We had visited Food Evolution only once and had been delighted by the setting and the food. The newest manifestation of the Kildonan Park restaurant as been dubbed Prairie’s Edge and it feature’s locally inspired cuisine by one of my favourite Winnipeg Chefs-Michael Daquisto. We had been regulars at Pasta la Vista, a downtown restaurant that we really miss. I still dream about two of my favourite menu items- Felicitous & Sympatico and That Old Black Magic. While I reminisced with the creator of the dishes recently, I shared that we had never been successful in recreating the former, even though we thought we had done a pretty good job of duplicating the latter. Chef Michael suggested that he run downstairs where he archived his recipes and grab it for me. It is now safely in my possession for an upcoming celebration.

We loved when Daquisto’s (the restaurant that bore his name) was in our neck of the woods and even though Prairie’s Edge was a significant trek for a lunch date, I vowed to take D back there soon so we could enjoy Chef’s Italian specialties again. On this day though, my friend Kathy and I had agree to be tasters for a couple of items that needed photographing.

Kathy suggested the beet fritters and even though I typically prefer items that have not been deep-fried, these morsels were worth the indulgence. The juice from the vegetable must bleed into the batter as each bite exposed the beet’s unique colour. Served up on a slaw of orange and fennel, the contrasts were very appealing.

A second indulgence were the Pickerel Cheek Pops. The cheeks had been dusted and skewered making for a fun presentation. The peas and garlic confit ensured the dishes’ tastiness.

Chef Michael suggested the crispy pork belly served with braised cabbage, a parsnip puree and toasted wild rice.

We opted for some healthy greens with the Farrow salad.

We had spied Michael’s cinnamon buns when we had first arrived and when we couldn’t resist them any longer, we shared them for dessert. The chef is said to use a beignet dough for his cinnamon buns but I thought that it tasted more like a brioche. Regardless, when split, butters and lightly grilled, they were sensational and could tempt me to drive across town again in the very near future.

The menu revamp allows Michael Daquisto’s talent to continue to shine with local ingredients from the Canadian prairies. Prairie’s Edge was very much worth the trip.

Kath’s quote: “Anybody can make you enjoy the first bite of a dish, but only a real chef can make you enjoy the last.”-Francois Minot

Love never fails.

 

 

 

 

 

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