Western Expresso - Page 16

Joshy · #**301** Posted **Sep 11, 2011, 4:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpenner

there is quite a big difference between the one in vancouver and the one in lethbridge.......lets pray it resembles something closer to vancouver

Kind of what I was thinking. This place can't be all that "big city exciting" when it has locations in Grande Praire, Lethbridge and Quesnel.

armorand93 · #**302** Posted **Sep 11, 2011, 5:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshy

Kind of what I was thinking. This place can't be all that "big city exciting" when it has locations in Grande Praire, Lethbridge and Quesnel.

Quesnel? Wheres that?!

Joshy · #**303** Posted **Sep 11, 2011, 5:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by armorand93

Quesnel? Wheres that?!

A little town just south of Prince George. I've been to the Quesnel location, it was kind of a dive.

Winnipegger@Heart · #**304** Posted **Sep 11, 2011, 7:31 PM**

I was at the one in Saskatoon, and it was packed on a Monday evening. Awesome burger, damn good.

biguc · #**305** Posted **Sep 11, 2011, 9:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xtoval

Funny how a comment can be picked apart on this forum!

I think an important thing we can do for urban redevelopment is to liberalize our liquor laws. The problem is that you can't have free standing bars, except for cabarets, which must provide entertainment, or private clubs. You just can't have a small corner bar serving booze. It's illegal.

Ontario and BC allow free-standing bars, that is all I was saying. Plus having lived in Toronto for a long time, there is no doubt in my mind its bar scene is incomparably better than Winnipeg's. Not because it is a bigger city but because imaginative, creative people can afford to open bars.

The original rationale of Manitoba's laws was to close down the Main Street pool hall/bars that attracted young men fresh off the train and to prop up rural hotels during the slow season, by giving hotels the monopoly on beer sales and beverage rooms.

Why do you think Canad Inn bars survive? Because our antiquated liquor laws hold them up as the ideal. The hotel lobby fights like hell to prevent changes in the regulations. The NDP won't touch the unionized MLCC.

I am in Winnipeg a lot and walk around and think some entrepreneur should open up a bar in some old building full of character, as they would in nearly any other North American or European city I've visited. But then I remember Manitoba liquor laws make that impossible.

You're right that our liquor laws are stupid. Absolutely right.

But you make it sound like Winnipeg doesn't even have bars. There are three classes of liquor license, if I remember correctly: cabarets, lounges, and private clubs. I think the hotel thing you're thinking of has to do with off-license sales, which is behind Manitoba's silly convention of only having beer stores in hotels. But it's pretty easy to get around the other three. Lounges sell food. The Woodbine sells Michelinas that they throw in a microwave for you. Legions are all private clubs where you go through the minor inconvenience of signing in and not wearing a hat.

Anyway, I still pretty much agree with you. I've never lived in Toronto, but on my visits I've never been blown away by the bar scene. Some places are pretty good, but I've never longed for Toronto bars when I can spend a night drinking my way through the King's Head, The Duke of Kent, the Woodbine, and the Yellow Dog, or The Toad, Agit, and the River Legion.

Xtoval · #**306** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 1:43 AM**

People have pointed out, probably with reason, that I am out of touch with what Winnipeg now has to offer in terms of drinking establishments.

I am making my quarterly visit to the city in a few days. What are the bars that might give me a less jaundiced opinion of Winnipeg's drinking culture?

(Living in Austin for the past 10 years - arrived a week before 9/11 - I have seen about 5 new bar districts just pop up downtown, without any bureaucratic SHED zoning, just because the laws allow entrepreneurs to pioneer new districts and they got over their puritanism in 1933.)

chrisallard5454 · #**307** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 1:57 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xtoval

Whenever I raise this issue I am aware that most Winnipeggers have never even experienced a good bar. To wit, sound systems??!!

Can you imagine a city with a lively drinking culture, taverns that define neighborhoods, dives downtown for the hipsters, dark cocktail bars for a martini with your secretary after work, cafes where you can drink wine and not have to eat pizza, rowdy sports bars to watch a game, just a pub close to your house you could walk to and see your pals??? Manitoba, by law, has prevented all this from happening. MLCC and the Hotel and Restaurant lobby are too powerful.

I am not even a big drinker but every time I am back in Winnipeg I am amazed at how bad the situation is. Maybe getting the NHL back might shame the province in doing something.

Dude's got a point. London has far more, far, far more bars than Winnipeg. Best part is they are all along one street. Winnipeg's bars are pretty horrible in comparison. Canad Inns seems to be holding anything close to what a good bar may be.

armorand93 · #**308** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 3:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisallard5454

Dude's got a point. London has far more, far, far more bars than Winnipeg. Best part is they are all along one street. Winnipeg's bars are pretty horrible in comparison. Canad Inns seems to be holding anything close to what a good bar may be.

ugh, no. classics on portage though, id recommend

dpenner · #**309** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 3:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisallard5454

Dude's got a point. London has far more, far, far more bars than Winnipeg. Best part is they are all along one street. Winnipeg's bars are pretty horrible in comparison. Canad Inns seems to be holding anything close to what a good bar may be.

really the closest thing?? Is that in regards to big greasy dance bars? I have not gone to a Canad inns bar since i was like 18, there are far better places to go in winnipeg. Right now winnipeg actually has quite a few bars within a short distance of each other in the exchange if you include the likes of
Alive
Whiskey dix
Mystique
republic
Kings head
Woodbine (i actually love that place the few times i have been)
Yellow dog
All the restaurants that have nice lounges and bars like Hy's and Don Pedros

There is quite a bit already there although it would be nice to see a few more english/irish pubs open up like the ones that dominate Ottawa such as heart and crown

http://www.heartandcrown.ca/byward.aspx

trueviking · #**310** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 5:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Authentic_City

Looks like this establishment is an upscale version of Hooters. I wonder if Lindor Reynolds will write a column condemning it?

It's more like a sexified earls or joeys. If you can imagine. It's part of the moxies brand.

The one in Winnipeg will be very cool. A nice addition to the entertainment area forming around mts.

trueviking · #**311** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 5:29 PM**

4play is a cool place. I just wish more people went there. It's a first class sports bar. Hopefully with the return of NHL it will become popular. Physically is awesome

Bdog · #**312** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 6:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by trueviking

4play is a cool place. I just wish more people went there. It's a first class sports bar. Hopefully with the return of NHL it will become popular. Physically is awesome

I've heard rumours that 4-Play will be charging $1,500 for "season tickets" to watch all 82 Jets games on their big screen; $25 for an individual game... If true, 4-Play will be cashing in big on the NHL's return. As I remember one waitress mentioning last year: "The owner really hopes the Jets come back!" Well duh...

dpenner · #**313** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 6:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bdog

I've heard rumours that 4-Play will be charging $1,500 for "season tickets" to watch all 82 Jets games on their big screen; $25 for an individual game... If true, 4-Play will be cashing in big on the NHL's return. As I remember one waitress mentioning last year: "The owner really hopes the Jets come back!" Well duh...

Hard to not admit how great it the place physically although it definitely has some things it needs to fix such as better food, drink prices, and service

every time i go there i am let down by these things, I went to the big sports bar by the ACC in toronto recently and yes i know that sports bar is one of the best in North America the service and food was on such a higher level then 4play and it was roughly the same cost to dine there

cheswick · #**314** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 6:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bdog

I've heard rumours that 4-Play will be charging $1,500 for "season tickets" to watch all 82 Jets games on their big screen; $25 for an individual game... If true, 4-Play will be cashing in big on the NHL's return. As I remember one waitress mentioning last year: "The owner really hopes the Jets come back!" Well duh...

Who would pay $25 to watch a Jets game there?? All games are aired on TV for free. Its not like its a pay per view event.

Bdog · #**315** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 6:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheswick

Who would pay $25 to watch a Jets game there?? All games are aired on TV for free. Its not like its a pay per view event.

I probably wouldn't be going myself for that price - but, there are people who want to watch the game in a bar like setting, in lazy boy chairs, and on a 2 storey high screen I suppose. Also, I don't think all games are going to be free - you'll likely have to pay for the TSN Jets channel...

Bdog · #**316** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 6:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dpenner

Hard to not admit how great it the place physically although it definitely has some things it needs to fix such as better food, drink prices, and service

every time i go there i am let down by these things, I went to the big sports bar by the ACC in toronto recently and yes i know that sports bar is one of the best in North America the service and food was on such a higher level then 4play and it was roughly the same cost to dine there

I've also been to Real Sports, and while it is very impressive, I wasn't that fond of the service - it seemed slow (if you were ordering drinks from a server), and on game days, it's almost unconfortably crowded...

h0twired · #**317** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 8:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by trueviking

4play is a cool place. I just wish more people went there. It's a first class sports bar. Hopefully with the return of NHL it will become popular. Physically is awesome

Hardly first class.

The food there is terrible. Which is probably the reason that people don't go there. 4Play food is generic frozen crap from Sysco. Same boring wings, nachos, burgers and pizza.

HERE is a pub with good fresh and creative food at really good prices.

http://brewsters.ca/sask/menu/

Donovanf · #**318** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 8:35 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by h0twired

The food there is terrible. Which is probably the reason that people don't go there. 4Play food is generic frozen crap from Sysco. Same boring wings, nachos, burgers and pizza.

Agreed, the food is terrible, and drink selection and prices need improvement. It only has one piece of the puzzle.

biguc · #**319** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 8:56 PM**

Talking about 4play again, eh. Fuck that place.

biguc · #**320** Posted **Sep 12, 2011, 8:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisallard5454

Dude's got a point. London has far more, far, far more bars than Winnipeg. Best part is they are all along one street. Winnipeg's bars are pretty horrible in comparison. Canad Inns seems to be holding anything close to what a good bar may be.

Canad Inns? You, sir, are a moron.