Ward 1 brings taste of Louisiana to Osborne

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This article was published 11/12/2017 (3205 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The folks behind a new restaurant in Osborne Village are hoping to bring a bit of southern charm, entertainment, and comfort food to a classic neighbourhood eatery.

Ward 1 Restaurant and Lounge opened on Dec. 2 at 135 Osborne St. (in the former home of Basil’s and most recently, Black Rabbit Bistro). The Cajun and Creole style seafood stop is the sister to Bouchée Boucher, a newly opened butcher shop and restaurant in Norwood, and is owned by Steve Conner.

Ward 1’s menu, developed by head chef Justin Gagnon, features Louisiana inspired dishes from po’boys, to seafood boils loaded with crawfish and potatoes, fried frog legs, and hearty gumbos with wild-caught alligator.

According to general manager Lindsey Weller, Ward 1 will be channeling the party atmosphere of New Orleans in the newly renovated space and embracing a traditional Louisiana dining experience.

“I have always loved eating in the south and thought it was a big hole in the industry in the city,” Weller said. “With our winters and cold weather, comfort food is awesome, and with having the luxury of arguably the best patio in the city, being able to have seafood boils and fun event style dining, that could be really accenting what he have out there, it was a no brainer.”

Weller said come summer, people will be able to enjoy seafood boils “chucked” onto tables on the patio, and during brunch and dinner service indoors live music will be a staple alongside catfish and crawfish.

“It’s sort of a destination dining experience,” she said. “I’ve noticed it’s attracting people’s attention quite a bit because it’s something different and something really fun.”

In the back of the house, Gagnon — whose background is in French cuisine — has been building the menu with locally sourced meats and ingredients (with the exception of alligator which comes from Louisiana) and said the reception to his take on Cajun and Creole dishes has been warm so far.

“We’ve been going through so much crawfish it’s been awesome. They look cool, on the plate, you get to interact with your food when you eat it, break it open, so it makes it interesting,” Gagnon said.

“With the lunch menu, you’ve got the basic po’boys — there’s quite a few of them — which are a staple to Louisiana. And they come big and they’re awesome, and we also decided to cater to the local crowd, Winnipeg, as in brunch,” he said with a laugh.

Gagnon said Ward 1’s approach to an eggs Benedict uses a spicier hollandaise sauce and instead of English muffins use biscuits and cornbread. Eggs sardou, collard greens quiche, and chicken and Andouille gumbo are also on the menu.

“Everyone loves brunch out here so we decided to put some traditional (to Louisiana) breakfast items,” he said. “They’re pretty cool and colourful.”

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