We have a very good friend of our entire family who happens to be our priest.  He officiated at the wedding of our son and has been with us through difficult times and others of immense joy.  So how do you appropriately say farewell (if even for a short time) to someone that has shared these life experiences with you?  Well in our world, you prepare a special table for them and you cook your heart out.

As soon as he sat down at the dining room table he admired the china and turned it over to see where it was from.  It is a pleasure to go to the trouble of using your best china for someone who actually notices.

Two other couples were invited to join us that evening.  The menu was Sicilian as we had all traveled there at one point or another.  The first meat course was provided by one couple.  They served a bevy of Italian meats and olives in beautiful dishes that they had brought home from their Sicilian travels.

I assigned the pasta course to the maestro herself.  Conchita (Connie) was born in Sicily and resides there for most of the year.  She prepared a light and sparkling tomato sauce that was gently spooned over perfectly cooked penne; topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan.

For the salad course, I tossed red, purple and green lettuces with a classic vinaigrette.

For the main, these baby potatoes were presented with discs of tarragon butter and coarsely chopped parsley.

Asparagus had been sauteed with garlic, pancetta and pine nuts.  A squeeze of lemon offset the richness.

Two whole chickens had been roasted and frequently basted with the butter and olive oil that was first put into the cavity.  The skin was rubbed with Mediterranean herbs.  The juices were collected and served gravy style-very decadent.

Vanilla cake, grapes, three kinds of pears, chocolate truffles and a variety of cheese were served as the concluding course accompanied by tiny glasses of lemonicella.

We will certainly miss you friend.

Kath’s quote: Oh, better no doubt is a dinner of herbs,
When season’d with love, which no rancour disturbs
And sweeten’d by all that is sweetest in life
Than turbot, bisque, ortolans, eaten in strife!

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1831-1891)

Los Chicos had me at their entrance.  I am enthralled by the colours of Mexico especially when blue is boldly paired with fuchsia, orange or yellow.  Their kaleidoscope of colour choices was simply delightful.  So too, the selection of gorgeous ceramic pieces for sale in the lobby and all imported from Mexico.  We’ve collected many pieces just like these on our yearly sojourns and they adorn our home.

Characteristic of the great cantinas in Mexico, chips and salsa arrive at the table without them being ordered or requested.  The chips were light and salty and the salsa, hearty with just a hint of heat.

I was dining with two business associates and after being told about the lunch buffet, the three of us headed over for a peak.  There were a variety of dips, sauces and accompaniments for pulled pork and chicken enchiladas.

Before I knew it, my friends were arriving back at the table with full plates.  I wanted to sample something from the menu but didn’t wish to delay our meal or slow down getting to the business at hand, so I quickly ordered a bowl of tortilla soup.

The chicken and broth was light but  flavourful and was contrasted by the veggies and a dollop of soft queso right in the middle.  I added more tortilla chips for crunch and saltiness and was quite satisfied.

The ladies were happy with their choices and I with mine, but I intend to return soon to try something more substantial.

Kaths quote: “Your raiment, O herring, displays the rainbow colors of the setting sun, the patina on old copper, the golden-brown of Cordoba leather, the autumnal tints of sandalwood and saffron.  Your head, O herring, flames like a golden helmet, and your eyes, are like black studs in circlets of copper.”
Joris Karl Huysmans (1848-1907) as quoted in Larousse Gastronomique

We had a double date in our calendar for Original Joes weeks in advance.  We knew that Tuesdays were 1/2 price wine night and that the place would be hopping.  The guys had a look at the Jets schedule to ensure that it wasn’t a game night and we would be sure to get a table.  Well all that was for naught because it was a game night, the place was packed and we loved every minute of it.

I had a hankering for their Chili Lime Chicken because I had seen it on a repeating basis as a Google ad on many blog sites that I follow.  I just couldn’t resist-see advertising does work!

D choose the Gyoza and was very pleased.

The Frenchman choose the Poutine (of course!) made the authentic way with real cheese curds, not just shredded cheese.

Daughter #2 does not order calamari very often because the Frenchman doesn’t enjoy it and she prefers to share, we on the other hand, were more than happy to assist her.  We remembered that the first time she tasted squid was when we took her to NYC for her 16th birthday.   Yes, we spoil our kids (we like to call it “bless” them in a special way).

We ended our gouter with a sweet-Original Joe’s mud pie that actually resembled mud when I tried to photograph it in the low lighting.  An enormous portion was lapped up with four forks.

Well the shenanigans continued and because we live so close, we were able to dash home between periods and watch the final 20 minutes of Jets hockey before calling it a night.

I know that there are foodies that give places like Original Joes a bad wrap because they are chains.  Well Original Joes is very entrenched into our neighbourhood with programs like Community Pint which contributes money to Darcys no- kill animal shelter.  We recognized lots of folks from the area including our server who was a friend of Daughter #2.  The lovely manageress came to visit us often over the course of the evening.  She and her husband share the evening shifts.  Cant get much more down home than all of that…..

Kath’s quote: Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”-Benjamin Franklin

Pop Sodas Coffeehouse Gallery was the perfect location for the Frenchman’s surprize birthday party.  Daughter #2 searched far and wide for a place that would be casual and laid-back just like she and her beau and yet stimulating and fun to match the occasion.  When we arrived, we were told that a birthday party was just clearing out: the place was filled with young couples, toddlers and babies-we had come to the right place!

There are a variety of rooms strung together which different vibes given off by each.  All are a comfortable collection of miss-matched chairs and tables or huge overstuffed couches pulled together for conversation and to put your feet up.  A local artist has used the walls as her canvas and the result is gorgeous.

When the birthday boy arrived, he was surprized (to say the least) by the accumulation of friends from different pockets of his life.  But best of all, was when he spotted his sister who had flown in from Peterborough that morning.  She was with their Aunt, Uncle and cousin and as is often the case in Winnipeg, various extended family members who were introduced to them, realized that there were a variety of common touch-points in our lives.  In fact, they live on the street where I grew up and our Mom still resides.

But, onto the food.

This was a piled high Rueban

and the smoked chicken and mozzarella.

It turns out that the owner Joseph is from Naples where pizza was invented so it is no surprize that his version is very tasty and authentic.  Sister #2 had this ricotta and smoked chicken version.

D, I and Daughter #1 shared their Pissed Off Chicken nachos that put us in an angry mood-jk.  There were very different and we were impressed whereas when the birthday boy ordered them, he was so busy visiting and chatting with people that his got pretty soggy.

The bruschetta was fabulous-very garlicky and the tomatoes were screaming out their freshness.

I got a forkful of the baklava -mounds of walnuts and almonds which had been drenched in honey and and spices.

D was very impressed with the banana cream pie and he knows his pie!  He remarked that the flaky crust was homemade and the banana essence was allowed to be very prominent.  There was a custard layer and he predicted that more custard had been whipped into the whipping cream.

We’ll be returning as soon as possible for more tastes of delicious food but also to soak up the congenial neighbourhood atmosphere.

“I never see any home cooking. All I get is fancy stuff.”-Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

You still have got one more night to party until the wee hours at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.  Last evening it would have been very tempting to order a pizza and watch the Jets game but Mardi Gras only comes around once a year and we were so glad that we ventured out.  Besides, today offers the best of both worlds: we tucked into our romantic dinner for two and were able to check for scores on D`s phone.

We know the Mardi Gras colour scheme to be purple, gold and green so D donned a purple shirt and I dug out our beads and my purple boa and felt perfectly dressed for the occasion.  There were others that I would say were overdressed, but this is another story and a fun attraction of the event.

We found a cozy place at the oyster and wine bar where we could watch the chefs prepare food orders.  Having lived those hectic times ourselves, it was relaxing to see the food machine in operation without having to pitch in ourselves.

We started off with an Appetizer Sampler Platter which included

oysters on the half shell,

peel and eat shrimp,

deep fried dill pickles,

sweet potato fries, an extended array of dipping sauces and our first taste of alligator fritters. This recipe finely minced the meat with a variety of spices and they came out tasting more like a sausage than the wild animal taste that I was expecting.

Our favourite item on the platter were the freshly shucked oysters and next year, we will likely order half dozens of them.

The Big Mama Chicken Creole was absolutely delicious-chuck full of savoury chicken  and served over top of rice which ensured the consumption of all the spicy sauce.

The Carbonara also contained a spicy chicken as well as sausage, mushrooms and a creamy sauce over penne.  Both dishes came with a crostini slice and a topping of frizzled leeks which I adore.

Once we were well satisfied we moved closer to the, stage to hear the headliner from New Orleans and various other talented acts.

The most fascinating aspect of this part of the evening was the people watching-as varied a group as we`ve seen anywhere on our travels to New Orleans and Europe.

So get off the couch and get out to Mardi Gras 2012-it will chase away the February blues.

Kath`s quote: “Oysters are the most tender and delicate of all seafoods. The stay in bed all day and night. They never work or take exercise, are stupendous drinkers, and wait for their meals to come to them.”-Hector Bolitho