Big Flavours in ‘Little South America’

Exchange District Food Tour pass

Winnipeg’s soccer-frenzied fans are tuning their televisions to the FIFA World Cup taking place in Brazil, but this isn’t the only way locals can enjoy South American culture.

If you like food, the Exchange District is a great place to be. It has 40 restaurants within its 20 blocks which is why the Exchange District BIZ created food tours to highlight restaurants in the area last year.

Last Monday, a group of food enthusiasts and I got to try out the Little South America’ Exchange District food tour. This tour, which runs Monday nights, is new this year. It highlights the South American restaurants located close by each other in the Exchange District, creating Winnipeg’s ‘Little South America’. On the tour we visited three restaurants in the area famous for their South American cuisine –  Carnaval Brazilian BBQ, Hermanos Restaurant and Wine Bar, and Corrientes Argentine Pizzeria. I had never been to any of these restaurants so I was eager to see what they had to offer.

Ron Cantiveros from the Filipino Journal takes a turn roasting the various meats and pineapple at Carnaval Brazillian BBQ

Our first stop was Carnaval Brazilian BBQ. Our timing was perfect as Brazil has just won a FIFA soccer match. The restaurant was buzzing with soccer fans, cheering on their team. We were given what looked like a coaster with one side coloured green, indicating we would still like to be served and the other side in red, showing that our appetite is full. After being served many different types of meat and salads, none of us switched to red at the all-you-can-eat churrascaria, with meats carved at the table by gauchos, a Brazilian tradition. The meats were all flavourful and spiced to perfection. We were given a glass of Brazilian Salton cabernet sauvignon to try. It had a full-bodied, robust flavour, and went very well with all the slices of meat we were being served. After we finished our rounds of meats and salads. Roasted pineapple covered in brown sugar and cinnamon was served. The warm pineapple paired nicely with the warm cinnamon/brown sugar spice combo.

An unexpected feature of the tour, the area’s history was described as well. We got the background story of each historical building and area we visited which was a great way to learn interesting facts about our dining destinations’ pasts as well as how they came to evolve to what they are today.

Hermanos’s sausage and pepper board

Our next stop on the tour was Hermanos Restaurant & Wine Bar. Noel Bernier, owner of all three restaurants on the tour, gave us a great background on Hermanoes and each of the dishes and drinks we sampled. He stressed that Hermanos does not serve any one type of cuisine in particular, but is a fusion restaurant inspired by the food of Brazil, Uraguay, and Argentina. Here we were served our choice of a Pisco Sour drink or a Uruguayan Tannat, a very prominent, full-bodied wine. I tried the refreshing Pisco Sour which was a tangy take on a whiskey sour and contained Peruvian pisco instead of traditional whiskey as the base liquor. The sausage and pepper board was delicious with a juicy, smokey-flavoured sausage and chimichurri sauce for dipping. Peruvian ceviche made with local pickerel was served as well as a breaded, deep-fried and tenderized beef called Milanesa.

Corrientes’s gianduia dessert is a delicious, chocolate/hazelnut treat

Our final stop on the tour was right next-door to Hermanos, Corrientes Argentine Pizzeria. One interesting feature of the place is how it has a small library/lounge area. We were told this is a frequent feature of Argentinian coffee houses. The library features books written in both English and Spanish and comfortable chairs. These would be great to lounge in with one of their specialty coffees or a glass of wine. Our final dish on the tour was Corrientes’s sweet gianduia, a rich chocolate and hazelnut torte served in a mousse-like form. Because of Argentina’s large Italian population, it holds many pizzerias. I will definitely be sure to pay a visit to Corrientes soon to try their much raved-about pizzas.

The tour was a great way to sample a number of dishes from each of the three featured restaurants I had never been to, but have been meaning to try. I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to any of the three after this tour. Not only did they have great food, but the hospitality at all three restaurants was exceptional.  The tour is a great idea for a night on the town, but save your appetite if you are planning on going because you will not leave hungry.

Tour-goers sample Corrientes’s gianduia

Elephant & Castle – Redux

Elephant & Castle, 350 St. Mary Avenue

After Elephant & Castle closed to the public for renovations since February, the downtown Winnipeg hot spot for drinks and English-style pub fare reopened a few weeks ago with a fresh new look and menu.

The restaurant and pub on 350 St. Mary Avenue has an updated interior look with dark wood, high-top tables and chairs. TV’s are mounted on the walls for patrons to watch the latest sports game. There are also new, modern light fixtures to help set the mood.

My guests and I decided to sit on the outdoor patio to enjoy the beautiful warm weather we’ve been having lately. The patio is great for people watching, especially on this night, when Lady Gaga’s dressed-up, ‘Little Monsters’ left her concert at the MTS Centre.

Elephant & Castle patio

A perfect summer patio cocktail, Elephant & Castle’s Pimm’s Cup is definitely worth a try. This refreshing beverage contains England’s famous, gin-based liquor, Pimm’s No. 1 as well as muddled cucumbers, lemon juice, and soda. The result tastes like freshly-made lemon iced tea with a hint of cucumber to add depth to its flavours.

Truffle Parm Potato Crisps

The Truffle Parm Potato Crisps is a nice, light appetizer to order and great for sharing. These potato crisps were large, non-greasy, and cooked to be crispy. The hint of truffle oil adds a delicious, savory taste to them. This comes with a side of malt vinegar aioli, a well-paired, creamy, yet tangy, dipping sauce.

Mini Stuffed Yorkies

I enjoyed the Mini Stuffed Yorkies appetizer as well. These two bite-sized versions of a traditional Yorkshire pudding contain tender, juicy roast beef slices encased inside a light-tasting, puff pastry with flavourful, peppercorn gravy drizzled on top. Horseradish aioli accompanied these and were a great contrasting dip for those wanting to kick things up a notch in the flavour department.

Slum Dog with a side of yam fries and chipotle aioli

For the main course, I ordered the Slum Dog, an East Indian take on a hot dog with a playful name reference to the British drama set in India, Slumdog Millionaire. This all-beef hot dog comes panko-crusted and wrapped in a garlic grilled naan bread with curried tomato sauce. Carmelized onions and chopped cilantro also cover the dog as well. Spiced yogurt adds a nice creamy contrast to the spices of the tomato curry sauce and goes well with the cilantro.

This was an interesting version of a hot dog I’ve never encountered before. I enjoyed it, a hot dog in naan bread is a great idea. The curry spices and spiced yogurt went surprisingly well with a hot dog. I also ordered a side of yam fries and chipotle aioli. The fries were well-made, with a crispy exterior and softness on the inside. The creamy chipotle dipping sauce were ideal to dip the sweet yam fries in.

With a new, modern look and an almost completely new menu, Elephant & Castle has a lot of new experiences to offer and is a great option for a patio downtown during the upcoming summer months.

Cheers!

Pimm’s Cup cocktail

 

Across the Board Game Café Plays their Cards Right

Across the Board Game Café, 93 Albert Street

Fancy a game? Travel to Across the Board Game Café and start playing.

Across the Board Game Café offers a venue to try many types of games and caters to table-top board game enthusiasts of any age. Recently opened up on 93 Albert Street, it offers people a place to sit down and play a board game with each other. For a $5 sitting fee, patrons have access to two storage walls full of different table-top games. They are categorized by titles such as Strategy, Party, Children, The Classics, and The Hits. If you are interested in dining-in without playing a game, you do not have to pay the sitting-fee. For those looking to buy their own copy of a game, many are available for purchase.

One of two storage walls full of games to try

The place is brightly-lit, with sparkling glass chandeliers. When I came to visit, the café was packed with people enjoying many different types of games. One table of people played the classic Hasbro game, Operation. A large group of people were playing the popular, raunchy party game, Cards Against Humanity. Another table were busy trading resources in the settlement game, Settlers of Catan.

A group playing a 3D version of Settles of Catan

Not only does Across the Board have a great game selection, their food seems to be just as good. The place serves up a delicious-sounding menu of sandwiches, salads, flatbreads, and snacks. They also have a great drink selection of smoothies, specialty coffee, Fort Garry and Half Pints beer on-tap, as well as an assortment of wine, pop, and juice.

I ordered a Refresh-mint smoothie  which contained a blend of spinach, apple juice, mint, cucumber, and pineapple. This green concoction stays true to its name and was a refreshing blend of fruit juices paired with vitamin-packed spinach, and the surprising ingredients of mint and cucumber. All of these mixed surprisingly well together to create a creamy-textured, fruity and minty-flavoured combination.

The Bahn Mi sandwich

The Bahn Mi sandwich contained tender pulled pork with a smokey, tangy flavour in a large, fluffy whole wheat bun. This was paired with pickled carrot, beet and daikon which added a zesty, refreshing crispiness to the sandwich that blended well with the tangy qualities of the pulled pork. Avocado was a nice ingredient to add a contrasting texture and flavour to the mix. These were topped with cilantro and a Sriracha mayo sauce, giving the sandwich a hint of heat and added flavour.

Beached Kale salad

I also ordered a side of the Beached Kale salad. This one contained barley, an ingredient I have not seen in a salad before. It actually was a great addition and was well-cooked, and complimented the soft chickpeas in the salad. Creamy avocado were a well-suited contrast against the sweetness of chopped strawberries. The fresh kale was topped with a lemon poppy seed dressing which added a light, tangy flavour to the salad while letting the flavours of the other ingredients to shine through. Toasted walnuts and sunflower seeds added a crunchy texture to the salad. Overall, a great combination of different textures and flavours to create a refreshing, light-tasting salad that’s perfect for summertime.

Whether you travel to Across the Board Game Café for the food, or to throw some dice on a board with friends, you’ll leave feeling like a winner.

Inside Across the Board Game Café

Together We Roll is on YouTube!

For those of you who missed the screening of the roller derby documentary, Together We Roll, I created for The Winnipeg Roller Derby League this year, check it out on the League’s YouTube account!

The screening could not have gone better. We ended up raising over $400 for the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation from the event. It’s been great hearing so much positive feedback on it and it was an absolute blast to put together. A wholehearted thank you to everyone who helped contribute to the project. You were all a dream to work with.

See you at the next game!

Walking the Red Carpet at the Winnipeg Wine Festival Hollywood Premiere Event

Winnipeg Wine Festival Hollywood Premiere Event at the Metropolitan Entertainment Centre

After receiving the red carpet treatment and having a blast at the Winnipeg Wine Festival’s Hollywood Premiere wine-tasting event last Wednesday, my guest and I found some of our new favourite wines.

The event took place at the Metropolitan Entertainment Centre (MET), a perfect venue for an old Hollywood-themed event. Upon arrival, all guests walked a red carpet and had their photo taken with life-size cutouts of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. Originally called the Allen Theatre, The MET first opened in 1919. It closed after 68 years of operation in 1987. Since 2012, it has reopened as the MET, with the same look and feel of the original building. This was my first time inside the MET and I was very impressed by its refurbished details. The plastered ceiling of the place displays original reliefs of classical human forms and ornate flourish designs.

Inside the MET

Golden, movie award trophies decorated the table and classic, black and white films from the Golden Age of Cinema played on the big screen. At one point media representatives at the event were called up on stage to test their wine knowledge. Delicious appetizers were also served throughout the event and included nicely prepared, spicy, cheesy quesadilla, sushi, and breaded chicken tenders with savoury barbeque sauce.

Curious Beasts

I was given a wine checklist to keep track of wines we tried at the event and to take some notes for future reference. With our wine glasses, my guest and I and started making our way around the lounge, sampling each of the 30 wines.

Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay

My favourite in the design category was definitely Curious Beasts from California, an aromatic and supple wine. It tasted of plum, black cherry, and a hint of chocolate, and was surprisingly fresh for a medium-bodied red wine. The label lives up to what is inside the bottle as well. Wrapped in a paper wrapper with medieval gothic, Day of the Dead-like images on it, this wine would make a great present for a fan of the macabre or during a Halloween party. When the paper comes off a simpler, but equally well-designed label lies underneath with wine (or blood) dripping details. At $18.95 a bottle, I will probably purchase this wine at some point in the future, especially since it comes in such an impressive package.

Beringer Private Reserve Chardonnay was the favourite white wine of the night. This luscious wine was very fresh with notes of tropical fruit  and citrus. It was a dry wine, tasting rich with a lengthy, woody finish. This 2010 vintage is from the Napa Valley in California. For $45.00 it is a bit pricier when it comes to wines, but it is a high-quality product.

The Show Cabernet Sauvignon

My favourite of all the wines I tried at the event was The Show Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine, which also happens to be from California’s Napa region, had a full-bodied, fruity, deliciously juicy black cherry flavour, with a dry, spicy finish. This one had a great balance of flavours, and was fairly light, while also being fruity and complex. For the reasonable price of $19.95 I will certainly purchase this wine in the future.

Based on this event, I encourage you to check out the Winnipeg Wine Festival to discover your new favourite wines. It runs from April 27 to May 3 at RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg. Tickets can be bought for $49.95 and over 500 wines will be featured from 13 different countries.

As a wine lover, I say cheers to that.

All smiles at Winnipeg Wine Festival’s Hollywood Premiere Event