The talk of a big chain going at P&M food court sprung up several years ago, so I'm curious to see if they've been working on this still for 3 years or if they got a new plan.

I know ever since the second tower beside 201 got scrapped, they've been wanting to expand the lobby into the plaza.

My best guess if they really are doing this is that a restaurant would go on the main floor (plaza), and kitchen/washrooms would be in the basement. This would allow for patio on the plaza as well. No major chain would be stupid enough to move into the basement there.

In terms of Joey - I spoke with higher-ups there last year and they said the company had "no interest" in opening downtown at this time. Cited lack of residents as major factor, they don't want to be like Moxies and known to be dead on non-event nights.

Damn good question.

Best non sushi Japanese in the city - would that be Kyu?

the Dwarf on Provencher has that distinction according to some of my foodie buddies..

Hit up Vi- Ann again after being grossed out by a dirty sticky table last time I went, food was good and table was clean this time, will visit again.

I know wrong thread for this talk but with all the malfeasance from crooked Katz and his sidekick shifty Sheegl the dip shit city council kept voting for and went along with these two clowns every step of the way!

i go 1x a week for lunch, always great whatever dish i order!

Would say easily Fusian Experience on Academy. It's Japanese tapas – only like 20 seats, food is incredible, wine is cheap. Must try the avocado taco!

Also have heard amazing things about Izakaya Edokko on St. Mary across from the Millennium Library (new).

^ Must be damn good to beat Kyu. That place is awesome.

It is, but I love Kyu as well. Funny because both places have secondary outlets at The Forks.

I'll put in another endorsement for Baraka Pita Bakery. Went back there on the weekend, it is damn good. Spectacular, even, and well worth the trip. Go hungry if you're ordering the platter.

Between having Baraka Pita, Tenderloin Meats and very reasonably priced yet nice housing around there, West Kildonan is a hidden treasure in this city.

Don't forget the French bakery!

Parts of WestK are getting pretty run down.

^ Yeah, I haven't been to that place but I've heard good things about it.

West K is a bit weird... it projects a certain upper middle class feeling, but it's clear that most upper middle class people have more or less abandoned it except for a few pockets between Main and Scotia. The Main Street commercial strip is becoming quite run down... used to be that it got a bit gritty south of Mountain Avenue, but now just about everything apart from the stretch around Riverbend is looking that way.

Except for the creepy "Maid Nights" they have there from time to time.

https://www.facebook.com/dwarfnocach...type=3&theater

Milestones seems highly interested in coming to the Winnipeg market. If the landlord at 201 Portage was willing to somehow broker a deal that benefited both them and Milestones that could easily be the banner at play, at least in my guess without inside knowledge.

In terms of operations, putting the kitchen in the basement would definitely have its challenges. First, the food court area doesn't have direct up/down access to the tower except via the escalators. This means any food would need to leave the kitchen, cross the public walkway and then go up to the dining room. There doesn't seem to be an easy way around that either.

Assuming those logistic could be sorted out, I would guess that if there was a main floor dining room it would roughly be where Starbucks is currently and wrap around the Portage and Main corner taking in the large room behind Starbucks. Not sure if it is still vacant but it was for a long time. That would open up the possibility of having a patio off the dining room directly on the P&M corner and separate from the existing plaza space.

In terms of Starbucks, it could potentially move to the basement level near the bottom of the escalators. The relocation could also address the somewhat funky and awkward layout of the current Starbucks location. Sort of funny I recall before Starbucks was there thinking that space would work but more the open room I had seen.

Wasnt milestones supposed to open a location at Alt?

Similar situation in EK/NK. Areas west of Henderson are usually much nicer than the areas east of Henderson. You get down into Kildonan drive and it's a really nice area, IMO anyways. Specifically the area around Oakview. Most houses are well maintained and are/were the higher class houses built back in the 60's.

I will also trumpet my approval for the West K Main St area. There's also a French bakery I can never pronounce, serving macaroons, etc. Quite good.

It was announced to be going where the Brown's Social House is currently being built.

Cara in general in Winnipeg doesnt seem to be doing so hot. The two harveys in Winnipeg are for sale, and no new locations popping up. I think there were originally supposed to be around 12 Harveys in Winnipeg

Seems that way. Despite Harvey's popularity in Ontario, I just don't think it's very good. Maybe this explains why it hasn't taken off in Winnipeg? Same goes for Swiss Chalet.

A chain burger joint I'd love to see in Winnipeg is Red Robin. They only seem to be in BC and AB, but I used to really like it when I lived in Vancouver. I'd take that anytime over Harvey's.