We attended the first game Bomber game of the season at Investors Group Field with a guest from the United States.  She has lived in Boston, Philadelphia and New York and is an avid sports fan.  D and I expected to be impressed when we first walked into the stadium building and we were not disappointed.  We were frankly very surprised to see how excited our guest was.  She “oohed” and “ahhed” as we climbed up to the main concourse and she insisted that we take a lap around the venue to experience the entire building (and scope out what we wanted to choose for supper that evening). 

As we made our circuit, we passed the venues that are run by the stadium itself-The First Down, The Huddle, Grid Iron Grill and the Rum Hut.  The line up at “Shawarma Khan in a Snap” attests to the popularity of Obby Khan’s Middle Eastern sandwich and his reputation as a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber.  I have yet to visit his city restaurant or the concession, but as we are huge shawarma fans, this will definitely occur over the summer.

We also spied the Salisbury House, Pizza Hotline and our favourite: Burrito Splendido.  We split up and headed to three different concessions, when we had finally made up our minds. 

It tasted better than this photo looks.

The Butter Chicken Poutine caught my eye.  The fries were pretty good and the butter chicken topping was VERY good. 

D is originally from Minnesota and has fond memories of ordering bratwursts at Vikings games so he immediately knew that we wanted. He was very impressed with Winnipeg’s version. 

Our guest was tempted by the grilled beef station that she compares to a delicacy of western New York State called Beef on Weck.  She thought that the original version might be hard to top so opted instead for the pulled pork at Danny’s Whole Hog Barbeque.  She was duly impressed by her quick supper and simply everything else that she experienced on game day.  In our minds, we have first hand confirmation that Investor’s Group Field is a world-class sports and entertainment facility. 

For our second chance at seeing the Bombers in action, we were invited to the Winnipeg Free Press Suite which was an even sweeter experience.  When we arrived there were enormous chicken wings waiting for us, as well as pulled pork mini buns.  Later in the evening Pizza Hotline individual pizzas arrived.  The suites are well equipped, luxurious and provide the best seat in the house.  We were at Centre line with enough elevation not to miss a play. Way to go Bombers!

Kath’s quote: “The reason women don’t play football is because 11 of them would never wear the same outfit in public”.-Phyllis Diller

Love-that is all.

A tandoor is a clay oven that is used in many parts of the world but particularly in India.  The delicious unleavened naan bread utilizes this “appliance”. My favourite naan, resists the teeth when a bite is pulled away, but is soft and yielding when chewed.  The little spots of char, produced when the dough touches the heat, adds the finishing, satisfying touch.  At the Tandoor House garlic naan can also be requested. When a restaurant claims that they have the best “Tandoor” in town, I am assuming that the word describes a style of cooking as well.  Word definitions aside, I am more than fond of Indian cooking as I love the complexity of a curry and the exotic results when applied in various manners to chicken, potatoes and my all time favourite-eggplant!

On the day of my visit, I was accompanied by a colleague who had to make contact with a student who was volunteering at the restaurant.  I can speak highly of Tandoor House’s willingness to participate in projects which benefit the greater community.

My lunch date tasted goat for her first time but decided that the Butter Chicken was her preference.  In fact she declared the dish to be “wonderful-in fact the best that I have ever tasted”.  She loved it to such an extent, that she placed a to-go order to take home, to feed her family that evening.

I was a bit less adventurous and passed up the goat for the Tandori Chicken, Curry Chicken, Zucchini and Eggplant, somosa and both potatoes and rice (carb lover that I am).  These were all available on the lunch buffet.  I understand that a dinner spread is also laid out in this way.

We were delighted to meet the owner and understand that he also has a second location on Pembina at Ebby, in a building where my office was once located.  What a small world.

Kath’s Quote:

“This curry was like a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony that I’d once heard…..especially the last movement, with everything screaming and banging ‘Joy.’ It stunned, it made one fear great art. My father could say nothing after the meal.” – Anthony Burgess

Love-that is all.

I am always amazed and surprised by all of the little family places that grace Winnipeg’s neighbourhoods.  I had a hankering for Thai food recently and discovered Vientiane Restaurant in St. Boniface.  The charming little place shares the strip mall with Lovey’s Barbeque another place I have only recently tried.  The dining room has been painted a passionate red which is a strategic choice, as red enhances human metabolism, thereby stimulating our appetites.

Tom Kha Gai is one of my favourite dishes from Thailand and when translates simply means: Thai Chicken Soup, but oh, this is no ordinary chicken soup.  The fresh tastes of lime and cilantro are fused with chicken, veggies and coconut milk resulting in a balance of spicy, sweet and sour!  I have tried to concoct this soup at home but find that I do not always have the essential ingredients of galangal and lemongrass in the fridge.

A mango salad complemented the complex soup tastes.  Shredded mango is doused in lime juice and tossed with chilies and then garnished with peanuts and dried shrimp.  All of this is places on an enormous, frilly lettuce leaf.

Pad Thai is another of our “must haves” and the version served ay Vientiane is just slightly different than any I have tasted before.  I understand that there are as many versions of this recipe as there are Thai chefs.  Pad Thai is the assembly of noodles, peanuts, garlic, chilies and bean sprouts and is the countries’ national dish.  The prime minister of Thailand made this street food popular during the late 1930s as part of his campaign to reduce domestic rice consumption and increase nationalism.  Who knew?

The restaurant has been open for four years and is owned by Xuejun Xia and his wife.  On this day, he was behind the counter and looked as busy as an air traffic controller, answering the phone and controlling the flow of guests in and out of his restaurant.  I asked him if he was happy with his business and he gave me a smiling shrug.

Kath’s quote: “I will stop loving you when an apple grows from a mango tree on the 30th of February”-unknown

Love-that is all.

Can you tell that I am in blogging catch up mode?  There were so many things that I wanted to have written about before the summer came along and here I am, still getting caught up on food and travel adventures from April!

D has a diverse range of music tastes.  I would say considerably more far- reaching than mine.  The truth is, that I find it hard to concentrate when music is playing and often choose to have the house silent when I am working.  When I am in the kitchen, I often have the TV news on or maybe Ellen, which I really enjoy.  In the car, I listen to a single station and typically hear the same favourite songs quite frequently.  D is constantly attempting to broaden my horizons and this spring he purchased two tickets to see his favourite band- Airborne Toxic Event in Minneapolis and asked me if I would like to tag along.  With the promise of some shopping and good eating, I was happy to do so.  Little did he know, that I would love the band as much as I did and now find myself absolutely hooked on their ballads.

With so many dining choices, all within walking distance of our downtown hotel, it was very hard to make a decision.  We decided not to venture to Murray’s , even though there is something about the place, that draws me back again and again.  Could it be the turquoise tiles on the façade?  I love the authentic, retro décor and as I recall, the food was excellent too.

The night of our arrival we happened upon a downstairs restaurant known as Hell’s Kitchen.  The promise of “damn good food” was just too tempting to walk away from.  Although we were offered up some tasty dishes, they were very heavy-handed with the salt shaker.  In fact, most places that we dined in Minneapolis we found the same thing.  I love salt and know that its addition enhances almost every food you eat, but this kind of salty was when your mouth gets sore from eating.  I have only encountered this once before and that was the day that I decided to skip lunch and only consume sunflower seeds on the beach instead.

We started off with State Fair Cheese Curds.  D and I had attended the State Fair when we were first dating which was so long ago that Kenny Loggins was the headliner that evening.  Our remembered supper of cheese curds has stayed with us until this time and we longed to try them again.  The inside was hot and creamy and the coating crispy and crunchy (just way too salty).

As soon as I saw that they had Walleye on the menu, I did not have to take any more time to decide.  Walleye (Canadians call it pickerel) is my favourite fish, bar none.  When tossed into a mixture of Parmesan coating, the flesh came out perfectly cooked (just a slightly bit too salty-ok, I’ll stop now). D opted for a Ham and Pear Crisp Sandwich.  We shared nibbles with each other and enjoyed the upbeat servers and the funky décor.

D photo bombing my picture.

Before the concert the next evening, we found a spot a bit closer to the venue at First Avenue.  The Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurant was just our cuppa tea.  We started this evening with a beer flight so that we could inch ourselves up the beer palette ladder to one day equate J1’s (who is currently studying for his brew masters credentials).

The fish tacos were recommended from the appetizer menu by our server.

It was happy hour and all appetizers were on special, so we just had to oblige and also ordered an oey goey cheesy shrimp dish, that we dunk lovely baguette pieces into.

Unfortunately by this time, I was done in with food consumption.  I ordered a salad for dinner but my valiant husband managed to force (for the purpose of research, doncha know) the meatloaf extravaganza!

So much fun in such a short space of time.  Thank heavens the Twin Cities are just seven hours away.  A quick couple of days getaway, is always such a lovely break.

Kath’s quote: “Don’t smoke too much, drink too much, eat too much or work too much. We’re all on the road to the grave — but there’s no need to be in the passing lane.”-Robert Orben

Love-that is all.

Do you know the difference between gelati and gelato? In Winnipeg most of the little shops that serve Italian ice cream have gelati in their names and then many years ago, Eva’s Gelato opened almost at the corner of our street.  The owners, as opposed to having of an Italian heritage were from Argentina and so I concluded that gelato was a Spanish version of gelati.  Perhaps I was even guilty of having perpetrated that Winnipeg rumour. In those days, Eva’s was a a narrow little store front with not much room for more than the freezer and a hard-working employee.  The frozen treat was scooped from a big white plastic pail into a weeny brightly coloured bowl with a “Barbie-doll” sized spoon.  My eyes were always pulled to those translucent bowls but I was a sugar-cone fan from a way back and so even though my eyes wanted one thing, my tummy desired another.

Now, of course I know that gelati is simply the plural version of gelato, or maybe it is the other way around.

I have had my fair share of gelato experiences in between our original taste of Eva’s and the “new” Eva’s sensation.  While D and I traveled along the west coast of Italy from Sicily to the Italian and French Riveria, gelato fixes were the primary motivation for an evening walk after long train rides or a day of hiking.

We have our favourite spots too on Isla Mujeres where coconut gelato is my fav and D’s is pistachio.

Eva in the mean time had also been busy, moving east on Corydon into expansive new digs.  The quality of her product did not diminish with the move.  Nor did its popularity.  By then Eva’s was available at other retailers in carton form.  I even enjoyed it recently at the inaugural Bomber game at Investors Group Field.

We decided long ago that Eva’s made and served our favourite gelato but I needed a recent photo of their new locale.  So I sent J2 (aka Daughter #3).  Many of you know that she is days away from giving birth to our first grandbaby and when I asked for the favour, she was quick to oblige.  What is it about pregnant women and ice cream?

When I was expecting my first baby 28 years ago, it was the summer that Dairy Queen came out with Blizzards.  D and I would often walk in the evening with DQ as our destination.  J2 has gained just the right amount of weight and even though our grandbaby is sticking way out in front, from the back, you wouldn’t even know that she was pregnant.  I on the other hand, gained some 70 pounds when I was pregnant the first time around, and I can definitely equate that weight gain to the Blizzards.  During my third pregnancy when I craved ice chips and celery, my weight gain was 22 pounds.

Kath’s quote: “Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal.”-Voltaire

Love-that is all.