Resto Gare, the reinvention of long loved La Vieille Gare in Winnipeg’s French Quarter, has been on my hit list since its refreshed unveiling in 2008.  I am pleased to say that I finally got a chance to try their fare at a recent Christmas party.

I am always thrilled to be included in the staff celebrations of a diagnostic centre that I work with in my role with CancerCare Manitoba.  I really appreciate that this group is always up to try something different and they have introduced me to a couple of venues I may not have otherwise discovered.

Resto Gare Bistro is located at 630 Des Meurons Rue in a Canadian Northern Station Building that will celebrate its 100^th birthday next year.  The attached train car is only one year younger, being built in 1914.

The lovely interior is the perfect setting for a Christmas celebration with its colour pallet of gold and poppy red. Warm wood, rustic open beam ceiling and plush furnishings keep you cozy as you gaze out the window at the falling snow.

Being a large party. we had a limited menu, but the choices where all exemplary.  I started with the creamy potato and leek soup.  I think perfecting this simple dish shows a chef’s finesse. This one was the right consistency; you could taste both the leek and potato and it was seasoned perfectly.  This got me excited for my entrée and I was not disappointed.  For my main, I enjoyed Manitoba pickerel, pan seared in herb butter and topped with crispy pancetta, corn and a micro shoot salad and served with rice pilaf and perfectly cooked beets and Brussel sprouts.

My colleges raved about the rosemary and mustard rubbed Prime Rib; the half roast chicken served on preserved lemon smashed potatoes; and the wild mushroom and leek risotto with pecorino cheese.

The dessert cart selection was extensive.  I abstained, but heard the moans of my coworkers who indulged in the lemon tart, traditional maple sugar pie and the candy cane crème brûlée.

I look forward to revisiting Resto Gare, perhaps for a more intimate dinner in the train car.

Kath’s quote: “Light, refined, learned and noble, harmonious and orderly, clear and logical, the cooking of France is, in some strange manner, intimately linked to the genius of her greatest men.”-Rouff

Love-that is all.

Share on Facebook