Saying Goodbye to Take Me To The Pilot

If you've been around these parts for awhile you'll know I have some pretty talented friends who go by the name of Take Me To The Pilot. This past summer, they played their final show. 

Broadview opened and killed it as per usual, as did my favorite singer/songwriter east of Winnipeg, Nic Dyson. 

As the final song came to a close, it was a bittersweet moment. More than a few tears were shed and the love in the room was overwhelming. 

Here's to five years of great music, great people and great memories. Thank you Jon, Mike, Eric and Adam for giving us the gift of TMTTP. 

For photos a million times better than my crappy cellphone ones, head over to Kelsey Giesbrecht Photography.

Inferno's on Academy

I have a confession to make. Until very recently I was a bit of a seafood snob - as in I didn't eat it. I was convinced I hated anything that came from the water unless it was shrimp or a really fresh lobster. I mean who doesn't love shrimp? Come on. 

A few months ago I was at an Italian restaurant with my family when I decided to bite the bullet and shove a mussel in my mouth. I swear I saw fireworks. "Why have I been missing this my whole life?" I thought to myself. From that moment on, I was a seafood convert. I tried scallops, I tried crab cakes, I tried more mussels than my stomach could handle. My life was changed! 

Enter Inferno's Bistro. If you want a new favorite day of the week, I will tell you now it's going to be Thursday. One pound of mussels for $13. I think my eyes popped out of my head like one of those cartoons. Being from Transcona, frugality runs in my blood. I'm cheap and I love food so this was a perfect combo. 

There were at least 10 flavors to choose from; it was a difficult task, let me tell you. I settled on the Herbes de Provence (I think, I'm running off memory here) and my best friend ordered the Green Thai Curry. We then, of course, split a plate of fries. 

I couldn't finish I was so stuffed. It didn't help that we made it in time for happy hour and I loaded up on Caesar's. If you're looking for a patio to set up shop during the week with your friends, do yourself a favor and make it Inferno's on Academy. 

If you do, I want an invite. 

Food Truck Friday: Habanero Sombrero

I have a bit of a thing for Mexican food. And by that I mean if I could I would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's my favorite food in the entire world and if you know me, then this is common knowledge. This is why it was no surprise to my cousin that I chose this truck when she met me for lunch. Luckily, she also shares my love of tacos.

Habanero Sombrero is possibly the best taco truck I've ever eaten at, and I've been to a few in my time. My cousin and I decided to try the three tacos combo and I was pleasantly surprised that I could choose three different meats if I wanted to (which I obviously did). The service was quick and the owners were some of the nicest people!

Once we got our tacos, the hardest decision of my life commenced: which salsa do I use? All of the options were fresh and homemade, so I did what any sane person would do... I used them all. By far, the best one was the pineapple salsa. I've never had pineapple salsa and my mouth exploded with flavor. I would definitely say I preferred the chicken to the beef but I'm just not a huge red meat fan.

If you ever see them around stop by and give them a try! Let me know what you think. I'm more than likely going to be returning real soon. Let me know if you want to go for lunch!

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Food Truck Friday: Greektown Winnipeg

I've been away for awhile because I've been so darn busy! This city is just full of so many things to occupy my time. Working on Broadway has been seriously bad for my diet and wallet, but man are the food trucks phenomenal.

I'm a sucker for Greek food. If I could, I would put feta and tomatoes on everything. It's no surprise that one of the first trucks I found myself at was Greektown Winnipeg. It's a little pricier than some of the other trucks I've tried but it didn't bother me since the food more than made up for it.

I had a gyro and Greek salad and I didn't need to eat again all day. The portions were big and quite filling. My favorite part had to be the dressing on the salad. Thick, rich and flavorful! I'm a little disappointed I didn't try the stuffed peppers and tomatoes but I guess that gives me an excuse to go back!

I also really loved how they decorated the pavement in front of the truck. It added something to the whole experience.

Be sure to check them out and let me know what you think.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


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I can't wait for next week! So, who wants to go for lunch?

Food Truck Friday

It's hard to avoid them; they're everywhere. Am I complaining? Absolutely not. My wallet might be at the end of summer, but we have to take advantage of them while we can.

My first encounter with food trucks began a couple of years ago at my first job on the cusp of Downtown Winnipeg. Granted, not many trucks made their way towards my office, but there was always one parked outside of the CBC I could saunter over to. I think my first food truck was Pimp My Rice. Filipino food at it's finest and quickest.

So I've decided to carve out a little space here on Friday's to showcase the best the city has to offer in restaurants on wheels. The food truck craze is certainly gaining momentum every year; more choices, more competition and more food for me. 

My new job has me on Broadway Ave - food truck central. Both sides of the street are lined up with them and it's a sure sign that summer has made its way to Winnipeg. My goal is to try every single one. A feat I'm sure won't be easy but I'm up to the task.

Today, a coworker and I ventured down the street to find Better Than Baba's. They boasted boiled perogies made fresh daily. I was intrigued.

Ukrainian food is in my blood; my great-grandfather (Didia) was a big part of my life until I was 13 and he had come straight from the Ukraine when he was young. It's safe to say I'm a bit of a perogy snob. I firmly hold the belief that my aunts make the best perogies in Winnipeg.

I ordered the four cheese perogy combo that came with a grilled piece of kielbasa. I was expecting it to be okay, but I was pleasantly surprised - blown away, in fact - by the sheer amazingness (not a word but it needs to be) that were these perogies. Perfectly boiled with soft, fresh dough and smothered in sour cream, bacon and onions.There's really nothing more you can ask for.

While I still hold firm that my family makes the best - Better Than Baba's is a really close second.

Find more information and follow them here: 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

The Real Escape

Recently, I participated in an activty that's fairly new to this city of ours. Have you ever heard of an "Escape Room"? If you haven't, you should probably Google it right now. It was the absolute most fun I've had in months.

Are you competitive? Do you like to solve puzzles? Do you like to show your friends how smart you are? Then this is definitely up your alley!

 

My friends and I ended up at The Real Escape, located on Portage Avenue. From the moment we walked in our senses were on high alert. We were so excited to try it out; we'd been waiting weeks! The current theme was "Nuclear Meltdown" and the premise was Winnipeg's Nuclear Facility went into lock-down and you had 60 minutes to figure your way out of the room or you died. Obviously you don't really die, but you'd be surprised what that idea has on your psyche the whole time you're in the room. The closer the countdown gets to the end, the more frantic you become. It's a real adrenaline rush!

Luckily I have really smart friends. We pulled our weight fairly evenly and got out of the room with more than 20 minutes to spare. And not to brag (I'm totally bragging), but our team solved the room 3rd fastest out of 600 teams to attempt it. No big deal or anything. With a 31% success rate we were all feeling pretty proud of our teamwork skills. Also, nice to know I didn't die in a nuclear explosion. The current room ends on April 13th and they're back on April 23rd with a brand new room: Escape from Death Row. You bet your bottom dollar we will be heading to that one.

Word to the wise: you need a team name. Come prepared or you'll end up scrambling for something  at the end and settle on Super Sleuths. Come on guys, we can do better than that!

For information check out their website!
You can also find them on  Facebook or Twitter.

I'm Baaaack

Hello? Are you there? It's me, Melissa. I'm back. I know I said that before and then let you down but I'm going to try really hard to make it up to you. Okay? Okay.

I even got my friend to redesign this whole space and look how pretty it is! If that's not reason enough to come back to this little blog of mine, I don't know what is. Oh wait, there's even more of a reason and that is Winnipeg is fantastic and more people need to know it!

I have a few tihngs in the works and I'm even trying to convince a couple 'murican friends of mine to come up for a visit this summer. Let's cross our fingers for that. In the meantime, I will see you back here tomorow bright and early for a post on something a little new to the city: Escape Rooms.

Chao for now!