The roads in Winnipeg are a nightmare-no other way to describe them.  Being close to the restaurant business we know that this made for cancelled reservations and a spike in no shows for businesses on New Year’s Eve.  There was a corresponding peak in people ordering in and picking up, so it is not that Winnipeggers did not want to celebrate with food.  D suggested that because we had spent so much time at home over the holidays, that we dine out but choose a location in our neighbourhood.  It would have been a long walk, but one that we sometimes do in fairer weather.  With reports of Winnipeg being colder than Mars, this was a non-decision, we took a car.  Both of our vehicles have remote starters, an absolute must if you live here and do not own a garage. D’s also has heated seats so we were quite comfortable as far as the temperature was concerned.  Tre Visi, our destination on that evening is on Grosvenor Ave. and is the street which runs perpendicular to ours, a half a block away.  But with both of our vehicles trying to fit into a parking pad edged with ever-growing snow banks, we had to head into the opposite direction to get out of our spot.  This meant that we had a single city block to travel in order to get back to Grosvenor Ave.   D had not even touched the brake when we started to slide and spin.  Thank heavens there were no parked cars and it must have looked as if we were simply pulling a “U” in the middle of the block to park on the opposite side of the street.

Vivid thoughts of amazing food was our focus and our motivation to make the trek that evening and Tre Visi did not disappoint.  We spotted that there were marinated vegetables on their antipasto platter and so we eagerly ordered the board remembering the ones that we loved while traveling in Italy.

This was our favourite from Cumpa Cosimo, high up on the mountainside in Ravello, Amalfi Coast.  A couple of these were marinated and all served cold.  In Italy, antipasto plates highlight the best of what the region has to offer, sometimes all seafood, others all cheeses, etc.

Tre Visi’s included paper-thin slices of cured meat, shards of cheese, pickled onions and peppers.  Every taste was a lovely surprize and  when coupled up on fork tines, produced other delectable taste combinations.  We would have appreciated some crostini or baguette to stretch the morsels further, but perhaps that is passé with so many diners avoiding gluten.

D’s choice was the gnocchi with the pesto cream sauce which he remembered from an earlier visit.  I could see that he was trying to exercise restraint as he speared each fluffy pillow.  Near the end of the time with our plates though, he might have decided that the portion was too generous and that perhaps we should have shared the plate and mixed tastes up with another item.  Next time….

D could tell that I was torn between my original choice and the special of a rib eye with parmesan French fries.  This is one of the many reasons why I love him: when it was time to order, he asked our delightful server if the chef would provide the fries to accompany our appetizer.  What a guy-he knew that it I was on the cusp of New Year’s resolution time and wanted me to savour one last indulgence.

In the end I selected the Frutti de Mare which is often my choice.  Tre Visi’s version was as delicious as I have eaten anywhere with plump scallops, fresh shrimp and mussels and easy on the pasta.  The secret was in the sauce which was light with tomatoes but luxurious with what I imagined to be butter.  I supped up the last spots of sauce with my spoon, not wanting to let a dribble go unconsumed.

We enjoyed the festive ambience of the open room and imagined that some diners would carry on to a New Year’s party while others lived close by and would carefully make their way home.  There was one table of six just over my shoulder who were all Italian and spoke the romantic language throughout our meal which of course really swept us away to meals of times gone by.

Kath’s quote: “Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people.
So overweight people are now average. Which means you’ve met your New Year’s resolution.”-Jay Leno

Love-that is all.

This was one of those evenings where you arrive at the appointed hour and in what seemed like moments later, it is time to go.  The time was precious and wonderfully spent with old friends to celebrate the joys of the past year with optimism for the one ahead.

The main floor of Deseo Bistro was jammed packed with merrymakers doing exactly what we were doing and the room felt alive with the energy of fellow Winnipeggers.  Our server was cordial, efficient and very attentive, even though he thought he had not been.  He came and apologised to us at one point for needing to focus on another party.  Truth was, we did not even notice.

The evening started with Deseo’s own versions of Bloody Caesars which had a wonderful kick and warmed up the evening.  Every couple decide to share a small plate including the Crunch Salad which I had tasted on other occasions and totally regretted not doing so again.  The crunch is contributed by celery, edamame, pistachios, peanuts, crispy onions and distinctively by jicama, a taste which I can’t get enough of especially when it is enhanced by lime and cilantro, which this was in abundance.  It also includes mojito vinny-huh?  I have no idea what that is.

D and I shared the Black Truffled Gnocchi which was an inventive combination of crisp black quinoa, black garlic and black boar bacon.  The tones were dark and earthy and you could taste the forrest.

I then went ahead and ordered another pasta for my large plate which was a seafood spaghetti topped with a poached egg and D chose the Monk-fish.

Mine was rich and creamy and D’s was light, so tastes from each plate were a satisfying combination.  Both were from their special features.  Our meals were lovely but I was fixated on another regret which was that I had not ordered the same dish as one of our friends – Roasted Brussel Sprouts. 

Marcona almonds, bacon, ginger, ponzu dressing and feta created a sweet and salty combination, which my readers know I love.

There were oohs and ahhs from other place settings at the table where Lamb Albondigas and Mussels & Chorizo were being tucked into. 

But the happiest of all was the birthday girl who loves pork as much as I do and after much deliberation decided upon the pork belly.  I had described it from my other tastings as being a veritable loaf of meat and even though I obviously remembered the portion incorrectly, she was overjoyed with her choice.  Perched  on top of the slowly roasted pork was a Serano wrapped prawn mousse and was accompanied by crisp chicken skin and  parsnip puree.  The tastes were complemented by both romesco sauce and sherry syrup.  At one point I heard her declare that it was the best meal that she had ever had at any restaurant (and this from a world traveller).  High praise, indeed.

A couple of after dinner liquers  and desserts were enjoyed.  In the mean time, gifts were shared as well as the tales of future Christmas adventures.  The love amongst us was evident and it was a memorable way to celebrate the many of life’s blessings together.

Kath’s 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

Love-that is all.