Food Musings

A Winnipeg blog about the joy of preparing food for loved ones and the shared joy that travel & dining brings to life.

Summertime at Promenade Cafe and Wine

October8

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The perfect way to start dinner at a St. Boniface restaurant is with a walk through The Forks,

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past the magnificent Canadian Human Rights Museum

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and over the Esplanade Riel Pedestrian Bridge.  Not only do you work up your appetite but you walk by some of the best views that Winnipeg has to offer.

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The view from our table.

This is how we started the evening of our visit to The Promenade Café & Wine.

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A toast with a fabulous Gewürztraminer.

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We were celebrating our eldest daughter’s birthday and she had never dined at the bistro before.

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D selected the French Canadian dish of Bison Tortiere which is so named because of the pan that it is made in. Tortiere is typically served as a festive Christmas dish and many Winnipeggers enjoy their own families’ version.  The healthy ground bison had a firm texture and the seasonings were deeply satisfying.  In contrast, the pie crust was light and flaky and the ladle of gravy that blanketed it, was a glistening enhancement.

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I chose the classic French Beef Bourguignon which I have never attempted the making of at home.  I do know though that the authentic recipe includes pearl onions and button mushrooms and this recipe was true to form.  The beef was tender and the gravy, luscious.  Both dishes were accompanied by simply steamed and buttered carrots and broccoli and the creamiest potatoes I have indulged in for a while.  The birthday girl chose one of the few un-French dishes on the menu: Gnocchi which was equally tantalizing.

The good news about walking out for dinner is that you have no vehicle and are forced to also stroll home.  This aids digestion and offsets the calorie indulgence.

Promenade Cafe and Wine on Urbanspoon

Kath’s quote:

“Boeuf a la Bourguignonne (Beef in the Burgundy style): This is the stew of stews, an apotheosis of stew, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the watery, stringy mixture served up in British institutions. It’s a rich, carefully cooked recipe which is served up on special occasions in French homes, and which appears without shame on the menus of high-class restaurants.”-Jane Grigson

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Love-that is all.

The Promenade-a Summer Visit

July9

The historic corner or Tache and Provencher delivers a gorgeous view winter or summer.  When we dined at Promenade Cafe and Wine for D’s birthday in January we requested a table by the window.  It was approximately -30 that evening.  True to the premise that the Canadian prairies produce the most extreme weather in Canada, this past week when I visited the temperature was topping the other end of the scale at +30 degrees.  We still decided to sit outside under an umbrella to enjoy the unobstructed vista.  Yes, it would have been cooler inside, but summer is short in Winnipeg and I intentionally spend every moment that I possibly can, outside.

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The occasion was a business lunch, but because I know my associate so well, we were comfortable to share both our choices.  Duck confit is a traditional French recipe made with the leg of the bird. To prepare a confit, the meat is rubbed with salt, garlic, and sometimes herbs, then covered and refrigerated for up to 36 hours. Salt-curing the meat acted as a preservative before modern refrigeration was common plaec.  Prior to cooking, the spices are typically rinsed from the meat and then patted dry. The meat is placed in a cooking dish deep enough to contain the meat and the rendered fat, and deposited in an oven at a low temperature where the meat is slowly poached at least until cooked, or until meltingly tender, generally four to ten hours.  It was not actually the duck that caught my eye as I perused the menu, but the truffle kissed chickpeas.  I am drawn to the musky taste of “truffled” anything, and the garbonzo beans were a satisfying choice.  The duck and the chick peas were tossed with micro greens, grilled pear slices and a crumbling of blue cheese which assembled a number of tastes on one dish.  The duck unfortunately was not “fall off the bone” the way I prefer it, which would lead me to believe that it was not cooked for long enough or that it was dry-roasted instead of poached.  This is not a complaint, just an observation that the duck was not prepared as I have enjoyed it in the past.

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In the mean time, my lunch date opted for a Crogues Monsieur for us to share. The sandwich originated in French cafés as early as 1910 as a quick snack. The name is based on the verb croquer (“to crunch”).  In essence, the dish is a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and the crunch comes into play when the bread is toasted on the grill to crispness.  Promenade’s version also adds a little dollop of what I thought was a lemony hollandaise sauce adding a citrus taste to offset the salty and savoury ones.  The ham that was rolled up and put back onto the grill for a couple of moments to add a crunch to it as well, was of the highest quality.  I imagined a whole old fashioned ham, slow roasting for an afternoon and then being thinly slaved for the sandwich.  If that is not how the owner Sean and his chef prepare it, they sure had me fooled, because the ham itself was perfection.

To this, the side of perfectly prepared French fries (ironically, better that any I had tasted in France) put my enjoyment right at the highest point of the pleasure scale.  What put me over the top was the gorgeous Fetzer Gewurztraminer that was suggested as the pairing with the Croques.  This grape is sometimes considered too sweet and fruity for some palates, but was the perfect choice to offset the myriad of tastes between our salad and sandwich.  The truth is, gazing out over the forks of the Red and Assiniboine rivers with a clear view of what my family calls the “feather” bridge and the recently completed Canadian Human Rights Museum, I could have easily ordered another glass and whiled away the Friday afternoon with my friend.  We took so long discussing mutual business opportunities that we had to pack our personal news into the moments as we were settling the bill.

All this means, is that another visit to the Promenade before the summer is over, is in order.  Oh the lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer…..

Promenade Cafe and Wine on Urbanspoon

Kath’s quote:  “The French approach to food is characteristic; they bring to their consideration of the table the same appreciation, respect, intelligence and lively interest that they have for the other arts, for painting, for literature, and for the theatre. We foreigners living in France respect and appreciate this point of view but deplore their too strict observance of a tradition which will not admit the slightest deviation in a seasoning or the suppression of a single ingredient. Restrictions aroused our American ingenuity, we found combinations and replacements which pointed in new directions and created a fresh and absorbing interest in everything pertaining to the kitchen.” –Alice B. Toklas

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Love-that is all.

Promenade Cafe and Wine for Dinner

January21

D’s birthday weekend was full of celebrating as a couple and as a family.  First up, was a cozy dinner at the Promenade Cafe and Wine-a place that I have been to once for lunch and D had never had the opportunity to try.  When I had originally booked, I chose a little table right against the window for a view of the Forks and the Canadian Human Rights Museum but when we arrived, Shaun the owner explained that he thought we would be more comfortable at a spot on the other side of the room.  This was because they host live music on Saturday nights and we would have been right next to the musicians setting up.  To be honest, having picked one the coldest nights of the year, I was quite content not to be reminded of the season for just a bit of time.  Inside, we could have been anywhere that people who enjoy fine food and wine would assemble.

We had come thinking that we would go with the pre-fixed dinner of chicken livers, mushroom soup, pork tenderloin and chocolate mousse but were so intrigued by other menu selections that we wanted to order different options so that we could sample from each other’s plate.   Our server was stellar and we took some time to quiz him on his places of previous employment because he was obviously very well trained and best of all, loved his profession.  He was very helpful, when we asked his suggestions for both our dining and wine choices.  We love to be guided by other people’s preferences, it opens up an entirely new range of culinary options.

So the food choices were settled and then we made a bold (for us) wine selection and ordered a  Gewürztraminer from California.  Our server complimented our choice and explained that the word meant ” spice garden”.  The sweet crispness of the chilled wine, completely took us to another place.  We recalled the summer that D  had traveled to German wine country and brought home a couple of special bottles for us to sample on the deck at the Beach House.

But to the food.  We started by sharing a pork pate that was served with micro greens, pickled onions and our particular preference with pate-gherkins.  My favourite aspect of the dish (always the carbs…) were the lacy pieces of crostini that had been thinly sliced from a small baguette and then carefully toasted over an open flame.  I have to figure out how to do this in my own kitchen-it takes “toast” to a magical level.

I was equally enthralled by D’s gnocchi as my own Boeuf Bourguignon and the opportunity to go from my plate to D’s was even better (one of the benefits of being together for thirty years).  The potato noodle that held together all the flavours, was perfect in itself-substantial and firm but at the same time tender.  So good, I could have eaten it with just a drizzle of butter and been perfectly happy.  So the tossing of pine nuts, mushrooms and spinach was like icing on a cake.  D chose shrimp to add some protein to his dinner and remarked at one point that they were the most perfectly prepared seafood that he had enjoyed in a very long time.  He brought home a little taste to enjoy again as his supper last night (in front of the big screen while he and J1 enjoyed the NFL playoffs).

When D requested the Bourguignon on my behalf, our server corrected his pronunciation from beef to boeuf, which was not condescending in any way but contributed to the authenticity of our evening.  I know that a successful bourguignon starts with a choice cut (sirloin in this case) being sauteed in an uncrowded pan so that the individual pieces do not touch but are able to breathe as they develop a light crust.  Then the slow braising in red wine begins.  I was thrilled to see authentic pearl onions in the sauce.  Both dishes came absolutely piping hot which was so appreciated on the chilly night.  My left overs are waiting for my lunch.  I will add some additional potatoes (of course) to extend the amazingly rich and satisfying sauce.

Unfortunately, we left no room for dessert but will sample the inventions of the kitchen again soon when we visit Fort Gibraltar for the Festival du Voyageur because Shaun, the owner of Promenade, also takes care of their food-service.  We are already dreaming about sugar pie….

Promenade Cafe and Wine on Urbanspoon

Kaths quote: “Boeuf a la Bourguignonne (Beef in the Burgundy style): This is the stew of stews, an apotheosis of stew, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the watery, stringy mixture served up in British institutions. It’s a rich, carefully cooked recipe which is served up on special occasions in French homes, and which appears without shame on the menus of high-class restaurants.”-Jane Grigson

Love-that is all.