Monday, June 25, 2018

Valentine's Day 2018 - Passero!!!!

I have been  back in Winnipeg, my hometown, for almost two years now... how time flies!  Life, both good and bad, has caused time to be stuck in fast forward... but this doesn't mean that I've sacrificed my foodie tendencies... just haven't written much about it!  And now, I am publishing my Valentine's post in the early days of summer....  but no matter!  Better late than never!

Passero, chef Scott Bagshaw's latest restaurant, is a refreshing interpretation of bold Italian flavours in a shared plates format.  Nestled in the heart of The Forks Marketplace, this cozy, tiny space is a welcome high end sit-down addition to a mishmash of international food court options and (sadly) bland faceless franchise restaurants. 
We called on Valentine's Day and lucked out on a cancellation for that evening... a sign of good things to come!  Our super attentive, knowledgeable and friendly waitress, Amanda, made us feel welcome and pampered - and like part of the family (we of course ended up knowing her cousin... Winnipeg is just like that!). 

We started with a beautiful salad - crisp slices of thinly sliced raw beets with a surprise filling of salt roasted beets tossed with smoked cambozola, pistachios, and blood orange...
The spaghetti carbonara was drool inducing once the silky cured egg yolk was mixed with the pasta, guanciale, parmesan and garbanzo cream.... 
The duck ragout fusilli was less successful - the chevre brought out a nice tang but the sauce was underwhelming.
Our favorite was the charred octopus with a delicious black romesco sauce - I do have a moral dilemma eating octopus (Where are they getting it from? How sustainable is that fishery?) but I put aside those questions and tried to truly enjoy and appreciate each bite...
Desserts were fantastic - a chocolate tart and apple cake - note maldon salt sprinkled on both.
A truly memorable meal - expensive, no doubt, but we had big smiles on our faces as we walked home on the river skateway, under the stars.  One funny note - leaving the high end interior of this small restaurant to go to the bathroom in the Commons area reminded me of leaving an exclusive airport lounge to board your flight - back to the rabble of everyday, noisy reality. 

Passero transforms to Corto, a sandwich counter in the daytime.  Their combo (sandwich + side + glass of wine or beer for $19) seems like a great deal. 



Thursday, March 17, 2016

A whale of a lunch spot - Whalesbone Sustainable

Whalesbone Sustainable Oyster and Fish Supply is one of my favorite Ottawa hidden treasures.
 Located in a nondescript store front at 504a Kent Street (just behind the Ottawa Bus Station), the Whalesbone is an amazing provider of sustainably caught/raised fish (both fresh and smoked), oysters, and a variety of other seafood, depending on what is fresh and available. Don't forget to ask what's in the freezer - this is where I get my sustainably caught ahi/maguro for sushi!  In this day and age, it's hard to find fish that you can feel good about eating...


What you may not realize is that they have an amazing brown bag lunch from Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11am to 2pm.  And FREE PARKING!

There is always their thick & creamy chowder chock full of bits and bobs of available sea yummies, as well as sandwiches (regular and supersized) - catch of the day, smoked fish of the day, and my personal favorite, oyster po'boys served up in... a brown paper bag!


The regular size is huge - big soft buns filled with generous portions of fish or fried oysters, slathered in mango hot sauce, mayo, and shredded iceberg lettuce...  gotta eat them while they are hot/freshly made (either on one of the handful of stools in the store, out at the picnic tables, or my usual spot - in my car in the parking lot!).

Today was a new one for me - fresh fried smelts as well as fried calamari and fried potatoes.
Add a gourmet soft drink, juice or Perrier, pour on the hot sauce, and don't forget to finish off your meal (even if you can't eat another bite!) with a chocolate chunk cookie from Bread and Sons - thin and crispy with an impossible amount of chocolate holding them together....
Don't forget to ask for "The Lure" - their lunchtime loyalty card - buy 8 sandwiches get the 9th one!

Love the friendly and helpful staff - I'm going to miss this place when we move... (yes, we are moving....!)...

Whalesbone Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

Monday, February 29, 2016

My Favorite Ottawa Restaurants 2016


Here are some of my favorite restaurants (* top picks!) to consider during your stay in Ottawa:

Byward Market
A bit of a walk from the Market: - in Sandy Hill
Elgin Street


Sunday, March 22, 2015

Winnipeg Restos Winter 2014-15

Winnipeg in the winter - all you can do is stay warm and eat good food, right?  Diet starts in the spring....  Here are some of my favorite places in Winnipeg right now, including three at the bottom with lots of potential.  I've also added one place that disappointed...

I'm lucky that my job allows me to work from the 'Peg from time to time, in a heritage building in the Exchange District. 
 My work lunch fav, and what I consider one of the hidden gems in Winnipeg, is Taste of Sri Lanka in the food court in Winnipeg Square - the perfect place to go for lunch in this underground maze of shops and restaurants under the famously cold and windy Portage and Main.
Sri Lankan cuisine is amazingly complex - the flavours are so unique.  Make sure you order the Kotthu Roti - a mixture of different curries, heated up on the griddle with a rotti chopped and mixed in, scramble an egg to tie it all together and VOILA!  Don't forget to get the spicy tamarind sauce.  This order will feed you for 2 or three meals - spectacular.
My other favorite lunch spot that I always try to drop in on when I'm in the city - the teeny White Star Diner, again in the Exchange District.
The owner, Bruce, lovingly produces classic burgers and sandwiches that will make your eyes roll back in your head.. my favs are the Double Oink (pulled pork and bacon with awesome coleslaw) and the Reuben (comes with Thousand Island dressing - is that a Winnipeg thing?  Love that I don't have to ask for it....).  The burgers and fries are delish as well.
Haven't had the guts to wash it all down with one of their milkshakes.  Sound like a meal in itself.
The Crusty Bun is another hidden gem - this time in St. Vital.   To begin with, it is an amazing European bakery - breads, pastries, the most amazing Christmas stollen, and of course, the crusty buns (my favorites are studded with pumpkin seeds and drizzled with cheese - they are truly crusty with a soft chewy interior).  In addition, they serve simple European-style lunch (read - small but perfect portions) of soup and sandwiches - it is always full which speaks to the quality (and not to mention the tastiness of the dessert you know you have to have).  Don't forget to take a number when you come in the door!  
Parlour - having spent a lot of time in Montreal going to Third Wave coffee shops, Parlour's coffee quality makes me smile.  Yes it's trendy, minimalist, and full of lumbersexuals, but it's quaint and heartfelt.  Love the location on Main Street in the Exchange District... gives you a feel for this historic city centre - worth the sprint out of the rabbit warren.
Now for three restaurants I tried for the first time.

Vera Pizzeria E Bevande is a recently opened pizza joint on South Osborne - remember Woo's Cafe?  The space is cozy and warmed by the open kitchen and (natch!) pizza oven. 
Small and simple menu...
The salad was tasty although a little droopy with all of that dressing...
The Napoli style pizzas were delish - high quality toppings (fior de latte, homemade sausage, etc.), not overloaded, chewy crust - pizza reinvented!  And anyone who tops off a pizza with Maldon salt gets my vote.  Simple but nice wine list.  Looking forward to trying everything on the menu.
Boon Burger - Who would have thought that a prairie town could support a vegan burger chain?  Love their cruelty free and enviro groovy vibe. And did I mention the vegan burgers?  "Boon" means bean, but also a blessing or something to be thankful for in Afrikaans.  And I am thankful to be eating this healthily but also get some real flavour - you choose from the mushroom based Boon patty, the spicy chickpea Buddha patty, the tofu filled White patty, or the beany Black Bean patty.  Then the hard part - so many toppings and condiments... including cheez and smokey bacun!  I'm excited to try more of their combos on my next visit.
Had the opportunity to go to the recently opened Canadian Museum for Human Rights - I've watched it grow over the years.  It was packed, and overwhelming, once you realize that we will probably always have human rights issues to deal with...
The museum restaurant, Era Bistro, has a cozy vibe and an interesting menu, including lots of small plates and local treats (pickerel cheeks, arctic char, bannock, etc.).  We only had time for a freshly baked apple tart and coffee.
One miss this past trip - had heard the buzz about The Tallest Poppy in its new home on Sherbrook, nestled in the front of the Sherbrook Inn.



Funky decor in a cold and dark space - we froze in the front window (okay, it was -20C!), and the long line of hipsters holding the inner doors open didn't help.  Thinking back, neither did the icy, slightly flippant service.


Matzo ball and cabbage soup, pickerel po'boy (not a lot of fish)... in general the food was alright, but we were underwhelmed overall.  This doesn't seem to affect their draw - the place was hopping!



Looking forward to my next trip this spring - to be continued....

Taste of Sri Lanka on Urbanspoon

White Star Diner on Urbanspoon

The Crusty Bun on Urbanspoon

Parlour Coffee on Urbanspoon

Vera Pizzeria E Bevande on Urbanspoon

Boon Burger Café on Urbanspoon

Era Bistro on Urbanspoon

The Tallest Poppy on Urbanspoon