coming of
AGE
What( and how) we eat has changed a lot in 20 years. Here are 10 ways that Winnipeg’ s dining scene has( and continues to) come of age.
GREEN LIGHT ON VEGETABLES
Who would have guessed that our most despised childhood vegetables would become menu MVPs? An analysis of Pinterest users revealed the word“ veggies” in comfort food searches rose 336 % in the last year while lasagna, macaroni and stroganoff dropped off by 69 %, 55 % and 50 %. The pervasive popularity of Brussels sprouts, beets and cauliflower continues. Serious chefs are giving vegetables center of the plate attention. In other cases they dominate starters and sides. Health benefits, availability, and versatility have resulted in beets roasted, juiced, spiralized, and made into fritters in restaurants around town, and Brussels sprouts charred, jazzed up with bacon or aioli, or dunked in the deep fry. Does it still count as healthy if a veggie is battered and fried? Your call.
BUCK-A-SHUCK LUCK
Perhaps aphrodisiacal qualities have sparked this landlocked city’ s love affair with oysters— or perhaps it’ s a meeting of minds between chefs pushing creative loss leaders and diners’ becoming open to new flavours( accompanying mignonettes attract the discerning palates). Weekly buck-a-shuck extravaganzas have all but replaced the ubiquitous wing nights with a feeding frenzy of( non-prairie) oysters.
BACON EATING
When“ The Other White Meat” left pork belly underused, victim of‘ lean’ eating, the US pork industry relaunched bacon as a flavour enhancer. Can’ t remember it as a hard sell, we all know bacon makes everything taste way better. Exhibit A: the baked potato has always been a carrier of smoky goodness. The marketing ploy successfully opened the creative floodgate for applications well beyond the Baconater( Wendy’ s). Chefs use the unbeatable smoky, salty flavour punch as a way to expand palates and minds. Now virtually any combo, savoury or sweet, is eagerly tasted: bacon-topped salads, vegetables, mussels, and cupcakes and doughnuts.
All goooood.
ONLINE ORDER
Dining in has become as easy as dining out at our favourite restaurants due to the delivery revolution. Locally, Skip The Dishes, Don’ t Cook Just Eat, and Mobile Maitre D’ have made it easy for plenty of people to camp out in front of their TV to binge watch a season or two on Netflix while happily eating gourmet. No car to warm, no worries— unless you are a parent of a tween with a smartphone and a debit card. Just saying; doughnuts delivered to the front door?
CHEF DRIVEN FAST CASUAL
The city’ s best eats are not always served on white linens. Classically trained chefs are opting to open casual, small footprint spaces which enable them to play out a passion for cooking and loosen their collar. Contemporary design and the addition of amenities like alcohol up the ante. Masterfully made authentic ethnic eats, inventive sandwiches and burgers, gourmet crêpes, and doughnuts represent the new normal for foodsters on the fly.
8 ciao! / feb / mar / two thousand seventeen