Selkirk fixture not fancy, but food’s fantastic

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/05/2009 (6011 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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.

Either the Selkirk locals like to eat their lunches late, or their dinners early. Or they like this place so much they are willing to eat there whenever a table is freed up.

I can understand why. It’s a quirky charmer of a place, just two rooms that seem like more, since there are tables tucked into the connecting areas.

The decor has something of Ye Olde Tea Room about it, with a hodge-podge of artifacts everywhere — tiny dolls on a high ledge, china plates on the walls, ivied trellises on the upper parts of the windows. My own particular love is the wood-framed mirror etched with an Irish Whiskey slogan — clearly salvaged from some long-gone saloon.

The restaurant has been existence for over 30 years, and under the ownership of sisters Shirley Cormack and Judy Venier for the past 20. I’d be surprised if much had changed in that time — there isn’t much point in changing what works, and something clearly works here.

The appetizers list such Canadiana as chili, poutine, nachos, bruschetta, breaded fried shrimp and quesadillas ($5.50 to $9.45) — and yes, they’re all Canadian by now. I didn’t try any of them. What I did start with was a Cobb salad, partly because this American classic is so rare on local menus, and partly because readers sometimes ask where they can find it, and I haven’t been able to help them.

This version is huge — a bed of lettuce topped by a series of ingredients arranged in rows, among them tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, grated cheddar and bits of bacon. No avocado but, notably, juicy slices of chicken that tasted freshly cooked ($9.25). The dressings that were recited by our waitress all sounded as though they would come from bottles, but the house dressing, a red pepper vinaigrette, was not only appropriate for the salad but delicious as well.

There are, of course such diner-style classics as burgers, sandwiches and wraps, served all day, and priced from $6.75 to $9.75, including fries and cole slaw, or a choice of soup or salad. Some readers have praised the breakfasts, others have raved about the burgers and chicken fingers, but it was dinner I had come for. The selection of entrees isn’t vast, and there was nothing one might call fancy — just heaping portions of unpretentious but well-prepared classics, at prices that are more than fair ($9.25 to $10.45).

I didn’t try the inevitable perogies and kubasa. I did, though, have the only other ethnic entrée listed, the chicken souvlaki, and it was a match for many I’ve had in some of the city’s Greek restaurants — flavourful, tender and juicy, accompanied by tzatziki and a well-dressed Greek salad. Simple sautées of liver with onions and breaded pork chops were equally satisfying.

I don’t know what makes the fish and chips Irish, as described on the menu, but they were good. The buttermilk batter was a tad thick, but it was crisp and perfectly greaseless, enclosing sizeable slices of sweet-tasting cod.

The thin, crunchy fries were irresistible, the creamy cole slaw was good, too, and the tartar sauce was house-made.

Other sides are also treated with respect. Potatoes whipped to a creamy froth, for instance, are a fine alternative to the wonderful fries or the savoury roasted chunks. The flavourful rice pilaf with the souvlaki had clearly been simmered in broth, and even the apple sauce with the pork chops was house-made. Only the carrots — those flavourless wee ones — disappointed.

Leaving room for dessert (most $3.95 to $5.95) may be a problem if you’ve polished off your main course. There were about a dozen tantalizing choices in the showcase, driving us into a frenzy of indecision: among them, cheesecakes, cream or fruit pies and cakes, including — for those who miss the Good Old Days — red velvet cake, based on the original Eaton’s recipe.

We finally settled on a massive slab of chocolate cake — dense, dark and absolutely fabulous — and, for a refreshing contrast, a cinnamon-scented apple crisp, layered with well-defined fresh apple slices under a lovely crumbly topping.

There are only four wines by the bottle, and four by the glass, but our De Bertoli shiraz was far better and — at $5.50 for five ounces, $9.50 a half-litre — a lot cheaper than some house wines I’ve had in many tonier places.

And given the rush and crush of customers, the service was miraculously good humoured and attentive.

The restaurant is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the drive from Winnipeg to Selkirk is approximately 34 kilometres.

marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Barney Gargles

185 Main St., Selkirk, 204-785-8663

Licensed

No wheelchair access

Four stars out of 5

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