Let's do lunch downtown!

If you haven't already noticed (much thanks to my countless restaurant-related blog entries), I'm a bit of a foodie.  I adore all types of culinary combinations, whether it be greasy burgers, spicy pad thai or creamy pasta alfredo.  Walking into a downtown restaurant, I feel like a kid in a candy store.

Photo courtesy of http://www.mygumbas.com

That being said, when I heard news of Let's Do Lunch Downtown, I was absolutely thrilled.

Let's Do Lunch Downtown is an event organized by the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ.  From March 5 to March 30, various restaurants all over city central will offer special pricing on some of their most popular plates.

Hy's Steakhouse courtesy of http://static.hyssteakhouse.com

Participating restaurants include The Palm Lounge, The Rib Room, The Key, Lobby on York, Hy's Steakhouse, The Current, Pony Corral, Cafe 22, Boston Pizza, Hermanos, The Ground Floor Urban Diner, 4Play Sports Bar and Shannon's Irish Pub & Eatery.

Photo courtesy of http://img4.myrecipes.com/

Dishes range from $6.99 to $14.95.  Some of the tasty delicacies include chickpea burgers, smoked salmon bagels and "The Winni-delphia Steak Sandwich."  Most meals include a potato or salad side.

The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ is also hosting a contest in conjunction with Let's Do Lunch Downtown for a restaurant tour valued at $500.  You can enter by leaving your business card or by asking for a ballot from your server.

Photo courtesy of http://www.diymarketers.com

All the more reason to enjoy a delicious, affordable meal in the heart of our delectable city.  Bon appetite!

Food court favourites

If you've ever worked at the mall, you may be familiar with the love/hate relationship some employees develop with the food court.

On one hand, the quick preparation of fast food is great for short lunch breaks (except during Christmas, where you'll be waiting at least 10-15 minutes before the meal hits your tray).  You often get to choose from a dozen or so different major chains, including the likes of KFC, A&W and Arby's.

For the first little while, we tend to romanticize the idea of having so many choices, but the shininess wears off fast.  As your ease into the daily grind, you start to become uneasy with the less-than-fantastic food selection.

Now, I've spent hundreds of lunches in Polo Park's food court during my lunch breaks.  After things started getting dull, I began exploring the surrounding area in hopes of finding something that I could sink my teeth into.

From my outstanding repertoire of gourmet mall dining (ha!), I've decided to let you guys in on a few of my favourite unconventional food court meals.

Photo courtesy of http://ilovetoronto.com

1.  Salads at Cultures

People often complain that the menu at Cultures is overpriced and unfulfilling.  Although it is one of the more expensive food options, their salads are completely worth it.  Why?  Simply because it's one of the only choices that don't make you feel like there's a huge, undigested rock in your stomach after you're finished your lunch.  The serving is huge, and you can save the rest for later.

Photo courtesy of http://media.citytv.topscms.com

2.  Homestyle dining at Zellers

Don't let the looks of this stodgy little diner at the back of a department store fool you.  Although their clientele consists mainly of retirees, their menu features a number of tasty lunch items, including chicken fingers, burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches (my personal favourite).  Here, you get more bang for your buck, and the best part about it is that you get to escape from the consumer-packed mall atmosphere.

Photo courtesy of http://www.aurorashoptalk.com

3.  Friendly staff at Opa!

Pitas, Greek salad, tzatziki sauce - oh my!  Opa offers a menu that is a tad healthier than the rest, but the main reason I mention them isn't because of their food options.  I personally have never had a bad experience at this location, much thanks to their cheerful staff members.  They make friendly conversation while assembling your order, and their upbeat demeanour adds a bit of pep in your step for the rest of the weary day.

Photo courtesy of http://www.osservatoriopalermo.org

4.  Cream of anything soup at Brioni's

Brioni's is the only restaurant left in the food court that has its own personal seating area.  Much like Zellers, it offers a more private environment to enjoy your meal.  Asides from this leg up, their menu isn't necessarily the greatest - asides from their creamy soups.  And they are to die for.  Whether it's broccoli, mushroom, tomato or potato (they even have a cheeseburger variation), this dense broth fills you right up with its hearty goodness.

Photo courtesy of http://www.citymom.ca

5.  Deep-fried tempura at Bento

Many people shy away from Bento Sushi because they expect the same quality of sushi here as they would from a sit down restaurant.  Unfortunately, all of their rolls are made in batches and left out for customers to pick up and go.  They do, however, make their tempura fresh to order.  It's warm, tasty and super affordable.

Photo courtesy of http://hqgrandeprairie.com

6.  Pizza buns at Second Cup

Second Cup orders most of their dainties from a local bake shop called Goodies.  Now, if you haven't been, I highly recommend visiting this tempting dessert paradise.  They carry countless cakes, baked goods and breads that are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  The pizza buns are a rare commodity, usually only available in the mornings and early afternoon, but they are a gooey, yummy warmed-up treat.

Here are a few more suggestions from my fellow Tweeps:

@Danielmags Opa no question.

@BVirts Famous Wok: Bourbon Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork.  Thai Express: Pad Thai.

@jennylynndotnet Popular favourite is the fried stuff from the sushi place.  The fries and the tempura.

@SaraJHarrison  I LOVE THESE PLACES: A&W (haha), that thai place, TacoTime all mixed together with a strawberry banana julius

Eating at the food court doesn't seem so bad now, does it?  The next time you pay it a visit, consider some of these options.  Your stomach will thank you for it.

Eenie, meenie, miney, moe!

The new Choose Your Charity concert series features eight Winnipeg musicians with tremendous vocals and enormous hearts.

Don Amero, courtesy of http://donamero.com

These talents performers take turns playing at the Winnipeg Free Press News Cafe every Thursday evening at 7 p.m.  Performances have included the artistic stylings of JD Edwards, Katie Murphy, Keri Latimer, Don Amero and Flo.

Flo, Courtesy of Walter Janzen from http://www.flosoul.com

Thrift Store Love will be performing March 8, in support of the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation.

Hayley Gene will be coming in on March 15 to help out her charity of choice, W.I.S.H. Inc.

Lastly, James Struthers, who is also the event's organizer, will be rocking out to raise awareness for Winnipeg Harvest on March 22.

Thrift Store Love, courtesy of http://www.thriftstorelove.net

Admission to the event is $15, or $10 with the accompaniment of a non-perishable food item.

Sushi in St. James

Although I pride myself in discovering downtown dining, I sometimes like to venture into unfamiliar territory to try something new.

From a culinary standpoint, Winnipeg has experienced an influx of sushi restaurants popping up all over the city in the past few years.  Some of my favourite places include Sushi Cushi, Hanabi and Blufish.

After a friend of mine on Instragram shared a mouthwatering photo from Tokyo Sushi, I couldn't help but head down to St. James to see what all the fuss was about.

We went to Tokyo Sushi on a quiet Sunday night.  They had plenty of parking available in front, behind the restaurant and on the residential street beside it.

The restaurant doesn't look like much from outside, but you'll be delightfully surprised upon entry.  Faux greenery covers the floors on both sides of the walkway, with a custom wooden arch acting secondary as a door.

The restaurant in itself has a very oriental feel, which is more traditional than most sushi places I've been to.  The walls are covered in a muted red paint, with plants propped up on most countertops and ledges.  Lanterns adorn the ceiling and shine light on the otherwise dim atmosphere.  There's also a beautiful sakura tree and miniature lit house in the middle of the restaurant.

There are about a dozen tables in the restaurant, and the waitress seated us by the window looking out onto Portage Ave.  She was dressed in a kimono, which added another touch of oriental authenticity.

I started off my order with a sushi pizza ($7.95) - an unconventional item I order at all Japanese restaurants, if it's available on the menu.  Generally, a sushi pizza is made up of different raw fish drizzled in teriyaki sauce and (sometimes) mayo, atop a deep-fried rice patty.

I requested a vegetarian version of the dish, which was instead topped with tomatoes, avocado and apple. The tomato was juicy and the apples were sweet, if not tasteless.  The rice patty was a little overcooked, making it hard and chewy on the bottom of it.  Not the best I've had, but not the worst either.

Our main order included the avocado roll ($2.95), spicy vege roll ($4.45), b.c. roll ($4.45), teriyaki chicken ($4.45), bagel roll ($4.45) and vegetarian caterpillar roll ($8.95).

The rolls were average in size, except for the massive avocado pieces.  The sauces were tasty and the spicy sauce on the vege roll was the perfect blend of spicy and sweet.  Their chicken teriyaki roll, which is traditionally made with breaded chicken, was instead cooked with chicken covered in tempura batter.  It was an interesting alternative to the normally thin coating.

The only concern was overly chewy seaweed, making the sushi rolls a bit harder to swallow.

Tokyo Sushi has great presentation skills, both in the plating and atmosphere.  Their sushi is slightly above average, and their service is nothing out of the ordinary.  Nonetheless, it's worth the trip to admire the decor, and perhaps try out one of the popular specialty rolls.

"The World's Largest Kitchen Party"

Christmas and New Year's aside, there is one thing I always look forward to during the snowy season: le Festival du Voyageur!

From http://travel.smart-guide.net/festival-du-voyageur

This 10-day long winter festival is held in Saint-Boniface, celebrating Canada's unique French history and the fur trade era.

Get your snowshoes on, your fur hats ready, and don't forget to pay Fort Gibraltar a visit next week!  If not that, at least drop by for a mini donut or two.

This year, the festival runs from February 17 to 26.

The Voyageur Pass gives visitors access to the Voyageur Park and free/discounted admission to all other official sites for the duration of the festival.

Adult passes are $22 (day passes are $13), youth $7 and children five and under enter for free.

For more information on the Festival du Voyageur, click here.