Centretown News

Craig Smith says he’ll never forget that sunny morning many years ago in Ottawa’s Chinatown when a Chinese friend took him to dim sum.

Behind the bar with baristas

Let’s face it: “barista” is not the most manly-sounding job title in the world.

It’s 10:30 a.m. on a weekday and the Starbucks at the corner of Metcalfe and Slater is buzzing with coffee-breakers looking for a mid-morning buzz.

“More time” was the order of the day as Elgin Street’s planned concert hall survived a city council vote last week that could have stripped its municipal funding. Instead, council agreed to postpone the deal’s Nov. 30 deadline to the end of February.