The Great Gelati War

Hi friends!

It's been a while since I've posted. My apologies! I've been really busy with work and attempting to make new friends.  I guess these things happen...

However, I was thinking of a topic that I couldn't wait to write about, so I'm giving myself 45 minutes before work to do it! That should be enough.  If it's not, well, I'll come back to this post and edit it so it's better.

I wanted to talk about Gelati in Winnipeg.  Apparently this is a thing.  A lot of people don't know that Winnipeg has a "Little Italy" that takes up about 6-8 blocks of Corydon.  Within Little Italy there are restaurants, bars, cafes and of course gelati hotspots.  Between UrbanSpoon and word of mouth, I deduced that there are two great places to get a gelato in Little Italy: G.G. Gelati and Nucci's Gelati.  I'm going to offer a review of both locations and then tell you my preference. HOW EXCITING!

G.G. Gelati

I first went to G.G. Gelati after going into Nucci's, looking at the line, looking at the top flavour list and went "meh" (I was with a friend and clearly we didn't look too hard).  So we decided to go to G.G.'s instead which is about a block over.  The interior of the gelati parlor was very clean, and it was clear that it had gone under renovation some time ago.  I found the prices to be in line with what I was expecting for a quality gelato product.  However, once we were served, I found the portions to be quite small ($4 for one little scoop of one flavour).  I had the lemon sorbetto (usually the citrus sorbets are my favourite) and my friend had the chocolate. The sorbetto was smooth; almost too smooth in a way.  For my taste, it was far too sweet and tasted similarly to commercially produced sorbet. My friend had no complaints about the chocolate gelato.  It appeared to be quite smooth, but I didn't get any raving reviews.  It was nothing special.

From the reviews I see on UrbanSpoon/TripAdvisor/Yelp,  G.G. Gelati is no longer owned by an Italian family.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in this instance it kind of is.  When you're in the business of making gelati, recipes handed down from generation to generation tend to allow the business to remain a fixture in the community.  When the gelati changes, people are less inclined to go (worse quality and there are plenty of good ice cream/gelati places in Winnipeg).

6/10

Nucci's Gelati

I went to Nucci's on a whim last night.  I had received my first paycheque and with that, my corresponding outrage of how little my take home pay is due to tax deductions (I'm still low income dammit!).  However, I came home to a cheque waiting for me from MPI for a whole $23.00 due to my Drivers re-assessment.  The idiot woman who handled my insurance registered me as a new driver and I had to go back and provide evidence of the contrary.  Luckily my insurance payments are now in line with what I had originally budgeted.

ANYWAYS, that's not my point.  The point is that I wanted some gelati to make my tears stop, so I decided to try Nucci's since it was later and I figured there would be very little line.  Luckily I was right about that! Nucci's has a ton of flavours (arguably more than G.G., but many of them aren't displayed).  Once you go up to the counter, there is a list of "new" flavours which are all almost exclusively in the back.  I decided on a strange combination I got lime sorbetto on the bottom and black cherry gelato on top.  I got a small for $5 and it was considerably more gelati than I received at G.G.  I also love how Nucci's is still owned by the family and their gelati hasn't changed much in the past few decades.

The black cherry was my favourite part.  It was smooth and had a real-tasting cherry flavour unlike many "cherry" ice creams you find at the grocery store or ice cream booths.  The lime sorbetto's texture was interesting.  I found that until it melted a bit, it had a tough time coagulating therefore making it difficult to eat. However the flavour was spot on from what I'd expect from a good home-made sorbet.  The lime was tart and it was not overly sweet.  Absolutely perfect flavour.

9/10

Clearly I prefer Nucci's.  That would be my recommendation between the two.  However, in this same post I'd like to address my other dessert experience: BDI!

Bridge Drive-In

Nestled down by the river on Jubilee Ave., BDI (Bridge Drive In) has been serving ice cream and shakes to Winnipeggers for decades.  When I first decided to move to Winnipeg, I had many people tell me that BDI was an absolute must for when summer hit and it was warm enough for ice cream.  

I can't really comment on the service since I went when it was fairly slow.  However, the kids running it seemed to know what they were doing and I received my peach milkshake quite promptly. It was pretty good, better than Dairy Queen.  I'm going to get a bit of flack for this, but I didn't find it to be anything special.  My milkshake wasn't very "peachy" and tasted more like vanilla to be completely honest.  However, I'm always up for trying it again.  I want to see what this "Goog" thing is all about.  

It's at a beautiful location with a bridge and walking trails to wander and stroll around with your ice cream-y treats!

7/10

My Mommy Came to Visit!

I've been really excited for my mom to come to Winnipeg and spend a couple of days hanging out with me before I start my job.  First off, I gotta say that the airport has made some significant improvements and renovations since I had last been there, 2005-ish.  Secondly, what the heck is going on in Winnipeg this weekend that has made reservations for everything nearly impossible? Le sigh.

My mom and I are both foodies and we love to eat good food, so this post will largely be restaurant reviews.  Apologies in advance if you just like to hear of my meanderings.

Beachcomber

The Beachcomber restaurant is located at the Forks. For those of you who are not from Winnipeg, the Forks is where the Assiniboine and Red rivers meet - there is a market, a hotel, several arts places and restaurants located there. It's considered a heritage site here in Winnipeg.

Needless to say, the Beachcomber has a fantastic location and a wonderful patio in which to enjoy the sunny days.  My mom and I decided to stop in for lunch as she was staying at the Inn at the Forks and it was close and we were hungry.  We also noticed that there were people eating on the patio; a good sign.  We took a seat on the patio since it was a nice day and ordered a few drinks.  My mom chose the sangria (which she didn't complain about, so I'm assuming it was good) and I had the dill pickle caesar (and the only difference between this and a regular caesar was a dill pickle instead of a celery stalk - disappointing).  My caesar was also incredibly spicy, and I have a more than moderate spice tolerance so I imagine that some may be sent back periodically.

We both decided to have the pan-fried Pickerel.  I haven't had pickerel since I've come to Winnipeg and I remember loving it when I was younger.  Similarly, my mom hadn't had it in a while given that pickerel doesn't travel well (it doesn't taste the same when you purchase it in BC).  The pickerel was served with the smallest side of (quite possibly) frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, broccoli and zucchini) and a large serving of fries.  For the price of the meal, you did get two fillets of fish which was good.  The fries were decent; crispy and cut on the small side.  I would have liked to have seen more vegetable on the plate (although not whatever god awful mix they used).  However, I have to give props to the pickerel - it was really good! It didn't require any sauce (which is good because we weren't offered any) and was flavoured with butter and garlic.  For some people, it may have been overcooked, but I like my fish a little closer to done than most.

It's difficult to rate this restaurant.  On one hand, I feel like it's an overpriced tourist trap.  But I did like the pickerel.  As an FYI, two plates and two drinks was $50.00.  Not bad, not great. Service was all right, not great. Music on the patio was far too loud and it was difficult to hold a conversation.

4/10

I decided to take my mom to Unburger, but I've already reviewed that resto (which you can see here if you're interested).  We had Boston Pizza for lunch/dinner one night, and I'm not going to bother reviewing because it's a chain and the restaurants are more or less the same (although I will say that the Kenaston location seems to be a lot smaller than other BPs, which was kind of nice for lunch - no bar). Similarly, the day my momskillet left, we decided to eat brekkie at Smitty's (I had to work and it was the only thing we could find near St. Vital). 

Stella's (on Osborne)

I'm writing these reviews by what was memorable in my books.  I should alert you to the fact that my mom is a VERY picky person (at least in my opinion).  Picky about service, food - everything.  In a way this is why I like to dine with her; you can really see how far the restaurant will go to accommodate all of her needs. That being said, she is like me - willing to pay for a good product and she tips well for good service.

We went to Stella's with no reservation on Sunday morning (very early, quarter to 9-ish).  We were able to get a table right away (I'm thinking on account of the Manitoba marathon which made getting down Osborne impossible - thanks for the heads up, Winnipeg!). I had the blueberry banana french toast and my mom had smoked salmon eggs benny.   The stand out for the french toast was definitely the bread; it was soft and delicious.  Flavour-wise, it was a tad too cinnamon-y for my liking.  My mom ranted and raved that her eggs benny was cooked perfectly, which is difficult to explain to people (she likes the whites cooked, but the yolk still runny; it's considered a medium, but that's often too hard). She gobbled up the eggs benny (sans bread, she's not a huge bread eater to begin with, but the baguette it was served on was far too large for the benny. She also isn't a huge fan of hashbrowns, so I started taking bites from hers and they were really good! Very nicely herbed. Service was attentive, but not overbearing; nothing special, very typical.  

For the price, Stella's serves a good breakfast and ultimately I'd go back as long as I didn't have to wait in those infamous Stella's lines.  A few little details would have boosted the rating even higher.

8/10

Prairie Ink

Prior to breakfast at Stella's, we decided to try Prairie Ink which is located at Grant Park Mall and is attached to the McNally-Robinson bookstore.  We decided on this place for breakfast based on decent Urbanspoon ratings and it's close proximity.  

For breakfast, it was quite crowded and many tables were set for reservation.  Luckily we were able to get in without any wait.  When we decided to order, I asked if they could do a poached egg white (it's actually quite easy - you just cook an egg white for a really long time in a poacher) and the waitress informed me that they could not.  My mom ordered the eggs benny with smoked salmon and I had the cream cheese and raspberry french toast.

When we received our order, my mom noticed that her eggs were as hard as rocks.  She had ordered them medium and was unimpressed.  My french toast was presented nicely and my favourite part was the raspberry mixed with the cream cheese.  To me the bread was a bit stiff, especially in comparison to the bread I had a Stella's the day after.  For me, it was a solid breakfast.

In Prairie Ink's defence, the waitress offered to get the plate re-made for my mom, which she declined (we were very hungry).  She then proceeded to take 25% off of her tab, which was a very kind gesture and was very much appreciated.  That's how you get repeat customers in the industry.

Service won major points for me at this little restaurant.

6.5/10

I think I'm going to save my Sal's posting for a separate issue all together. Yup, I think so. 

Car Troubles

It's officially been over a week since I landed in Winnipeg (yay).  So far so good; I'm settling into my place and exploring more of the city.  As outlined in a previous post, I've explored a lot of the Osbourne/Corydon area already.  Now I'm venturing out even further! So far I've walked to the Forks/St. Boniface and I've taken a bus out to Polo Park a few times (mostly because I've had interviews in the area - it's a good thing though, I don't know the west end commercial area at all).  My most exciting adventure yet was attempting to find a Bulk Barn because I wanted to get things like Almond Butter and Chia Seed and Superstore is really far.  Well, Bulk Barn is of equal distance (sigh). I decided that the easiest one for me to get to given my knowledge of the city would be the Regent location between Elmwood and Transcona (right where Kildonan Place is).  No matter which location I chose, I'd have to take a minimum of two buses.

I got to the area via the Monroe bus fairly easily (although the Monroe bus takes you all around Elmwood before finally getting to Kildonan Place).  This was actually a good thing and it goes to show that it's surprising what you know based on instinct. So far in Winnipeg I have been directionally-challenged (to say the least) and I never seem to have any idea of which direction I'm going in or where I am at any given time.  But as soon as I cross the river into either Elmwood or St. B, I know exactly where I am.  Everything looks familiar and it is much less terrifying (although it's terrifying in a whole different way *coughNairncough*). Taking the long route to Kildonan Place gave me the opportunity to experience this odd type of nostalgia and a feeling of comfort knowing where I am (even though my knowledge of the transit system still leaves something to be desired).

All in all, my trip to Bulk Barn and back took me 3 hours. 3 HOURS.

I need to buy a car.

Which is another interesting problem I've had so far in Manitoba... I can't legally prove where I live and apparently they don't do sworn statements here.  This address confirmation is not only important for switching my license over, but is required for insurance purposes as well. I have no problem proving my identity.  I have a bank account, but I don't have anything else with my Manitoba address on it.  The Manitoba Public Insurance people are extremely picky with what they require for proof of address. The conversation I had at the office trying to switch over my license was even better:

"Where are you from?" British Columbia.

"Do you have a lease?" No.

"Where did you file your taxes?" Quebec.

"What?"  It's best to not ask.

"Do you have any utility bills in your name?" No.

"Do you have a Manitoba health card?" Not yet. I won't get it until August.

"Do you have a bank account with your Manitoba address on it?" Yes.

"GOOD. There's one!" Can I use a MasterCard bill? Or a cell phone bill?

"No."  Oh. Okay, what about Contents Insurance given that I legally have to be living at that address for my insurance to be valid.

"No." All right then. What do I do?

"Are you employed?" Not yet. Would you accept a sworn statement?

"We don't do that here."  I see. So what should I do?

"Well, wait until you're employed and then get your employer to write a confirmation and then have them sign it." What if my employment is conditional on my access to a reliable vehicle?  I'll need to insure said vehicle in Manitoba.

"Yeah. This is pretty ridiculous. I'm sorry. I have no idea.  You'll need to get another document or your application won't be approved."  Yeah. Okay. I'll see what I can do.

So on top of the stress of trying to find a vehicle, I now have to find some way of insuring it in Manitoba. I was also told that they do not take any bills or bank statements that look like they've been printed yourself.  I can understand being protective if there was some great benefit to being a Manitoba resident. But there isn't. Licensing is way more expensive ($65 a year vs. $80 for five years in BC) and insurance rates are very similar to ICBC. There is something called a Vehicle Registration Card that the Manitoba government will take as proof of address, but I'm not sure if I would obtain this card when I buy a car.  So I'll have to go to the dealership and find out.  In the mean time, the great car search continues - And the great job search (I had a couple of interviews last week so I hope that something pans out for me in the next few weeks).

Does anyone have any strong car opinions? I'm looking for something reliable, small and fuel efficient. Depending on where I work, I may not actually drive it to work, so it would just be my pleasurecraft. Price wise, I'm looking for something used, somewhere in the 8-15k neighbourhood.  I'm really picky when it comes to how the vehicle actually rides and how much I can see out of it (some of my most hated cars: The Toyota Yaris and the Honda Fit). I was thinking:

1. Honda Civic
2. Suzuki Swift
3. Mazda2 (or 3)
4. Ford Fiesta (or Focus)
5. Hyundai Accent (I had one before in Kelowna, and you can pick them up for virtually nothing now)
6. Honda CR-V (a girl can dream)

At this point I'm totally open to suggestions, so leave a comment!  A post 2005 vehicle would be what I'm looking at.

I'm going back to Unburger tonight, and I can't wait to review it.  I wanted to wait since the last time I was there I had a chicken burger and it seems like sacrilege to review a burger place without trying the beef.