Tasty tidbits
The spot once occupied by El Salvadorean eatery La Fiesta Cafecito, which recently closed its doors, won’t be vacant for long. Tito Boy Restaurant will offer “traditional and fusion Philippine cuisine” when they open their doors at 730 St Anne’s Rd in south Winnipeg. There’s not much information out there right now beyond that, but watch their socials.
On a similar note, the restaurant that moved into Close Co.’s Stafford Street space is now open for business. As reported in the Free Press some weeks ago, long-time Segovia Tapas Bar & Restaurant head Adam Donnelly’s new venture, Petit Socco, is taking over the intimate space. Petit Socco’s Instagram page has a few details — the menu consists of seven items, to be shared family style, and will change seasonally. The profile notes they’re open Wednesday through Saturday from 5-10 p.m. They take reservations by phone (at 204-306-7522) between 3-6 p.m.
Winnipeg’s Chaeban Ice Cream recently nabbed the top prize for frozen sweet treats at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, held in June in Toronto. The Osborne Street ice cream shop’s Salty Carl landed the grand champion award in ice cream, while the Rocky Ricardo was tops in the chocolate ice cream with inclusions category.
Monstrosity Burger, the Tuxedo area restaurant that racked up $1 million in fines for defying pandemic health orders, will be closing up shop following Le Burger Week in September. In an Instagram post, the restaurant’s owners blamed diminished support from customers for the decision.
It’s been open less than a year, but Nola has certainly made an impression nationally. The St. Boniface fine-dining eatery led by chef Emily Butcher has been nominated for best new restaurant in Canada by Air Canada’s enRoute magazine. The list of 30 restaurants was unveiled this week, with a Top 10 list to be announced at a later date.
Recommended fare
Ben: We’ve done takeout/delivery sushi a few times over the last couple of years, but it was great to sit down and tuck into a literal boatload of various rolls at Naru Sushi in Osborne Village. Eight rolls ordered arrived at the table on a wooden boat-shaped platter, and the freshness and quality were aces. The Osborne, Asagao and Ma Yo rolls were all delicious, as was the veggie caterpillar roll.
I just watched the first three episodes of The Bear, an FX/Hulu show now on Disney+ in Canada, and it is a wild, wild ride. Set in Chicago, the drama (dark comedy?) follows the trials and tribulations of a chef formerly at a Michelin-starred restaurant who takes over the run-down family eatery, The Original Beef of Chicagoland, after a death in the family. Viewers are dropped straight into the sweaty kitchen action in the first episode, and from there the show rarely lets up, with Jeremy Allen White brilliantly starring as chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto. As of this writing, only three of the eight first-season episodes are available for streaming in Canada, but it’s well worth a watch. The soundtrack is great, and many industry types have noted how accurately the portrayal of restaurant life is in the show.
Eva: If you’re looking for some good pub food in St. Vital, Riverside Tap and Table is the spot. Located in the same building as Juneberry and the Limelight, the recently renovated bar has a pool table, tons of TVs and weekly live music nights. I stopped by recently with friends and ordered the share platter and perogy pizza, both of which satisfied our craving for some indulgent fare. I’ve never met a deep-fried pickle I didn’t love.
If you’ve got an AirBnB booking coming up, I would avoid watching The Rental. Directed by Dave Franco, the 2020 horror thriller follows a pair of couples to a remote oceanside cabin for a weekend getaway that goes very, very wrong. It’s a creepy watch with some satisfying twists and well-placed gore.
Homemade
With cucumber season in full swing, we’re sharing a pickle recipe submitted by Judy Fowler to the Homemade community cookbook this week.
Join our Homemade Facebook group for recipe sharing and conversations about home cooking.

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