Love was definitely in the air on our recent vacation to Isla Mujeres. There was a family wedding held on the island while we were there and the romantic and heartfelt betrothal set the tone for the rest of our vacation. When we arrived at The Sunset Grill’s new location (Rue Medina South), co-owner Margarita escorted us to a table for two set just outside the restaurant with a view of the marina and water.

Years’ prior I had my first taste of coconut shrimp at the original Sunset Grill on North Beach. On another occasion with my girls, my sister and her daughter, I recall having a late afternoon lunch at the Sunset Grill when a wedding was taking place. The bride arrived by boat to meet her groom as strains of “Come Away with Me” by Norah Jones floated all around us. We all swooned and agreed at once that Isla Mujeres would be the perfect place to have a destination wedding.

Suffice it to say, that memory stuck with me as I watched my beautiful niece wed her handsome man recently, but I digress. At that romantic table for two at the new Sunset Grill, D and I shared our last dinner together on the island. It was a special time in every way and we hoped that the food would complete a perfect holiday and evening.

We commenced with frosty cold beers as it was still warm in the setting sun.

We consulted Sunset Grill owner Felipe as to what he might recommend. He read us perfectly and the shared appetizer, soup and entrée was the correct amount of food with both subtle and bold tastes.

We started by splitting the most enormous shrimp (oxymoron?), that had been stuffed with hearty bacon pieces and a tart and silky cream cheese. D carved it into four bites and each was delicious and satisfying.

Next up we shared a decadent seafood soup which is Felipe’s own recipe utilizing a splash of brandy. As chunky as a chowder, it tasted closer to Lobster Thermidor with tastes of heavy cream and butter. The abundance of seafood was a lovely surprise-every spoonful containing a piece of huge shrimp, baby shrimp and other fish. The creamy stock was so luxurious that I had wished we had some bread on the table so that we could have mopped up every dollop.

The Sunset Grill is definitely a family affair as the next dish was a recipe of Felipe’s mother. Usually the dill sauce would adorn grouper but in this case it enhanced red snapper. Everything on the beautifully assembled plate was delicious.

Felipe added that next time we may want to try a dish such as his beef tenderloin in cherry wine, chicken livers and Dijon. In truth I spotted a number of dishes that I would love to try again including the Coconut Shrimp, which brings us back to the beginning of this story and

our on-going love affair with Isla Mujeres and the Sunset Grill.

The Sunset Grill has much more to offer, stay tuned for the next installment.

Kath’s quote: “Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. There’s, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There’s pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich… That’s, that’s about it.”-Forrest Gump

Love never fails.

We introduced our children to restaurant dining at an early age and now we enjoy doing the same with our grandchildren. Generally, family restaurants do the best job with accommodating kids. With research I knew that the Spiridakos family owned Olympia Diner (3253 Portage Ave.) so I thought we had gone to the right place.

Our cheerful waitress immediately grabbed the crayons and a colouring sheet so we were off to a good (read: peaceful) start. There was not a children’s section to the menu but we spied chicken fingers and fries and knew we would be able to appease both granddaughters. Glamma and Poppa had tastes of those chicken fingers and we were very impressed. A kid’s cup of chocolate milk was immediately delivered so we could determine and make the rest of our selections.

I must admit that I was disappointed that they were out of moussakka but as pastia was pretty close with its béchamel topping, I was content. Truth be told, most of the pasta casserole went home with us as I filled up on Greek French fries. Imagine a Greek version of poutine with oregano liberally sprinkled onto freshly cut fries along with lots of crumbled feta.

My husband chose a Greek Salad and we learned the difference between Greek salad which includes lettuce and a village or peasant salad which does not. The garlic toast was enjoyed by our youngest granddaughter along with her favourite dish-the ice from Poppa’s glass.

Even though we arrived before noon the diner was busy with patrons. Perhaps they too were drawn to wholesome Greek cooking or the distinctive Grecian blue décor.

The Olympia Diner is open Tuesday – Sunday at 11 am. They close Sunday-Thursday at 9 pm and Friday-Saturday at 10 pm. There are separate lunch and dinner menus available.  The diner is not wheelchair accessible from front door.

Watch for Food Musings every second Wednesday in your copy of The Headliner, The Herald, The Lance, The Metro, The Sou’wester and The Times.

Kath’s quote: “Eat and drink with your relatives; do business with strangers“.-Greek Proverb

Love never fails.

Sometimes even food aficionados want to throw down their aprons and exit the kitchen. One Friday I hosted a dinner for 25 people in our home and the next evening cooked for and hosted another social event for 40. Come Sunday evening I really wanted to consume something that I had not prepared but was mindful that we have been successful in keeping our new year’s resolution of careful eating. Sushi was just the ticket.

Sushi Cushi (1045 St. James St.) is en route to our youngest daughter’s home so we placed our order and were on our way to pick it up 10 minutes later. Upon entering, the restaurant was completely full so it was a good thing we were taking out. Both the room and the staff were cheerful and pleasant.

Even the serious sushi chefs momentarily broke their concentration to break into smiles.

We selected the Blue Ocean platter recommended for three or four persons

but after sampling one piece of each roll, all four of us declared that we could not eat another thing. Had we left the table immediately this may have been true but as we chatted and lingered, chop sticks were spearing our favourites for second tastes. In spite of this, we still left a sushi feast for our daughter and her husband to enjoy the next day.

Every roll tasted freshly made with excellent ingredients. We especially enjoyed Bite Me made with asparagus and smoked salmon, Bakudan (a food explosion) with chopped tuna and chili sauce and the Blue Ocean including cream cheese and tuna.

In the centre of the platter was Sushi Pizza which turned out to be everyone’s favourite. The “crust” was made from formed rice that had been topped with salmon, avocado and masago (roe from a salmon like fish). The classic rolls entitled Teriyaki Chicken, Spider, Tempura Yam, Calamari, Californian and Dynamite were equally scrumptious but not especially unusual.

Sushi Cushi is owned and operated by Dong Noh Owner. They are open weekdays from 11:30 am-10 pm. Saturday & Sundays they open at noon. Saturday they closes at 10 and Sunday the close at 9 pm. There is an all day menu available. they are wheelchair accessible.

Watch for Food Musings every second Wednesday in your copy of The Headliner, The Herald, The Lance, The Metro, The Sou’wester and The Times.

Kath’s quote: “The fine art of preparing sushi is something that you watch and learn”. -Nobu Matsuhisa

Love never fails.

This is the first full day that the lovely Alicia is spending as the newest member of our clan. She married our nephew (Little A) in a private ceremony in Canmore yesterday and is today spending time with her new husband.

Our family feels particularly connected to this union as it was J1 who introduced the two. J1 and Alicia became great pals when they worked together at the St. James Keg. Their first blind date, neither showed up but somehow those jitters got under control for a second rendezvous. The rest, as they say, is history.

The guys in the family got together last weekend for a gentlemen’s (I use the term loosely) event out at Lester Beach. So the way was made clear for the ladies to assemble too and welcome Alicia into our family.

Alicia got some help opening presents by the Wee One and her cousin Serena.

We did so with warm wishes, presents (many of them cooking related) and food…glorious food!

Kath’s quote: “Love is a partnership of two unique people who bring out the very best in each other, and who know that even though they are wonderful as individuals, they are even better together.”- Barbara Cage

Love never fails.

Saddlery on Market (114 Market Ave. to be precise) is located on the main floor of the Great West Saddlery Warehouse building, erected in 1898. A little bit of Winnipeg Trivia: the saddlery company became the world’s largest manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer of harnesses and saddles. The restobar has been inspired by Winnipeg’s past and serves homey, comfort food.

I was excited to meet up with an old friend. Her arrival was delayed as she could not find a parking spot in the area, either in a lot or on the street. This must be a real challenge for the restaurant.

Anticipating my winter vacation, I chose from the salad section of the menu. The Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad was a hearty serving of red onion, candied pecans and roasted shallot vinaigrette. Once all the good stuff vanished from the top of the salad, I tried very hard to finish my vegetables by consuming all of the spinach leaves on the plate. Perhaps I was distracted by the hand-cut French fries that arrived with my companion’s burger. Being a good friend, she gave my permission to enjoy some of them off of her plate. They were the highlight of the visit.

The house burger which was her selection was a half pound of ground chuck topped with lettuce, tomato, provolone cheese, pancetta, caramelized onions and premise-made barbeque sauce. She remarked that the pretzel bun was delicious but not sturdy enough to offset all of those fixings. The burger was tasty and juicing but eating it without making an enormous mess, took a lot of skill.

The space has supported a number of restaurant concepts in the past but I do not recall one that let the beautiful brick walls speak for themselves. Perched at a window with a view to the Exchange District, I anticipated that the restaurant would get busier over the lunch hour with so many persons who work in the area.

The Saddlery has an all day menu available. They are open weekdays from 11 am (Saturdays at 4 pm). Until 10 pm Mon-Wed and Late Thursday-Saturday and are closed Sundays. Wheelchair access is through the space at 112 Market Ave.

Watch for Food Musings every second Wednesday in your copy of The Headliner, The Herald, The Lance, The Metro, The Sou’wester and The Times.

Kath’s quote: “my salad days, When I was green in judgement, cold in blood.”-William Shakespeare

Love never fails.