The Ottawa Citizen from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • 3

Z) "PAGE A3 OUR PICKS OF WHAT TO SEE AND DO TODAY 0 FOR THE SHOWGOER (f 1 FOR THE -BRUNCH BUNCH Those familiar with the newly-gen-trified Beechwood Avenue will probably have noticed Mel's Diner, at 7 Beechwood Ave. It's a freshly renovated restaurant on the former premises of the Linden Restaurant. Mel's is cleanly functional, painted spick-and-span white with 14 red leatherette counter stools, booths with juke boxes, and several tables at the front window. In the best diner tradition, Mel's I serves breakfast anytime, starting at 8 a.m. There's no particular Sunday brunch menu, but try the large omelette with home fries, toast, sausages, ham or bacon, for $5.75.

Two eggs with all the trimmings are $3.95. The service is cheerful and prompt, with coffee served the instant you sit down. On a recent Sunday the chef was out of croissants and had only one kind of muffin but the pancakes and sausages, $5.25, were hot and numerous and there was a choice of regular or rye toast. Bagels come plain or with a variety of toppings. For those in a not-so-breakfasty mood, there are large smoked meat sandwich platters with fries, pickles and coleslaw for $6.75 ($4.25 for just the sandwich) and several children were observed tucking into giant steamed hot dogs with fries and cole slaw for $4.50.

Mel's is a popular little spot, serving large helpings of simple, well-cookeL comforting food. It should be open until about 9 or 10 this evening, depending on how busy it is. 1 ri 4y; Pnt Mrftralh P.iti7An Pat McGrath, Citizen There's a treat in store at the National Arts Centre tonight, when Roger Whittaker, one of the world's favorite troubadours, performs at 8:30. From the Skye Boat Song to Swahili melodies, from love songs to classics like Morning Has Broken, Whittaker's rich, mellifluous baritone delivers them all. The Kenyan-born singer-songwriter is currently touring 22 Canadian cities, with 31 concerts in 32 days, to promote his new album, Living and Loving.

Tickets may still be available at the door, at $18.50, $21.50 and $24.50. Call 996-5051 to check. FOR THE FASHIONABLE pring is the time to put away the winter wools and get out the light, bright summer fashions. If your summer wardrobe is lack ing, why not head out to Constance Bay this afternoon? At 1 p.m., hundreds of women will congregate at the Community Centre there for the annual Spring Fashion Show. Admission is $2 and all clothes will be sold at warehouse prices.

If you see something you like, you can try it on there, then buy using major credit cards, cash or cheques. Proceeds will go to improving soccer fields and renovations to an old Casino that was once a popular spot for dances. Head out Hwy. 17 past Kanata, fol-" lowing the signs for Constance Bay. Once you enter the town, there will be a sign for the Community Centre after about two kilometres.

FOR THE SUNDAY STROLLER his city spring stroll takes us to Ottawa's Little Italy and Chinatown. You won't see palatial homes and acres of greenery in this Dalhousie Ward neighborhood, but it is one of the most vibrant and interesting in Ottawa. Where else can you rummage through boxes of fresh, foreign-sounding vegetables and enjoy the best coffee in town, all within the space of a few blocks? And it's never too early to enjoy the first Italian ice cream of the season. Start on Somerset Street West. The seven-block strip between Bronson Avenue and Preston Street is an ever-changing collage of Chinese restaurants, ethnic groceries and eclectic businesses.

On Sundays, it is packed with families out shopping, socializing and enjoying dim sum, the Chinese brunch. Take a tour through some of the grocery stores, such as the Sieu Thi Phu Cuong market at Somerset and Arthur, where cardboard boxes spilling out onto the street are full of exotic vegetables like bright purple Chinese eggplant, lime green opo, green mango, and fresh taro leaf. Load up on soy sauce, sesame oil, Chinese tea and noodles. Wa Kiu Foods across the street is a good spot to buy barbecued pork and fresh fish. Continue west to Preston Street, the heart of Little Italy.

Meander up Preston, past a string of excellent restaurants and capuccino bars. A favorite is Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana, on Preston at Larch, just north of Gladstone Avenue. The hypnotic smells of almond, chocolate and coffee will hit you a block away. This super-clean, family-run business was expanded in the last year or so, but lost none of its charm. The glass cases are still crowded with home-made chocolates, cookies and pastry, and the most delectable tarts (custard topped with glazed kiwi, strawberries or blueberries) ever devised.

And, of course, the ice cream: it's all made on the premises, in the light, Italian style. A cone is $1.65. II FOR THE PEACENIK Peace activists and folk singers will join forces tonight at DISARMX a benefit concert for the Coalition to Oppose the Arms Trade. The Writers' Bloc a group of Otta-; -wa singer-songwriters including Cathy "Miller, Bob Stark, Alex Sinclair, Lynn Miles, Terry Tufts and Phil Jenkins will perform starting at 7:30 at the r-Great Canadian Theatre Company, 910 Gladstone Ave. (near Preston Street).

T'l The theme is opposition to ARMX '89, trade show featuring weapons from 16 countries to be held at Lansdowne Park -May 23-25. Tickets for the concert will be $13 at the door ($8 low-income). Dodds' Ocf Barnyard, oil on canvas, 1986 Jfor the art investor i I you've got a little nest egg tucked away, why not invest it in some chickens? Kevin Dodds, a 25-year-old Arnpri- or artist, is quickly gaining recognition for his realist-style oil paintings of rural life in the Ottawa Valley. Three years ago he worked in the shipping department at Mitel. Now, the son of chip-Wagon owner Wes Dodds is selling his paintings for as much as $3,000.

Chickens so real you can practically touch the feathers are a favorite subject. Today, from 2 until 5 p.m., you can meet Xevin and view his paintings at the opening of his two-week show at Gallery, near Kanata. Ten paintings Will be for sale (with prices ranging $495 to $2,950) and 10 more will on display only. get to the gallery, at 895 March take the Queensway west to the Road exit, then head north for another three or four kilometres. Watch the gallery on your left.

FOR THE DIVING FAN ere's a suggestion to add some splash to your Sunday: drop by the Orleans Recreation Complex to watch Ontario and Quebec's finest young divers in action. Youngsters from 9 to 15 years old will -be competing for championships from 10 until 7, p.m. Admission is free. I The complex is at 1790 Youville off Jeanne D'Arc Boulevard. Refreshments and souvenirs will be sold, with "proceeds going to the Gloucester Diving Club.

Thanks to Alayna Kruger, for writing to tell us about this event. A Sunday Best sweatshirt Is on its way. FOR THE KIDS Hey kids! It's spring and time for go-carting! Two local go-carting tracks are open again. In the east end, Thunderbird Golf and GoKarts is located on Conroy Road, off Walkley. It's open daily from 10:30 a.m.

to 11 p.m., when the weather ts good. In the west, Karters' Korner on Fal-lowfield Road near Stittsville is open from 10 a.m. to dusk, with a mini-putt 9nd arcade open until 10 p.m. You must be at least 4 feet 6 inches fall about 10 years old to ride a go-cart alone. But you can go with an Older person if you're wjialler.

Rates vary from $3.25 for five minutes to $13 for three seven-minute rides. At Lansdowne: More than 1,000 FOR THE DOG LOVER to the dogs at Lansdowne Park: the Ottawa Kennel Club's All Breed Championship Dog 1 Show is on at the Coliseum Building. For $4 free for seniors and kids under 12 you can see 120 different breeds of dogs more than 1,000 dogs in all! By the end of the day there will be one top dog called the Best in -Dan Theriault, Citizen Accompany it with a steaming capuccino or cafe" au lait. If the day's fair, you can enjoy your treats on the patio and watch the Preston-Street world pass by- If it's before 1 p.m., make a stop at the Preston Fish Market and pick up something fresh to cook for supper. This sparkling little store (just north of the Queensway overpass, at 308 Preston) also has imported dried pasta and 750-ml bottles of olive oil for $4.49.

While you're in the neighborhood, you can nip into Bloomsbury and Company Antique Store, which is tucked in a nondescript brick building at 40 Beech Street, between Preston and Rochester. It's open from 10 to 5 and has a nice selection of furniture and collectibles. Thanks to Gwen Moore for the Ice cream suggestion. She gets a Sunday Best sweatshirt. Wayiie Hiebert, uvien I 51 Wellington I IF" I Hr ru ir Somerset St.

lh Larch 0Q rrj irilarfatnna 0) to 5g EEEEQueensway Bch I II I I 1 HI t. dogs of 120 breeds on show Show. Now in its third and final day, the show runs from 9 to 5. There are seven large show rings and a separate area where dogs are groomed by their owners and where you can ask questions. A fun time to drop by might be at noon, when children will be exhibiting their skill at handling dogs in a special ring.

Thanks to Robert Cole for this suggestion. He gets a Sunday Best sweatshirt. FOR THE EARLY BIRD If you're up early and feel energetic, how about a hike in the Gatineau Hills? The Canadian Hostelling Association plans a 10-kilometre hike, following well-defined trails on gentle hills. This group will stop at several Gatineau Park ski lodges, passing through Keogan, Shilly-Shally and Huron Lodge. Bring your lunch and beverage in an easily-carried pack.

You don't need a car but if you have one, you may be asked to transport someone else to Gatineau Park. Meet at 75 Nicholas St. at 9:30 a.m. For a more challenging hike, join members of the Rideau Trail Club at the corner of Booth and Albert Streets, also at 9:30 a.m. You must wear hiking boots for this one, because you'll be climbing the Eardley escarpment near Luskville, on a 12-kilometre trail through rugged, steep terrain.

Bring your lunch and an extra sweater. FOR THE OLDER CROWD There's a wealth of information for seniors at two special shows today. The 50-Plus Show, from 10 until 5 at the Congress Centre, is a marketplace of exhibits by local organizations that cater to seniors and those who help seniors. Admission is $3. Hourly seminars focus on such things as support services available to seniors living at home.

Expo 55, at the Nepean Sportsplex from 10 until 5:30, Is a consumer show with more than 150 exhibits and seminars on such things as microwave cooking, financial planning and landscaping. Admission is $3 for seniors, $4 for other adults. FOR THE MUSIC LOVER here's a feast for your ears today and it all free. At 3 p.m., the Nepean Choir will perform in the Nepean City Council Chambers, at the civic square on Centrepointe Drive. Selections include music by Bach, Debussy and Scarlatti.

Donations will go to support the Nepean Symphony. At 4 p.m., you can enjoy the sweet strains of a Children's Choir Festival, at Woodroffe United Church. Ten local choirs will be participating. At 7:30, there's another in the series of free concerts in the third-floor salon at the Museum of Natural Sciences. Schubert's Die Sehone Mullerln will be Eerformed by baritone Laurence Ewash-o and pianist Catherine Green.

Thanks and Sunday Best sweatshirts go to Soren Nielsen, Hilda Cleary and Betty Usher for these suggestions. By3 0 i FOR THE COUCH POTATO ames Garner and James Woods reunite in another Hallmark Hall of Fame special tonight at 9 (Chan nels 6 and 13) after overwhelming acclaim for their 1986 feature Promises. This time the pair take on the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous in My Name is Bill about a pair of alcoholics who find its easier to stay on the wagon together. Wayne Cuddington. Citizen From left, Rev.

Leslie Cavalier, Very Rev. Walter Asbil, Venerable William Wright for the religious hrist Church Cathedral will resonate with Gregorian chants and other plainsong music this morning, as the church performs the 1 3th-century Sarum Rite. Costumed in medieval-style vestments, with bell-ringing and Latin chanting, Christ Church will replicate this typical Eucharist from 13th-century starting at 10:30 a.m, This service is the second of four de-', signed to show the evolution of Anglican liturgy through the ages. (i a part of Sunday Best. Each 1 week, we'll publish our favorite reader suggestions for Sunday activities and send the contribu tors Sunday Best sweatshirts.

(If twd or more submit the same idea, we'JI draw one name). In October, we'll pick the Sunday" Best of the year and give the winner a free week In Florida. Send your suggestions to Sunday Best, The Sunday Citizen, 1101 Baxter Ottawa, K2C 3M4. mm FOR jBjf Term Into the stretch: Rounding a corner at Karters' Korner.