NOW OPEN Popular board game cafe Across the Board outgrew its small space on Albert St and has moved into a bright location on the corner of Main St and Bannatyne Ave. The spacious new room, boasting high ceilings and picture windows, sees its game selection upped to more than 1000 offerings, and an expanded menu of snacks, appies, and entrées( pictured) for hungry players to eat between turns. 211 Bannatyne Ave, 204‐691‐3422, Map 1: O-4; Tastes of the Mediterranean are the specialty at Agora Fine Foods. The spot, named after the ancient Greek market and gathering place, has plenty of reason to gather, from the shelves stocked with local and imported specialty foods to the sleek Indulge Bistro and Wine Bar that serves up Spanish, Greek, and Italian dishes in a smartly designed space. 1765 Kenaston Blvd, 204‐285‐4068, Map 2: F-3
BY JOELLE KIDD
PHOTOS: IAN MCCAUSLAND( CHEF CAM TRAN); MIKE LINTON, CENTRIC PRODUCTIONS( ACROSS THE BOARD); SCOT MCTAGGART COURTESY OF FUSION GRILL
FRENCH TWIST
It has been a long journey leading chef Cam Tran of Café Ce Soir to his petit Portage Avenue bistro. A child of Vietnamese immigrants, who escaped their country by boat, Tran began working in kitchens with his father as a teenager. A winding career path eventually led him to move to France to study as a pastry chef at the Michelin starred Gastronomicom near Montpellier. Today, in his welcoming 23-seat café, chef Cam whips up marvelous pastry creations, crème brûlées infused with flavour, and classic French cuisine. A member of the slow food movement, this passionate chef makes everything from scratch in the kitchen with local ingredients. 937 Portage Ave, 204‐414‐7647
EDITOR’ S PICK
TOP 5 SPOTS TO WINE AND DINE
Calling all oenophiles: these restaurants are must-visits for wine lovers of all stripes.
At DeLuca ' s Cooking School, sip specially paired wines provided by attached DeLuca Fine Wines while chef Anna Paganelli demonstrates how to prepare elaborate Italian dishes. Call for class schedule and to register. 950 Portage Ave, 204‐774‐7617, Map 1: Q-1
529 Wellington, Winnipeg’ s most lofty steakhouse, maintains its elevated reputation with an award winning wine list so thick it could have been written by Proust. More than 800 selections pair with anything from porterhouse to prawns. 529 Wellington Cres, 204‐487‐8325, Map 1: S-2
Mona Lisa Restaurant is a top pick for comforting red sauce Italian fare in a sleek yet casual atmosphere. The adjacent cantina is perfect for variety-loving imbibers, with 20 featured wines offered by the glass. 1697 Corydon Ave, 204‐488‐3684, Map 2: D-3
Fusion Grill stokes Canadian pride with its sophisticated use of regional ingredients, and local love doesn’ t stop there. Owner Scot McTaggart( pictured) built an extensive wine list that is exclusively Canadian, and sure to win over even old-world enthusiasts to the Canuck terroir. 550 Academy Rd, 204‐489‐6963, Map 2: D-3 Forget hot cocoa— cap off a day of outdoor activities with a glass of vino at The Common at The Forks. Pours by the glass or in tasting flights are perfect to sip while relaxing in the food hall or even browsing the market’ s upper level shops. The Forks Market, 204‐942‐6216, Map 1: Q-5
NOW OPEN Popular board game cafe Across the Board outgrew its small space on Albert St and has moved into a bright location on the corner of Main St and Bannatyne Ave. The spacious new room, boasting high ceilings and picture windows, sees its game selection upped to more than 1000 offerings, and an expanded menu of snacks, appies, and entrées( pictured) for hungry players to eat between turns. 211 Bannatyne Ave, 204‐691‐3422, Map 1: O-4; Tastes of the Mediterranean are the specialty at Agora Fine Foods. The spot, named after the ancient Greek market and gathering place, has plenty of reason to gather, from the shelves stocked with local and imported specialty foods to the sleek Indulge Bistro and Wine Bar that serves up Spanish, Greek, and Italian dishes in a smartly designed space. 1765 Kenaston Blvd, 204‐285‐4068, Map 2: F-3
MARCH / APRIL 2017 where. ca 23