[YWG] Why you should visit Winnipeg

[prasantrin]

Here is a list of a few of the things that I did in Winnipeg last summer. I really like the place, as you can see from my post.

The Red Top Drive Inn, in St Vitae, had a great old fashioned burger, for those of you in search of one. Cool place, as well.

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Are you still planning on coming back this summer? There are so many more places you need to try!

[Pam R]

I think we may end up with a cake or two from Goodies for my mother's party.  I brought her my left-over sacripatina and she quite liked it.  If I have to go Italian, i would prefer a cake from Piazza di Nardi (their cakes are less coarse, and less dry) but the party isn't for me!

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I was at a wedding at the Fort Garry last night - we had the 'where to get a good dessert debate' again (it's a never ending debate for us). I wish we had a kitchen so you could try some of ours!

Will you be back next summer?

[prasantrin]

I was at a wedding at the Fort Garry last night - we had the 'where to get a good dessert debate' again (it's a never ending debate for us).  I wish we had a kitchen so you could try some of ours! 

Will you be back next summer? 

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I wish you had one, too! It would have made this cake-thing so much easier!

It would also be nice if Provence Bistro allowed homemade cakes, but they only allow commercially-made cakes (or something like that). I was thinking that the Dobos Torte from the ladies at the Hungarian Pavilion would have been nice, too. It's the only Dobos Torte I've had where the cake is actually moist and tender.

Don't know if I'll be back next summer. I'm thinking not, but who knows! I'm hoping you manage to open by or on August 25th. You could make my last meal in Winnipeg!

[Dejah]

Hey Rona!

This was just a short trip home? I still haven't made it to Siam... must make it next trip in. Can I just say "Rona said to cook me her favourites"?

Pam: What kind of demos will you be doing at the kitchenwares store on berry? What's happening with your own store?

MayHaw: We took fellow eGulleteer Ben Hong to Kum Koon and he agrees with you that the dim sum was excellent. We luckily made a reservation for 11:30 as the place was full except for our table. I know the shrimp dumpling that you liked. It was encased in a very light and feathery batter with the tail up? I think there was chopped pork inside? The "batter" melted in your mouth! Wishing we had more now. It was scary to see all those "ticks" on our bill...but it was very reasonable for 9 people: $157.00-Canadian too!

[peppyre]

Where exactly is that Thai restaurant? If it's within walking distance of Goodies, I think that was the one I dragged my former in-laws to. The food looks fantastic.

[Pam R]

Pam: What kind of demos will you be doing at the kitchenwares store on berry? What's happening with your own store?

I've been in a couple of times and discussed (not with the owner) doing some recipes from my cookbook - since it's all soup I'll get in touch with them for the fall/winter. I'd love to do one there if they'll have me!

Our own store is.... waiting. We moved all of our stuff over a couple of weeks ago but we're waiting on a large walk-in freezer (it needs to be outside of the building so it's taking a little longer than a regular one), walk in coolers, air-make-up unit, hoods, some construction... lots to do. At the moment all we're selling is frozen, raw poultry and meats - and we're pretty much in chaos.

Hopefully we'll have a kitchen by late-August - though it's looking like it'll be closer to September. Then the plans are to continue to sell all of our kosher products but expand that area (grocery items, lots of Israeli stuff - as well as gifts) and to have take-out foods available (we have 3 showcases ready to be filled!). The take-out will be both desserts and traditional Jewish stuff (knishes, vernekes, blintzes, chopped liver, deli, etc.) as well as salads and whatever else we can come up with! I'm tired jsut thinking about it all.

[Dejah]

prasantrin:

More information on the Golden Cup, please.

Is it made with wonton skin or filo pastry?

Vegetable combination in the cup: does it include mushrooms? Are the veg stir-fried?

[Dejah]

I'll look forward to visiting your store, Pam. Meanwhile, your cookbook - available for purchase?

[Pam R]

I'll look forward to visiting your store, Pam. Meanwhile, your cookbook - available for purchase?

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Yes, it is available for purchase.

If you're asking where..... Chapters, McNally - amazon (actually, I think almost any online retailer has it).

[prasantrin]

Where exactly is that Thai restaurant?  If it's within walking distance of Goodies, I think that was the one I dragged my former in-laws to.  The food looks fantastic.

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Well, it would be a long walk from Goodies--about an hours walk . It's in St. Vital, south of Bishop Grandin. The ones near Goodies (I'm guessing the Goodies you mention is now Vivere, in Osborne Village) aren't very good. Really bad, actually (in my opinion only--I know a lot of non-Thai people who like those places).

[Pam R]

Where exactly is that Thai restaurant?  If it's within walking distance of Goodies, I think that was the one I dragged my former in-laws to.   The food looks fantastic.

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Well, it would be a long walk from Goodies--about an hours walk . It's in St. Vital, south of Bishop Grandin. The ones near Goodies (I'm guessing the Goodies you mention is now Vivere, in Osborne Village) aren't very good. Really bad, actually (in my opinion only--I know a lot of non-Thai people who like those places).

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Goodies now has a place on Erin (or Wall) and Ellice - isn't there a Thai place around there? Obviously not the same one... but I'm sure I've passed one.

Umm.... I'm a non-Thai person... and I like Bangkok Thai - please forgive me!

[odysseus]

Yup, that's the place.  Thanks.

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I have family in winnepeg and I love the availabity of excellent ethnic food, at great prices.

try kollekas, too (not sure that is spelled right, on norht main.

[Pam R]

try kollekas, too (not sure that is spelled right, on norht main.

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Kelekis - my mother grew up going there as a young child, which means so did I. It's a Winnipeg institution - good fries. I've never had a hamburger there, just the hot dogs. When I was in high-school my friends and I would go in for lunch every once in a while and we were once yelled at by one of the sisters (it's owned and run by a family) for laughing too much - definately a place with character.

Edited July 19, 2005 by Pam R (log)

[prasantrin]

This was just a short trip home? I still haven't made it to Siam... must make it next trip in. Can I just say "Rona said to cook me her favourites"?

I'm here for the whole summer! Except a short weekend trip to MSP for a wedding, that is. I'm going to eat my tummy out!

You used to be able to ask for Rona's favourites , but I don't think it would work now. I haven't been a regular there for a couple of years, and they have new staff who don't know me. They also took some of my favourites off the menu (like yum pla dook foo--puffy catfish salad), so they only make them for me now , except I have to bring some of the ingredients in myself .

But if you can handle spicy food, my favourite non-appetizer is the choochee pla. It's fried fish in a dry red curry (dry doesn't mean dry with Thai curries, it means it's not too liquidy/soupy). I also like their phad phet and their soup with mung bean noodles. I love their sticky rice with coconut custard, because I love the layers of coconut flavour--in the rice, then the custard, then the little bit of coconut milk poured over top. For appetizers, I usually skip the satay, the most well-known one. I go for the prawn lettuce wrap (miang kam) and/or the golden cups. The miang kam is served with shrimp, Thai chile, toasted coconut, chopped lime (with the rind), and toasted peanuts. You put a little of each on a piece of lettuce and eat. It's great for summer!

More information on the Golden Cup, please.

Is it made with wonton skin or filo pastry?

Vegetable combination in the cup: does it include mushrooms? Are the veg stir-fried?

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Traditionally, the cups are made from a batter (a mould is dipped in hot oil, then the batter, then fried in the oil until they pop off the mould), but it's too labour-intensive for a busy restaurant. I think Samloy uses spring roll wrappers, not egg roll wrappers, but thinking about it more, it might be filo. I think she puts them in mini-muffin tins to mould them, and then bakes them. They can keep a lot longer that way, too--keep in an air-tight container, then pop them in the oven to recrisp when needed.

As for the filling, no mushrooms. I think it's very finely diced celery, cucumber (?), red peppers, and maybe shallots. The filling isn't fried or cooked at all. It has a lot of crunch and is very fresh-tasting, which is one of the reasons I love it during the summer. I like the dressing used, too. It's a little sweet, and a little tart.

They're open for lunch as well as dinner, but I think they're closed one day a week. If you ever go for dinner, make sure you make reservations--especially if it's a weekend. It's a small place, so it often gets very crowded!

Edited July 20, 2005 by prasantrin (log)

[prasantrin]

Goodies now has a place on Erin (or Wall) and Ellice - isn't there a Thai place around there?  Obviously not the same one... but I'm sure I've passed one.

I didn't notice one when I was out there, but that doesn't mean there isn't one . The only restaurants I remember in that area are India Palace (used to be my favourite Indian restaurant, but haven't been there in ages), La Fiesta (also haven't been there in ages), and a place called Cooktail's (never been there). There might be some Thai but really Laotian places further down on Ellice. I'll have to check next time we drive out that way.

Umm.... I'm a non-Thai person... and I like Bangkok Thai - please forgive me!  

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Venture forth to St. Vital and try some real Thai food! Some people I've met, who have never known any other kind of Thai food but places like Bangkok Thai, don't really care for Siam, though. It's all about frame of reference. But if you ever go to Siam, be aware that they don't use fillers like all the other Thai places do (broccoli and carrots in Thai curry? That's sacrilege!). Some people think Siam is overpriced because there are more meat and fewer vegetables in their dishes. It is expensive, but I know that everything is made fresh (even the curries are made-to-order, not just ladled out from a big pot that's been sitting out all day) and with better quality ingredients than most places use. And they don't use ketchup in any of their dishes . Well, maybe in the mee krob, but that's expected and I wouldn't recommend it, anyway .

Edited July 19, 2005 by prasantrin (log)

[peppyre]

Thanks for the info Rona. It was the place in Osbourne Village and personally I didn't like it but I was thankful for it, since it was the most interesing meal I had on the entire trip. His family, of course, bitched and complained about the food being too spicey, too garlicky....you can see why we're no longer together

[Pam R]

I don't think anything could ever be too garlicky. Ever.

Rona, St. V. ain't so far for me anymore - chances of my getting there at some point is good. From Garden City I would have said to you "You want me to drive to St. V for dinner?? are you crazy??". Now it feels like it's part of my neighbourhood. Thanks for letting us know about it.

What's interesting to me is that the places you frequent are places I've never heard of! I always think of Winterpeg as being a small place, but it's really not. Can't wait to learn about more great places from you.

[Pam R]

I have family in winnepeg and I love the availabity of excellent ethnic food, at great prices.

Something I wanted to mention earlier but forgot is the great prices. To anybody who has never been here before, Winnipeg is one of the least expensive cities in North America that I've been to. While the locals may complain about prices - that's just something we like to do. In reality we know that if we were in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, New York, LA or any number of other places we'd be paying a lot more for a similar thing. Great place to vacation

[Ducky]

Mrs Ducky is my witness that the title to this thread prompted a spontaneous quack of delight from me. 'Finally' I thought 'I shall discover why I should visit Winnipeg'.

Imagine my disappointment then to read these tales of Costco lobster rolls, hot dogs, fat burgers and ho hum Chinese food. (I am deliberately not rising to the bait and commenting on the Philippino cuisine - save to say that having travelled in those lovely islands on more than one occasion there is a good reason why Philippino cuisine is not more regularly discussed in this forum )

I guess we won't be packing our bags for Winnepeg just yet. Or should we?

Is there something I am missing? And please don't say pyrogies.

[prasantrin]

Mrs Ducky is my witness that the title to this thread prompted a spontaneous quack of delight from me.  'Finally'  I thought  'I shall discover why I should visit Winnipeg'.

Imagine my disappointment then to read these tales of Costco lobster rolls, hot dogs, fat burgers and ho hum Chinese food.  (I am deliberately not rising to the bait and commenting on the Philippino cuisine - save to say that having travelled in those lovely islands on more than one occasion there is a good reason why Philippino cuisine is not more regularly discussed in this forum )

I guess we won't be packing our bags for Winnepeg just yet.  Or should we?

Is there something I am missing? And please don't say pyrogies.

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Don't know if you're missing anything. People see what they want to see, or what they're willing to see. Maybe you're just one of those people who doesn't appreciate peasant food .

I don't think I mentioned in my first post, but I'm here for two months and will be documenting most of the food I eat over that time. Why? For fun. Some of my meals will be mundane, some will be more interesting (to me, perhaps not to you). I won't be posting all my food pictures--just the ones of foods I love (like the Farmer's Burger, which is not a burger but a sausage patty on a bun) or I find interesting. I posted the lobster roll not because it was a good meal, but because its oddness. The idea a lobster roll at Costco is much like the sushi at 7-11 (even though 7-11s in Japan always have sushi)--something strange that should be shared with people if only because of its strangeness.

Stick around, and maybe you'll see something that interests you. Or not.

As an aside, I would think that someone who has been to the Philippines more than once would at least be able to spell "Filipino."

[kurtisk]

Culinary Memories of Growing up in Winnipeg:

Perogies, Cabbage Rolls, Kielbasa, Meatballs on a weekly basis (at least).

Jeannie's Bakery cakes for any occasion, and bringing them to relatives in California in the summer.

Getting ice cream from BDI, walking the footbridge, slapping mosquitos.

Fries and gravy from JJ's/Juniors.

Late night burgers ("Nips") at Salsbury House.

Burgers at Kelekis' on Main St.

Really good pickles and sandwiches from Garry's Deli.

Thinking the whole world ate like this.

[Pam R]

I guess we won't be packing our bags for Winnepeg just yet.  Or should we?

Is there something I am missing? And please don't say pyrogies.

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What's wrong with perogies? We do happen to have some darn good ones here.

We also have a great french area - home to the largest french community outside of Quebec. Visit St. Boniface and have a slice of tortiere, sugar pie or enjoy dinner at le Vieille Gare.

Not all of the chinese food is mediocre - visit Chinatown for a dimsum brunch (or my favorite place in St. Vital). While you're at it try one of the Thai, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Caribbean, Israeli, Lebanese, Moroccan, Etheopian, Indian restaurants or Jewish Delis.

Take advantage of the great Greek restaurants that dot the city. Whether the menu says greek food or it's one of the many greek burger joints, we're lucky to have them.

Visit the Fort Garry hotel on a Sunday for brunch - or sit in the glass room at the Assiniboine Park's Tavern in the Park. It's food is as good as the scenery - brunches or dinners here are winners.

Try 529 Wellington, Gluttons, Amicis or Sydney's at the Forks for some high-end fare.

When you're done with the stuffy stuff, take a trip to the north part of the city and check out which famous people have had a hot dog at Kelekis. Don't be offended if the lady at the register yells at you - it means she likes you. Go even further north and catch your own dinner - the catfish are apparently jumping into fisherman's arms this year.

Then try the already mentioned Albert Street burgers or VJ's or the Red Top for some more greasy spoon stuff. Salsbury House is good enough for Burton Cummings - so go try a nip. Let's not forget about Alycia's. I know you said no Perogies - but they're damn good.

Pick up some Smoked Goldeye (fresh) and a loaf of City Bread Rye. The pumpernickle ain't bad either.

If you're lucky enough to be here the last week of July and the first week of August you can travel the world in 2 weeks, enjoying the foods of each country along the way. That'll be Folklorama - and we'll start another thread about that one.

Spend some time on Corydon Ave. If you're here during the summer enjoy the best our Little Italy has to offer on one of the patios. The foods great and the people watching is amazing. Osborne has some good places too.

Leave room for dessert and go to Baked Expectations, Just Desserts, the BDI for ice cream in the summer or if you're really lucky Desserts Plus for some "Winnipeg Cheesecake", Shmoo or other cake or torte.

This is just a tiny sampling of the Winnipeg food scene. They used to say that there were more restaurants in Winnipeg per capita than any other city in North America. There's so much to explore - we haven't even talked about places out of the city limits.

If you still don't think it's worth coming to Winnipeg, so be it. That just means those of us who know about the jewels of the city will still be able to get a table

Edited July 20, 2005 by Pam R (log)

[Pam R]

Culinary Memories of Growing up in Winnipeg:

[...]

Thinking the whole world ate like this.

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hmm... did you grow up in the North End?

[kurtisk]

Culinary Memories of Growing up in Winnipeg:

[...]

Thinking the whole world ate like this.

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hmm... did you grow up in the North End?

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Yes. Polish/Ukrainian backround, in a very Jewish part of Garden City. As far as I can recall, we were the only non-Jewish family on my street.

Well, us and the Wongs. I believe they were Chinese.

k.

PS- I forgot Gondola Pizza and Marigold for Chinese Food.

[Dejah]

Mrs Ducky is my witness that the title to this thread prompted a spontaneous quack of delight from me.  'Finally'  I thought  'I shall discover why I should visit Winnipeg'.

Imagine my disappointment then to read these tales of Costco lobster rolls, hot dogs, fat burgers and ho hum Chinese food.  )

Is there something I am missing? And please don't say pyrogies.

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WHO said the dim sum was ho hum? Kum Koon has great dim sum...and that comment is from people from Vancouver and Toronto ( one or the other is supposedly the culinary centres of Canada?)

Smoked goldeye is great with just a squeeze of lemon, but you should really try the pickerel...fresh out of the lake and fried in butter. Or...take it home and steam it whole Chinese style.

Perogies pan fried with onions and bacon...