Forget the Big Game, It’s Ladies Night Out at The City Grill
For all the ladies who aren’t into football, The City Grill is hosting an evening just for you.
On Sunday, February 5, 2012, the downtown restaurant is hosting a ladies night to help you get away from all the football hoopla and enjoy an evening for yourself and your lady friends. The 3 course prix fix menu for the evening looks yummy indeed:
First Course (choice of):
- Caesar Salad
- Puffy pastry croutons, traditional dressing, oven roasted tomatoes, bacon and parmesan cheese
- Soup
- Forest mushroom and barley
Second Course (Choice of):
- Crisp Skin Atlantic Salmon
- Tomato fennel cream, spinach and red quinoa
- 8oz. Flat Iron Steak and Shrimp
- Dry rubbed, roasted garlic, mushrooms, caramelized onions and hand cut pommes frites
- Slow Braised Chicken and Mushrooms
- Red wine, double smoked bacon, vegetables and crushed red potatoes
Third course
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Volcano Cake
- Warm molten cake, peanut butter centre served with peanut butter ice crean
Go out, have a great time and let the men clean up after themselves. Cost is $29.99 per person. As always, we recommend reservations (which can be made here) and would love it if you told them WindsorEats sent you.
Recap: Mettawas Station’s Winter Wonderland Outdoor Dinner [PHOTOS]
This past Saturday, Mettawas Station, located in Kingsville, Ontario in the historic old train station, held their annual Winter Wonderland dinner. What makes this event so unique, and in my opinion fun, is that the entire feast is served outdoors in the dead of winter. You read that right. An outdoor meal at the end of January in the cold.
As is the tradition, Chef Anthony Del Brocco keeps the 5-course menu a secret until the dishes are unveiled at each table. To help warm up the patrons outside, each dish is paired with a Lake Erie North Shore wine and portable heaters are scattered throughout the patio.
Here is a look at what was served for the evening and the wines they were paired with:
- Appetizer
- Spicy Tuna Roll and Mini Coconut Lobster Tail paired with Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery‘s Pinot Gris 2010
- Soup
- Chestnut and Porcini Bisque paired with Pelee Island Winery‘s Pinot Noir Reserve 2010
- Pasta
- Paparadelle and Chicken Polpetta served with Sprucewood Shores’ Barrel Aged Chardonnay 2009
- Salad
- Fig and Roasted Walnut Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette accompanied by Colchester Ridge Estate Winery‘s Reisling 2010
- Main Entree
- Bison Tenderloin with Goat Cheese paired with Pelee’s Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
- Dessert
- Candy and Dessert Buffet withyour choice of Pelee’s Icewine Cab Franc and/or Pelee Secco as well as CREW’s Icewine Gewurztraminer
The meal was delicious and the guests had a blast, occasionally taking cover inside an hiding beside the fireplace. Mettawas’ Winter Wonderland is an annual sellout and an event I definitely recommend keeping an eye out for in 2013. Take a look at the photos below to see what you missed this year.
Appetizer
Spicy Tuna Roll and Mini Coconut Lobster Tail – Sprucewood Shores Pinot Gris 2010
Soup
Chestnut and Porcini Bisque – Pelee Island Winery Pinot Noir Reserve 2010
Pasta
Paparadelle and Chicken Polpetta – Sprucewood Shores Barrel Aged Chardonnay 2009
Salad
Fig and Roasted Walnut Salad with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette – CREW Reisling 2010
Main Entree
Bison Tenderloin with Goat Cheese – PIW Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Dessert
Candy and Dessert Buffet -
PIW Icewine CabFranc
Pelee Secco
CREW Icewine Gewurztramine
Restaurant Added: Fratelli Pasta Grill Joins WindsorEats, Offers 2 Valentine’s Day Menus
A new Italian restaurant has opened in Tecumseh and they have signed on to WindsorEats!
With Valntine’s Day fast approaching, Fratelli Pasta Grill is offering 2 special menus giving you the perfect opportunity to try this new restaurant out. They also offer an extensive gluten-free menu to order from.
The first Valentine’s Day menu is $40 per person and is as follows:
Appetizer – Choice of one of the following:
- Polpetta – House made meatball stuffed with Fontina cheese
- Bruschetta – Vine ripened tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil on grilled crostini
- Stracciatella – Italian egg drop soup with chicken and noodles. Dish can be modified to gluten free.
- Insalata di Casa – Field greens, tomato, grilled red onion, Fratelli dressing. Dish can be modified to gluten free.
Main Cource – Choice of one of the following:
- Pollo Milanese – Parmesan/panko crusted chicken breast with gremolata
- Vitello Lemone – Veal scallopini in a lemon sauce. Dish can be modified to gluten free.
- Tilapia – Corn crusted tilapia fillet pan seared over baked. Dish can be modified to gluten free.
- Penne Fratelli – Grilled chicken, sundried tomato, roasted garlic, goat cheese and extra virgin olive oil. Dish can be modified to gluten free.
- Spaghetti Bolognese – Rustic ragu of veal, pork, lamb, tomato, porcini and Parmigiano Reggiano.Dish can be modified to gluten free.
Dessert:
- Tiramisu – Coffee flavoured Italian trifle.
Fratelli’s second Valentine’s Day menu is going for $50 per person and give you the following options:
Appetizer – Choice of one of the following:
- Calamari Fritti – Pan friend calamari with greens, lemon and pazzo dip.
- Crostini Fratelli – Grilled pears, Gorgonzola cheese, roasted walnuts and honey on toasted bread.
- Shrimp Bisque – Creamy roasted shrimp soup.
- Caesar – Lettuce, garlic/parmesan dressing, focaccia croutons. Dish can be modified to gluten free.
Main Course – Choice of one of the following:
- Chilean Seabass – Pan seared oven baked with white wine butter sauce. Dish can be modified to gluten free.
- Filetto di Manzo - Panceta and goat cheese stuffed beef tenderloin with roasted tomato confit. Dish can be modified to gluten free.
- Pollo di Parma – Chicken breast supreme, wrapped with prosciutto, and grilled black tiger shrimp.
- Fettucini Giovanna – Cognac cream with lobster, mushroom and grilled scallions. Dish can be modified to gluten free.
- Tortellini di Bosco - Sundried tomato, grilled veal flank, asparagus and extra virgin olive oil.
Dessert:
- Tiramisu – Coffee flavoured Italian trifle.
The cost of both menus is per person and does not include beverages, taxes or gratuity. There is also champagne upon arrival.
As always, we strongly recommend reservations and to tell everyone at Fratelli Pasta Grill WindsorEats sent you and we say hello!
Taste Bud Bistro Closes Doors For Good
In what is sad news for the Windsor culinary scene and the Windsor-Essex local food movement, Janine Bratt of Taste Bud Bistro has decided to close the doors of both her catering business in Old Walkerville and the restaurant within the Art Gallery of Windsor. Here is what she had to say:
It has been a pleasure serving you for the past three years. I have closed my doors at the Chilver location and at the AGW. It was a great experience to start a catering business doing small in-home dinner parties and seeing it grow to a brick and mortar store, a restaurant, and having the man power to cater large weddings. I was overwhelmed with all of the support you have all given me over the years.
I am not yet sure what the future holds for me but will keep you up to date if I decide to continue my career in Windsor.
We’ll try to bring you more information soon. We wish Janine all the best in her future.
Do Valentine’s Day Dinner at Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards
With January quickly coming to an end, Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and if you’re looking for someplace different to have that special Valentine’s Day meal, on February 11, 2012 give Cooper’s Hawk Vineyards a try.
Here is a look at the menu being offered for the evening:
- Course One is a choice of:
- Caesar Salad with Parmesan Crisps
- Baby Spinach Salad with Dried Tomato,Cherry Tomato and Asiago Dressing
- Course Two is a choice of:
- Aged Grain Fed Beef Tenderloin,Whipped Potato,Baby carrots and Garlic Jus
- Seared Sea Bass with Honey-Lavender Sauce,French Beans and Jasmine Rice
- Course Three is a choice of:
- Creme Brulee
- Chocolate and Caramel Cheese Cake
The cost is $150 per couple and also includes a rose and a bottle of Cooper’s Hawk’s very own wine to share. Deposit is required to reserve.
Restaurant Added: Kings Landing Restaurant in Kingsville, Ontario
Another great Kingsville, Ontario, restaurant has joined WindsorEats!
Kings Landing, located along the lakefront at 103 Park St,is situated in a hisotric building erected in 1886. Specializing in steaks, seafood, and Greek cuisine, the restaurant offers a view of Kingsville’s harbour.
Rumour has it that the spirits of one of the buildings previous owners, George Stills, still occupies the property.
I definitely recommend going to Kings Landing for dinner and trying their Greek Ribs. Yum! While you’re there say hello to the owner Greg and tell him WindsorEats sent you! Who knows, you might even meet George!
The Dominion House To Host A Party For Football’s Big Game
On Sunday, February 5, 2012, The Dominion house is hosting a party to close out the football season in style. They will be giving away lots of prizes like:
- Bud Light Ipod Speaker Tower
- Spalding Golf Bag
- Baltimore Ravens Jacket
- Other swag throughout the game
Along with the great giveaways, they will be offering a fantastic menu for those coming in to watch the big game:
- Pig Roast Buffet $11.99
- Roasted Pork
- Roast Beef
- Penne
- Roasted Potatoes
- Dinner Rolls
A takeout menu is also available for those choosing to watch the game from home:
- Large 3 topping pizza $12.99
- 30 wings $24.99
- 50 wings $39.99
- 20 Sliders $29.99
- Game Size Nacho Platter $29.99
- 30 Piece Fried Chicken $24.99
A Look Back at the 2012 Winter Bites Culinary Week
We’re a little late posting this as we’re still trying to digest all the food we ate, but wow! What a week! Our Winter Bites Culinary Week officially ended on Sunday, January 22, 2012 and we are reeling over the tremendous response.
We are still compiling numbers provided to us by restaurants, but overall Winter Bites was a great success.
During the week, approximately 30,000 people checked out WindsorEats to see the great deals restaurants were offering and the restaurants themselves were packed! One restaurant in particular is even claiming a 50% increase in business during the week all because of Winter Bites. That’s insane! Another restaurant became so busy one day at the beginning of the week they actually had to close the doors for a couple hours because they ran out of food. That’s double insane!
Diners were tweeting and facebooking about their experiences at participating restaurants and sharing photos of their meals with us.
Restaurants received record number of diners for this year’s Winter Bites. Rino’s Kitchen and The City Grill had such a great week and rave reviews for his Winter Bites menu he’s decided to extend it for another week.
Thank you to our sponsors AM800, 93.9FM The River, Blue Apple, Windsor Social, The Downtown Business Improvement Association, Global Machine Repair. They helped make this year’s culinary week the success that it was.
From Monday to Friday, we hung out with Arms Bumanlag and Rich Garton of CTV Windsor as Arms highlighted a different Winter Bites restaurant each day during his weather reports. Thanks to Arms, Rich, CTV and the restaurants who braved the cold for live cooking demonstrations.
And thank YOU! Your support of a local event is key to making Windsor Essex the thriving, wonderful place that it is! We love what we do and are doing what we love and it’s a wonderful feeling when we can share it with so many of you.
While our next Winter Bites 2013 isn’t until January 14-20, 2013…don’t worry! Eat Your City Culinary Week takes place August 6-12, 2012 and we think it’s going to be just as good! If you’re a restaurant or winery that wants to participate in our next culinary week or if you’re a business that is wanting to host a culinary week event, please contact us!
Now, take a walk through memory lane with us as we have a look back at some of the meals we ate during Winter Bites. If you have your own photos that you’re wanting to share, send them to us! We’d love to post them.
Tonight: Winter Bites Culinary Week Film Screening of Mad City Chickens
Beginning at 7:30pm, the Windsor Essex Community Supported Agriculture will be screening the film Mad City Chickens at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Windsor as part of the 2012 Winter Bites Culinary Week.
This is the perfect opportunity to head on out for an entertaining evening of dinner and a movie, taking in one of the many great deals participating restaurants are offering as part of our restaurant week. It can be as simple as walking around the corner to Mazaar Lebanese Cuisine, Chanoso’s Restaurant, Oishii Sushi, Neros in Caesars Windsor or The City Grill, all in the downtown core. All their Winter Bites menus can be viewed here.
The screening begins at 7:30pm and tickets are $10 per person. Even if you aren’t a supporter of urban chickens, this is a great way to help educate yourself on the idea all while taking in some entertainment on the cheap and helping a good cause. Money raised from this event will go to support the Windsor Essex Community Supported Agriculture group which are doing some great things in our region to help support growing naturally raised and healthy foods.
Mad City Chickens is a sometimes serious, sometimes whimsical look at the people who keep urban chickens in their backyards. From chicken experts and authors to a rescued landfill hen or an inexperienced family that decides to take the poultry plunge—and even a mad professor and giant hen taking to the streets—it’s a humorous and heartfelt trip through the world of backyard chickendom.
Winter Bites Lunch in Kingsville at the Mettawas Station [PHOTOS]
For Day 3 of the 2012 Winter Bites Culinary Week, I zipped out to Kingsville, Ontario, for a nice little lunch getaway. After visiting The Main Grill & Ale House and Jack’s Gastropub (who told me they’ve seen a great turnout so far for Winter Bites Culinary Week) I headed to Mettawas Station for their $15 lunch.
My selections from their Winter Bites menu were:
- Broccoli & Cheddar Soup au Gratin
- Baked Rigatoni
- Casatelli
The soup was absolutely incredible. The thick layer of cheddar was melted over top the soup which had nice chunks of broccoli and bread in it. An absolute must order in my opinion. My only two complaints to Chef Anthony Del Brocco were 1) I wanted a never-ending supply of it and 2) with the shape of the bowl I had no clue how to lick it clean.
The Baked Rigatoni didn’t disappoint either. The sauce had a creaminess to it but definitely did not overpower all the flavours.
As good as the two opening dishes were, the Casatelli were my favourite, in part because of a personal affiliation. We used to make these around Christmas time with my Nonna and eating them brought back some nice memories.
Try to give yourself a little getaway and head to Kingsville for a Winter Bites meal. While you’re out in that direction visit Colio Estate Winery for a wine and cheese tasting as part of Winter Bites Culinary Week. The cost is $7 per person. They also have tours available at 1:00pm, 2:00pm and 3:00pm for $4 per person.