Wintery Weekend in Winnipeg

 

 

Howdy folks!  It’s been a long time since I’ve updated our blog.  Things have been pretty quiet on the Homefront.  Things changed this past weekend when Kim and her sister Janelle travelled to Winnipeg for the weekend to visit their Aunt Pauline.  They think it should be renamed “Winterpeg” – boy was it cold – minus 40 for most of the weekend!  But they all put on a brave face, and many layers of clothes and hit the town!

Janelle and Kim said that I should give Winnipeg paws up! and they are right……if you are a foodie, this is the place to be.  Janelle said Winnipeg had lots of great food, lots of great “fancy” coffees, and lots of carbs – lol!

They went to some great restaurants and events.   First stop was the brunch at the Forks. The brunch was part of the RAW:Almond event that takes place annually.  It’s a pop up restaurant located on the frozen Assiniboine and Red River that hosts chefs from across Canada and around the world.  This event lasts for 3 weeks and the location is on 3 feet of frozen river water.   The good news – it was in a shelter – and warmer than outside – ha!  And….the food was delicious.  First course: organic potato dumpling; Second course: Local beet and yam hash with butter poached pike and dill hollandaise; Third course: Soft polenta with braised beef cheeks, manchego cheese and horseradish pistou; and finally…..Red river pancakes with marscapone, pear and cherry compote, brown butter syrup and puffed grains.   And…don’t forget about the boozy coffee :). Here are some pictures – doesn’t that look delicious!?!

 

Some pictures of the location and the cold 🙂

 

Next up – a visit to the Forks, and warming up indoors.  Janelle found her favorite coffee place in Winnipeg – Fools and Horses.  Pauline and Janelle said the Vanilla Latte was the best ever!

 

Next up – what better to do on a cold afternoon? – Head down to a place called “Across the Board”.   Janelle and Kim had fun playing board games, having a beverage (of course Kim had a beer or two!) and some popcorn.  This was a cool place – a games expert helped them pick a game – they asked for something easy, that they didn’t have to think too much about.   They started off with Battle Sheep, then followed that up with 80s trivia (Janelle said this was humbling, because they thought they were 80s experts – but they were stumped!)…… and then back to another game recommended to them.  If you go to Winnipeg, do this!

 

That night they went to a great sandwich shop called King and Bannatyne.  Where is it?  On the corner of King and Bannatyne of course!  Delicious sandwiches and a great atmosphere.

 

I can’t believe how much they can eat – they started all over again the next morning at a great breakfast place called Clementines.  Janelle and Pauline had a fancy latte and Kim had a boozy drink called Good Morning Vietnam!  They each had a different meal and shared some side plates.  They said this was their favourite restaurant and best food of all of the places they ate.  That’s saying a lot – because they had some amazing food!

 

Next up – a tour of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.  This was a highlight of their trip and something everyone should see!  They went on a 90 minute tour of the galleries which they said is a big Paws Up!  For $5.00 they had a great tour and saw most of the museum.  After the tour they spent another 2 hours exploring on their own.  This is an “ideas museum” that has many interactive exhibits and is currently featuring a Mandela exhibit.  Kim and Janelle said it was a very moving and impactful museum, and should be visited more than once.

 

Well, that’s it folks – they had a great time and highly recommend that you go to Winnipeg!  Just a few final shots of coffee and cookies – why don’t they ever take me with them?  Paws up folks!  Make today an awesome one!