The Media Chef

Worth the Trip

The Sand Bar Motor Hotel just outside Grand Beach Provincial Park is another favourite destination. Tyler Gray is the chef putting out savoury breakfast skillets as well as confections like maple pecan Danish. Friday nights we stop in for his steak special–an 8 oz. sirloin with all the fixings INCLUDING a beer or glass of wine for $10! We also head there on Wednesdays for AYCE (all you can eat) Pickerel with their yummy hand-cut French fries. At $11, I know that they lose money on us.

Le Gouter is an amazing find on Saffie Road in Albert Beach. Last summer they installed two huge crepes pans. I like the one made with hollandaise, ham and cheese on a hearty Buckwheat crepe. And although they do not use cheese curds in their poutine, every thing else about their offering is perfect in my humble opinion-sharp, gooey cheese, a savoury gravy and the best French fry along highway 59 north.

The “other” side of Lake Winnipeg offers a bevy of exceptional dining too. I recently enjoyed the Fisherman’s Breakfast at Mask Café in Gimli: pan-fried pickerel with a lemony hollandaise, crispy bacon, an egg and lacy hash browns. Acquaintances also tell me of Jane and Walter’s Restaurant in Sandy Hook. There is a lot of buzz from Facebook friends about Casa Bianca in an old house across from the park in Winnipeg Beach. Samplers say that if you’re a garlic lover you’ll particularly enjoy it.  

You’ll find Rembrandt’s Bistro at 1 Wellink Drive in Lockport. The service and food is fantastic - like being at Terrace 55 but in the country. Of special note, is the Red River cereal crème brulée, which is served as a first course on the winter brunch menu.  

If you are ever heading south on Highway 59 en route to St. Malo, stop in at St. Pierre-Joly’s Le Bebe Rouge Drive In. They are only open in the summer and the burgers are sensational (we can’t quite figure out what makes them so).

While en route to Clear Lake, driving west on the Trans Canada, you’ll want to veer into Portage la Prairie for a visit to Tres Unique Café in the historic Land Titles Building. Check out their Facebook page to see what’s for lunch. I’ve seen messages about Fiddleheads and asparagus (just picked from her garden) being made into quiche. Chefs that I follow on Twitter are raving about Horfrost at 190 River Road also in Portage. The inventive chef is serving up local ingredients prepared in a classical style but with surprising twists.

Honourable mentions from other Facebook friends go to Pine Ridge Hollow at the edge of Bird’s Hill Park and the Harvest Moon Café in Garson. All of these little finds are within an hour of Winnipeg and definitely worth the trip.