Skate for Cancer

And the rest of the day

Here's another batch of photos of my weekend.  Spent it with some good friends, hanging out at The Forks watching skateboarders, local bands, before moving to a lounge for drinks and then heading to the Skate for Cancer after party.

Skaters jumping stairs

My view for the afternoon

Until we went for a walk

To get some snacks

Then headed back for more tunes

Oh it was beer o'clock

And cheese o'clock

One last band before the after party

Which we were the first ones there

Lots of free swag

Party was jumping

Peasant Cookery

Mussels, Arctic Char, and Beer, oh my....

Nestled right beside a place I frequent a lot, King's Head, sits Peasant Cookery , a fancy looking restaurant that everyone talks about.  And they only have good things to say.  Yet for the amount of time I frequent King's Head I have never ventured into Peasant Cookery for a bite to eat.  One night, unsure of what restaurant to eat at with Adrian and Natasha we decided on Peasant Cookery.

Walking in, the place was bustling, the patio was packed, and only a few tables were open. Luckily Natasha made reservations for us.  Feeling slightly underdressed in my t-shirt and jeans the place had a classier feel to it than I expected.  Once the sun dropped out of sight it became a bit darker and more moody inside too, albeit rather noisy, but that didn’t bother us because we were probably pretty loud ourselves.

First thing I did was check out the beer list.  At first glance I was impressed and I started with one of the beers on special – Granville Island Brockton IPA ($5).  Then I realized they had Chimay Reserve ($11), which I ordered promptly after finishing the first beer.  I was more impressed by the beer list because of this and a couple others they had.  Even more impressive, they both came with the proper glassware.  I could have just sat their and drank the Chimay Reserve all night, which was slightly tart and tasted like cherries but as it warmed I could taste dates quite prominently.

Of course I wasn't at Peasant Cookery to just drink beer.  I was there to test out the delicious food I kept hearing about.  Looking over the menu, at the firsts, a few things caught my eye: mussels, oysters and onion soup.  Natasha ordered the soup, Adrian beef tartar, while I decided on the mussels ($13.99) that came in a chili lime crème and red onion sauce.  As we waited for our first course the waiter brought us some fresh baked bread that we could have probably eaten all night.

My enjoyment of mussels is pretty big and the last couple months I’ve been on more of a mussels kick than usual.  The comparison between Peasant Cookery’s mussels and the other places mussels was close if I had to decide on which one would be the best.  I have to say the mussels from Peasant Cookery were the best cooked of the three places I had them, although one joint has a far superior sauce, which I am kind of in love with.  A side of fries came with the mussels and was really fantastic.  These fries actually would be rated really high if I ever did a Great Burger Hunt there – even Adrian thought they were great.

The main dish of the night for me was the arctic char ($21.99) on top of couscous.  This northern living fresh water fish is not one you find on many menus so I jumped at the chance to order it.  A bit like salmon, in texture and taste, the arctic char was melting in my mouth.  The oily aspect of the fish really complimented the couscous.

Now it probably wasn't the greatest idea because I was so full but I ordered a dessert.  Well, I let the waiter choose one for me.  He brought me a puff pastry filled with ice cream topped with chocolate sauce ($6.99).  It was quite good but I couldn't even fathom eating all three of them after my meal.  Luckily I handed the plate off to my friends to finish.

Peasant Cookery impressed me with their menu variety, beer selection, and the delicious meal I had.  They will have me as a repeat customer, especially for $1 oyster night.  I'll definitely return for another full meal, and probably more mussels.

You should also check out what Adrian and Natasha had to say about Peasant Cookery.

Peasant Cookery

283 Bannatyne Ave

Winnipeg, MB R3B 1M3

204-989-7700

Half Pints Queer Beer (2012)

Another year of this summer brew!

Beer : Queer Beer

Brewery : Half Pints Brewing Company

Brewed In : Winnipeg, Manitoba

PHOTO BY BRETT ENQUIST

Style : Helles Lager

ABV : 4.8%

Price : $2 and some change

Notes : Limited brew for Pride Winnipeg

Story : This beer was first brewed last year.  Again in 2012 Half Pints has brewed it, but this time they updated the logo with a fancy new label and some swanky 6-pack boxes!  In honour of Pride Winnipeg’s 25 ^th Anniversary you should do yourself a favour and pick yourself up a few bottles, or well, six.

Appearance : Queer Beer pours a pale straw yellow with a fizzy white head that loses its retention quickly.

Smell : Like last years, the beer has a bit of a grainy scent but the wheat aroma is much more prominent.  There is slight fruit aromas of banana and a hint of apple here as well.  Not the strongest of noses but very pleasant.

Taste : The banana in the nose is also in the taste but it is very subdued and I can’t pick out any other fruit flavours.  Wheat is the prominent flavour, and I noticed a trace more of a malt flavour than last years.

Mouthfeel : Still light bodied like the previous version but it has a bit more weight to it.  The carbonation is just as noticeable.

Drinkability : Very much an easy drinking beer.  Perfect for a hot summer day spent at Pride Winnipeg.

LAST YEARS REVIEW

Robert Dean’s In the Arms of Nightmares – Review

A book not for the feint of heart

In the Arms of Nightmares is one of those books I stumbled upon.  Quite literally, on Twitter, when the author Robert Dean was looking for people to read his book and write a review.  I jumped at the chance, unsure of what exactly I was going to be reading.  A few hours later he sent me the digital copy of the book.  Looking at the summary online I realize I lucked out – as this novel is right up my alley! In the Arms of Nightmares follows the cannibal Arthur Reilly and the madness that has been slowly consuming his life since returning from the war.

Let me start by saying In the Arms of Nightmares is a book I would recommend. But also let me point out you probably need to be in the right frame of mind to read it. This book is dark, disturbing, and full of enough depressing material to ruin your mood, no matter how good of a day you're having.  That being said, In the Arms Of Nightmares is reminiscent of some of my favorite writers: Will Christopher Baer , Chuck Palahniuk , and JG Ballard . Come to think of it the book felt like Baer's debut novel Kiss Me, Judas and Josh Bazell's (also debut novel) Beat the Reaper rolled up into one novel - with a sprinkle of cannibalism, war, jazz music, and cooking.

The first thing I noticed was Dean's vivid, yet very simple descriptions. Unlike some writers, like Michael Chabon , who are very wordy, Dean is straight to the point but still with picturesque words making you truly feel disgusted that Dean is making you imagine Reilly’s actions so vividly.  On page one Dean describes Reilly’s escort as a “poor man’s Marilyn. A tangled mess of platinum blonde hair and eyes so dark, they lacked clarity of discernable pigment.”  His descriptive writing sets the tone later in the chapter when Reilly does indescribable things to his escort.  Well, I guess they were not too indescribable because Dean just did it.  The first chapter instantly reminded me of the first chapter of Baer’s Kiss Me, Judas , and that is a big statement from me considering it is one of my favourite novels.

Dean brings us into Reilly’s present world quickly before hauling us into his past.  His diary entries during the war show the protagonists changing thought patterns for the reader.  I was not a fan of this at first, as I enjoyed Reilly in the present time more than the past, but Dean did a great job making sure each entry meant something to the character.

The writing and the story follows a nice progression as you become to understand Reilly, who at this time you absolutely loathe, but Dean makes the novel interesting enough that you want to know if Reilly will get what he deserves.  At this point Dean sums up Reilly’s state of mind: “His mind traveled into the dark abyss.  Further and further he fell down the rabbit hole.  Was he about to follow the white rabbit, or find himself in the court of the Queen of Hearts, waiting to lose his head?  The looking glass had shattered.”  This statement essentially is Reilly in a nutshell.

Winding down into the final chapters my alluring hatred for Reilly is still there.  He has done nothing to redeem himself.  Reilly kills more and more, playing with his “food” each time.   Yet there I still wanted to know what would happen.

The ending for In the Arms of Nightmares was a bit abrupt.  The conclusion was there but there was more than a few questions I wanted answered.  I’m unsure if Dean is writing a sequel but I feel it could warrant one and I would read another book starring Reilly.  Also I may never hear Jazz music the same – always expecting to run into Arthur Reilly as he hunts his next prey.

Order the paperback here .  Or digital here .  Also be sure to check out Robert Dean's World .

BruceFest!

A student film fest in my backyard

In an effort to see everyones second film from my Filmmaking I class this year I decided to host a small film festival in my backyard.  With the help of Tyrone I managed to set up a decent screen and make it a success.  Here is a the weekend in photos from Alyson , Brett , and I.

Picked up some beer to start the morning!

Played some chess with Adrian

Before picking up two kegs of beer...

Then set up the screen.

Played a bit of poker after tapping the kegs.

Stoking the fire!

Friends waiting patiently.

Setting up the next film!

It's Bruce!

Late night fire after everyone left!

Breakfast in the morning.

Teaching someone to play football.

Mad Men and another fire!

Anchor Steam

A little treasure from San Francisco

Beer : Anchor Steam

Brewery : Anchor Brewing Company

Brewed In : California, USA

Style : California Common/Steam Beer

ABV : 4.9%

Price : $2 and some change!

Notes : Year-round availability

Story : This is a beer I bring camping with me.  I’ve heard it is quite phenomenal freshly bottled or on tap too.

Appearance : The beer is clear golden amber with a thick and creamy head.

Smell : Not very aromatic but this beer gives off a slight scent of caramel malts.

Taste : Flavour is very malty with a little bitterness from the citrus hops in the finish.  Not too much going on in this beer.  It is very balanced though and is easy to drink.

Mouthfeel : I’ve been told this is medium bodied but I would probably consider it more on the thin side.

Drinkability : Like I said above – great beer to bring when you go camping!

The Great Burger Hunt - Fox & Hounds Tavern

Serving the best pub grub in town?

I’ll be honest I never thought I would ever eat the food at the Fox & Hounds Tavern .  It may be my local watering hole, but only for a few drinks, with friends because of its location and the quiet atmosphere, unless it is Saturday night – where karaoke makes the place quite rambunctious.

The Fox & Hounds seemed to always have a buffet on the go, yet Kevin and I never saw anyone eat from it.  It just sat there looking terrible.  Of course I did eat there once.  When a guy came in selling $1 pizza slices.  It was probably the worst $1 I have ever spent.

Then one day I stumbled across a retweet about “the best pub grub in town” – the original tweet was by @StJamesWPGHotel (The Fox).  Huh? The Fox I frequent?  Couldn’t be… could it?

Of course I had to check it out.  So one day Kevin and I ventured down for an afternoon beer and a bite to eat.

Glancing at their new menu I was impressed.  A very good selection of food and the photos on the menu looked like the food could actually come from the kitchen at the Fox.  Sure they didn’t look very fancy but they looked like actual restaurant food, unlike most places that show fancy photos of their meals and it looks nothing like that.

After Kevin and I ordered our beers we waited a tad longer than we should have considering the waitress knew we were going to order food.  When she came back I ordered a Ground Chuck Burger with chips.  I could have had a salad or normal fries but figured the chips were a good choice.

Like our wait to order, the food took quiet a long time.  They might have cut the chips right after we ordered.  Even though we waited a good amount of time the burger came out piping hot.  The chips were a tad cool though but decent, albeit a bit salty.  A side of spicy dipping sauce that came with them was really good and was pretty spicy.

As much as the burger looked good I was still unsure.  It is the Fox.  Aside from the bun that was a little on the dry side it actually surprised me.  The burger was nothing fancy, just a patty tossed together with very little spice and some fresh veggies on top.  This is something that you would expect when you quickly throw together a burger at home.  Very average but if you do order it it won't really be a disappointment.

For 8.50 this was actually wasn’t bad, not anything fancy at all, but decent for the price point.  I will definitely come back to try other menu items but “the best pub grub in town” might be a bit of a stretch.

What I got : Ground Chuck Burger and chips - $8.50 (before taxes)

Burger Taste : 3/5

Fries Taste : 3/5

Price Value : 4/5

Menu Selection : 4/5

Overall : 3.5/5

Fox & Hounds Tavern

1719 Portage Ave

Winnipeg, MB R2J 0E4

204-888-2341

Fullers London Porter

Thin and dark deliciousness!

Beer : Fullers London Porter

Brewery : Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

Brewed In : United Kingdom

Style : English Porter

ABV : 5.4%

Price : Don’t remember how much I paid for this can but it was around $2.30

Notes : Year-round availability in bottles, cans, and on tap.

Story : This is another beer that I brought back from my trip out to Kenora.

Appearance : Dark dark dark!  Looks almost completely black with a bit of reddish purple at the bottom of the glass.  When held up to the light you can see it is red but it still has a hint of purple.  Head is thick and sticks around for a long time.

Smell : Aroma is mostly roasty chocolate and molasses.  Smells very tasty.

Taste : The flavour is molasses and creamy milk chocolate, although you get more of the creaminess than the chocolate taste.  Also a hint of vanilla.

Mouthfeel : London Porter is very smooth and creamy but surprisingly thin and light-medium bodied.

Drinkability : This beer is very simple in flavour and aroma but it has a nice balance that makes it a good beer.