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.

The owners of the ever-popular Hermanos Restaurant and Wine Bar have graced Winnipeg with another South American inspired restaurant:  Corrientes Argentine Pizza.  Situated at 137 Bannatyne Ave, near Waterfront Drive, it is the perfect meeting place for the condo dwellers, business and arts people who have resurrected the neighbourhood.  I am guessing this is what inspired the name of the restaurant because Corrientes Ave. in Buenos Aires is home to a similar demographic.

I hope that the owners know that the space with its exposed brick walls and cozy furniture will promote lingering.  I was sat in this back room and when I found out that my lunch date was running late, I didn’t mind in the least.  Our table was tucked into the right hand corner and made for a perfect place for us to quietly get caught up on life and then business.

This light filled front room was jammed with diners when I arrived at noon but had cleared out by the time we made our way back to our cars (parking was tricky).

But to the food. I am always so appreciative when my friends are willing to order in tandem because a couple of slices of pizza and half of this gorgeous salad made for an explosion of textures and flavours.

My lunch date choose the Olmedo Salad whereby heaps of chopped romaine lettuce were adorned with sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced Buffalo mozarella and soft croutons.  The entire surface was then playfully, zig zagged with balsamic dressing creating this checkered-board effect.  The result was lovely for the eyes and the taste buds.

I chose a thin crust “Manitoba ” Pizza topped with pesto (pungent with garlic), bacon, goat cheese, arugula, orange zest and more sun-dried tomatoes.  The pickerel cheeks made it Manitoban but unfortunately their subtle flavour was overpowered by the other ingredients.  Orange zest on pizza was new to me but tasted exactly right in this combination.

Corrientes delivers pizza and is open from breakfast until late to accommodate the after theatre crowd.

Buenos Airies is one of the world’s great cities that I would love to visit but in the mean time, Winnipeg has its own taste of life on Corrientes St.

Kath’s quote: “Prepared and fast foods have given us the time and freedom to see cooking as an art form – a form of creative expression.”-Jeff Smith

Love-that is all.

“My dinner club is lovingly referred to as Glee (Girls Laughing, Eating and Entertaining).

Our usual M.O. is to theme a dinner around a movie but on occasions like Halloween we have a built in theme so instead we spend our evening visiting.  Being this was the first dinner event of the 2012/13 season, we had a bit of catching up to do.

Our spooky culinary adventure started the Kathy’s appetizer plate of crunchy-cheesy witch fingers, pumpkin shaped cheese ball and vegetable crudités.

Our hostess, Barb, set a beautiful table and we enjoyed a mixed green salad featuring orange peppers, dried cranberries and pumpkins seeds.

Our main was a rice pilaf, couscous and pickerel cheeks, all delicious.

We finished off the evening with Lucille’s pumpkin loaf topped with her homemade spider chocolates.”

Kath’s quote: “My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.”-Dave Barry

Love-that is all.

I was recently invited to attend a “new” spin on an old favourite- a beer and cheese tasting, as opposed to a traditional wine and cheese party.  I say “new” with qualifiers because both beer and wine have existed since the beginning of time.

First up was Molson M paired with Oka Classique.  This was my first taste of Molson M and I appreciated its creaminess and lack of bitterness.  The selected cheese complemented the sweet, maltiness of the beer.  The carbonation of the beer cut through the richness of the cheese and cleansed the palate.  I intend to remember this for my next formal dinner party and surprize guests with a glass of beer instead of the sorbert cleansing course.

Rickard’s White is one of my favourite “boutique” beer.  This is perhaps because I am drawn to the fresh, crisp taste of cilantro and the beer is fashioned with ground coriander which is the seed of the herb.  The result is a drink with a slight spiciness and a refreshing finish.  An intense, yet velvety Brie was served as a complement.

Last, but not least, was my favourite pairing: Molson Canadian 67 Sublime with a spicy Monterrey Jack.  Since I have long been a lover of light Mexican beer with a wedge of lime squeezed into the bottle, this beer is my new “go to”.  The hint of natural citrus flavour in the beer is the perfect way to cool and refresh your mouth after a hot taste of the jalapeno infused cheese.  If you close your eyes, you could be lying under a palapa on a Mexican beach.

Throughout this tasting, we were hosted by a to female executive from Molson’s (her job title is VP of Beer Reverence-how awesome is that?) who coached us to raise our glass to a light source in order to observe the colour, clarity and foam of the beer.  Then to bring the glass to our neck level and fan it right and left under our noses (more than anything-this looks really cool)!  Next, we were encouraged to discover the first scents of the elixir and then to release even more aromas from the hops and malts by swirling our glasses to release additional carbonation.  Our noses were plunged deep into our glasses for the next step, to take in a long, deep smell.  And finally, it was time to drink!

We were instructed to allow enough beer to cover our entire tongue and taste receptors, to keep our mouths closed and breath through our noses (the opposite of swimming lessons).  This is called “quaffing”.  And thankfully, we were not instructed to spit but to ensure that the beer flowed down the back of our mouths where there are other important taste receptors.  Oh yes, and then we were to breathe.  “Quaff, swallow, breathe.”

Our son J1 is studying to become a brew-master and is already a beer connoisseur.  I hope that he will be impressed by his ole Mom and her newly acquired swilling techniques.

Kath’s quote: “He was a wise man who invented beer.”-Plato

Love-that is all.

I had a spectaular day at my second We Day event in Winnipeg.  I was awed and humbled to be in the room with one of the greatest men who has ever lived: President Mikhail Gorbachev.  Through his interpreter and as a result of questions from Free the Children Founder Craig Kielburger, he shared that his own life was riddled with war and hunger but that he has been given the “gift of a happy life”.  He attributes this happiness to his hard work and that even very early in his life, he knew that he wanted to learn and make a difference.  This, in spite of living in the middle of nowhere with no electricity or telephone.  He never boarded a train until he was 20 years old.

He imparted these words of wisdom to the 18,000 school aged kids who sat quietly with respect and reverence:

“Don’t allow anyone to divide, because some exploiters will try to.

Never fear those who are trying to intimidate you.  Be on the side of the truth.

Honesty, justice and the truth.  This is what we want.”

He referred back to his contribution to the dissolution of the cold war with US President Ronald Reagan.  He recalls saying to President Reagan:

“A nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought.”

He added: “We need to move towards a world without nuclear weapons.  We need to rid the world of the militarization of politics, of civilization.”

When asked about his hopes for his great granddaughter (4 years old):

“I want her to live in a world free and just, in friendship and co-operation.”

And then in conclusion, he said to the crowd:

“Be brave, be courageous”.

The hushed silence had ended, the crowd roared in appreciation.

I was so impressed with so many other speakers but as a food blogger, I was particularly thrilled with the following new Free the Children announcement:

The PotashCorp of Saskatoon has come on board.  “The partnership includes the introduction of an Agriculture and Food Security pillar to Free The Children’s long-term and sustainable Adopt a Village program, which helps lift rural communities in developing countries out of poverty through long term sustainable infrastructure and programming. PotashCorp is the Founding Partner of Free The Children’s fifth Adopt a Village pillar, which joins the program’s four existing pillars of Education, Health, Clean Water and Sanitation and Alternative Income and Livelihood. The Agriculture and Food Security pillar will be added to programming in all eight of Free The Children’s Adopt a Village countries: India, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Ecuador, Kenya, Haiti, Ghana and rural China.”

Kath’s quote: “In the last analysis civilization is based upon the food supply.”-
Will Durant

Love-that is all.