What,where,eats,pints - Sept 12-17

[Coldrsx]

Heading there next week to attend the International Downtown Association conference (https://www.idaconference.org) and took a bunch of extra time to explore.

I arrive Tuesday afternoon and am staying at The Mere. Heard about a great brew/pub there.

The conference in DT at the RBC Convention Centre Wed-Fri with a closing reception at the CMHR which I am excited for.

I will be documenting my journeys through my DSLR and will post each walkabout post-conference.

Been to Winnipeg twice, once about 4 yrs ago and enjoyed my time. Explored Downtown a little and Osborne Village.

Looking forward to getting some recommendations for:

-DT/urban walks
-Exchange District don't misses - going to spend a lot of time documenting it
-Great patios
-Beer/cocktails
-must eats

Tuesday the 12th I have an open night at the moment so if anyone is around and wants to meet up, always down for some urban chatting on a patio.

Thanks in advance

[Coldrsx]

No suggestions?

[jmt18325]

Hermanos is good - I've been a couple of times now and really liked it. It's in a beautiful building an has soft live music. It's pricey though. They have a patio (or had the other day yet, anyway). There's actually a collection of South American restaurants growing in the area.

You'll be right in what is the fastest growing part of the exchange. It's a good area to walk through. I did it last year about this time in the evening - there were people out. I've heard good things about Peg Beer Co - it's nearby.

If there were tickets available for a show at one of the great venues in the area like the MTC or the Centennial Concert Hall I'd recommend that, but I'm not sure there's anything going on at that moment.

You're also near the Forks, so it's definitely worth a trip. There's a great wine/craft beer bar there now that allows you to sample some local fare. The food court is also an experience with authentic tastes from around the world. Taste of Sri Lanka and Simon's Cuisine (empanadas) are favourites of mine.

[esquire]

Not a comprehensive list but a few tips come to mind... I won't point out the obvious stuff because you've been here before, but I'll mention a few places you may not have considered.

-For walking around, consider a walk to West Broadway/Wolseley. WB and the Sherbrook strip are formerly down at the heels areas that are gentrifying a bit and have stolen some of Osborne Village's thunder. It's an interesting urban area that still has some grit (to use a classic SSP cliché) and tends not to be frequented as much by visitors. Wolseley is an interesting old inner suburb with solid urban character. If you're staying by the Convention Centre just walk west past the Legislature. Stop in at Stella's or the Tallest Poppy for a late breakfast.

-Real niche suggestion here, but Selkirk Avenue in the heart of the North End is probably the most urban strip in Winnipeg you'll find outside of downtown. I wouldn't recommend it to the average visitor but to a SSPer like you it would be pretty interesting and a slice of rarely seen but very real Winnipeg. It's not gentrified at all, still very gritty so leave the suit and SLR camera at the hotel. Fine by day but I wouldn't recommend a first time visit at night.

-The Exchange is simply not that big so you can cover it thoroughly without too much effort. The old CPR station is a beautiful building just to the north of it near the corner of Higgins and Main (now the Aboriginal Centre of Winnipeg, you can go inside into what was formerly the main waiting room). That would be something different that not too many people see. Also visit the West Exchange up Princess St getting closer to Logan... some of the last empty warehouses in the area are up that stretch.

-For patios, you'll definitely want to try the rooftop at Tavern United. The food is second rate pub grub but the beer is good and there is a perfect view of True North Square across the street along with other parts of the downtown skyline.

-For cocktails, visit Forth (very close to Mere) for the latest and greatest artisanal cocktails, or go to the Hotel Fort Garry for classic, well-made cocktails.

-For beer, I agree with jmt's suggestions. Go to Peg Beer Co. I haven't been so I can't vouch for it myself, but it looks cool and it's only a block away from Mere. After that, hit up The Forks with their big selection of taps. There are a bunch of new microbreweries/brew pubs, but they're a little farther afield, although I suppose Little Brown Jug is close enough in the West Exchange on William Ave.

Have a good trip and enjoy the conference!

[Tacheguy]

if you like French food I would highly recommend Inferno's bistro on Des Meurons. love that place. another one (with great tortiere) is Resto Gare, worth going to just to see the old station. but the food is good too. make sure to walk around Old St Boniface if you have a chance. down Rue Cathedral off of Tache. its beautiful, and will lead you to La Belle Baguette! Would love to join you for a drink but I will be slumming in Vancouver at the time.

hope you enjoy your stay and I look forward to reading your thoughts.

[esquire]

^ Great suggestion, I second the motion for Inferno's. It's on a nondescript, slightly out of the way stretch of Des Meurons, but the food is great and the patio is pleasant. Nice vibe too... cool, but not pretentious or snobby.

[Wpg_Guy]

Common Sense on Des Muerons is a great place for lunch, delicious homemade food in a space carved with carpentry character.

[pegcity]

My favourite thing in Winnipeg is the Emptyful art installation behind the downtown library, looks best at night when it's on.

[Authentic_City]

If you like Craft Beer, PEG is a good one that is centrally located, in the Exchange with a kitchen and a restaurant vibe. However, if you want to try some more basic tasting rooms, there are few in the West End and in St. James - not exactly walkable, but a short cab ride from each other. Half Pints and Torque have really nice tasting rooms and are in St. James near the airport. In the West End, you have One Great City (near Polo Park) with a full kitchen and restaurant. In the heart of the West End on Wall Street is Barn Hammer, just north of Portage. Now with a nice patio.

The Wall, Erin, Wellington Industrial area is actually a neat area to walk around. Its an old industrial area organized around a rail spur that runs north-south between Erin and Wall. It's slowly changing into a mixed use area with some interesting businesses like Barn Hammer, Goodies Bakery, Sleepy Owl Bakery, Long and McQuade, some antique/second hand stores, a huge flea market on 2 levels of an old warehouse (Thirsty's). Check out BGBX condos at Wall and St. Matthews (designed by the architects that did the Cube Stage in Market Square - http://www.winnipegarchitecture.ca/bgbx/). Up at Wellington Street between Erin and Wall you have a cool second hand record store (Winnipeg Record and Tape), a new skateshop and a cool prix fixe menu restaurant in an old house: Cafe Dario. http://cafedario.com/

This area is off the beaten track for sure, but would expose you to a very different and interesting part of the city.

[factis]

A little off the beaten path, but consider trying cafe Dario in the west end. Prix fixe menu. Never had a bad meal there. If you're short on time, I highly recommend east India company. Located right beside the convention center.

[esquire]

^ That's an interesting area and I've never heard it recommended to visitors before, but it makes sense. The only downside is that it isn't all that walkable... there isn't much connecting it all.

East India Co. is a good suggestion, definitely go hungry since the best thing to get there is the buffet.

[jmt18325]

On Hargrave, just over a block north of portage, is a great little Chinese place called East Ocean. It's open again after summer break, and I highly recommend it.

[OTA in Winnipeg]

Hong Kong Snackhouse is another excellent restaurant over on Notre Dame. Not much to look at but the food is fantastic.
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restauran..._Manitoba.html

[emeraldeyes]

Peg Beer Co.
Have the faspa (sort of a Mennonite charcuterie platter) with your beer.
They may agree to an impromptu tour of the brewing area if that is of interest to you.

patio:
Rudy's on Graham AVE

other trendy-type restos:
Deer and Almond in the Exchange on Princess
Segovia for tapas in Osborne Village

hangover food:
VJ's on Main Street across from the train station arguably the best burgers and fries in the whole damn town
Mitzi's on St Mary AVE (not St Mary's RD) for chicken fingers
Double Greeting Chinese snack house on McDermot - fat noodles w/cabbage and pork


and yes, Emptyful at night...,then walk around to the front of the library and see the world-famous Funnelator!

Enjoy your stay!

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ That's an interesting area and I've never heard it recommended to visitors before, but it makes sense. The only downside is that it isn't all that walkable... there isn't much connecting it all.

True. To call it walkable is a bit of a stretch -- it's 5 long blocks with a fair bit of deadspace between attractions. It would be great to explore by bike or even by cab to Barn Hammer to start and then cab up to Cafe Dario at the opposite end later.

I feel like this area is slowly and organically developing into something really interesting. The zoning allows for all sorts of interesting retail, commercial, industrial combinations and, with a few more strategically placed craft breweries and restaurants, this could be a real up-and-coming mixed use destination. Also, most of the buildings are built up close to the edge of the sidewalk giving it a pedestrian oriented feel (which is weird because it's an old industrial area) and there's a huge variety of large and small storefronts with good street parking. And it's central with a good residential population nearby.

[esquire]

^ It reminds me of certain parts of Brooklyn (Williamsburg by the river) where you have this odd sort of light industrial yet somewhat walkable area that has interesting things going on. Obviously Erin/Wall is nowhere near that part of Brooklyn in terms of overall offerings, but it does have some of that area's vibe...

[Coldrsx]

Well that's better Thanks very much all. I will certainly build my lists and routes around this.

[Authentic_City]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ It reminds me of certain parts of Brooklyn (Williamsburg by the river) where you have this odd sort of light industrial yet somewhat walkable area that has interesting things going on. Obviously Erin/Wall is nowhere near that part of Brooklyn in terms of overall offerings, but it does have some of that area's vibe...
[/IMG]

It reminds me of the Bywater area in New Orleans. Lots of interesting things going on, but still lots of industrial activities, vacant buildings, and a working railway:

[oftheMoon]

For light eats in the Exchange I recommend a new tapas place on Albert St. called Cordova. Well ran, great European feel to it. The menu isn't big for now, but I've tried 6 different tapas off it and each one was super!

[Boreal]

I'd probably grab a Goog or some other treat at BDI and go walk around in the area. It's all residential, but definitely attractive. It never disappoints.