Fresh ingredients + simple, classic preparations = tasty food. Duh. It's really amazing how many shitty restaurants there are that manage to fuck up this math.
Running a restaurant can't be easy. The vagaries of the marketplace and public whim can be murderous, I'm sure. But a place like Bread & Circuses seems like a no-fail proposition. It's located on Corydon in a beautifully sunny room (big windows, eastern and southern exposure) with simple furniture and accents, and functions as both a breakfast/lunch eatery and a bakery. I'm not certain in the minds of its owners (or accountants) which aspect dominates, but on the Thursday lunch hour I visited the place was packed with lunch-goers; maybe the bakery packs 'em in before and after work.
The service is canteen-style, but the folks behind the counter are friendly and knowledgeable. The menu is small--a few sandwiches, a few soups. Unfortunately, the friendly folks behind the counter were unable to find a soup to accommodate my lunch companion's onion allergy(*), but plenty of sandwiches fit the bill.
I had the gazpacho and a ham and swiss sandwich on multigrain, and both were fresh and clean. My companion's rye bread looked darker and heartier than my multigrain, so I'll have to make a point to try it on my next visit. The gazpacho was summery and exactly what I wanted at that exact moment. We were eating indoors, since a morning rain had driven the patio gear under cover, but the day was already heating up and a cold soup cools like few other dishes. The ham and swiss were both quality (the cheese may have been jarlsberg, but my palette is kind of crap) and they were accompanied with large, fresh(**) slices of cucumber and tomato. The sandwich was served with mayo; I generally think of dijon mustard as being the obvious condiment to add to a ham and swiss, but the mayo wasn't slabbed on with a putty knife, so I could dig it.
They do lose a few points for serving Stash(***) teas--you'd think a joint with the hippy vibe of this place would be down with loose tea. Maybe I just mistakenly ascribe a hippy vibe to any and all bakeries.
Sure, I could have pulled off a ham and swiss sandwich and a bowl of gazpacho at home. But not every restaurant needs to wow. Bread & Circuses isn't reaching for the stars, and that's okay. It doesn't have to. It serves fresh, simple, delicious food. Done.
Location: 238 Lilac St
Price tag: Lunch for two: ~$25
*And really, you can't fault the place for not being able to accommodate an onion allergy. This has got to be the single most difficult allergy to eat out with. Bummer.
**Fuck it. I'm just gonna keep saying "fresh" over and over again.
***Still, probably one of my favourite floor sweepings teas. Tazo is ok, too.
28 July 2010
Random: Tomato Pie Renos
Transcription of a text sent to a friend: "Tomato Pie says it's closed for renos, and it's under new ownership. Don't fix what ain't broke, dummies!"
21 July 2010
EAT! bistro
Eating downtown at a reasonable price is a fairly dire proposition. Of course, the Village and the Exchange are both close by, but the core area is mainly a sad wasteland, restaurant-wise. Of course, I'm focusing on modern, contemporary restaurants within my relatively modest means when I say that(*); Amici, Hy's and Dubrovnik are a bit outside my casual price-range. That leaves East India, Edohei, and, yes, EAT! Bistro(**).
Located in the rear of Aqua Books, EAT! is a vegan-and-celiac-friendly eatery with a self-described "unpretentious yet innovative" menu. The restaurant's approach can't be easily summarized; the only moniker I can think to apply is (the admittedly lame) "modern Canadian". The menu is short and relatively simple: frittatas and flatbread pizzas that change daily, and various other salads and snacky finger foods. (Although while perusing the menu for this here writeup, I noticed a vegetarian lasagna that I believe is new and that will have to be tried.)
The space itself is small-ish, but the ramshackle decor charms, with mismatched thrift-store furnishings and doutang'd menus snuggled between the hard covers of old used books. The latter is a lovely touch, really.
My dinner companion and I opted to share the EAT! platter, and I added a bowl of soup for myself. I've dined at EAT! (and yes, I'm getting sick of the all-caps-and-silly-exclamation-point-edness of the name, after the fifth writing) a handful of times previous, and the soups NEVER disappoint. On this occasion it was a bowl of tortilla soup, with ground beef and a dollop of crème fraiche. It packed a slight but distinct spicy wallop--pretty much perfect.
The platter contains chickpea fritters, deep-fried tortilla chips, black bean cakes, crab fritters, and grilled veggies. The presentation of the dish is subtly elegant, without being at all fussy. The chickpea fritters were perhaps the weakest element, both texturally and flavour-wise a bit bland, but definitely elevated when topped with the included chicken feta spread. The black bean cakes were served with a bit of guacamole, and walked the same perfect spice line the soup did. The crab fritter was also topped with a bit of guac, in addition to the tiniest, cutest lil' lime wedge I've ever seen. The cakes were tasty, but fell to pieces with the slightest touch, like they were just waiting for a waft of air from my approaching fork to crumble, making them a bit of a chore to eat. The grilled veggies were perfectly simple, and perfectly good for it. Summary: a quality platter that's a good bit of fun to share.
The service was quick and friendly, but I really can't say too much good or bad about it, since our server was a friend of my dinner companion. Service has always been fine, though, on my previous visits.
EAT! stocks quality beverages, which I always appreciate, although they were out of my stand-by Boylan Creamy Red Birch Beer. I also had a sip of my companions house-made iced tea, and it was bright and spicy and completely unexpected. We opted out of dessert, but EAT! also prides itself on its desserts; its menu informs that all desserts are made in house. Quoth the menu: "We don't get our desserts from Goodies or Sisco"(***).
EAT! really just has a lovely vibe--the open kitchen, the simple menu, the dog-eared charm that fits perfectly within its used-bookstore environs. I guess I'm a bit of a hippie, after all. The food fits this vibe perfectly, as well. Recommended!
Location: 274 Garry St., in Aqua Books.
Price tag: $18 for the platter for two; I believe the whole thing came to about $30. (Okay, I really need to start taking notes for this enterprise. Sheesh.)
Website: www.eatbistro.ca (Also: whatsoupisit.ca. Be sure to check it out on a Sunday or a Monday.)
*If you want to go oldschool greasy spoon, the clubhouse at the Wagon Wheel is fresh and ridiculously large (as featured in Readers' Digest!!!). I've also heard good things about Mitzi's and the Kraut King, but haven't visited either. Am I missing the boat?
**Yeah, yeah. I'm sure there are some obvious omissions to this list. This came off the top of my head; fuck you.
***I am CERTAIN that a previous incarnation of the menu read "We don't get our desserts from Goodies or (ugh!) Sisco", which struck me as quite funny, but also a little odd; is it really a good idea to express disgust anywhere near a restaurant menu? I still dig the offbeat touch this added, and part of me laments the "ugh!"'s (probably wise) removal. (Elsewhere in the menu: "...if you want a big hunk of meat, the Keg is down the street." Ugh! (Regarding the Keg, not the big hunk of meat.))
Located in the rear of Aqua Books, EAT! is a vegan-and-celiac-friendly eatery with a self-described "unpretentious yet innovative" menu. The restaurant's approach can't be easily summarized; the only moniker I can think to apply is (the admittedly lame) "modern Canadian". The menu is short and relatively simple: frittatas and flatbread pizzas that change daily, and various other salads and snacky finger foods. (Although while perusing the menu for this here writeup, I noticed a vegetarian lasagna that I believe is new and that will have to be tried.)
The space itself is small-ish, but the ramshackle decor charms, with mismatched thrift-store furnishings and doutang'd menus snuggled between the hard covers of old used books. The latter is a lovely touch, really.
My dinner companion and I opted to share the EAT! platter, and I added a bowl of soup for myself. I've dined at EAT! (and yes, I'm getting sick of the all-caps-and-silly-exclamation-point-edness of the name, after the fifth writing) a handful of times previous, and the soups NEVER disappoint. On this occasion it was a bowl of tortilla soup, with ground beef and a dollop of crème fraiche. It packed a slight but distinct spicy wallop--pretty much perfect.
The platter contains chickpea fritters, deep-fried tortilla chips, black bean cakes, crab fritters, and grilled veggies. The presentation of the dish is subtly elegant, without being at all fussy. The chickpea fritters were perhaps the weakest element, both texturally and flavour-wise a bit bland, but definitely elevated when topped with the included chicken feta spread. The black bean cakes were served with a bit of guacamole, and walked the same perfect spice line the soup did. The crab fritter was also topped with a bit of guac, in addition to the tiniest, cutest lil' lime wedge I've ever seen. The cakes were tasty, but fell to pieces with the slightest touch, like they were just waiting for a waft of air from my approaching fork to crumble, making them a bit of a chore to eat. The grilled veggies were perfectly simple, and perfectly good for it. Summary: a quality platter that's a good bit of fun to share.
The service was quick and friendly, but I really can't say too much good or bad about it, since our server was a friend of my dinner companion. Service has always been fine, though, on my previous visits.
EAT! stocks quality beverages, which I always appreciate, although they were out of my stand-by Boylan Creamy Red Birch Beer. I also had a sip of my companions house-made iced tea, and it was bright and spicy and completely unexpected. We opted out of dessert, but EAT! also prides itself on its desserts; its menu informs that all desserts are made in house. Quoth the menu: "We don't get our desserts from Goodies or Sisco"(***).
EAT! really just has a lovely vibe--the open kitchen, the simple menu, the dog-eared charm that fits perfectly within its used-bookstore environs. I guess I'm a bit of a hippie, after all. The food fits this vibe perfectly, as well. Recommended!
Location: 274 Garry St., in Aqua Books.
Price tag: $18 for the platter for two; I believe the whole thing came to about $30. (Okay, I really need to start taking notes for this enterprise. Sheesh.)
Website: www.eatbistro.ca (Also: whatsoupisit.ca. Be sure to check it out on a Sunday or a Monday.)
*If you want to go oldschool greasy spoon, the clubhouse at the Wagon Wheel is fresh and ridiculously large (as featured in Readers' Digest!!!). I've also heard good things about Mitzi's and the Kraut King, but haven't visited either. Am I missing the boat?
**Yeah, yeah. I'm sure there are some obvious omissions to this list. This came off the top of my head; fuck you.
***I am CERTAIN that a previous incarnation of the menu read "We don't get our desserts from Goodies or (ugh!) Sisco", which struck me as quite funny, but also a little odd; is it really a good idea to express disgust anywhere near a restaurant menu? I still dig the offbeat touch this added, and part of me laments the "ugh!"'s (probably wise) removal. (Elsewhere in the menu: "...if you want a big hunk of meat, the Keg is down the street." Ugh! (Regarding the Keg, not the big hunk of meat.))
12 July 2010
Random: Santa Lucia's Fug Reno
The renovations of the Santa Lucia on St. Mary's (or Queen Elizabeth Way, or whatever) are nearing completion, and holy fuck, is it ugly. Have you seen this monstrosity? It's a barf-coloured tex-mex mini-castle. It's uglier than a Keg, for chrissake. Why does a pizza restaurant need turrets?
Kokeb
Okay, so, I know that the word "pile" isn't exactly appetizing; I'm going to try EXTREMELY hard to make it through this review with using it. Lordy, it's going to be difficult.
For the uninitiated, Ethiopian food presents probably the most exotic dining experience one can have in a restaurant (at least in this honky city*). All the dishes are served on injera, a pancake-like flatbread made with fermented teff flour, which lends it a distinctive tang. Most dishes consist of braises of some sort; these stews are served in dollops directly on the injera bread. To eat, you break off a portion of the bread, and use it to pinch a bite of the stew--no utensils are used.
The exotic nature of the cuisine doesn't end with presentation and manner of consumption; Ethiopian food is spiced in a way that is, well, foreign, in a way that most other ethnic cuisines just aren't. This could be a result of its reliance on niter kibbeh, a spiced clarified butter that forms the base of most dishes. But, really, I have no idea. I've never even come close to attempting Ethiopian at home.
I've been to Masawa on a handful of occasions, Osborne Village's Ethiopian restaurant, but this was my first trip to Kokeb. Masawa definitely delivers the goods, flavour-wise, but the service is unfortunately less than quick. There is even a note on every table which reads "The food takes forever, so you're not allowed to bitch if it takes forever, because it's going to. So shut up." I'm paraphrasing, of course. This could be considered a charming feature of the restaurant, depending on hunger level upon entry.
But, Kokeb: we started with a round of samosas, which spent a minute or two longer in the deep-frier than needed, but the filling was delicious, and the condiment served with it remarkable. A salsa (sort of?) of cilantro and minced green chiles and who knows what else. It was very salty and very spicy and WONDERFUL. If I had a little bowl of it beside me right now, I would eat it by the spoonful. (Maybe not. I wasn't kidding when I said "very spicy".)
There were six of us, so for our main course we ordered two of the dinner for three sample platters--really, the way to go in an Ethiopian restaurant. It came with dark, braised chicken drumsticks, a few hardboiled eggs, piles (fuck) of stewed yellow lentils, brown lentils, spinach, a braised meat that may have been beef, but also possibly goat, an iceberg salad**) with a lovely bright yet reserved simple vinaigrette, and probably much more that I've forgotten. Plenty of food to satisfy three, and easily Massawa's equal as far as flavour is concerned. And served in a timely manner, to boot.
The decor is slightly shabby, but therein lies some of the charm of eating in the Ellice/Sargeant vicinity. Service was friendly, and speedy. After the meal, some of my dinner companions expressed interest in the menu's specialty coffee, but it takes 30 minutes to prepare, so order in advance. It's apparently served with salt and clarified butter, which sounds interesting, but a caffeine sensitivity keeps me from coffee permanently, unfortunately.
All in all--solid Ethiopian for the experienced, a trip off the beaten path of standard restaurant fare for the squares. Not for the faint of heart (faint of stomach? faint of tastebud?), though--bear in mind the adventure tolerance of your dinner companions. Oddly, the bite I'm still thinking about is that vinaigrette. Go figure.
Price tag: $29.99 for the dinner for three.
Website: Why am I even bothering with this?
*I love Winnipeg, don't get me wrong.
**Okay, so for a while I looked down my nose at iceberg lettuce. It's boring, right? Tastes like air. When directly compared to something like arugula, there's no contest. But I can remember an argument I had with a friend about a year ago wherein he defended the humble iceberg, solely on the basis of its single positive attribute: texture. I'm starting to come around.
For the uninitiated, Ethiopian food presents probably the most exotic dining experience one can have in a restaurant (at least in this honky city*). All the dishes are served on injera, a pancake-like flatbread made with fermented teff flour, which lends it a distinctive tang. Most dishes consist of braises of some sort; these stews are served in dollops directly on the injera bread. To eat, you break off a portion of the bread, and use it to pinch a bite of the stew--no utensils are used.
The exotic nature of the cuisine doesn't end with presentation and manner of consumption; Ethiopian food is spiced in a way that is, well, foreign, in a way that most other ethnic cuisines just aren't. This could be a result of its reliance on niter kibbeh, a spiced clarified butter that forms the base of most dishes. But, really, I have no idea. I've never even come close to attempting Ethiopian at home.
I've been to Masawa on a handful of occasions, Osborne Village's Ethiopian restaurant, but this was my first trip to Kokeb. Masawa definitely delivers the goods, flavour-wise, but the service is unfortunately less than quick. There is even a note on every table which reads "The food takes forever, so you're not allowed to bitch if it takes forever, because it's going to. So shut up." I'm paraphrasing, of course. This could be considered a charming feature of the restaurant, depending on hunger level upon entry.
But, Kokeb: we started with a round of samosas, which spent a minute or two longer in the deep-frier than needed, but the filling was delicious, and the condiment served with it remarkable. A salsa (sort of?) of cilantro and minced green chiles and who knows what else. It was very salty and very spicy and WONDERFUL. If I had a little bowl of it beside me right now, I would eat it by the spoonful. (Maybe not. I wasn't kidding when I said "very spicy".)
There were six of us, so for our main course we ordered two of the dinner for three sample platters--really, the way to go in an Ethiopian restaurant. It came with dark, braised chicken drumsticks, a few hardboiled eggs, piles (fuck) of stewed yellow lentils, brown lentils, spinach, a braised meat that may have been beef, but also possibly goat, an iceberg salad**) with a lovely bright yet reserved simple vinaigrette, and probably much more that I've forgotten. Plenty of food to satisfy three, and easily Massawa's equal as far as flavour is concerned. And served in a timely manner, to boot.
The decor is slightly shabby, but therein lies some of the charm of eating in the Ellice/Sargeant vicinity. Service was friendly, and speedy. After the meal, some of my dinner companions expressed interest in the menu's specialty coffee, but it takes 30 minutes to prepare, so order in advance. It's apparently served with salt and clarified butter, which sounds interesting, but a caffeine sensitivity keeps me from coffee permanently, unfortunately.
All in all--solid Ethiopian for the experienced, a trip off the beaten path of standard restaurant fare for the squares. Not for the faint of heart (faint of stomach? faint of tastebud?), though--bear in mind the adventure tolerance of your dinner companions. Oddly, the bite I'm still thinking about is that vinaigrette. Go figure.
Price tag: $29.99 for the dinner for three.
Website: Why am I even bothering with this?
*I love Winnipeg, don't get me wrong.
**Okay, so for a while I looked down my nose at iceberg lettuce. It's boring, right? Tastes like air. When directly compared to something like arugula, there's no contest. But I can remember an argument I had with a friend about a year ago wherein he defended the humble iceberg, solely on the basis of its single positive attribute: texture. I'm starting to come around.
10 July 2010
Clear Lake Feedbag: Wig Wam
Okay, one more post, then I can get back to writing about food that I actually want to eat, rather than food I ate to keep me alive.
Somewhat (in)famous* around the Clear Lake area for its incredibly slow service, the Wig Wam aspires to Moxie's-level chain restaurant food, with a vaguely racist wood-panelled tee-pee theme to the interior. We sat on the giant, well-appointed patio, though (natch).
I had the turkey avocado burger, mainly because I'm currently obsessed with avocados. I fully expected (and received) a frozen, mostly tasteless turkey patty, but the fries were decent. What can I say? I'm starting to feel like a snobby jerk dumping all over these middling, uninspired, chain-esque restaurants. I am sure there MUST be decent meal to be had in Clear Lake; I just was on vacation, and with friends, and I went with the flow. Trust me, I'm much more insufferable on this blog than in person. Hopefully, anyway.
True to the word on the street, the service was indeed incredibly slow. I'm pretty sure about fifteen minutes elapsed between ordering drinks and mains, and it was in the neighbourhood of thirty minutes to receive our orders. We kept trying to figure out exactly why it was so slow; there seemed to be plenty of wait staff buzzing around. Inadequately staffed kitchen? Who knows? I'm done thinking about it...now.
Price tag: Most entrees around $12-17.
Website: Nuh-uh.
*I had originally written "famed" here, when I realized that "infamous" was probably the more accurate label to apply. Famous/infamous, but not famed/infamed? English is weird. /nerd
Somewhat (in)famous* around the Clear Lake area for its incredibly slow service, the Wig Wam aspires to Moxie's-level chain restaurant food, with a vaguely racist wood-panelled tee-pee theme to the interior. We sat on the giant, well-appointed patio, though (natch).
I had the turkey avocado burger, mainly because I'm currently obsessed with avocados. I fully expected (and received) a frozen, mostly tasteless turkey patty, but the fries were decent. What can I say? I'm starting to feel like a snobby jerk dumping all over these middling, uninspired, chain-esque restaurants. I am sure there MUST be decent meal to be had in Clear Lake; I just was on vacation, and with friends, and I went with the flow. Trust me, I'm much more insufferable on this blog than in person. Hopefully, anyway.
True to the word on the street, the service was indeed incredibly slow. I'm pretty sure about fifteen minutes elapsed between ordering drinks and mains, and it was in the neighbourhood of thirty minutes to receive our orders. We kept trying to figure out exactly why it was so slow; there seemed to be plenty of wait staff buzzing around. Inadequately staffed kitchen? Who knows? I'm done thinking about it...now.
Price tag: Most entrees around $12-17.
Website: Nuh-uh.
*I had originally written "famed" here, when I realized that "infamous" was probably the more accurate label to apply. Famous/infamous, but not famed/infamed? English is weird. /nerd
09 July 2010
Clear Lake Feedbag: Mano's Pizza
Man, nothing makes me feel like more of a snob than going out for pizza with non-foody friends. (Not that I'm all that comfortable applying the "foody" label to myself. Maybe I need to get over it, already.)
I'm not sure if Anthony Bourdain coined the term "utility pizza", but I first encountered it coming out his mouth, and I love it. Sometimes you don't need fancy, artisanal pizza from a wood-fired oven; there's something to be said for the pleasures of a greasy slab of cheap pizza. But seriously, I would much rather eat fancy, artisanal pizza from a wood-fired oven, topped with quality ingredients.
Mano's is pretty middle of the road, as far as utility pizza goes: medium-thick crust, nicely crisp, a little over-loaded with low-ish quality toppings. While my friends were making yummy noises, I was noting the canned mushrooms and bargain-basement-quality cured meats. I had a piece of ham and pineapple, and the pineapple was also canned, but I'm not crazy enough to expect fresh pineapple on utility pizza. Give me some credit.
I've said more than once that the difference between fresh pineapple and canned pineapple is so pronounced, they're practically different foods. And really, so is the difference between utility pizza and (forgive the snobbery) real pizza. It's impossible to not note the difference. Mano's delivers a decent slice of utility pizza, which is what it aspires to.
The Wasagming Mano's location is pickup/delivery only, but they do have a few picnic tables parked out front, which did the job nicely on a sunny afternoon.
Price tag: Around $30 for a large loaded pizza.
Website: Nope.
I'm not sure if Anthony Bourdain coined the term "utility pizza", but I first encountered it coming out his mouth, and I love it. Sometimes you don't need fancy, artisanal pizza from a wood-fired oven; there's something to be said for the pleasures of a greasy slab of cheap pizza. But seriously, I would much rather eat fancy, artisanal pizza from a wood-fired oven, topped with quality ingredients.
Mano's is pretty middle of the road, as far as utility pizza goes: medium-thick crust, nicely crisp, a little over-loaded with low-ish quality toppings. While my friends were making yummy noises, I was noting the canned mushrooms and bargain-basement-quality cured meats. I had a piece of ham and pineapple, and the pineapple was also canned, but I'm not crazy enough to expect fresh pineapple on utility pizza. Give me some credit.
I've said more than once that the difference between fresh pineapple and canned pineapple is so pronounced, they're practically different foods. And really, so is the difference between utility pizza and (forgive the snobbery) real pizza. It's impossible to not note the difference. Mano's delivers a decent slice of utility pizza, which is what it aspires to.
The Wasagming Mano's location is pickup/delivery only, but they do have a few picnic tables parked out front, which did the job nicely on a sunny afternoon.
Price tag: Around $30 for a large loaded pizza.
Website: Nope.
Clear Lake Feedbag: Breakfast at The Gates
I recently stayed at the slightly grungey Southgate Motor Hotel in Onanole for a few nights and had breakfast once in the adjoining greasy spoon. This is only the second breakfast report on here, and I'm already beginning to question their worth. I might as well just write "I'm pretty sure they didn't spit in my food" and leave it at that. Not that I'm too good for the occasional greasy-spoon breakfast, it's just there's really not much to say. The yolks on my softly-poached eggs were runny, the hashbrowns decent, but not quite crispy as I like, the ham (this time) of passable quality. Sound familiar?
Price tag: $5.99 for your standard two eggs, hashbrowns, choice of meat and toast. This was a Saturday, not sure if they run a weekday breakfast special.
Website: Shyeah, right.
Price tag: $5.99 for your standard two eggs, hashbrowns, choice of meat and toast. This was a Saturday, not sure if they run a weekday breakfast special.
Website: Shyeah, right.
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