Nausea, heartburn, upset stomach, indigestion, diarrhea…no, it’s not a Pepto-Bismol commercial, it’s the harsh reality of all too many restaurant experiences.
C’mon…it’s happened to you. You probably dismissed it as a stomach bug, stress, or too many hot wings. I have.
Relax…it’s not your fault…
The aha moment for me was discovering the aptly named Diners Digest, part of the City of Winnipeg’s new 311 service.
It lists all the restaurants who have been cited, fined, or closed due to unsafe food practices. And instead of the after-the-fact grumbling of my aching tum, it’s a handy early warning of places you might want to steer clear of.
Take at look. You might be surprised at some of the culprits. Visit the City of Winnipeg Diners Digest website.
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Chef Roger Wilton of the MTS Centre
So I attended another MLCC chef session (a well planted foodie gift idea), this time at the Grant Park store.
These are great! For about $40 you get chef’s table treatment and a gustatory gamut of expertly paired drinks (usually around 8).
Presiding, or should I say performing on this evening, Roger Wilton, executive chef for Winnipeg’s MTS Centre.
On the menu, cervus canadensis (that’s smarty speak for Elk). And serve us they did–Elk tenderloin with Portobello Duxelle and Blueberry Icewine Demi-glace followed by Ginger Fried Elk striploin with Rice Noodles.
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Chef Roger Wilton, Elk, MLCC Winnipeg
Garlic Zoom: no substitute for knife skills
Got this little doo-dad in my stocking this year. It’s a Garlic Zoom and it sells for about $15.
Cute, shiny, easy to clean. Yes, it’s all those things, but is it a time saver?
With the little gears and wheels and spinning blades, my inner geek couldn’t resist the urge to take it for a spin.
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Gadgets
Garlic Zoom, Kitchen Gadget
Tomato Pie Co.
It’s the teflon corner. Nothing sticks. It was a record store. Then a coffee house. Then vacant.
But this unassuming spot on the corner of Osborne and Warsaw has finally come into its own as Tomato Pie Company. Judging by the food, they’ll be around for a long long while.
Like the saying goes, if you build it, they will come. And owner Joe Pellegrino has built a friendly, talented team and loyal clientele by serving up simple and sumptuous interpretations of southern Italian cuisine.
Tomato Pie Co. was an immediate hit and received rave reviews from Ciao Magazine, The Winnipeg Free Press, and The Winnipeg Sun.
Try as I might I couldn’t get a table in the first year. And reservations are…well…reserved for tables of at least six.
Finally I scored a spot and got to decide if TPC was worthy of all the hype.
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Eat
italian restaurant winnipeg
Ted Allan: Food Detective
Those of you watching Top Chef have no doubt noticed the marked absence of guest judge and Queer Eye alum Ted Allen.
Ted’s awesome! A charming and witty foodie, I eagerly anticipate his insights when he guest judges on Iron Chef and Top Chef.
As I reported in an earlier post, he’s been focusing his energies on his own show Food Detectives which debuted on FoodTV on Monday.
Food Detectives finds the truth behind all your culinary conundrums. The first show takes on food fables like the 5 second rule (eating food from the floor), funky smelling fridges (odor busters for the ice box), and capsaicin cures (combating the burn from spicy foods).
He calls upon his five food techs to assist in lab experiments. Basically they’re glorified guinea pigs who ham it up (get the pun) to make a point.
I’m not sure what to think…it’s part Pee-wee’s Playhouse, part Mythbusters, part Good Eats. The lab stuff appeals to the geek in me, while the manufactured quirkiness irks my inner cynic.
Ted reports that Food Detectives has already landed a second season. Keep up to date on Food Detectives and all of Ted’s exploits by visiting his blog TedAllen.net
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