Tasty tidbits
● Egg lovers unite! The second annual Brunch Fest, hosted by Manitoba Egg Farmers, takes place this Saturday at Upper Fort Garry. Tickets to the event include food samples from a bevy of local restaurants and bottomless brunch beverages.
● A shawarma chain is gearing up to open its first Winnipeg location — specifically, at 1573 Regent Ave. Osmow’s is an Ontario chain serving up shawarma, falafel and other Middle Eastern dishes. There’s no word yet on when it’ll be opening its doors, but you can feast your eyes on its menu here.
● Seoul Dak, meanwhile, just opened at 741 St. Mary’s Rd., and is offering all manner of Korean chicken dishes as well as some Korean street-food-style items. Its website appears to be under construction still, but you can get a peek at its offerings via its Instagram page.
● Ballpark Brewfest is returning to the Shaw Park concourse on Saturday, July 22 from 1-5 p.m. The second edition of the fest will feature samples from most local brewers as well as live entertainment, food and more. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster for $60 plus taxes/fees and include a souvenir sampling mug and a voucher for a hotdog, hamburger or slice of pizza.
● Kilter Brewing Co. is holding a little fest of its own this weekend. Kilterpalooza takes place Saturday (June 24) at the St. Boniface brewery (450 Rue Deschambault) starting at noon, with a backyard beer garden party, games and a vendor market including Bead n’ Butter, Verde Plant Design and Pop Cart, as well as music from Curtis Newton, Ego Spank and the JD Edwards Band. Oh, and beer — all your Kilter faves plus some new special beer releases. For more information, see here.
● Heading to the Winnipeg Folk Festival? Black Market Provisions has created picnic packs filled with goodies for folkies heading to Birds Hill Park. The $100 kits are available for pre-order and include dips, chips, salads, beverages, desserts and a reusable cooler bag. The deadline for orders is June 30.
Recommended fare
Ben: One of the perks of being the Free Press literary editor is getting a sneak peek at new books before they hit the shelves, and when Patrick deWitt’s forthcoming novel The Librarianist landed at my doorstep, I may have squealed a little. The novel follows Bob Comet, a retired librarian who starts volunteering at a retirement centre before a chance meeting sends readers back in time to the highs and lows of his past. That may make it sound a little dull, but it’s beautifully written, infused with deWitt’s perfectly dry humour that endeared his other books (including The Sisters Brothers, French Exit and Undermajordomo Minor) to so many. It’s out July 4 and he’ll be here at the end of August for a launch.

Patrick deWitt will be in town at the end of August for a book launch. (Tyler Anderson / Postmedia News files)
Eva: Vietnamese is one of my favourite cuisines to order in — Nhu Quynh, Pho Hoang and Viva Vietnamese are a few of my top local spots — yet, I haven’t done much Vietnamese cooking at home. I decided to atone for the oversight recently by trying my hand at a vermicelli noodle bowl. This recipe was my guiding light and it was perfect. Fresh, flavourful and filling.
Homemade
Homemade is a Free Press project celebrating home cooking in Manitoba. Want to share a recipe with readers? Visit Homemade to fill out the submission form. Enjoy this Layered Salad recipe submitted by April Osnach.

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