Food Review: Pizzeria Gusto

Pizzeria Gusto

404 Academy Rd

UPDATED: OCTOBER 2014

Pizzeria Gusto is a cozy restaurant with a very nice patio. I will betray the fact that I ate here several months ago by saying that we ate outside. The patio has tables as well as couch for a more casual dining experience. Since we didn’t have a reservation and it was busy we were relegated to the couch. I say relegated, but I actually enjoyed sitting there a lot.

I have eaten here several times and the food is consistently good.  

We ordered two pizzas:

-          Quatro Fromaggi (with a cracked egg on it)

-          Ryall

Both of these pizzas satisfied our craving. The Quatro Fromaggi was especially good with the egg on top. There is a wide range of options and flavors with the meat pizzas, and for once there is also a respectable range of vegetarian options. It is true that most are the same as the ones you get everywhere. Here they do them well, but sometimes I wish restaurants would have a bit more derring-do in creating their veggie pizza options.

All in all it is a wonderful place to bring a date, have a nice evening, and eat at the nicest upscale pizza in Winnipeg.

Until Next Time,

Food Review: Bard & Banker Pub

Bard & Banker Pub

1022 Government St

Victoria, BC

This is one of the prettiest pubs I’ve ever been to. It is located in a historic bank building. Stepping in, I felt transported into an imaginary UK where everyone drinks in grand halls adorned with brass and built of dark wood. The illusion was maintained when I saw the beer menu, which was impressive and included a great selection on tap.  I was seated promptly and the service was good.

I ordered the house made veggie burger

I thought that the veggie burger was entirely forgettable.  I asked my friends how they thought the food was and they agreed with me. This place is a pub first and a restaurant second and it would do you well to keep that in mind. Overall, it was a great place to have visited because of the beer selection and the beautiful architecture but you should come here to drink not to eat.

Until Next Time,

Food Review: Sam’s Deli & Bistro

Sam’s Deli & Bistro

805 Government St
Victoria, BC

I had finally checked into my hotel and I spent a few confused hours without food wondering around downtown Victoria. My ultimate goal was to sit by the beach in Beacon Hill Park (which is fabulous) and enjoy a bit of peace and quiet for a few hours before my friends’ flights arrived and I would have to deal with the hustle and bustle of the conference I was attending. This meant that I went to the first place that looked like I could get food fast. Sam’s Deli & Bistro was where I ended up.

It is a neat idea: it had the fast-food-sandwich-joint-style of serving and choices (bread, meat etc, veggies, sauces). The twist was that instead of having tons of bread and veggies, it was pretty much a regular homemade sandwich. The bread was plain old grocery store bread and it came packed in a little plastic container. Unfortunately, everything cost extra (avocados, pickles, even some of the bread options) and it was very unclear what was on the veggie sandwich.

Ultimately, it cost more than I wanted to spend and it tasted like a sandwich I could have made at home. At first this upset me because I should have just gone home and made the darn thing for cheaper. If you are a Victoria resident you should feel the same way; but this is the tourist zone. People who go here are probably far from home and don’t want to buy bread, pickles, tomato, mayo, avocado etc.. for a home-style sandwich because they would have to figure out what to do with them later. They just want that piece of home away from home and it can definitely be found in the sandwiches here. In that sense it is a decent place and I did enjoy it. I just wish it was cheaper.

Until next time,

Food Review: Li’L Viking Lounge & Harbour Dock Café

Li’L Viking Lounge & Harbour Dock Café

Gull Harbour Marina 

Hecla Island, MB 

I was going through my 'posts not posted' folder and found a few reviews from the summer that I never got around to posting. This place is probably closed for the season, but it will be open next spring.

This is pretty much your choice of dining out in Hecla Island Manitoba. The restaurant is located inside the main floor of the old fishery and oozes with the old Manitoba tradition of screened in patios. The place is clean and the view of the harbour is quite scenic as the sun goes down. The task of trying to keep a restaurant open seasonally in a less frequented part of the province means that the food is more expensive than in the city.

The restaurant attracts a variety of clientèle from sports fishermen to elderly vacationers to families, and as a result they have a standard beer menu and a fabulous array or locally made deserts. They make cinnamon buns in-house, and I am told that they disappear within hours of their creation. They also make brownies and some other lighter squares. However, the big selling point is the pickerel. It is obvious that their other menu items play a secondary role to their locally caught fish. I don’t usually order it, but my family always does.

I have ordered:

-          Nachos

-          Coconut Cream pie

-          Greek Salad

-          Caesar Salad   

-          Pizza

-          French Fries

Most of the food is made well and will appeal to your fast-food/pub food cravings. The coconut cream pie is very good. It is really nice the French fries are not greasy. The fish and chips (I am told) are moist, flavourful, and well battered. If you are staying at the lighthouse inn or the resort and you want to spend the evening looking at the sunset over the lake, this is the place to be.

Until next time,