About Marion Warhaft:

Marion Warhaft is the Free Press food critic.

• Hit & myth

  When characters in a movie or on television wield their chopsticks, plucking morsels of Chinese food from those cardboard (as opposed to foil) containers I can't actually see what they're eating but I just know it's good. At least, I always assume it is if the setting is New York, or some other fabulous food centre. Nevertheless, Winnipeg Chinese food has also always been good, which is probably why it was the first ethnic cuisine most of us were exposed to -- for many of us it was a Sunday-night ritual. That hasn't changed much, and although most eat-in Chinese restaurants will prepare food for takeout as well, there are a few outlets that specialize in take-out or delivery only.

  View Full Column | 3/07/2009 1:00 AM | 2

• There's no shortage of fabbo at Fazzo

  I Googled endlessly, looking for the meaning of Fazzo, which I was sure had to be an Italian word, but, apart from some people by that name, all I could come up with was Australian slang for fabulous or wonderful. A definition that might be applied to much, if not all of the food at Fazzo, the newest Corydon Avenue bistro. It's a strikingly attractive place -- sleek, stylish and modern, but not intimidatingly so, with a high raftered ceiling, comfortingly soft lighting, and a decor done in muted tones of sand, cafe au lait and chocolate brown.

  View Full Column | 26/06/2009 1:00 AM | 7

• Portuguese fave makes triumphant return

  This brand new Chave d'Ouro (the name means golden key) has had the longest gestation of any restaurant I can remember, and the owners must be heartily sick of my frequent phone calls, asking if it was open yet and, if not, when. Possibly they finally did open just to put an end to those pesky calls. The previous premises on Sargent Avenue closed about two years ago, leaving fans of that little Portuguese restaurant desperate for their fix of its fabled rotisserie-roasted chicken. Did I know where they had gone, they asked, and when, if ever, would they return.

  View Full Column | 19/06/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• Monumental comfort food at cosy little spot

  As a restaurant critic on expense account (don't hate me because I'm lucky) I can order almost anything I want, and price be damned. Within reason, of course. I've never dared order beluga caviar, and I've never been tested by the presence on any local menu of truffles -- not those rich chocolates, but that rare fungus that costs more than gold. Steaks and roast beef, however, do appear on most menus, and are at or near the top of the price range. As are racks of lamb and shrimp, (especially when they are called prawns or scampi). But there are times when I'd be just as happy with -- indeed, long for -- certain comfort foods that are usually at the low end of the price range.

  View Full Column | 12/06/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• Scenic drive, seductive setting, fab food

  IT’S May! it’s May! the merry month of May! as that jubilant old song has it, and it’s usually a lot earlier in the month that my car and I are drawn irresistibly to the Riv­er Road in St. Andrews, probably the most beautiful scenic drive in this part of the province. Well, we all know what happened to May — it was a washout, both literally and figuratively, and my spring ritual had to wait until the end of the month. Still, better late than never. What's more, there's a bonus if you stop for lunch at the Maple Grove Tea Room, which is located in Kennedy House, once a private home built in 1866, in Gothic Revival style. Half of the house is now a museum, furnished in the style of the period. The other half is a tea room, on a charming veranda tucked in between one of the original fieldstone walls on one side, and a wall of windows hung with white lace valences on the other, shaded by forest green awnings to keep the sun at bay.

  View Full Column | 5/06/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• Not fancy, but Elmwood has good eats

  Like the North End (about which I wrote a few weeks ago), the area on the other side of the river is also short on stylish dining. And, like the North End, Elmwood also has some interesting and appealing options. You might never know about them, though, unless you have friends in the area to tip you off, which is how I heard about Mercadito Latino. From outside it looks like a tiny grocery store, which is exactly what it is in the front, its shelves crammed with a dizzying selection of ingredients for whose who want to do their own Latino cooking. But work your way past them into the back and you'll find yourself in a windowless and ultra-simple little room that still manages to be bright and cheerful, with apricot coloured walls and a scattering of Latino artifacts -- maracas hanging from a high shelf that holds a TV, wee dolls on another shelf, and a huge sombrero on yet another.

  View Full Column | 29/05/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• Korean food that's fresh, flavourful and fiery

  I usually give new restaurants enough time to settle in before reviewing them but the process doesn't always work as planned. I first found Kimbaek a few years ago but, since communication on the phone was almost non-existent, I had no way of learning how long it had been open. And when I took a chance and visited the place anyway, I discovered that organization wasn't exactly a strong point either. The menu was very limited, but the food itself was good -- three-and-a-half stars' worth -- and I began to suspect that once the kitchen had found its footing it might be even better. A prophetic thought, apparently, since a few readers have insisted recently that Kimbaek is the best and most authentic Korean restaurant in the city. That, plus my own original impressions, began to make a return visit seem like a good idea.

  View Full Column | 22/05/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• Selkirk fixture not fancy, but food's fantastic

  The first thing you need to know about Barney Gargles is not to attempt it without a reservation. I'd been warned that it was always full, but didn't really believe it could be a problem in the middle of the afternoon, which is when we turned up -- about 4:30, to be precise -- and had to join a queue. And when we left almost two hours later the lineup was even longer.

  View Full Column | 15/05/2009 1:00 AM | 3

• Sandwiches great, but save room for dessert

  If everything else is just prologue to dessert, lunch is probably a better idea than dinner. I know that after I've been through an appetizer (even when shared) and a main course, I have trouble doing anything more than just nibble at dessert. Sandwiches are more manageable and today's two establishments offer a selection of good ones, to justify your indulgence in the beautiful baked goods you may really have come for. Dessert Sinsations is a spacious, airy place, with walls of tall windows on two sides, a cool modern ambience, and a superb location in the heart of midtown, just behind the Art Gallery. With its own parking lot, no less. It also has a noise level that discourages lingering -- high on its own, and downright deafening when the background music is amped up to foreground music.

  View Full Column | 8/05/2009 1:00 AM | 1

• It ain't fancy, but food, service are welcoming

  Every now and then I'm asked to recommend a good, upscale restaurant in the North End, and I can't. I just don't know of any. In fact, some of the area's simple but most fabled establishments are no longer there either. Some have moved south -- the White House is now on Grant Avenue, its ribs for takeout only, and Oscar's has moved its corned beef sandwiches to midtown. Gone altogether and much lamented are Simon's beautiful borscht and blintzes. No, you won't find foie gras on any neighbourhood menus --- casual always was, and is, more characteristic of the area. But there are still a few institutions that have withstood the test of time, drawing a loyal clientele from even distant suburbs.

  View Full Column | 1/05/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• With takeout like this, who needs a kitchen?

  Contrary to what some may think, artichokes aren't born in jars or cans -- the kind that are shoved willy-nilly into salads, dips and pastas, to which they add little except the acidity of vinegar. They actually grow on stalks and are quite pretty in their natural state (they've even had a hairdo named after them) but if I ever wanted a fresh artichoke I always had to cook it myself. Until last week, that is, when they turned up as part of De Luca's brand new meals-to-go service. For this new offering Fabrizio Rossi has been imported from Rome, and, appropriately, his artichokes were done in a typical Roman fashion, to wit, alla romana. They were smaller than globe artichokes, slightly bigger than the babies, with part of the meaty stem still attached, the tough outer leaves pared away, the centre de-choked, stuffed with fresh mint and a touch of anchovy, and simmered in olive oil. And they were lovely.

  View Full Column | 17/04/2009 1:00 AM | 2

• This Dandelion is a delight that hopefully will grow (hours)

  At first the news was dire, striking sorrow into the hearts of those who want their food local, ethical and beneficial -- i.e. meat unsullied by antibiotics, a decent choice of vegetarian dishes and everything organic whenever possible. Even the wines. A few months ago Dandelion was said to be closing as a restaurant, and would operate as a take-out deli. But apparently something changed somebody's mind, and Dandelion is again open as a full-scale restaurant, albeit only from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Look it up on its web site (www.dandelioneatery.com), and one of the first things that meets the eye is a photograph of luscious-looking slabs of rare, really rare, meat. There's no identifying caption, and if it is beef, it's as bloody as I like mine. Scroll on to the menu, though, and the question may seem academic since the dish isn't there.

  View Full Column | 9/04/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• Go on African safari on Sargent Avenue

  As that optimistic old adage goes, when one door closes another one opens. Well, in this case, it's the same door, and much of what you'll find within is what you would have found before, i.e., a menu devoted to Ethiopian cooking. It looks much as it did when Pyramid Falafel lived here -- airy, with particularly well-spaced tables. But Ye Habesha-Bet has added some touches of its own, with a vibrant colour scheme of mustard, brown and maroon, as well as a scattering of interesting Ethiopian artifacts and African music as a soundtrack.

  View Full Column | 3/04/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• It's far from sunny Greece, but it's Greek in sunny St. James

  The Olympia Diner isn't really a diner, at least not in the classic sense. There is no seating at a counter, offering a view into the kitchen, and no booths lining the opposite wall. Not even a diner style menu of dishes that are available all day. Well, the term has become pretty elastic, and these days all kinds of places call themselves diners. The menu does offer some items that could be considered typical diner fare -- sandwiches, burgers, omelettes and such, but at lunch only, as well as such Canadiana as steaks, breaded fried shrimp and veal cutlets at dinner. But they weren't what I had come for. The reason for my visits was to try the Greek dishes -- there aren't a whole lot of them, compared to some other Greek menus, but enough to tempt me.

  View Full Column | 27/03/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• Be prepared to graze at pair of downtown cafés

  It's reached by a short ramble through Aqua Books, a wee space, divided into two rooms with an off-beat decor of unmatched tables and (mostly) kitchen chairs, an open kitchen and an easy-going attitude. To call it a bistro is a tad misleading; café might be more accurate. The word bistro evokes, at least for me, more cooked meals than one finds at Eat!Bistro. You don't hear much about grazing anymore, but that one-time fad is pretty much what's going on here, and you have to like eating little bits of a number of things that might add up to a meal. Snacks, salads, dips, appetizers and such, much of it with vegan or vegetarian, as well as gluten and nut-free options. Familiar little items, most of them, and eclectic -- with flavours from Asia, Mexico and Greece, among others. It's a cosy little place, serving food that is often good, and that could be better if more attention were paid to that old devil, detail.

  View Full Column | 20/03/2009 1:00 AM | 7

• Somalian spot delicious addition to city menu

  I know this address. I've eaten here often when it was under different dispensations, all of them Vietnamese, and enjoyed on each visit both the food and the charming murals of seascapes. But now one wall has lost its mural -- the biggest and most beautiful one, as it happens, replaced by plain acidic green. It's otherwise a bright and spacious place, with parts of the murals remaining on other walls, and white tablecloths embroidered with pretty butterflies under glass or clear plastic. These new tenants aren't to blame for the destruction of the mural, which was already gone when they moved in. And for the first time the food isn't Vietnamese. It's Somali, the city's first. Well, one can't mourn the loss of one Vietnamese restaurant in a city teeming with so many good ones. And one can certainly celebrate the addition of a new cuisine, especially since in this case it is delicious.

  View Full Column | 13/03/2009 1:00 AM | 3

• One hidden location, two different Clay Ovens

  My first problem with the new Clay Oven was in finding it. Like those on Pembina -- only worse -- the address numbers on Kenaston mean nothing because you can't see them, and you certainly can't slow down on this busy road to try and find them. So if you plan a visit, watch for the Kenaston Common shopping centre. Then remember that the restaurant is at the same entrance, along the same side road as Indigo Books and a Starbucks. By the time of my second visit I had it down pat. But then, when leaving, I must have circled for a good 10 minutes before I could find my way out. I mention all the above as an aid to readers who plan a visit. And good luck.

  View Full Column | 6/03/2009 1:00 AM | 5

• Eastern promises

  I LEARN about restau­rants in many different ways — from the Yellow Pages, from readers’ tips or simply by driving by. And even, sometimes, just like anybody else, in the pages of this newspaper. In the case of the White Rock Cafe, it was David Sanderson’s article on the restaurant’s history that caught my attention. That, and the fact that the owner was apprehensive about my possible visit. Would I be coming? Had I already been and left too disappointed to even review it? She needn't have worried. No, I hadn't been, but now I have. And no, I didn't leave disappointed. East Kildonan may not be a hotbed of upscale dining, but this is my kind of place, or at least one of my kinds of places -- no airs, no attitude, just an unpretentious little place serving honest, well-prepared food at alluring prices.

  View Full Column | 27/02/2009 1:00 AM | 1

• Charming in Charleswood

  Sushi comes to Charleswood, and one wonders if it could possibly be a better location for raw fish than Broadway. I wouldn't have thought so -- the area isn't exactly teeming with interesting restaurants -- but possibly that very dearth of choices makes it a good bet. Obviously the owners of Asahi think so, because they have moved from their rather featureless downtown location to this new one. In any case, it's not very far into Charleswood -- just past the park -- and therefore will probably draw residents of Tuxedo and River Heights, as well.

  View Full Column | 26/02/2009 7:10 AM | 1

• Funny... they don't taste like bargains

  It was pre-empted, first by Chinese New Year, and then by Valentine's Day, but here, at last, is the belated third column on post-holiday bargains.

  Today's prices are somewhat higher than some in the preceding columns, but they qualify as bargains for the kind of foods they buy, which may cost significantly more elsewhere.

  View Full Column | 13/02/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• How do I love thee? Let me serve the ways...

  With Valentine's Day looming on the horizon, nervous lovers may be wondering what they can do to demonstrate their devotion. Never mind that the restaurant they feel is romantic enough will be packed; and never mind that the prices in some may rule them out for the cash-strapped. This week's column does double duty, offering both suggestions for a Valentine's day dinner, and a bonus addition to my usual three columns of bargains (the last one will appear next week).

  Even in hard times, luxury food can be possible if you have it at home. Take lobster, for instance, something that -- even with this year's dramatically lower prices -- most diners can't afford in a restaurant. Buy them at Sobey's (I got mine at the above branch) and not only are they reasonably priced, but they will be steamed for you at no extra cost, and, at $11.99 a pound (last week's price, down about $5 from a year or so ago) affordable, at least for a special occasion. Place your order, shop for about 10 minutes, and your classy crustacean is ready to go.

  View Full Column | 6/02/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• Chinese New Year feast simply ox-cellent

  Every year around this time I write three columns on bargains, and today's was to have been my third. However I've had to postpone it (it will turn up shortly) and the reason for the delay is Chinese New Year, a festival that I have finally, barely, caught up with. It's something I've always wanted to write about, but it has always crept up on me, so that by the time I managed to track down some of the foods that are special to the event, the New Year was over, and the foods no longer available. A few days ago I spent hours on the phone, trying to find a special New Year's menu, and all I could come up with were pre-ordered multi-course dinners for large groups -- one was approximately $260 for 12, a pretty good price, in fact, if you have that many friends who are interested. The light bulb over my head finally came on and I realized I was asking the wrong question -- what I really needed to know was, were there any special dishes for the holiday, dishes that weren't on the restaurant's regular menu.

  View Full Column | 30/01/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• Warm and welcome Italian or, if you prefer, Portuguese

  THE price of gas may have gone down, but you’d never know it from the price of food (remember how they told us it was all because of the cost of transportation?) Never­theless, it is still possible to dine out without breaking the budget. It may take some creative ordering — such as sharing an appetizer and dessert — but a delicious dinner for two can still be bought for about $60 (exclusive of alcohol, tip and taxes). And you won’t have to settle for a greasy spoon.

  View Full Column | 23/01/2009 7:16 AM | 0

• Delicious Asian bargains welcome in January

  Every January, I write a few columns on bargain restaurants, but in these tough times reviews of cheap eats should be particularly welcome. As always, at least one of those columns will be about Asian foods, and in fact, if I were to follow the line of least resistance, I could do an entire year of columns on Asian best buys since there are so many good ones. Sandwiched, as Laos is, between Thailand and Vietnam, it isn't surprising to find culinary influences on Laotian cuisine from both -- primarily the former, though, and many of our Thai restaurants (I've been told) have actually been run by Laotians. However, in recent years some Laotians have been featuring their own cuisine, and although some dishes may seem identical to those in Thai restaurants, A Taste of Laos offers a large and fascinating selection of dishes that I have found nowhere else.

  View Full Column | 16/01/2009 1:00 AM | 0

• Putting the 'ate' in 2008

  SO what else have I been up to during the past year? A lot more than one might have as­sumed from last week’s sum­mary of the year’s top restaurants.

  Many small, sometimes modest establishments also brightened my year with some delicious dishes, although the sad fact is that a few of them, which had just opened during the past year, have already closed. The following, however -- listed in alphabetic, not necessarily preferential order -- were open the last time I checked, and they are some of the reasons why I love this job.

  View Full Column | 2/01/2009 1:00 AM | 0

Advertisement

Ads by Google