinos are small and demand is large. They are run by the Ontario and Quebec governments. As a result there is little competition and little incentive to be competitive. Hence the Lac Leamy casino is by far the superior casino offering more dining, gaming, entertainment and lodging value.

Patrons can enjoy themselves at the Carleton Raceway Casino, playing many of their favorite machines. However if you have been to any of the large US casinos, this certainly does not compare. We have seen people win large jackpots at the Carleton Raceway Casino with pictures taken etc.

Rideau Carleton Raceway- Entertainment

The entertainment is available Friday and Saturday nights and is aimed at the older crowd. Rock, country and easy listening music would best describe the music. Although there really is no dance floor, patrons have been seen dancing to a particular song they enjoyed.

There is a long list of things that we do not like about this casino run by the OLG. Carleton Raceway Casino is nothing more than a prop to keep the racetrack alive and a tax on patrons for the Ontario Government. Hence it is not a competitive casino run by private enterprise. It is typical government with all of the bureaucracy of a government. We have seen slot machines taken out of service for maintenance or upgrading. As a result the entire bank might be out for a week or more. In private industry, this is completed over night!

This is not one of our favorites. However many people do go to the Carleton Raceway Casino every day. It is open 24 hours a day except for Christmas.

Restaurants

There is one restaurant at the Carleton Raceway Casino. It overlooks the racetrack and there is a nice ambiance of racetrack betting and dinner at this restaurant. However in the writer’s opinion, it is not even close to fine dining. Even though there are 100 items in the buffet it lacks presentation, quality and taste. The staff clearly do not take pride in their restaurant and it shows. As a result I know many people, the writer included, who will not even eat there, even if they have been comp’d.

In addition customers may also order basic meals from the menu. This is a racetrack restaurant trying to look like something else and failing.

Sandwich’s, soup, hot dogs, chips and peanuts can be ordered at the bar inside the casino. Prices for beer and mixed drinks are regular price. They are the same that you would find in any restaurant or bar. The Carleton Raceway Casino does not comp any mixed drinks. soft drinks, coffee and water is free. However you should tip for this service.  Chicken wings are also known to be served at the back of the casino on Saturday nights.

They also offer group visits, however we have never utilized this service and cannot comment on it.

What We Liked

• Variety of slot machines with 1250 slot machines to choose from
• Free entertainment located in the casino on Friday and Saturday nights
• Safe environment in the casino, hotel and parking areas

What We Did Not Like

• There are no table games at the Carleton Raceway Casino
• Customers must pay for all alcoholic drinks and you can take these drinks to the slot machines
• Guards standing at single entrance scrutinizing everyone that enters
• Larger payouts are still paid by slot runners, and they expect a tip for their efforts. We suggest you save your money.
• There is no associated hotel
• Located a long way from downtown Ottawa
• Slots appear to be very tight
• Crowded on most evenings and holidays

Slot Player Card

The Carleton Raceway Casino is  part of the OLG Winners Circle slot players card system. Hence slot members can take advantage of limited benefits such as cash back and comp’s for food at the buffet. The OLG Winners Circle card can be used in all OLG casinos across Ontario , Canada.

Slot cards at the Carleton Raceway Casino are free and you should definitely obtain one. However they are not nearly as lucrative as other slot cards in the US.

Parking

There is ample parking at the Carleton Raceway Casino in a large outdoor parking lot. In addition, valet service is also available should you prefer not to walk from the outdoor parking lot.

Directions:

The OLG Carleton Raceway Casino is located at 4837 Albion Road. From downtown Ottawa , take bank street south to Albion to get to the casino. Allow a minimum of 20 minutes from down town.