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Restaurant Reviews

View 365–Day Restaurant Reviews Archive

Idol Asian Cuisine

JOE.BRYKSA@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Enlarge Image

Owner Helen Huang with a plate of Idol Asian Cuisine’s curry beef; the restaurant serves fascinating fare from northern China.

Asian Idol worthy of worship

THOSE who don't keep track of the restaurant scene and turn up at the above address expecting to eat at Oceana will be in for a big surprise. ONLINE | 20/11/2009 7:47 AM | 0

A sausage party and some Yiddish comfort

Cured meats are like salted peanuts to me -- once I start eating them I have trouble stopping, which is why one part of me was dreading the visit to Sausage Makers Deli. The other part of me, however, couldn't wait to get there. PRINT | 13/11/2009 1:00 AM | 1
Who says brunch is a Sunday-only thing?

I love brunch, but I also love long, leisurely Sunday mornings at home, when I can indulge in my personal addiction, i.e. a bunch of crossword puzzles, especially the big New York Times puzzle, which I now save from Saturday's Free Press to do on Sunday. PRINT | 6/11/2009 1:00 AM | 3
Good looks will take you only so far

Some come for the food. Some come for the bustling bar scene. And some come to ogle the pretty waitresses. Me? I came for the pumpkin pie, one of the pie loves of my life. I suppose it may appear on other menus at this time of year, but it if does I haven't found it, and although it isn't on Earl's permanent menu, it is a current special -- moist and seductive, with a crisp crust and spiced with just the right amount of cinnamon. My only quibble would be that I prefer mine warm instead of icy ($5). PRINT | 30/10/2009 1:00 AM | 13
Vietnamese value and Asian fast food

Two gilded laughing Buddhas face the entrance, flanked by a little shrine and a bamboo plant, a welcome suggestion of more space within than there actually is. There's seating for a mere 30, and the menu is tiny as well. PRINT | 23/10/2009 1:00 AM | 0
New park eatery flexes its mussels

The distance from parking lot to restaurant isn't daunting in itself, but it is long enough to be a challenge for women in high heels, or in such temperatures as 30 degrees, either plus or minus. The payoff will be worth it, in part because of Terrace Fifty-Five's serene, sylvan setting -- an elegantly understated room, with walls and ceiling almost entirely of glass. The views of the park are glorious, especially from the tables that overlook the terrace and pool -- a scene evocative of a world more gracious than the one most of us inhabit. PRINT | 16/10/2009 1:00 AM | 2