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Belle’ s Kitchen + Music Hall
Dave and LaVerne’ s
Food Culture
Shirley’ s Restaurant & Gourmet Grocery
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smoked chicken, and cheddar-jalapeño sausages with just enough heat. The brisket melts with a low whisper of smoke, pulled pork carries a vinegary bite, and the ribs surrender easily from the bone. A variety of self-serve sweet, tangy, and Carolina-sharp sauces let you play pitmaster at the table.
For the truly hungry, the Pitmaster Platter, a $ 250 feast for eight, delivers hits in abundance, accompanied by all the sides from creamy mac and cheese to potato salads, baked beans, tangy slaws, and banana pudding for a nostalgic finish.
Those sides deserve their own applause: mac & cheese is gooey and indulgent, baked beans molasses-rich, and two styles of potato salad, buttermilk and pickle, hit their tangy notes. Add a Texas Twinkie, an exceptional jumbo jalapeño stuffed with brisket and cream cheese, for extra swagger.
Handheld Southern comforts are no less indulgent. The brisket sandwich drips with sweet house BBQ sauce and pickles; pulled pork gets a kick from Carolina vinegar and“ baconaise” and the chicken carries a gentle chili butter warmth. The slider trio, a mini sampler of brisket, pork, and chicken, lets you taste the full playlist.
By dessert, with a new set of local musicians taking the stage, it’ s clear Belle’ s isn’ t just a restaurant, it’ s a mood. This joyful, come-as-youare mash-up of authentic Southern kitchen and Manitoba music hall, is a rotating celebration of authentic Southern barbeque, lively music, and laughter. Equal parts charm and grit, this is a spot where the meal and the mood linger long after the last bite.
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DAVE AND LAVERNE’ S
Neighbourhood....... Southdale
Address....... 15 Lakewood Blvd
Phone............. 204-594-9015
Entrées.................... $ 13- $ 36
Part retro fantasy, part café reboot, Dave and LaVerne’ s nails what a modern diner should be by trading greasy-spoon kitsch for polished comfort and a genuine sense of joy. It’ s sleeker and smarter than its 1950s inspiration, built for how we eat now. It’ s a love letter to the golden age of hospitality, rewritten with a modern palate and a wink of pop-art playfulness which simply adds joy from the moment you enter.
The name, a tribute to the owners’ parents, carries that generational warmth into every detail. This isn’ t nostalgia by imitation but by intuition. It reimagines what a diner might look like if it grew up alongside its clientele. Operated by Winnipeg’ s True Hospitality Group( the team behind a half dozen local concepts including James Avenue Pumphouse and Cibo Waterfront Café), the restaurant leans on comfort food, both nostalgic and proud. The quiet flex: everything’ s made from scratch; retro charm delivered with sincerity.
The lighthearted design walks a smart line between homage and theater. Black-and-white tile meets mid-century cues; chrome stools at a smattering of high tops dot a space that glows with optimism. Even the pastel, atomic age TV frames feel like set dressing from a lost sitcom. It’ s playful backdrop for the contemporary rhythm of
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Photography by Belle’ s Kitchen + Music Hall, Dave and LaVerne’ s, Food Culture, Shirley’ s Restaurant & Gourmet Grocery |