FoodMODE Magazine | Chef Anthony Ford Putting on the Ritz

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Quick Chinese Spiced Drumsticks/Wings

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Quick Chinese Spiced Drumsticks/Wings
Makes 4 main course servings
Oriental flavours can be absolutely addictive. These quick spicy drumsticks/wings are no exception! Feel free to adjust the recipe (i.e., ginger, chili paste and peppercorns) to meet your preferred level of “hot and spicy”!

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Chef Anthony Ford Putting on the Ritz

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Ottawa’s Ritz Restaurants have been very good to Anthony Ford’s family. When the Ritz on Elgin first opened its doors 28 years ago, Anthony’s dad, just strolling by, was their first customer. When Anthony started his career in the restaurant biz at the age of 16, he did so at the Ritz on Bank St. (now Flying Piggy’s). In time, his sister and cousins had the Ritz listed on their résumés too. Anthony’s first job at the Ritz was as a dishwasher. By the next day, he was on salads, and soon moved on to line cook and co- kitchen manager by the end of his first summer. Other Ritz locations figured in his cooking career as well as a five-year stint at West End Station Bistro.
Eventually, Anthony returned home to the Ritz, this time as a Chef/Owner. He purchased the Elgin St. location eight years ago, with the idea of keeping the basics of a winning menu while branching out in new directions. For a time the restaurant retained the Ritz name, which wasn’t always a plus despite its good reputation in the city. “There was sometimes confusion with the customers” says the youthful 38 year-old Anthony. “They’d call and make a reservation at one Ritz, thinking they were calling another location. So you’d have a party of 10 show up here unexpectedly, and they’d be holding a table for them over at the Canal Ritz”. Eventually it was decided to change the name to Anthony’s on Elgin.
Anthony’s still has many of the same favourite Italian dishes that the Ritz was known for, but now they feature international specials at both lunch and dinner. Anthony’s cooking is mostly self-taught and he says he reads and experiments constantly. His wife is Colombian, and there is a definite South American slant to the daily specials. The recently added Colombian Tamales have built up quite a following with restaurant regulars.
Honest food at a good price is Anthony’s aim. They handmake their pasta from scratch, and while they used to buy their bread and desserts (including the coveted Zucotto) from the Ritz production kitchen, now all desserts and bread are made onsite. Sundays feature a three-course table d’hote menu at a very reasonable $19.95, and once a month, fall through spring, Anthony’s offers a theme night gourmet five-course meal with wine pairings.
For the future, Anthony is planning to tweak the wine list a bit, but has no plans to mess with the basics of the former Ritz menu. Anthony is not the only one who feels loyal to the Ritz. Among his staff of managers, cooks and servers are several who have worked there 14 years or more. And then there are the customers like Anthony’s Dad—eating at the same restaurant for 28 years, and counting.

Anthony’s on Elgin
274 Elgin St.
613 235-7027
www.anthonysonelgin.ca

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