Return to Deseo... con los Amigos

A drink from Deseo Bistro: Caipirinha, a Brazilian cane-liquor-based drink.

I had another opportunity to dine out in Winnipeg with friends this Canada Day long weekend, and since none of them had tried Deseo yet, I suggested we give that place go.  I certainly didn't mind returning there after my delightful first experience, though apparently a reservation wasn't as necessary this time, likely due to people being away for the long weekend.

My First Risotto Attempt

Risotto... one of the great comfort foods courtesy of Italian cuisine.  I definitely enjoy eating risotto.  Done right, risotto is creamy and flavourful, with each grain of rice fluffy yet al dente.  I realized, however, that I have yet to try making risotto, so I resolved to attempt making one this weekend.

A Stella Lunch with the Parents

Close-up of Stella's Café's Provalone Roast Chicken Sandwich

I had the fortune of hosting my parents once more this year.  This has been the earliest in a year that I've been able to host them, as I managed to convince them to come see me perform in a community theatre production in late April; the comparatively late show times allowed them to avoid the usual winter season.  It had also been a couple of years since I last visited Winnipeg with my parents, so a full daytrip, including lunch in town, was in order when my parents visited me this past weekend.

Discovering Two Lunchable Joints in Winnipeg

The Winnipeg franchise of Smoke's Poutinerie, a small location in the Exchange District.

Looking back at my past blog entries of places I've tried in Winnipeg, along with having chats with my buddies who read my blog, I realized that I hadn't made as strong an effort to try places for lunch compared to dinner.  The main reason why I haven't tried lunch in Winnipeg as often is simply that I often haven't been waking early enough in order to have lunch in Winnipeg rather than a brunch back in Brandon.  With my recent and comparatively more frequent daytrips to Winnipeg, I managed to try a couple of noteworthy places for lunch.

"I'm Proud of You, Andrew"... for Making Ribs

My Maple, Grain Mustard and Thyme Ribs (top) and Ginger-Soy Ribs served at the potluck.

A few of my theatre buddies and I had bandied about the idea of a potluck a few times over the past year or two, but for some reason we never really took it up seriously.  However, discussion somehow turned to food (surprise, surprise!) during a rehearsal break a week before the Louis Riel Day weekend, and we all eventually agreed to have that potluck on Louis Riel Day after all.  As my discussion that precipitated this event involved ribs, and since I had recently bought two racks of pork side ribs, also known as spareribs, during a sale a few weeks beforehand, I was assigned the duty to make ribs for the potluck. I've previously made ribs, including the Maple, Grain Mustard and Thyme Ribs, but, realizing I had a full day off virtually at home before the potluck, I took advantage of the situation to try cooking ribs more slowly for the first time.  I also decided to use both racks of ribs I had in my freezer and marinate them differently.  One of them was a tweaked rendition of Maple, Grain Mustard and Thyme Ribs, while the other rack was given a ginger-soy marinade.

A Desirous Experience in Winnipeg

With the Louis Riel Day long weekend upon me, I once again made a daytrip to Winnipeg.  Earlier in the year my sister led me to an article featuring worthy new restaurants across Canada in 2011, with one Winnipeg bistro making this list.  Deseo Bistro actually has existed in Winnipeg for a few years, but circumstances resulted in them being reborn at its current location in the Riverview neighbourhood.  Deseo, Spanish for "desire", features an internationally inspired cuisine with South American influences having a more prominent presence, and appears to be quite popular with Winnipeggers.  When I arrived at the bistro I learned that, fortunately, there was one seat left in the two-storey eatery... at the bar.  Well, beggars can't be choosers, so upstairs to the bar I went.

Fine Dining by Students in Brandon

The study hall just off the main entrance to the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts (MICA).

For a few years I've heard of Grey Owl Restaurant being discussed by various people.  At first, shortly after I moved to Brandon, it was a mystery to me, as I couldn't find it listed in commercial directories like the Yellow Pages.  I then learned a couple of things about Grey Owl Restaurant that explained why it seemed so elusive to me:

1. It was a restaurant operated by students of the Assiniboine Community College's (ACC) Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts (MICA); and
2. It was a seasonal restaurant, open only for four (4) weeks in January and February of each year.

An Epic Sushi Dinner

The open kitchen area of Sushi Kaji.

Even though our family celebrated my parents' anniversary with dinner at Allium back in Ottawa, my sister was thinking of truly celebrating their anniversary with a nice dinner in the Toronto area.  With her foodie connections she managed to find Sushi Kaji, a Japanese restaurant located in Etobicoke.  The location was not what I'd consider to be typical for a higher-end restaurant, located in a 1950-1960's era Toronto-suburban strip mall right on a 6-lane thoroughfare.  This place, however, was definitely a diamond in the rough.

A La Kitchen for Lunch

Of all the Chinese cuisines, perhaps Shanghainese cuisine would be my favourite.  Though Shanghai is located south of the Chang Jiang/Yangtze, its cuisine is argued to be associated with the northern half of the cuisine by virtue of breads and noodles being staple foods instead of rice, as well as the comparatively heavier dishes offered in Shanghainese cuisine compared to southern Chinese styles like Cantonese.  Perhaps the prevalence of noodles and dumplings better associated with northern Chinese cuisine could explain my love for Shanghainese cuisine.  My parents knowing this, they suggested that our family go to A La Kitchen for lunch.  A La Kitchen recently expanded, virtually doubling its seating capacity, and we did not have to endure a waiting line even though it was fairly busy.

Chinese Cress with Minced Bean Curd

A Golden Court Dinner

A dinner with the maternal grandparents was in order, especially since I for one had not seen them since my last Christmas break.  Though my family and I have noticed the existence of Golden Court Abalone Restaurant several times, only my parents and sister tried it last year due to a banquet event being held there.  Having enjoyed the cuisine there, they thought it was a good place to try for just a more casual dinner.  The Chinese cuisine offered at this restaurant, along with the price tag, was definitely on the higher end, with quite a few dishes on the menus offering various Chinese delicacies like shark's fin, conpoy and swallow's nest.  Even with some of the simpler dishes, greater attention was given to presentation compared to most other Chinese restaurants.

A personal serving of Snake Soup.