Winnipeg Restaurants

[LilZebra]

Is it chilli sauce (like VJ's and Juniors) or maybe another spice?

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by CoryB

^^ On the creativity side Market Burger, NuBurger and Tipsy Cow all play to a very similar type of experience.

Market Burger used to be more unique, but they've definitely realigned towards a "more traditional" focus. I'm not sure I recall Tipsy cow being that out there...

I don't expect Burger joints to get as wild as everyone does during Burger week, but CLEARLY those fancy burgers have appeal... keep ONE on the menu or offer a monthly special for something elaborate

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Tipsy Cow gets good reviews, but their standard burger is in all reality barely distinguishable from a Wendy's Classic.

Let's face it, if you want an amazing burger, you're going to a place that's been around for decades and offers little flash, glamour or instagram appeal.

I had a great burger at tipsy cow, and service was fast (apparently others experienced otherwise).

But really? I can make on pretty awesome "normal" burger at home, and it won't be as laden with grease... If I want to leave my house for a burger, I wouldn't mind seeing some ideas that I couldn't think of or make myself. For the same reason, I don't want to go out for a whisky and coke, because that's basic and easy. I want to be impressed.

Originally Posted by buzzg

I have been to Market Burger twice and it was absolutely horrendous both times. The food was awful, service was horrifically slow. Went to Tipsy Cow for burger week, it was good but nothing special, and the drink list and atmosphere were really weird. It's like they couldn't decide if they were gonna be a diner or restaurant, so it's some weird bastardized hybrid.

Market has been fine to me, but their service is shit. Slow and understaffed.

Tipsy does a decent job with their drink menu last I recall... they took a few accessible classic cocktails and they did a decent job with a Boulevardier and Manhattan, and quite frankly I think a good classic cocktail should be standard fare for any food based establishment.

Everyone should be able to make a good Negroni (despite many somehow screwing this up), and it should be on every menu.

Originally Posted by buzzg

I've never been to Johnny G's remotely sober... don't know if I could bring myself to doing it. Once I went to Little Pizza Heaven sober.. huge mistake.

Little Pizza Heaven is absolutely delicious no matter your state.

Johnny G's would make me raise my guard...

[trueviking]

Went for lunch at the Mexican place that replaced Fox and Fiddle on Main.

Some questionable decor choices...bit heavy on the plastic plants.

Quality was reallly good. Really expensive though. I had four tacos and a coke. Cost $30. The tacos are about the size of the palm of your hand so four is pretty reasonable. The 4’-3” waitress said she usually gets 2 or 3.

Would be a good place for drinks after work but I won’t return for lunch.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by trueviking

Went for lunch at the Mexican place that replaced Fox and Fiddle on Main.

Some questionable decor choices...bit heavy on the plastic plants.

Quality was reallly good. Really expensive though. I had four tacos and a coke. Cost $30. The tacos are about the size of the palm of your hand so four is pretty reasonable. The 4’-3” waitress said she usually gets 2 or 3.

Would be a good place for drinks after work but I won’t return for lunch.

Oh my, you can get the same thing for $5 at BMC.

[Wolf13]

Originally Posted by trueviking

Went for lunch at the Mexican place that replaced Fox and Fiddle on Main.

Some questionable decor choices...bit heavy on the plastic plants.

Quality was reallly good. Really expensive though. I had four tacos and a coke. Cost $30. The tacos are about the size of the palm of your hand so four is pretty reasonable. The 4’-3” waitress said she usually gets 2 or 3.

Would be a good place for drinks after work but I won’t return for lunch.

I've been back a number of times... great food, great drinks... not cheap though.

The space looks neat, but I'd be more impressed with it if I didn't know what it looked like before... It simply looked amazing in it's Fox and the Fiddle iteration. The plants take too much away from what the space is naturally.

I'm a fan of BMC also, but think I prefer the extra creative touch at Carnity to BMC's authenticity... though I'm never near BMC so maybe that's why.

[buzzg]

I really like La Carnita. Very fun, different vibe – nice changed from more of the "extremely hipster" overly curated places that are trendy right now. Food and drinks are good, reasonable price, good music. I really like what the plants add – Fox could feel very cold before. They also laid it out much better by pushing the centre wall back, where before both sides of the wall were awkwardly cramped. If it has one drawback for me, it's that its waaaayy bigger than their other locations, at least double them I'd guess, so it does lose some of that cool, exclusive, edgy feel of their Toronto locations.

That group has some AWESOME other concepts/brands that would be amazing if they came here, so I want to support them and hope they thrive. Check out Sweet Jesus and Good Fortune Bar. Also just started their own beer company.

[wags_in_the_peg]

Burrito Del Rio on Corydon selling assets and lease to building but not the name, are they moving somewhere?

http://www.winnipegrealestatenews.co...Number=1728926

[Biff]

Seems like a hard location to make a go of it. So many things have come and gone there. Might be time for redevelopment into something other that a restaurant.

.....mmmmmm, I love Burrito Del Rio.

[rrskylar]

Nice bowl of Pho today at Vi-Ann, still doesn't touch the Pho at Binh An though IMO.

[esquire]

^ Haven't been to Binh An in a while, I have to give it a try again.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by Biff

Seems like a hard location to make a go of it. So many things have come and gone there. Might be time for redevelopment into something other that a restaurant.

.....mmmmmm, I love Burrito Del Rio.

Roca Jacks was there for 10 years probably, owners of Fresh Cafe just had no idea how to run a business, and BDR has been there for 5 years now. Don't really see anything wrong with that being a restaurant.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Haven't been to Binh An in a while, I have to give it a try again.

Not exactly the fanciest place or in the nicest area but the food is good, plus it's cheap and you get lots!

[esquire]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Not exactly the fanciest place or in the nicest area but the food is good, plus it's cheap and you get lots!

Anything else is mere window dressing!

[wags_in_the_peg]

Originally Posted by rrskylar

Nice bowl of Pho today at Vi-Ann, still doesn't touch the Pho at Binh An though IMO.

#30 deluxe vermicilli bowl kick ass st Vi Ann

[Riverman]

Originally Posted by wags_in_the_peg

#30 deluxe vermicilli bowl kick ass st Vi Ann

You beat me to it. At least once biweekly for me!

There is a great soup just down the street at Spring Roll, large deluxe wonton soup, a big meal for $10.

[buzzg]

My favourite hole in the wall is Sumhay @ King & Logan. Best "big soups" – get one with chicken and they literally just chop a rotisserie chicken in half and drop it in. Order as many 50 cent wontons (pork & shrimp) as you want. Veal is beat like schnitzel and lightly sprinkled in cinnamon sugar... life changing.

Tropikis on Ellice is a close second. There was an article this year talking about how the construction on Ellice almost bankrupt him, praying he survives the winter. Sales were down $60k I think it said, city gave no warning that his front door wouldn't be accessible, had to go from 6 FT staff to 2.5.

[Roger Strong]

Originally Posted by buzzg

My favourite hole in the wall is Sumhay @ King & Logan. [...] Veal is beat like schnitzel and lightly sprinkled in cinnamon sugar... life changing.

Agreed. I never had any use for veal before, but #33 Dry Breaded Veal is disturbingly good. Also #98, the Chicken Mushroom Fried Rice. Try both when you eat there, and be prepared to take a couple extra orders of each home.

[esquire]

I'm impressed by the presence of Brown's Social House on Portage Avenue... it's kind of nice to pass by in the evening and see the glow of lights and screens coming from within. It feels like it's been forever since something has opened on Portage downtown with that kind of effect... it's a nice change from the various offices that have begun to dominate Portage's streetscape.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by esquire

I'm impressed by the presence of Brown's Social House on Portage Avenue... it's kind of nice to pass by in the evening and see the glow of lights and screens coming from within. It feels like it's been forever since something has opened on Portage downtown with that kind of effect... it's a nice change from the various offices that have begun to dominate Portage's streetscape.

It does look good, but it drives me absolutely NUTS that there's no street entrance to it. You have to enter through the lobby of Centrepoint, even though there's doors built in for the patio access... really thought they'd just use the entrance through the patio like at Earls Main. Bummer.

It's made even worse by the fact that the Mitchell-Copp facade entrance is always gated and locked... it's actually kind of confusing to figure out how to get in if you're not someone on here that knows the development lol.

[esquire]

^ Yeah, I thought it was kind of weird that you had to go into the office entrance to get into the restaurant. Although I suppose that's no different than Rudy's on Graham...