Dine About Winnipeg 2015 - Hermano's

Dine About Winnipeg started at the beginning of February. It consists of a number of host restaurants offering $18, $28, and $38 menus in an attempt to promote diners to "dine about". I appreciate it when restaurants take the time and effort to craft a menu for these events. I love it even more when they are some of the more popular Winnipeg eateries. As was the case for Hermano's. Billed as a celebration of Latin American culture and food, Hermano's is consistently one of the most talked about restaurants in town with diners praising its mixture of unique Latin American dishes to the festive atmosphere that is conducive to both a romantic night out and for a drink with friends. With reviews like that I knew I had to check it out, so let's dine about!

Hermano's is located in the heart of the Exchange district on Bannatyne avenue. As with the majority of the buildings in this area of town, the restaurant is housed in a re-purposed brick foundation. I liked the olden feel of the eatery and thought it brought a sense of class and elegance.

Most restaurants tend to feature three courses on their Dine About menus. Hermano's is no different and offers a choice of appetizer, main and dessert. I was impressed by the dishes, especially when compared to the regular menu, as they offer choice for a good value. Excellent!

Dining with a co-resident this particular night, we decided to start with a Red Sangria. This was delicious! The Sangria came light and chalk full of fresh strawberries and blackberries. The wine added a hint of sourness to the freshness of the berries. In the end, Hermano's Sangria is a delicious drink akin to juice rather than alcohol. On days of poorer restraint I would have ordered lots more!

I started off with the Grilled Queijo de Coalho (Cheese Skewers). Two large skewers of mozzarella were lightly seared and paired with a tomato sauce and a housemade chutney. The  standout here was the chutney with a mixture of fresh fruits and preserves, it lent a sweet and savoury component to the soft and smooth cheese.

Camarones al Pil-pil consists of shrimp and garlic served ala confit with grilled bread. The shrimp and soft garlic were incredibly tender in the confit. The greasiness of the dish was cut through by the addition of lime and coalesced together on the grilled bread.

Sudado de Pollo is a chicken stew served with rice and potatoes. The stew consists of chicken breast, tomatoes, red peppers and onions in a tomato base. Overall this was average: the tartness of the tomatoes overtook the dish and made it monotonous. The rice and potatoes, while adding a well needed starch component, were bland and did not contrast the sauce well. Finally I applaud them for the tasty chicken but again the flavour was lost in the sauce.

Carne Asada with Chimichurri al Merquen was the other main we had. Grilled top sirloin medium rare with a grilled vegetable skewer and served with a housemade chimichurri. This was excellent. The steak, grilled perfectly, was tender, moist and succulent and was the perfect pairing with the smooth, spicy, and salty chimicchuri. Furthermore the vegetables were nicely done and had a hint of smokiness.

Bread Pudding was my dessert of choice. Served with a caramel dulce de leche sauce, the bread pudding had the right amount of moisture and flavour. The density of the bread pudding was contrasted well with the sweet and savoury caramel sauce. Although a bit heavy to end a three course meal with, I appreciated the large portion and well thought out flavours here.

My dining companion had the Affogato. At the base was a vanilla gelato mixed with a shot of expresso and finished with a handmade biscotti. The dish was light and refreshing and resembles a coffee one would finish a meal with. The biscotti soaked up the affogato well and became a deliciously moist.

Overall Hermano's proved why it is one of the more popular restaurants in Winnipeg. Delivering solid unique cuisine I was impressed by the classy decor, the well thought out dishes and delectable drinks (hic, Sangria). Although there were some misses in the meal I have to commend them on a Dine About menu that showcases their restaurant and cuisine well. I will definitely be returning.

Patio chilling (Cibo)

Last week Winnipeg had a spree of summer-like weather. With the mercury pushing into the mid and high 20's, me and my fellow residents went to re-live the summer life by going to Cibo.

Located on waterfront drive, Cibo is located on the back of hotel Mere. My understanding is this was an old factory in the Exchange district that was recently renovated and retrofitted into an hotel.

Cibo has a old school charm associated with it. A beautiful brick building overlooking the Red River, I cannot fault them for the esthetics of the location.

One of the members of our group ordered the Bruschetta. Cibo allows you to order three types and she opted for the: Tomato basil shallot; Mozarella tomato basil; Mushroom goat cheese. A big thumbs up as she delved into the crunchy bread and wonderful toppings.

Another member of the group got the Beef Bourguignon Poutine. A large skillet of matchstick fries with a huge topping of beef bourguignon and cheese curds. The fries I found were too small and thin for poutine but the beef stew was wonderful.

Another member got The Panino. Listed as chicken, arugula and soft cheese, this sandwich was finished with the same matchstick fries. No complaints from them!

There is nothing that speaks more of summer than a big glass of Sangria. Absolutely brimming with fresh fruit, this red wine (avoid the white wine version: it tastes like cough syrup) sangria was wonderfully refreshing and delightfully delicious.

Food is, in my opinion, often sold by the eyes. Thus when the Cibo pizza (Genoa, proscuitto, finished with an egg) came I was immediately sold. Thin crunchy crust, tasty meat and a rich egg make this an excellent offering.

I shared the pizza and Spanish Chicken Panino with a fellow resident. Paprika dusted chicken with Spanish cheese add a interesting element to the sandwich. Finished with the same unremarkable matchstick fries, this sandwich was merely okay, nothing crazy to write home about.

First day of school! And food at Peasant Cookery

For some reason, going to residency orientation felt like first day of school. I woke up extra early that morning to shower, do my hair and pick out my attire. I found the first two days of orientation a important but relaxing way of easing us into the swing of things. For the majority of us new residents, we had taken the last couple months off as a vacation and did not go anywhere near a stethoscope, much less see patients. Thus, a few days of reminders about policy and rules were a nice gentle jolt back into the life of a doctor.

Our reward was a fancy dinner with our program director and chief residents at the Peasant Cookery. Our dinner was scheduled at 6:30PM and I left my place with only ten minutes to spare. Okay, I will be honest: I was watching the NHL Draft and see who my Oilers were going to pick third overall. Nevertheless, I had Google Mapped the distance and knew I could make it in the ten minutes. Or that's what I thought.

Upon pulling out from my complex, I was immediately welcomed by a torrential rainfall. Winnipeg had been overcast and drizzling over the past few days but this was the first time where it downright poured. Gritting my teeth and cursing my luck, I set out to Peasant Cookery. What should have been a ten minute drive amounted to twenty, then thirty. I realized that Winnipeg, similar to Edmonton, has a pothole problem. When these potholes are filled with water and other cars drive through them, up comes a colossal wave of rain water that fills your entire windshield. Needless to say, I was blind q30seconds (that's medical talk for every thirty seconds). At one time, I could not see the road anymore so I had to slow to a crawl just to make sure I survived this drive. Case in point: give extra travel time when going somewhere unfamiliar.

I was grinning from ear to ear for the rest of the night though. The Peasant Cookery menu looked marvelous. And dining with my fellow residents and staff also made sharing a possibility:

I started off with a Stiegl Radler. My friends in Edmonton had previously taught me that a Radler was a beer mixed in with a juice or soda. Wanting something refreshing I got the Stiegl which is a beer mixed with grapefruit juice.

The first dish I shared with a few of my co-residents was the beef tartar. Delightful chunks of beef mixed with onions and seasoned perfectly.

The beet salad was light, fresh and refreshing. A nice accompaniment to my beer and contrast from the tartar.

Two of my fellow residents raved about the oysters at Peasant Cookery and constantly reminded us about the buck a shuck Wednesdays. Having heard about these oysters so much, I had to order one to try. Out came a freshly shucked beautiful oyster. Topped with my favorite condiments I can see why people go crazy about these


For my main I had the beef brisket. It came with mashed potatoes, green beans and beans covered with a homemade BBQ sauce. Overall this dish was a disappointment. My pieces of brisket were over 50% fat! The small pieces of meat I did have though, were delicious.

For dessert we shared profiteroles. I learned that night that these were souped up versions of cream puffs and were invented in the United States. No wonder I looked odd when trying to order them with an Italian flourish.

We also ordered a creme brulee. Very well done, nicely crusted sugar topping on top of smooth custard. No complaints, very tasty.













Overall an incredible meal with incredible people. It makes me more excited to share these next four years with them!