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Dessert Sinsations

May25

Even though some time has past since Mother’s Day, last night was the absolutely perfect time to celebrate with our Mom.  When you are 85 and health issues limit your outings, spreading them out a little bit is a smart strategy.

When the Karsh exhibit was at the Winnipeg Art Gallery we parked just adjacent, had a delightful lunch and spent a leisurely time in the gallery.  Mom had such a lovely day, that she requested that we repeat the scenario so that we could attend the Norman Rockwell exhibit before it leaves the city.

And so it was that we assembled again at Dessert Sinsations.  Being a part of the marketing world, I can’t help but reflect that the name of the restaurant does not really do it justice.  Yes, their dessert case is over the top with selections and I have tasted many delicious treats from that bounty.  But I personally do not live for dessert and this lovely cafe offers so very much more.

The savoury dishes that my Mom chose on her last visit, must have been memorable because she ordered exactly the same thing for this celebration-the garlic and mushroom soup and the poutine (I have obviously inherited her poutine-loving genes).  She ate til her heart was content and then packaged the rest up for her lunch today.

The three sisters, made healthier (but not less delicious) choices.  Sister #2 went with the Black and Blue Salad-blackened steak and blue cheese.

Sister #3 chose The Gardener which looked amazing when it arrived at the table.

And even more so, when we peaked inside.

My gorgeous pear and walnut salad was a masterpiece when it was placed in front of me.

And looked completely different when I placed the addition of the grilled chicken breast.  The light dressing had a slightly maple taste which complimented the ground walnuts of the dish-kind of like having a healthy version of maple/walnut ice cream!

The kind servers (we had three of them popping over to our table) allowed us to stay parked as we ventured over to the Winnipeg Art Gallery (my first post-university job).  We were all enamoured with the exhibit, Mom particularily so with the depiction of a little boy’s discovery of a Santa suit in the bottom drawer of his Dad’s bureau.

Delicious and wholesome food and exquisite artistry which celebrates good old fashioned values and family-the perfect way to celebrate a belated Mothers Day.

Dessert Sinsations Cafe on Urbanspoon

Kath’s quote:  “A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie”. ~Tenneva Jordan


“The whole Mediterranean … the wine, the ideas … seems to ride in the sour pungent taste of those black olives … A taste older than meat, older than wine. A taste as old as cold water.”

Lawrence Durrell

Casa Grande Revisited

May15

With so many amazing restaurants on my must try list in Winnipeg, it is rare that we dine at a single place with regularity, even if it is one of our favourites.  But since Casa Grande is the special spot of Daughter #2,  she selected it for her family birthday celebration.

We all started with their delicious house salad again and the Frenchman shared his olives with us-can not get enough of them!

I choose exactly the same dish as my last visit-the seafood spaghetti.  This time I switched things up and ordered the scallops.  The scallops were succulent and meaty and added more protein than the baby clams.  The kitchen also obliged me by going really easy on the olive oil and the juice of the scallop was enough to make every twirled forkful, a delight.

The birthday girl ordered the same dish that her Dad had ordered previously so I did not take another photo of it.  It looked exactly the same as when D ordered it-fancy that.

D selected this loaf of lasagna.  Hearty and authentic was the way he described the dish.  His portion was so huge that he enough to share with Daughter #1.

The Frenchman chose the penne. He tried so hard to leave a helping on his plate for his lunch the next day but that proved to be difficult and he was drawn by one more forkful on repeated occasions.

Daughter #1 choose the gnocchi and was the only one not overly impressed.  It was not that there was anything wrong with the dish, just that when she has selected gnocchi at other restaurants, she has enjoyed it more.  She put this down to misordering and will simply select something different next time around.  D was willing to share his lasagna with her.  Unfortunately for her, I was enjoying my spaghetti too much to offer her any (I am not always a perfect Mom…).

The servers at Casa Grande who we are getting to know us quite well by now, overheard us making reference to a birthday and brought out a dish of ice cream (and five spoons) to celebrate.

Casa Grande Pizzeria on Urbanspoon

Kath`s quote: “Once again, my life has been saved by the miracle of lasagna.”-‘Garfield’ (Jim Davis)

Casa Grande

May14

My husband and I have been together a very long time and he is a very thoughtful partner.  Anticipating a week that he was going to be out of town, he asked me out for a Saturday night date.  It was a tough decision to figure out where we wanted to go.  We have a long list of  “want to” visits.

Every so often, we get a yearning for real Italian food.  By “real” I mean, not the Olive Garden version, that was in fact lined up out the door as we drove by.  There are many authentic Italian restaurants in the city but one of our favourites has become Casa Grande on Sargent Ave.  Our youngest was jealous when she heard our destination because it is her and the Frenchman’s “place”.

We were escorted to the second floor which I recall from long ago being more like an eating balcony.  Our server was over quickly to light our Chianti bottle candle and offer us the menu.

The Frenchman had suggested their house wine which was Giacondi Sangiovese Merlot.  I am not accustomed to many Italian merlots but found it to be a lovely dry, earthy flavour to offset our menu selections.

I started with the antipasto plate which was little morsels of capicola, salami, a firm and nutty cheese, tomato, olives and an extra dose of marinated eggplant with a liberal sprinkling of red pepper flakes.

D had a light Italian salad including shards of what I thought might be the same cheese.

Both were served with garlic toast that we used like crostini as we placed our antipasto treats atop of the crunchy, garlicky bread.

I knew that I was going to select the seafood spaghetti but did not know if I should choose the mussels, clams, scallops or shrimp.  As I often like to do, I let our server decide for me and I was delighted by the buttery fresh clams that arrived still on the half shell.  The unadorned spaghetti with a simple garlic and olive oil toss was perfectly satisfying without being overwhelming.

D on the other hand, might have been overwhelmed. Daughter #2 suggested that he order the carbonara and even though it was not the tradition recipe that we are accustomed to, he was delighted with the addition of a cream sauce, mushrooms and caramelized onions.  The pancetta added richness to an already rich concoction but he loved every single bite.  It did mean that we had to go for a long walk when we got home, but that was not an issue.  It was a beautiful evening, the sun was setting and we love our neighbourhood.

Casa Grande Pizzeria on Urbanspoon

Kaths quote: “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.”-Sophia Loren

Old Ebbitt Grill-Washington DC

May8

Upon checking in at The Madison in downtown Washington DC, I did the same thing that I do in any new city that I travel to-I started researching where to dine!  The helpful concierge handed me a five page restaurant list.  I scoped out the places which were on the same street as the hotel for a starting point and then cross-referenced them with Urbanspoon.  I had made a selection and just had to run it by Lynn, my roomie for the weekend, who had not yet arrived.

While she was freshening up, I went back downstairs to speak to the handsome concierge again, this time to determine if there were any other sights that we might see on our walk to and from Old Ebbit Grill. Did I feel like a hick from the sticks when he pulled out a tourist map and showed me that the Old Ebbitt Grill was next door to the White House!

We knew before arrival that they were fully booked for the evening, but we decided to take our chances and find a stool at the bar.  This turned out to be the perfect choice as our bar keep was a feisty little thing with a big personality.  I haven’t seen a multi-tasker like she was in my life.  So too, we got to witness the dining room servers with their variety of world accents, requesting their wine and cocktails from our bartender.  Well in truth, they shouted their requests at her.  This turned out to be part of the charm of this bustling place.

My first beverage choice was a DC Brau “The Public” which was a local pale ale.  The flavour was very hoppy, which made me very happy…. (sorry I could not resist).

I was delighted to see that they identified that their mussels were from the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island but decided upon a cup of chili to start.  I loaded this up with the available options of chopped white onions, sour cream and cheddar.  Lynn took our server’s recommendation and choose the bacony clam chowder (Boston style).

We took time to pause before we selected our main courses to soak in the cozy ambiance of the room.  It was not hard for me to imagine whispered and highly political conversations taking place in the low lit booths or the deals that must have been negotiated by lobbyists at the bar top.  Imagine the number of fascinating people who have passed through these doors since 1856?  I noticed as I walked down the white marble stairs and passed the “Cabinet” room, that they had been worn away in the centre of each step by constant use.

I had my first taste of  Lynne’s soft shelled crab.  I was fascinated by textured and the taste was sweet and succulent.

I chose a jumbo lump crab cake.  It was stacked inches high, was crunchy on the surface and meaty and delicious on the inside.

We were perfectly satisfied and content to be on our way but our server insisted that she treat us to dessert ( there had been a temperature issue with my meal).  I couldn’t resist the strawberry short cake made in the authentic style and crowned with local strawberries.

Lynne, the baker, was delighted with the strawberry and rhubarb pie and commented particularly on the skill displayed in the making of the crust.

We did find our way for a view of the White House that night.  I was especially thrilled when I saw a light in a room go off and another go on.  My imagination was stirred again of Michelle putting the girls to bed….

Old Ebbitt Grill on Urbanspoon

Kath’s quote: “Food history is as important as a baroque church. Governments should recognize cultural heritage and protect traditional foods.  A cheese is as worthy of preserving as a sixteenth-century building.” –Carlo Petrini

Tigh Neachtains in Galway

April30

We wanted our last meal in Ireland to be a special one.  Galway was on the chilly side and the drizzle was on and off.  A helpful person working for the Galway Food Festival suggested her favourite pub as a place where we might want to have some lunch.

She indicated that because it straddled two corners, there was a greater chance to see the sun and she added that the people watching was fabulous.  Well, she was right on both accounts.  What she neglected to tell us was that the 19th century pub was a fascinating place with all its snugs (little cubicles which provide privacy for your table) and that the food was exceptional.

The official name of the place is Seagan Ua Neaccain but is commonly known as  Tigh Neachtain’s or in Canadian English-Neachtain’s Bar.

The lively pub was once a meeting place for Peter OToole and I could absolutely picture him here sharing a pint of Guinness with some blokes.

But onto the food!  It turns out that the award winning restaurant the Artisan, which occupies the space above the pub, is responsible for the food offerings.

D and I shared an organic soup of the day which was parsnip and honey-the perfect choice to chase away the chilliness of the day.

Next,  we ordered one of the dishes that inspired our trip to Ireland-Connemara Mussels in an amazing garlic cream sauce.  Both the soup and the broth were so rich and savoury that we requested more of the nutty oatmeal bread, which was cheerfully provided, to ensure that we were able to lap up every single drop.

DK chose the Slow Confit of Pork Belly which was melt in your mouth and perfectly prepared.  Must be hard to imagine that we were sitting out on a sidewalk and being served this amazingly, gorgeous food.

This was all washed down with our last pints of Guinness and D’s new favourite beer-a Galway Hooker.  The latter is an IPA (IRISH Pale Ale).   D loved the tangy bitterness of the beer so much that he purchased a six pack to bring home to the “boys” in the family.  I came upon him sitting at Neachkin’s with a Galway Hooker but I forgave him and love him just the same….

Kaths quote: “It is a curious fact that no man likes to call himself a glutton, and yet each of us has in him a trace of gluttony, potential or actual. I cannot believe that there exists a single coherent human being who will not confess, at least to himself, that once or twice he has stuffed himself to bursting point on anything from quail financiere to flapjacks, for no other reason than the beastlike satisfaction of his belly.”-M.F.K. Fisher

 

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