fude

fude
99 Osborne St #303
Winnipeg, MB R3L 2P7
(204) 284-3833


Late again with a review, but better late than never! May 4th, we BAGz hit the City again for an evening out at fude, a fantastic little eatery in Osborne Village.

fude gets a lot of rave reviews, and this one follows in familiar footsteps. With an eclectic menu, much of it locally sourced, fude brings innovation and flair to Manitoba's great bounty and variety of foods. Some items on the menu are subject to change seasonally, which brings even greater variety.



Toadstool Puffs and Mediterranean Dip

Our starters included a delightful puff pastry and mushroom concoction called Toadstools, as well as Mediterraean dip, chock full of artichoke and creamy cheese, served with crispy thin slices of homemade bread.  We really enjoyed this unique start to the meal, but it was difficult to choose from the appetizer menu.  There are many intriguing appetizers on offer, which makes it hard to choose.  The same held true for the entrées as well.




Clockwise: Chocolate chicken, Menage à trois,
steak,Thai pizza

We shared bits of our entrées, all of which were impressive combinations of flavours and ingredients.  The special, The Menage à Trois was particularly noteworthy --  a platter of three perfectly seasoned and prepared dishes -- Manitoba back ribs, tender and succulent, chocolate chicken skewers, a real treat of a flavour combination, and Berkshire pork tenderloin, so tender you could cut it with a fork.  We also tried the chocolate chicken, which came with a scrumptious serving of garlic mashed potatoes, and was a surprising, tasty and tender chicken dish.  The steak was also a hit, perfectly cooked and with a side of the fantastic potatoes.  Last, we tried the My Thai gourmet flatbread pizza, which was another great combo of interesting ingredients and flavours.  We ended the meal by sharing some house made ice cream, which you should surely try while you're there!

The service at fude is impeccably attentive and friendly and the atmosphere is very cozy, yet chic at the same time.  Parking might be a challenge at times, so expect a short walk, but in the summer, the Osborne Village area is interesting and lively, so the walk is a bonus.  If you are looking for some interesting and different food, try fude.  You won't be disappointed. 

Café Dario

Café Dario
1390 Erin
Winnipeg, MB
Tel: 204-783-2813
Reservations recommended

The first thing you should know about Café Dario is that there is so much more than meets the eye.  Tucked away in the Westend, you might miss the corner where this little café is located if you don't know what you're looking for, as there are no other eateries around the general area.  But, you would be sorry to miss such a unique restaurant. 

The menu at Café Dario changes seasonally and according to availability and the chef's inspirations.  While the flavour of the menu is definitely South American, there are a lot of familiar and local mainstays on the menu, including chicken, bison, beef and pork dishes, as well as seafood.  What makes them unique here is the chef's interpretation of the ingredients.  Also unique is the way the meal is presented.  For around $40 you will be served a 5-course meal.  This alone makes it worth the trip as you can hardly find such a thing anywhere, let alone at such quality.  You will choose your appetizer and main course from a good variety of selections.  The soup, salad and dessert are whatever the chef has created for that day.

On our trip, our soup was a roasted vegetable soup, hearty with garlic.  The salad was a simple mix of organic baby greens, but topped with an exquisite, creamy cucumber, honey and dill-infused dressing that left us all wanting more.  The dessert was a chili-lime-ginger mousse -- a surprising combination that was a perfect ending to the Latin flavoured meal.

 

For appetizers we ordered and shared the frog legs in seasoned corn meal, the carpaccio, the escargot diablo, and a pequillo pepper popper.  Favourites of the selections were the popper and carpaccio. The escargot diablo was marvelous, but a little spicy for some.

For main courses, we ordered chicken breast with a cream cheese stuffing that was "crazy awesome good chicken" as one of us declared.  Truly it was an excellent combination of flavours. We also ordered a bison roulade and the lobster dinner.  The bison roulade was surprisingly tender, as bison can tend to be tough sometimes, yet this was almost melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the sauce beautifully seasoned with just enough spice.  The lobster, too, was tender and luscious. 

The service at Café Dario was very friendly and warm.  We commented many times at how we felt as if we were simply at a friend's home.  We sat in the front part of the restaurant in a cozy nook by the window, which afforded us a fun view, but also a quiet and relaxing experience.  We would highly recommend going a few blocks out of your way to Café Dario.  You won't find a better meal at a better price, and you certainly won't find such expertly crafted dishes with such welcoming service anywhere.

Lovey's BBQ

Lovey's BBQ
208 Marion Street
Winnipeg, MB R2H 0T6
(204) 233-RIBS


Nothing fancy, just damn good barbecue.

It has been a while since the BAGz have been able to get out again, but we finally did it on December 21st as a little pre-Christmas treat. Our choice for the evening was Lovey's BBQ, a small, independent BBQ joint in Winnipeg. While it is a small place, Lovey's doesn't lack for flavour and value. The customer service is also quite friendly and helpful.

As you enter, tables are everywhere and you immediately notice the menu written on the side wall. Tables also held printed menus which included take-out options as well. Once you've decided, you head to the counter at the back to place your order. While Lovey's certainly isn't fast-food, the service was very fast and brought to our table in just a short while.

We all ordered combo platters -- 2 with brisket and chicken, 2 with brisket and pulled pork -- and we all ordered macaroni and cheese to share. We also ordered a starter of fried pickles to share, which were a real treat! The portions are very generous at Lovey's, and one could easily share a combo platter, or have plenty to take home for the next day's lunch.

Combo platters came with a choice of fries or potato salad, both of which were quite good and obviously made from scratch. The platters also came with BBQ beans, corn bread and coleslaw. The BBQ beans were a mix of several kinds of beans and were excellent. The corn bread and coleslaw were also good, but our Southern girl notes that neither was the sweet kind she is used to in her neck of the woods. However, the corn bread was very good -- dense but not too dense, and very flavourful, despite not being sweet corn bread. The macaroni and cheese -- homemade and baked like good old-fashioned mac and cheese should be -- is gooey cheesy heaven, but we all agreed that it didn't need the addition of bits of ham in it. It was quite a wonderful dish on its own.

The brisket was smoky, tender and wonderfully done, but needed a bit more trimming on the fat edge. The chicken and pulled pork were also very well prepared and flavourful. The key, of course, is Lovey's BBQ sauce which is reminiscent of the South Georgia style of BBQ sauce -- a balanced blend of tart, sweet, peppery and tomato-y. They serve two varieties -- the regular and the spicy, which could have been spicier, but then that is why there is Tabasco (or in Lovey's case, another brand of hot sauce).

Lovey's really pays attention to details with their menu, providing an authentic, homemade BBQ experience. Even the homage to the Southern mama's favourite family dessert -- nilla wafer pudding -- was done with obvious knowledge, attention to detail and homemade loving care.    A nice surprise is that several of the menu items are gluten free: not only most of the meats -- brisket, pulled pork and chicken, ribs and farmer sausage -- but also including the BBQ sauce itself, beans, potato salad and coleslaw.

We highly recommend Lovey's for dinner and are sure it would also be an excellent lunch choice as well. Parking is off street, but sparse and if it is full, there is no place to wait inside, but a wait in the car would be worth it as far as we're concerned.

Ichiban - Winnipeg

Ichiban Japanese Steak House

189 Carlton Street
Winnipeg, MB  R3C 3H7
1-204-925-7400

www.ichiban.ca

On June 23^rd, we visited Ichiban in Winnipeg.  Ichiban is a Japanese restaurant specializing in teppanyaki, a form of table-side preparation and cooking.  As you enter, you can view the entire dining room from above – a vast arrangement of various sized tables, each centered around its own flat-top grill.

Tables seat from six to twelve people, and our party of four was pleasantly surprised to find ourselves seated with two lovely gentlemen from Flin Flon, who were in town for a convention.  We felt we were lucky, as Mike and Vern were both wonderful company.  It was like an extra treat to get to know them throughout the meal and share such a unique dining experience with them.  None of us had ever been to Ichiban before this, so we were all experiencing it fresh for the first time.

The menu offers a fair variety of combinations, mostly centering on beef, chicken and seafood.  Combination dinners include soup, salad, an appetizer, green tea, rice and your combination selections, plus a choice of ginger, vanilla, orange or green tea ice cream for dessert.

The soup was a very nice, definitely home-made tasting chicken broth with vegetables.  This is followed by a marinated cucumber salad topped with minced crabmeat.  The salad is tangy and sweet and a refreshing start to the meal.

The starters are served by a wait person, and after those are finished, the chef approaches the table with the appetizers.  These are prepared on the grill right in front of you.  Our chef started us off with a bang, literally!  We truly enjoyed the theatrics throughout the whole meal, as well as the wacky sense of humour of our chef.

The standard appetizer is a mixture of chicken livers, onion and mushrooms seasoned with sake and soy and some other ingredients.  Upon first read, few of us were interested in the appetizer.  Ichiban does offer the ability to substitute another appetizer at half price instead of the chicken liver one if you want.  About half the table opted for the chicken liver appetizer and half for other appetizers, such as gyoza or sautéed shrimp or calamari.  The chef  served portions of each and did offer the chicken liver appetizer to others at the table as well.  We did a lot of sharing and sampling throughout the meal, which enhanced the friendly, communal feel of the evening.  Everyone was quite impressed with how very tasty the chicken liver appetizer was.  Those who hadn’t ordered it, but tried it, noted that if they returned again, they would order that appetizer.  It doesn’t sound delectable, but it really is!

Next, the chef prepared the fried rice.  There is an option to have steamed rice instead, but only one of us ordered that.  Again, the chef did share some of the dish with everyone, and everyone raved at how good it was.

After that, our entrée selections were brought to the table and the chef began by putting all the chicken on one part of the grill, while preparing the meat and seafood on other parts.  If you order the beef, the chef asks how you like it cooked (rare to well-done).  All of the meat is cubed and cooked together, but rarer portions are served first to ensure that everyone gets the doneness they prefer.  Seafood is cooked last to keep it just right.  Everything was truly cooked to perfection and seasoned just right. 

Pricing is by combination and ranges from approximately $25 up to $50 per person for all excluding cocktails.  A variety of public parking is nearby, and validated parking at the Delta Hotel lot is available after 5:30, making access easy even for this busy downtown location.  Ichiban is certainly a special occasion destination, but worth it.  It was difficult to say which was more exciting – the wonderful flavours or the fabulous show put on by the chef.  Both were quite impressive and made for a spectacular evening for everyone.  We even had a lovely walk back to our car with our little Buddha mugs that came with our cocktails – souvenirs of a memorable evening.

Orlando's Seafood Grill - Winnipeg

Orlando's Seafood Grill

Reservations accepted
Street parking only

709 Corydon (Lower Level)

Winnipeg, MB

Phone: 204-477-5899

Arnaldo Carriera, Chef & Owner

Located in downtown Winnipeg, Orlando's is a small, unique restaurant specializing in grilled seafood with a Portuguese flair.  The menu is small, but includes not only seafood, but also a few beef, chicken and pork selections.  The menu, itself, however, is irrelevant if you want the full Orlando's experience.

The chef himself takes your dinner order at the table.  He inquires about your tastes or wants for the evening, but makes suggestions and guides the selection according to what is best and freshest that evening and what he is most inspired to cook for you.  We all enjoyed this approach and were not disappointed in our meals, but we realize that this manner of ordering may not suit everyone, so if you really want something else other than what the chef suggests, then you'll have to be very specific.  However, we found the chef so very charming and welcoming that it was hard to resist his guidance on the menu selection.

We all ended up having a variation of the chef's special, which includes salad, and an entrée of meat, seafood, vegetable and pasta, prefaced by a selection of three appetizers. Even though one of us does not eat seafood, this was not a problem for the chef.  He simply offered more of the meat with the special.

We began by ordering drinks, which were nice, but the strawberry margaritas were a bit less fruity than one would prefer.  The toasted bread and oil-balsamic dip started the meal off very nicely, though.  The Appetizer Trio arrived shortly and consisted of Shrimp Orlando, a shrimp paté, and cod cake. The Shrimp Orlando was the favourite of the three -- perfectly cooked shrimp in a delicious white wine sauce.  The shrimp paté was also very good, but could have used a bit of toast or cracker to eat with it.  The cod cake was also tasty and well cooked.

Up next was Caesar salad, followed by our entrées. We were not disappointed in the Chef's Special.  His selections were excellent.  The chef definitely has a passion and true understanding of seafood. Bear in mind that seasonal availability affects the selection of seafood, so what is available one week on the Chef's Special may not be the same another week. Our Special consisted of small but satisfying portions of New York strip steak, cooked to our preferences, poached orange roughy, snapper, jumbo prawns, linguini in rosé sauce and mixed vegetable.  Everything was perfectly cooked.  The orange roughy melted in your mouth and the prawns were so big and so succulent, they were like eating tiny lobsters.

The dessert being offered that evening was a surprising concoction called Molotov.  A large dish of frozen yogurt, blackberries, strawberries, a strawberry sauce, a chocolate sauce, a large wedge of dragon fruit topped off with a soft meringue.  It seemed an odd combination, but it was tasty and there was something in it for everyone to enjoy.

Pricing is in the average to high-average range.  The chef's special --  which includes salad and appetizer -- is $35. The à la carte menu varies with entrées ranging from about $25 - $45 or so.  Throughout the meal, we enjoyed attentive, warm and welcoming service.  Between the chef and the wait staff, we felt less like we were in a restaurant and more like we were special guests in someone's home.  If you are looking for a quiet, laid-back evening with a bit of surprise, Orlando's will not disappoint you.

The Velvet Glove - Winnipeg

The Velvet Glove

At The Fairmont Winnipeg
Reservations encouraged: (204) 985-6255

The Velvet Glove at the Fairmont in Winnipeg was a real treat for the B.A.G.z -- a special evening of dining that we will not soon forget. The Velvet Glove is the only four diamond (CAA-AAA) rated restaurant in Manitoba. One of us has a connection at the Fairmont and arranged for a very special menu and evening.  We were honored to be a "test run" for the chef's table that will be opening sometime this year.  We would highly recommend the experience of the chef's table. For us, it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.

The chef was aware of our group's likes and dislikes and tailored a menu specially for us.  The menu was accompanied by expert wine pairings, delivered by a refreshingly approachable, but decidedly knowledgable sommelier. Each course was brought out to us by the chef and his staff in a parade worthy of queens (as we all know we are).  We turned quite a few heads that evening, but the spectacle we created was incomparable to the food we enjoyed.

The first course was a delectable roasted red pepper soup with chives and a crème fraiche.  The sommelier admitted the flavours of the soup posed a challenge in pairing a wine, but she had thought of a Canadian Pinot Gris that she felt was the right match. She suggested that we taste the soup by itself and the wine by itself, then the two together.  Alone, the flavours of  soup and wine were pleasant, but paired together, the flavours rose to a new level for each.

The next course was a surprising watermelon salad with feta, arugula, shaved fennel, pickled blackberries and finished with a blackberry vinaigrette.  Truth be told, the dish was almost too pretty to eat, but we all found it to be the perfect palate cleanser to follow the soup. The lightness of the watermelon played off of the saltiness of the feta and tartness of the berries. Our sommelier paired an Australian Sauvignon Blanc with this salad, which further enhanced the flavours.

The third course was unfamiliar to all of us, but a classic of fine dining -- foie gras.  This version was gently pan-seared and prepared on a bed of roasted carmelized apples and grapes with an ice wine reduction. Our sommelier astonished all of us with the wine pairing on this dish. Even those who are not normally wine afficionadas enjoyed the exquisite sweetness of the Canadian late harvest ice wine, Optima. It, alone, has spoiled some of us forever.

Our fourth course was intended to be our sole main course, but the chef added an extra main course that followed this one. This dish, by itself made a spectacular main course, though -- a porcini mushroom risotto, perfectly cooked, with rice just tender and creamy, topped with duck confit, a poached duck egg, asparagus, and a parmesan crisp, all finished with a red wine reduction. Our sommelier again out did herself, pairing not one, but two wines.  We enjoyed a White Torrentos and a Red Ripasa.  Quipping on the theme of the night (duck confit, duck egg and the aforementioned goose foie gras), we dubbed the meal "Duck, duck, goose."

Our second main -- and surprise -- course was a stunning pan-roasted pheasant stuffed with goat cheese and fennel, served with fondant potatoes poached in duck fat, and mixed vegetable that included carrot, yellow beet and asparagus, all accompanied by a black truffle reduction. Our wine pairing of the first main course continued with this course, providing ample opportunity to explore the flavours of the wines with the intricate, but not overwhelming, flavours on the plates.  At the start of the meal, we had remarked how we could have eaten twice as much of the soup and salad, but by this time, we were all sure we couldn't eat anymore.  That is ...

... until dessert arrived. Who could refuse the perfect ending to the perfect meal? A delicate portion of dark chocolate torte with bitter berries, berry sorbet with raspberry coulis and white chocolate was too intriguing to resist.  Paired with the plate was a ruby port, which was a sturdy match to the chocolate, but takes a bit of getting used to if you've not had port much, or at all, before.

Without a doubt, we highly recommend getting yourself in to the chef's table at the Velvet Glove when they launch it officially.  Be aware that this is not your average dining experience, so expect far above average price.  For a very special treat, however, it is definitely worth it.  The chef has a precise hand in balancing complex flavours, never overwhelming with any single ingredient, yet always keeping a playfulness between the ingredients that is inspiring, to say the least.  The sommelier has a true talent in pairing wines with the meal.  Throughout the meal, we enjoyed so many complex flavours, but again, were never overwhelmed as each selection integrated with the meal seamlessly. Last, but not least, we must also mention that the wait staff is an excellent example of pure professionalism in dining service.

If you are looking for something extraordinary, The Velvet Glove will delight you, whether for a special romantic evening or an indulgent ladies' weekend away.  Surely, we B.A.G.z will not soon forget the experience.