Things on track at Resto Gare

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This article was published 05/08/2020 (2139 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fusion seems to be a theme at Resto Gare, as there are a number of unique ingredients that add to the enduring appeal of the St. Boniface-based restaurant.

This year, Resto Gare’s owner Linda Love is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the restaurant’s origins.

 
According to Resto Gare’s website, the Kirouac family operated La Vieille Gare Restaurant at the current location — which is 630 Des Meurons St. — from 1983 until 2008, when Love decided to reinvent the old Canadian Northern Railway St. Boniface station building.

“The station has been here since 1913,” Love told Canstar News recently. “It ran for a good long period as a station, and in its last days it was used during the 1950 flood to take evacuees away from this area. After that it shut down and was vacant for around 20 years.”

Love said a group of businessmen bought the building with a vision of transforming it into a French restaurant. And the rest, as they say, is history. She said someone visiting the restaurant during its early days on a Saturday night, for example, may have been greeted by the sight of men in tuxedos enjoying a cocktail in the train car before moving in to the dining room to feast on a mouthwatering chateaubriand.

“It’s the centre cut of prime beef tenderloin, and it’s prepared with potatoes and the freshest vegetables,” Love said, noting the restaurant currently has a chateaubriand pour deux on its menu. “We’re still serving it to this day. Of course, now we’re serving it in accordance with distancing protocols, but guests can still enjoy the elegance of the meal.”

This is a good example of how Love has maintained certain historical elements of the restaurant, while also moving with the times and making it more accessible to a cross-section of people, she said.

“I’m here to serve the best food possible for my guests to enjoy. I like to marry the old and the new together, and this place becomes a fusion on its own, another entity on its own.”

In terms of her menu, Love — who lives in Fort Richmond — said it can be described as “a classic, upscale bistro menu” that appeals to a wide range of patrons.  

“I like to think of it as a menu that encapsulates a family, and has something for everyone. We have a cross-section of customers ranging from ages 20 to 100.”

Resto Gare is also now hosting jazz performances on Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoons, and another upcoming event is a nod to the restaurant’s railway-related past.
Later this month, Elmwood-based author and speaker Barbara Lange will hold readings from her books Through a Window of a Train: A Canadian Railway Anthology and Memories of the Moonlight Special and Grand Beach Train Era.  

The outdoor event will be held on Tues., Aug. 18 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m., and there will be time for questions afterwards. The event was originally scheduled to be held in April, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It will be nice to commemorate the old days, and the theme of memories. Now, during the pandemic, we’re searching for things to do, and here’s some lovely, romantic stories to help us reminisce.”  

Call 204-237-7072 to reserve seating. Email Lange at writealong@hotmail.com for more information. Go online at restogare.com to learn more about the restaurant.