Living in River Heights has many advantages; the canopy of elm tree- lined streets is only one of many. The exceptional restaurants within walking distance of our home verge on gluttonous: Fusion Grill, In Ferno’s, Pizzeria Gusto, Chew, Bonfire Bistro, Mona Lisa and now right smack at the end of our street at 1670 Corydon Ave.: Enoteca Wine Repository!  We were very lucky to get a reservation on a recent Friday evening.  We had the choice of 5:30 or 9 pm.  We picked the former, thinking that we would be the only ones dining at such a gauche hour but such was not the case.  The little place was singing with happy diners.

We were celebrating Sister #3’s birthday so we let the guest of honour choose a couple of small plates to start us off.

First up were roasted beets and oranges accompanied by shards of fennel and horseradish and garnished with toasted pine nuts and pumpkin seeds along with a cool ladle of labneh (strained yoghurt).  Olive oil may have been drizzled onto the plate or perhaps the sparkling ingredients simply oozed their natural juiciness.

Along next was freshly made fettucine with lamb sugo which I would describe as a meaty broth, sugo literally meaning the natural juices of a roast. Chevre and a second sauce of parsley, garlic and lemon zest adorned the top and floated around the edges of the dish.

The piece de résistance was a braised short rib, pressed into a smoked potato puree and topped with oyster mushrooms and hot mustard. The essence of the dish was sauce perigeux which is made with Madeira and decadent and earthy, black truffles.  Just a little of the latter goes a long way.  This and all the sauces were so heavenly that we did something that we should have done at the start of the meal-we ordered a bread basket to lap up the sauce. The attentive serving staff tried to clear the plate a couple of times, but we continued to grasp it until the toasted bread arrived.

The Bread Pudding that the birthday girl chose was no ordinary bread pudding as it was made with buttery brioche. The caramel burnt butter sauce caramelized walnuts and in-house made ice cream put the humble dessert over the top.

As opposed to oohhing and ahhing about each dish separately, I have waited until this point. Each dish was simply sensational and it is hard to find the words to say the same thing over and over again.  Simply sensational…  The service is an added bonus to the food.  A team of servers took care of us under the leadership of waiter Doug.  We have met Doug before at Segovia and believe that he is one of the city’s best. That evening, my friend Laurie Hughes who is the publisher of Taste and Ciao Magazine was catching an early dinner with her daughter (in fact, she offered to take the photo of the three sisters).  She loved everything that they sampled too.  Praise from Laurie is high praise, indeed.  Go, just go.

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-that is all.

I have an exciting life-one that is full of treats and surprizes.  But it does take some spontaneity and flexibility on my part.  Case in point: one morning I got an email from a friend asking me if I could make it to lunch that day.  The restaurant that she does some promotional work for, required “bodies” for a TV program entitled “Meagan’s Menu”.  Alas, I wasn’t free as I had a baby-sitting date with the “Wee One”.  Moments later J2 texted me to say that her client had to cancel and therefore my grandma time was not required.  Although I was disappointed about not spending time with my grandbaby, I glanced at my watch, delighted that I could now enjoy the lunch opportunity.  Luckily, Assiniboine Park where the gorgeous locale of “Terrace in the Park” is located, is only minutes away from our home.

I tucked into the Edaname Salad and decided to take a taste so that I would have room for the rest of the courses that I knew where on their way but I could simply not resist and ate almost every bite.  I love the taste of edname beans all by themselves so to be enhanced with red pepper, cucumber, wakame (seaweed) and a citrus dressing was all a bonus.  But best of all was the was the complement of plenty of fresh cilantro making every taste simply sparkle.

My favourite flavours of lime and cilantro were continued in the salmon dish.  Some people like to switch up flavours between courses but when I like something, I cannot get enough of it.  Besides, the manner in which the panko-crusted salmon mingled with the herb and citrus flavours were completely different than with the beans.  But I could truly only manage one taste of the ample fish, rapini and baby potatoes.  I had the rest boxed up and shared it with D for supper.  The nifty and pretty yellow package was a lemon wrapped in cheesecloth so that no seeds escaped onto the fish whilst enjoying the juice.

I rarely am tempted by dessert but I simply could not resist the sounds of this one- a cheesecake not incorporating cream cheese but chevre goat cheese!  Each taste was rich and immensely satisfying and I was hard-pressed to ask to have it boxed up as well.  The flecks of nutmeg and the sour cherry compote were delectable enhancements.

Although the day was gloomy, the naturally lit solarium was bright and fresh.  Through the window next to my table, I could see that they were setting up for a ceremony of some kind.  What a heavenly setting!

Kath’s quote: “Oh, the pleasure of eating my dinner alone!”-Charles Lamb

Love-that is all.

You may be familiar with the term “a labour of love”. This is how I would describe Joe Pellegrino’s newest restaurant-Little Maria’s Porchetta & Meatballs at 77 Edmonton St.  My eldest daughter and I arrived early for dinner one evening and Joe was taking orders both at the counter and the tables all by himself.  Then he headed back to the kitchen, washed his hands and tied on his apron.  He delivered our steaming hot dishes himself but then was way too busy to emerge from the kitchen for us to tell him how delectable his authentic recipes tasted.

Signature sauces are simmered a full eight hours and the porchetta (the “ch” is a hard sound like a “k”) is slow roasted in a variety of herbs. His patient culinary efforts pay off as the thinly sliced pork is dripping in its own juices and the slowly-simmered sauces are complex and robust in spite of their few ingredients.  There are less time-consuming methods that Joe could have chosen for his restaurant rendition of an Italian food/sandwich cart but patience is an important ingredient in these recipes.

The “naked” porchetta (so stated on the menu) was garnished with garlic sautéed spinach alongside a casserolette of roasted vegetables in one of the above mentioned sauces and topped with a gooey mozzarella. My daughter tucked in with delight.

I was undecided between the gnocchi special and an order of meatballs, so Joe suggested that I go with the gnocchi and he would place a sample meatball on top for me to taste.  Oh my, both were scrumptious.  The aromatic meatball was bursting with the taste of earthy herbs and the potato gnocchi were as light and fluffy as cumulus clouds on a fair summer day.

I asked Joe where he had honed his culinary skills. He sheepishly said “Oh, Naples, Montreal and a number of restaurants here in Winnipeg”.  The only one he named specifically was Mamma Mia’s which was my favourite Italian Restaurant on Corydon back when the area was Winnipeg’s version of Little Italy.

The dining room is decorated in a funky, fun style with floor to ceiling windows along the west side. There are a few patio tables on the sidewalk for el fresco dining.  I recognized some of the tables and chairs from Pop Soda’s (another venture of this fine cook and restaurateur).

Kath’s quote: “The trouble with eating Italian food is that 5 or 6 days later you’re hungry again.”-George Miller

Love-that is all.

The perfect way to start dinner at a St. Boniface restaurant is with a walk through The Forks,

past the magnificent Canadian Human Rights Museum

and over the Esplanade Riel Pedestrian Bridge.  Not only do you work up your appetite but you walk by some of the best views that Winnipeg has to offer.

The view from our table.

This is how we started the evening of our visit to The Promenade Café & Wine.

A toast with a fabulous Gewürztraminer.

We were celebrating our eldest daughter’s birthday and she had never dined at the bistro before.

D selected the French Canadian dish of Bison Tortiere which is so named because of the pan that it is made in. Tortiere is typically served as a festive Christmas dish and many Winnipeggers enjoy their own families’ version.  The healthy ground bison had a firm texture and the seasonings were deeply satisfying.  In contrast, the pie crust was light and flaky and the ladle of gravy that blanketed it, was a glistening enhancement.

I chose the classic French Beef Bourguignon which I have never attempted the making of at home.  I do know though that the authentic recipe includes pearl onions and button mushrooms and this recipe was true to form.  The beef was tender and the gravy, luscious.  Both dishes were accompanied by simply steamed and buttered carrots and broccoli and the creamiest potatoes I have indulged in for a while.  The birthday girl chose one of the few un-French dishes on the menu: Gnocchi which was equally tantalizing.

The good news about walking out for dinner is that you have no vehicle and are forced to also stroll home.  This aids digestion and offsets the calorie indulgence.

Kath’s quote:

“Boeuf a la Bourguignonne (Beef in the Burgundy style): This is the stew of stews, an apotheosis of stew, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the watery, stringy mixture served up in British institutions. It’s a rich, carefully cooked recipe which is served up on special occasions in French homes, and which appears without shame on the menus of high-class restaurants.”-Jane Grigson

Love-that is all.

Being in the media procurement business means that I receive invitations to wonderful places for previews and grand openings.  CBWT was launching their upcoming schedule, so they assemble a group of clients and my fellow media buyers for lunch at Prairie 360.  I have had the pleasure of dining at the unique revolving restaurant on a previous occiassion but it was for dinner in the winter and because so much of what the restaurant is, is actually outside the windows of the restaurant, it was like a whole new location.

Check out this view.

Because we were a large group and time was limited, we ordered from a limited menu.

Next to me a friend choose the smoked salmon sandwich and across from me,

a bison burger arrived.  Since I was with business acquaintances and I already felt sheepish about asking if I could take photos of their meals, I didn’t ask them for a taste.  Suffice it to say, that they were well pleased.

Bowls of hand cut potato chips were served family style.  Holy moly, I could have devour the entire bowl…….

I selected the rotini and since so much time has past since I enjoyed this meal, I can’t for the life of me, remember what it contained.  I can tell you this:  I have heard concerns that with Prairie 360’s kitchen on a separate floor than the dining room, the food does not always arrive  hot. On this day, the pasta was piping hot, in fact, I had to let it cool off for a bit, before I could tuck in.

We moved to another floor for the official presentation of the day and coffee and dessert was set out for us to help ourselves.  The chocolate pate was dense, creamy and so amazing.

Kath’s quote: “A friend is someone who sees through you and still enjoys the view.”-Wilma Askinas

Love -that is all.