Meat, meat meat. Carnaval Brazilian BBQ

Last night of Marilyn's stay in Winnipeg was the most anticipated meal for the both of us. In Edmonton we had always wanted to go to a brazilian BBQ restaurant with the rodizio style menu. Alas, we never got around to going there. To my utter joy, one of the first restaurants we heard about in Winnipeg was Carnaval:

Carnaval works on a rodizio menu where, for a fixed prix, you can eat as much meat as possible. The meats are brought out on metal spits from the grill and you determine how much and when you want the meats. All other vegetables and sides were ordered from our server.

Red means no more meat.

Green should be self explanatory

First meat was Cordeiro (lamb shoulder). Wonderfully roasted, medium rare and not very gamey.

Frango Com Bacon (bacon wrapped chicken breast). The bacon added a lot of juiciness and flavour to the chicken.

Close-up of the bacon wrapped chicken.

Pork Sirloin. I am used to Asian style cha siu, so this pork was less appealing. Dry and a bit tough.

Alcatra (top sirloin). The steak was well done but overall lacked some flavour. Could use some extra seasoning.

Linguica (chorizo pork sausage) was absolutely delicious. Spicey, juicy and crispy on the outside. One of the best of the day

Our sides came in the middle of our meat massacre. From left to right: Kale and Broccoli Salad; Squash Salad; Roasted Yams; Chorizo and Chickpea Stew. Star of the sides was the broccoli and kale.

Sobre-Coxa De Frango (chicken thighs). This was delicious. The crust from the marinade kept the inside juicy while doing a juicy and sweet dance in your mouth.

Maminha (tri-tip steak). We wanted a well done piece for Marilyn. A little tough for me but the crust had some nice herbal aromas.

Ancho (rib-eye). This came out way too bloody for Marilyn so I had both helpings for the two of us. Tender, but altogether non-seasoned.

File Com Bacon (bacon wrapped tenderloin). STAR of the show by far. Delicious tenderloin wrapped in delicious bacon, grilled to deliciousness. Did I mention it was delicious?

Ordered a couple more sides including a side salad and cauliflower. Both decent.

Wonderful way to finish any Brazilian rodizio menu is grilled pineapple. This was SO GOOD. As you can imagine we were terribly full when we got to these guys, but the aroma set us off. Simply marvelous.

Perhaps obviously, Carnaval is only for those who love meats. Furthermore I would only recommend it if you love meats done of the medium rare doneness. Service was good, location was excellent. Would highly recommend for the carnivore in the family.

The Forks - Muddy Waters Smokehouse

Walking around the Forks necessitated a meal there. Having done no research into the area, we went with what was the best looking patio: Muddy Waters Smokehouse

Muddy Waters is literally in the heart of The Forks by Johnson station, a old retrofitted railway station. What looked like a decent menu was aggravated by lack of service. Thankfully it was a beautiful day.

As a lover of poutine, Marilyn could not resist having the Chili Poutine. The fries were nice and crisp, but the chili liked bite and the curds lacked squeakiness.

We got the Beef Ribs to share. I was impressed by the sheer size of the ribs and there was a good amount of meat on them. But they were overdone and undersauced to the point of being bland. Disappointing.

Overall, there are better options in the area and we regretted going there after reading some of the reviews on Urbanspoon. Oh well, you live and learn. It was fun just to spend a chill day with each other.

The Forks

One of the hidden treasures of Winnipeg is The Forks. Located at the meeting point of the Red and Assiniboine River, this area was a key part of Aboriginal culture. Today it has been immortalized as a destination for shopping, food and culture.

You can go on riverboats which tour up and down the forks area.

Inside the Forks market

Aerial shot of the river and boats

Shot into downtown

In the forks square they had some latin music. Marilyn and I partook in some really embarassing tango.

Birthday dinner #2 - Cafe Dario

Perhaps I am a bit spoiled. Okay I am spoiled. Not only did I get to spend a great birthday weekend with Marilyn, but I was treated to not only one fantastic dinner (re: Deseo), but to a second one the night after. We had previously agreed that while the group dinner sounded fantastic, a more intimate dinner on my actual birthday was appropriate. Out popped Cafe Dario. They had a promotion going on which involved two five course dinners and a bottle of wine for $100. Really can't go wrong with that!

Two appetizers we got included prawns and fresh watermelon with mint dressing. So refreshing! The prawns were a tad tasteless but the watermelon and dressing stole the dish for me.

Second appetizer was BBQ pork ribs. Tender, moist ribs with their special maple BBQ sauce. Delicious.

Second course was the same for both of: Cream of Asparagus soup. This was the biggest disappointment of the day as the soup was so salty it was almost inedible.

Third course was a spring salad with a mango dressing. Good but nothing phenomenol.

My main was the rack of lamb. This was definitely the star of the show and made the entire meal. Delicious quarter rack of lamb grilled medium rare. The gravy accompanying the lamb was divine.

Marilyn got the tenderloin with salsa. This was good, but nothing extroadinary. Probably the unfortunate reality of coming from Alberta, we have to scrutinize the beef here a little harder. The salsa was delicious and a nice light accompaniment to the beefy meat.

Dessert was a chocolate mousse and cherry topping. Really well done.

Overall a great meal. There were some highlights and some disappointments but great service and a beautiful restaurant made up a couple lacking courses.

Dim Sum - Kum Koon Garden

One of the best things about a lot of Sunday mornings in Edmonton was the prospect of dim sum. It seemed on a monthly basis I would find some excuse to trapeze on down to the local Chinese restaurant for some delicious dim sum brunch. Having found the best rated dim sum restaurant in Winnipeg, I returned with this craving to Kum Koon. In the middle of Chinatown, Kum Koon offers Cantonese style Dim Sum on push carts:

The Ha Gow or shrimp dumplings were somewhat disappointing. Perhaps steamed for too long, the bottom of these little guys stuck to the steamer and came immediately apart.

Seeing something new, we ordered these Shrimp and Vegetable Steamed Dumplings. Similar to the Ha Gow, these were nicely done and, most importantly, remained intact when eaten.

Siu mai, or steamed pork dumplings is a staple for me at dim sum. Here they were as expected. Meaty, greasy, rich, delicious.

Springs rolls are not something we typically get at dim sum. But here, a Vietnamese-style Fried Spring Roll caught my attention. Chewy and crisp skin with lots of meats and vegetables inside.

Rice noodle rolls with shrimp is one of Marilyn's favourites. Soft delicious skin with some tender shrimps made her a happy girl. Happy girl, happy life.

Sesame balls to end the meal ...

Until I saw these Fish Paste Cakes. I can not resist something new at dim sum and had to try these bad boys. Delicious fish cake taste with a hint of corn and shrimp. Highly recommended.



 

Birthday dinner - Deseo

After going to BDIs, we had dinner reservations for my birthday. Being able to find a restaurant that a group of eight mid 20 semi-professionals would all enjoy is always a tough task. Having spent an hour scouring Urbanspoon for hot spots in Winnipeg, I came upon Deseo. I wanted to try a highly rated restaurant and thought a tapas (small plate) style meal would do best. Plus we have the strength in numbers to try a TON of the menu.

To start off we had one of the funniest, down to earth and eloquent servers I had the pleasure of meeting. He quickly ushered us all into our seats and promptly urged us to order one dish per diner and share everything family style. Now, I am all about family style dining (being Chinese and all), so this worked out fantastic.

Up first was the Steak Tartare with white anchovy. Served with puffed beat chips. Anchovies are typically not my favourite ingredient but here they added a saltiness and creaminess to the fatty beef.

Close up of the star of the dish. Enjoyed by all at the dinner

One of the specials for the menu that night was Octopus. Lightly marinated with a lemon based sauce, this was a perfect light and refreshing contrast to the meaty tartare.

Eggplant was polarizing at the table with some enjoying the greasy vegetable while others abstaining. Somehow, Deseo made a convert out of all the naysayers and this eggplant dish was one of the standouts of the night.

Scallops. Succulent large scallops accentuated nicely with a squash puree and some trout caviar. Drooling already.

Perfectly done scallops show the skill of the chef. The accompaniment show his creativity.

Perhaps we had a bunch of picky eaters at the table but Brussel Sprouts was also a slight point of contention. Again, Deseo made us a bunch of converts. Delicious in every bite.

Called simply Steak on the menu. The grilled tenderloin was done perfectly medium rare. I thought there was too much going on this plate as the pine nut risotto got lost in the dish. However, the piquillo pepper sofrito on top was divine.

Sablefish is a common fish of the Pacific Ocean that has a nice light texture. It was roasted here and paired with maple and pea shoots. Nice balance of flavours.

The Gnocchi was a table favourite. The luxirousness of the boar bacon and black truffle added a ton to the al dente pasta. I felt the pasta was a bit oversauced and rich. The bacon and truffle became the star of the dish overshadowing the gnocchi itself.

The Tuna was served raw with pomegranate and jalapeno. Fresh tuna with a slight bit of spiciness, delicious.

Poor camera quality alert. The Mushrooms were devoured as quickly as they came. Fried with black garlic and topped with chevre.

On a recommendation from one of my dining companions, we ordered the Mac & Cheese. Boy did it not disappoint. Rolled pasta with chorizo and finished with smoked paprika gave a wonderful kick as we neared the denoument of the meal.

Last but not least was the Fried Chicken. There was nothing particularly memorable about this dish. Well executed but nothing surprising.