As I drove south on St. Mary’s Rd., I saw a number of restaurants that are either new (or new to me) and it occurred to me that we really do stay put in either our residential or workplace neighbourhoods.  I have been to Santa Anna Pizzeria & Bistro previously, but not because I was familiar with it, but as a result of being invited to lunch by a friend.

On this day, I arrived at about half past noon on a Tuesday and the place was hopping, with not an empty seat in the place.  As I surveyed the room, I saw mostly women and only one gentleman.  There was a large group of women in fact, and another assembling in the foyer.

I am ga-ga over seafood pizza, especially in countries where the seafood is freshly caught like Mexico and Italy.  The “Pacific” is topped with shrimp and fresh garlic which works very well together and then celery and sun-dried tomato are added.  The celery provides a fresh crispness and works hard to bring out the delicate flavour of the shrimp but the sun-dried tomatoes were a wee bit overpowering.  Next time I order it (and I will be), I will request that they go easy on the tomatoes.  I know that this will be easily accommodated because there is a list at the bottom of their pizza page with an abundance of fresh and somewhat exotic ingredients, to customize your personal pizza tastes.

The second choice was the “Tropicana” which was a unique twist on a ham and pineapple pizza with the inclusion of pulled pork, bacon, red onion, pineapple and hickory barbeque sauce.  I pulled off the jalapeños but I am sure many palates would enjoy the heat.

The pastas look stellar, even though I have not yet had a chance to sample them.  The black-walled dining room makes you forget that you are in a suburban strip mall.  The kitchen is open to the reception area which means that you can watch the fresh ingredients being assembled and can see the flames of the wood burning oven in the corner.  Service was very cordial and accommodating, in spite of how busy the restaurant was.

Kath’s quote: “Salt is the policeman of taste: it keeps the various flavors of a dish in order and restrains the stronger from tyrannizing over the weaker.”
Margaret Visser

Love-that is all.

D and J1 traveled to Minneapolis for the weekend for a Vikings game and the Bruce Springsteen concert and so our mandatory Sunday supper was going to have a couple of chairs unfilled. Instead, I decided to treat the rest of us to Sunday Brunch so that I could spend a quiet Sunday evening at home.  At this moment it is snowing (again) but I am in my jammies watching football and blogging and I am content with the way the day turned out.

It has been snowing since the middle of Friday night and 8 inches have accumulted.  Even though the main roads are clear, the side roads are a mess and cars are getting stuck all over te place.  We could have all stayed put today but we are a family who love to eat and be together so a little bit of shovelling wasn’t going to stop us.

The cafe was going to close early in honour of Remembrance Day but we were able to catch one of their last tables.  The staff (all female on this day) are an absolutely a delight.  Their smiling faces and kind gestures made us feel right at home.  I wasn’t planning on eating again that day so I had  lunch item- the homemade chicken fingers and Caesar salad.  They were as good as the chicken fingers that we used to enjoy at The Keg and that is high praise.

J2 also chose a lunch item-the Beef Dip and everyone else decided on Breakfast.

Strawberry Waffles and Eggs Benedict were also selected.

Daughter #2 enjoyed the latter but thinks that her Dad’s version is superior.  Of course, eggs bennie are all about the hollandaise and this version lacked either lemon juice or Dijon because it didn’t have the oomph that we enjoy.

There was hollandaise on the Frenchman’s choice as well but with all of the other flavourful ingredients in his Old Country Skillet, he was very pleased.  Along with potato, veggies and scrambled eggs were pieces of  ham along with links of sausage served alongside.  He needed to recoup his energy as he was the shoveller and driver on this snowy day.

Kath’s quote: “The first fall of snow is not just an event, it is a magical event.  You go to bed in one kind of a world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enhancement then where is it to be found?”-J.B. Priestley

Love-that is all.

Do you recall the scene in Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp” when the canine couple set up behind an authentic Italian restaurant for a romantic feast of their own?  That is exactly what Casa Grande (at 984 Sargent Ave.) reminds me of.  There are red and white table cloths and white candles melting down the sides of old Chianti bottles.  I would not be surprised if an accordion player made the rounds some evening.   In the mean time, Luciano Pavarotti serenades over the stereo system.

We have been dining at Casa Grande for decades (they have been in business for over 35 years) and each time I arrive, the place is packed. Yet it is not one of those restaurants that you hear/see a lot about.  On this early weeknight, we got the last table in the little main floor area.  There have been times that we have dined on the second floor, which I believe is only open on weekends.  Everyone surrounding us seemed to be regulars and indeed one of the servers was hugging and kissing patrons upon their arrivals and departures.

My husband and I sometimes have a difficult time deciding what to order at a place like Casa Grande, so well known for their portion size.  We consider pasta a special treat and are concerned about filling up with too much of it.  But the perfect solution is cheerfully accommodated when we select their largest dinner salad and spaghetti with seafood and we share both.

La Giardiniera Salad is chock full of romaine tossed with onions, tomatoes, green pepper, olives, cucumber, grated mozzarella cheese and house dressing.  Thin slices of mild capicollo (a cross between salami and ham) adorn the top. 

We are thrilled when more slices arrive at the table with a fine dry salami, more olives and spicy marinated eggplant.  This little plate is our anti-pasta which comes with each noodle dish that is served.

When high quality seafood is simply and quickly sautéed, we prefer not to let an overpowering pasta sauce interfere with the delicate taste.   Casa Grande lets you choose the preparation style and I almost always opt for the oil and garlic.  This particular evening, the kitchen was very generous with the garlic.  This became the second reason that my husband and I were glad that we had shared the dish.

I would recommend that you make reservations as you will not want to miss out on this authentic treat.

Kath’s quote: “The strands of spaghetti were vital, almost alive in my mouth, and the olive oil was singing with flavor. It was hard to imagine that four simple ingredients [olive oil, pasta, garlic and cheese] could marry so perfectly.”-Ruth Reichl

Love-that is all.

As we arrived at Saigon Jon’s, after a considerable drive to south Pembina (2696), I had a “deja vu” feeling but could not put my finger on the familarity.  After some time, I realized that it felt like walking into Unburger in the village but instead of burger and fry choices, the selection was grilled meat and rice noodles.  What is consistent to both restaurants is their commitment to quality and freshness.

The concept is simple, but brilliant, as the most successful restaurant concepts are.  You decide if you would like a noodle or rice bowl, salad or Vietnamese sandwich (Banh Mi) and then which protein from the list that includes a variety of steak, fresh chicken, pork, patties or tofu.

We also love Vietnamese Pho (soup) and so found it hard to choose.  In the end we opted for the widest variety and shared. Their Pho starts with a house made broth that is complex and satisfying and could be eaten all by itself.  The bowl arrives with rice noodles and flour kinds of beef swimming in the heavenly broth.  On the side are bean sprouts and a wedge of lime to enhance the meal-we threw everything in including the abundant and fresh Thai basil leaves.

D selected a toasted 6 inch multi-grain baguette with Vietnamese veggies, Thai basil aioli and charbroiled pork.  After one bite, he wondered out loud, why anyone would ever go to Subway again?

Now I love Vietnamese Noodle Bowls and have long enjoyed them at Viva and Little Saigon, two of our favourite Winnipeg Vietnamese spots, so my standard is admittedly very, very high.  Saigon Jon’s bowl is right up there with its plethora of tastes and such plentiful meat that you can have a spear of hot honey hoisin chicken with every chopstick full.

The restaurant itself is sparkling clean and well laid out for comfortable eating (I wouldn’t call it dining). The huge white bowls that hold the delicious meals are cheerfully brought to your table as they come hot off the grill. You can see the preparations unfold in front of you as you order.  In fact, there is nothing to hide here.  You can see right to the back wall of the kitchen where an unusual light source is growing the fresh herbs that are used by the kitchen.

The restaurant was full with many U of M students from nearby enjoying a Saturday night dinner out as well as a number of empty nesters from the neighbourhood.  Once the new stadium opens, they will be jammed.  I am sure that their choice of location is not by accident. We had the pleasure of meeting Sheraz and his business partner Jon when we were at the restaurant.  They are representative of the new generation of restaurant owners in Winnipeg with a clear vision, an excellent marketing network and a commitment to the hard work ahead.  They will succeed, there is no doubt in our minds.

Kath’s quote: “Happy and successful cooking doesn’t rely only on know-how; it comes from the heart, makes great demands on the palate and needs enthusiasm and a deep love of food to bring it to life.”-Georges Blanc

Love-that is all.