The first thing that I was struck by when I entered Jane’s Restaurant was the presence of light that flooded into the grand room that used to be a bank.  The windows were huge and the sunlight bounced off the walls.  A beautiful place to have lunch with my eldest daughter-Beep (as the Wee One affectionately calls her).

Jane’s as you may already know is the teaching restaurant of Red River College’s esteemed culinary program.  Many of Winnipeg’s top chefs are graduates of the program and we knew that we were in for a treat.

A bread basket laden with lavash, focaccia and a three leafed clover bun arrived with plenty of butter that had been whipped up with emulsified red pepper.

We shared an Asian Salad that was adorned with crispy bites of pickerel (my favourite fish).

Beep chose a tagliatelle pasta that had been tossed with sage, toasted walnuts and crumbled gogonzola cheese.  She thought that the bold flavours complemented each other perfectly.

I was saving myself for my entrée of Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin which were succulently moist and pink inside-exactly the way I like it.  The tenderloins were perched upon a barley pilaf.  The garden-pulled rainbow carrots steered me to the other end of my plate.

A perfectly seared scallop adorned this end of the plate.  Scallop flesh is as sweet as dessert to me and especially so when adorned with a sweet acorn squash.  I was in heaven!

We had the Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownie wrapped up for another time but I happily ate the thin little cookies and homemade coffee ice cream that decorated the plate.

As we were leaving I spied a salad being prepared in the advanced culinary lab.  Even though I could not possibly taste another thing, the artistic assembly of the salad was a feast for the eyes.

If you are planning on dining at Jane’s and I strongly recommend that you do, be sure to check out their website for their exact hours as their hours are designated for the needs and requirements of the student’s curriculum http://www.janesrestaurant.ca/restaurant/calendar/.

Kath’s quote: “…no one is born a great cook, one learns by doing.”  -Julia Child

Love-that is all.

A visit with an old friend was a great excuse for a quick lunch at Deer & Almond.  I painstakingly try to decide what to order on a regular basis so that I can sample and then photograph the maximum number of recipes and dishes.  But what she was selecting sounded so darned yummy that I had to have it myself.

I did mix things up by choosing a salad with mine as she had a bowl of the soup of the day.  Both were terrific.

Kath’s quote: “The most indispensable quality of a cook is promptness, and it should be that of the diner as well.”-Jean-Antheleme Brillat-Savarin

Love-that is all.

Now that the cusp of winter is upon us in Winnipeg, I am always looking for excuses to get my butt out of the house.  Otherwise I would be perfectly content to get into my jammies and watch TV until spring.  Approximately once a month the Metropolitan Centre holds special Dinner and a Movie evenings.  I visited with a fan of these events in the lobby as I was waiting for “Beep” (as Daughter #1 has now been renamed by the Wee One).  This movie fan shared that her favourite evening was “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” when the theme for the evening’s menu were recipes from the British Isles.

The lovingly restored theatre is a joy to be at.

I am not sure if there was a food theme for the screening of “The Princess Bride” but they did feature a Buttercup Cocktail (Butter Ripple and Frangelico liqueurs mixed with milk).  Beep though that it was delicious.  My glass of Annabella South African merlot suited me just fine.  I tried to be fairly discriminating when I arrived at the buffet table, skipping the bun selection and then scooping up just about everything else (I always have good intentions).

I particularly enjoyed their cheese array which I would have loved as a separate course.

The salad selection was lovely and I especially enjoyed the Roasted Butternut Squash & Arugula Salad.

So too, I appreciated the Pan-Seared Pickerel with Creamy Leeks and White Wine Butter Sauce.

I treated myself to an outside cut of the Maple Braised Beef Brisket.  It was tender and so juicy from the lovely marbling that a brisket offers up.

This was my well-laden plate that I did my very best to finish.  There were others sitting around us who had no trouble whatsoever and even went back up for seconds.  The gentleman besides us went back for thirds and then didn’t even stay to watch the movie.  He must have concluded that he had already gotten his 35 dollars’ worth.

Dessert was a chocolate cup filled with almond cream and caramelized apples.  Had I known that popcorn would come around just as the theatre lights were dimming, I would have been happy with just the popcorn as the dinner had already been rich and satisfying.

Not far from us was a table set up for a large party.  I was thinking that it would be good fun to celebrate a special occasion at Dinner and A Movie especially when December’s movie is “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

“The Princess Bride” is one of my all-time favourite movies.  Did you know:

• Director Rob Reiner left the set during Billy Crystal’s scenes because he could not stop laughing.

• The Cliffs of Insanity are actually the Cliffs of Moher in Country Clare, Ireland, a place we were thrilled to visit a couple of springs ago.

• Courtney Cox and Meg Ryan auditioned for Princess Buttercup.  How could any actress on earth play her better than Robin Wright?
• Cary Elwes (Westley) and Mandy Patinkin ( Inigo Montoya) learned to fence (both left and right handed) for the film.  They actually performed all the fencing in the sword fight scene (author’s note: Inconceivable!)

It is likely to be a long winter folks, so start making plans for all the cozy activities that Winnipeg has to offer.

Kath’s quote: “Death cannot stop true love.  All it can do is delay it for awhile.” The Princess Bride

Love-that is all.

We had our heart set on dining at Food Evolution this past summer when we attended the fabulous performance of The Little Mermaid at Rainbow Stage.  Unfortunately (for us), our tickets were for a Monday evening and the restaurant is not open on Mondays.  It took us this amount of time to get back to this end of the city.  But we were certainly glad that we went to the effort.  This beautiful pastoral scene can be viewed from the dining room window.  You can imagine what it will look like when the pond is frozen and it is covered in glistening snow with families enjoying a skate.  But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here……

We were really impressed with the refurbished décor of the bar (pictured above) and the dining room, having not been to the building since it was a cafeteria eons ago.

Beautiful touches like this etched and stained glass adorn the restaurant.

Our server was very pleasant and efficient but we were glad that we arrived for an early lunch because by the time we left, she appeared to be the only one taking care of a very busy dining room.

D selected a Breakfast sandwich: which included two over easy eggs, ham and tomato. He was surprised that the menu admitted using Miracle Whip which happens to be his favourite, but is not usually boasted of.  The biscuit was the best part, but was so fresh that his sandwich kind of fell apart as he tried to tuck in.  It was equally delicious when eaten with a knife and fork, so no harm was done.  Being a former American and “hash” lover, he was looking forward to the sandwich being served alongside a traditional hash.  This was not to be.  “Smashed Hash” turned out to be skin-on baby potatoes that had been pressed open to cook.  We make this dish at home and love the results when a liberal amount of olive oil glistens on the skin as well as lots of course sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

I settled on the Ruben (how it is spelt on their menu) particularly when I saw that it came with hand-cut fries.  The latter were absolutely excellent.  The Ruben itself was slightly different than my favourite versions.  I suspect that Montreal Smoked Beef was utilized as opposed to traditional corned beef.  Some may consider this an enhancement but it was just not my preference.

On our way out, I spotted this wood fired oven in the corner of the kitchen and then the sign which indicated that the restaurant is now featuring wood-fired pizzas.  Knowing that Mike Daquisto formerly of Daquisto’s and Pasta la Vista is the Executive Chef at WOW Hospitality that operates Food Evolution and remembering his delectable pizzas of the past, we made a mental note to return very soon.  Perhaps we’ll lace up a pair of skates first.

Kath’s quote: Canned soups can be magnificent, the lowly meatball wildly exciting, and old-fashioned corned beef hash an emotional experience.”-Cosmopolitan

Love-that is all.

As if Sister #2 and #3 hadn’t done enough for Boo by hosting an amazing bridal shower (with assistance from the other aunties), then they go and host a second event to celebrate the pre-nuptials.

The bridesmaids had arranged for a bachelorette night at one of Winnipeg’s clubs but first we assembled for a cocktail and lingerie party at the beautiful home of Sister #2.

I contributed these breadsticks rolled with arugula, provolone cheese & prosciutto ham and eggplant stuffed with basil, roasted red peppers & ricotta cheese

and coconut shrimp.

Sushi was ordered in

and Sister #2 made two savoury bruschettas

as well as her infamous phyllo-wrapped asparagus with béarnaise sauce for dipping.

Sister #3 delighted everybody with her mushrooms Neptune.

There was fruit and chocolate fondue for dessert.

Gifts were open (no-you are not going to see my baby’s lingerie….) with party games thereafter.  Soon the limo arrived to sweep them off for an evening at a private suite at a club.

In attendance:

The blushing bride with her aunties.

Goddaughter #1 with Daughter #1.

IDS friends and J2.

Boo with a bridesmaid.

Beautiful niece and Maid of Honour.

More beautiful nieces,

and another beautiful friend.

Kath’s quote: “A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what goes in it.” Anonymous

Love-that is all.