WINNIPEG

St. boniface

diy food tour

St. Boniface Museum, 494 Tache Ave, Winnipeg, MB R2H 2B2, Canada

photo credit @museestbonifacemuseum

St. Boniface Cathedral, 180 Av. de la Cathedrale, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0H7, Canada

photo credit @museestbonifacemuseum

The St. Boniface Cathedral Fire – Manitoba Home Movie Archive

Originally filmed on July 22, 1968 by Napoleon Gagnon. Donated by Danielle Gagnon & the Gagnon Family.

This film was made publicly available through the Manitoba Home Movie Archive, a project by the Gimli Film Festival (https://vimeo.com/492258696)

Introduction

The St. Boniface neighbourhood is home to the largest francophone community in Western Canada. It contains Winnipeg landmarks including: the St. Boniface Cathedral, the Provencher Bridge, Esplanade Riel, the Université de Saint-Boniface, and the Royal Canadian Mint.

Official name: St. Boniface

Established: 1818

Incorporated as a town: 1883

Established as a city: 1908

Population: ~59,000

Named after: Saint Boniface, an English Benedictine monk

Size: 20 city blocks, 150 heritage buildings. 

DIY Tour details

Number of stops: 10
Number of tastings: 10 (9 entrées, 1 beverage)
Tastings: Beet Grilled Cheese (golden beets, red beets, candy stripe beets, arugula, mayo, whipped feta, honey, pistachio spread, house made sourdough), Green Onion & Sesame Sauce Takoyaki (House Made Sesame Sauce, fried yam, green onion, sesame seeds, and parsley flakes), Almond Croissant, Reuben (Eatery made corned beef, sauerkraut, braised onions, Eatery made thousand Island dressing, Bothwell white cheddar, grilled marble rye), Goat Roti, Spicy Chocolate Drink, Tourtière Pie, Butter chicken, Muffaleta (Assorted Italian meats, provolone cheese with olive vegetable spread on home focaccia bread)

St. Boniface factoids

  • The largest francophone community in Western Canada
  • St-Boniface became incorporated in 1883 as a town and as a city in 1908
  • More than 35 designated historical sites located in the community
  • Notable people
    • Jonathan Toews – professional hockey player
    • Butch Goring – professional hockey player
    • Louis Riel – Métis leader and founder of Manitoba
    • Jim Peebles – cosmologist and Nobel Prize winner
    • Gabrielle Roy – French language author
  •  Cathédrale de Saint-Boniface is the sixth church to be built on this site since 1818. It now is a facade and walls which are all that remain of the 1908 building, which was destroyed by fire in 1968 (see above)

diy food tour

  • PICK THE DISHES YOU WANT TO TRY

    Pick the different tasting you want to experience. Some dishes may only be available on certain days, make sure the food you want to try is available on the day you choose.

  • Check opening and closing times

    Some places open up later, some earlier, design your tour when the places you want to visit will be open.

  • Tell the restaurant you are on a food tour AND YOU are there to try a specific dish

    As the title says, let the restaurant know that you are trying a specific dish because it has been recommended for inclusion on a food tour. This will let owners know that a dish they prepare is being highlighted and appreciated.

  • snacks, not meals

    The idea is to try a bunch of different foods in an afternoon or evening. Therefore, you only want to try a portion of each dish. To assist with planning, portion amounts per person have been suggested for each tasting.

  • What to bring

    You will want to have good walking shoes, and dress appropriately for the weather.

  • GO BACK TO THE FOOD SHOPS

    If you enjoyed your tasting, at a later date, please go back to the restaurant to order the dish again and try other dishes they serve.

Tasting Types

There are 6 different tasting types. The first is a Must Try tasting, which means the dish provides a sense of pleasure, leaves an everlasting impression, evokes something exceptional, and will be remembered. The second is a Tasting Hack, that is for example, a tasting that is combined with another tasting on the tour, that together, create a better tasting experience. A Seasonal tasting is only available during certain times of the year. A Vegetarian tasting does not contain meat (only verified vegetarian tasting are identified). A Best-In-Class tasting is an identification of a top tasting destination. A Cook At Home tasting is where you purchase in store, but cook at home.

Must try

Must try food tasting

Tasting Hack

Special manitpulated tasting

Seasonal

Seasonal tasting

Vegetarian

Vegetarian tasting

Best-in-class

Top tasting destination

Cook at Home

Tasting you purchase in store, but cook at home

Tasting Locations

Tasting menu

Beet Grilled Cheese from Dug & Betty’s Ice Creamery

photo credit @dugandbettys

Dug & Betty's Ice Creamery / Crèmerie de Glace

Ice Creamery

DoorDash Canada’s 50 Most Loved All Stars 2022 

Must try:  Beet Grilled Cheese (golden beets, red beets, candy stripe beets, arugula, mayo, whipped feta, honey, pistachio spread, house made sourdough)

“A grilled cheese (sometimes known as a toasted sandwich or cheese toastie) is a hot sandwich typically prepared by heating one or more slices of cheese between slices of bread, with a cooking fat such as butter, on a frying pan, griddle, or sandwich toaster, until the bread browns and the cheese melts” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grilled_cheese)

How to portion: One order can provide up to 4 tastings
Address: 309 Des Meurons St, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0V2
Hours: Friday 11a.m.–9p.m.
Saturday 11a.m.–9p.m.
Sunday 11a.m.–8p.m.
Monday 11a.m.–8p.m.
Tuesday 11a.m.–8p.m.
Wednesday 11a.m.–8p.m.
Thursday 11a.m.–8p.m.
Website: https://www.dugandbettys.com/
Instagram: @dugandbettys

Yuzu Ponzu Tempura Takoyaki from Dwarf no Cachette Café

photo credit @dwarfnocachette

Dwarf no Cachette Café

Japanese restaurant

Must try: Green Onion & Sesame Sauce Takoyaki (House Made Sesame Sauce, fried yam, green onion, sesame seeds, and parsley flakes)

“Takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus (tako), tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger (beni shoga), and green onion (negi). The balls are brushed with takoyaki sauce (similar to Worcestershire sauce) and mayonnaise, and then sprinkled with green laver (aonori) and shavings of dried bonito (katsuobushi)… Takoyaki was first popularized in Osaka, where a street vendor named Tomekichi Endo is credited with its invention in 1935… Takoyaki is associated with yatai street food stalls, and there are many well-established takoyaki specialty restaurants, particularly in the Kansai region” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takoyaki)

How to portion: One order can provide up to 8 tastings
Address: 157 Provencher Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0G2, Canada
Hours: Friday 11AM–9PM
Saturday 11AM–9PM
Sunday 11AM–5PM
Monday 11AM–9PM
Tuesday 11AM–9PM
Wednesday 11AM–9PM
Thursday 11AM–9PM
Website: www.dwarfnocachette.com/
Instagram: @dwarfnocachette

Almond Croissant from La Belle Baguette

Photo credit: @belle_baguette

La Belle Baguette

Bakery

Must try: Almond Croissant

“A croissant is a buttery, flaky, French viennoiserie pastry inspired by the shape of the Austrian kipferl but using the French yeast-leavened laminated dough. Croissants are named for their historical crescent shape, the dough is layered with butter, rolled and folded several times in succession, then rolled into a thin sheet, in a technique called laminating. The process results in a layered, flaky texture, similar to a puff pastry. Crescent-shaped breads have been made since the Renaissance, and crescent-shaped cakes possibly since antiquity but using brioche dough… The modern croissant was developed in the early 20th century when French bakers replaced the brioche dough of the kipferl with a yeast-leavened laminated dough” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croissant)

How to portion: One croissant can provide up to 4 tastings
Address: 248 Av. de la Cathedrale, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0H8, Canada
Hours: Friday 8AM–3PM
Saturday 8AM–3PM
Sunday 9AM–1PM
Monday Closed
Tuesday 8AM–3PM
Wednesday 8AM–3PM
Thursday 8AM–3PM
Website: www.labellebaguette.ca
Instagram: @belle_baguette

Reuben from Marion Street Eatery 

Photo credit @marionstreeteatery

Marion Street Eatery

Sandwich shop

Must try: Reuben (Eatery made corned beef, sauerkraut, braised onions, Eatery made thousand Island dressing, Bothwell white cheddar, grilled marble rye)

“The Reuben sandwich is a North American grilled sandwich composed of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing or Russian dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread. It is associated with kosher-style delicatessens, but is not kosher because it combines meat and cheese. One origin story holds that Reuben Kulakofsky (his first name sometimes spelled Reubin; his last name sometimes shortened to Kay), a Lithuanian-born Jewish grocer residing in Omaha, Nebraska, asked for a sandwich made of corned beef and sauerkraut at his weekly poker game held in the Blackstone Hotel from around 1920 through 1935. The participants, who nicknamed themselves “the committee”, included the hotel’s owner, Charles Schimmel. Schimmel’s son, who worked in the kitchen, made the first Reuben for him, adding Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing to his order, putting the whole thing on rye bread” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_sandwich)

How to portion: One order can provide up to 4 tastings
Address: 393 Marion St, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0V4, Canada
Hours: Friday 7AM–3PM
Saturday 7AM–3PM
Sunday 8AM–2PM
Monday 7AM–3PM
Tuesday 7AM–3PM
Wednesday 7AM–3PM
Thursday 7AM–3PM
Website: www.marionstreeteatery.com
Instagram: @marionstreeteatery

Butter chicken roti from Deen’s Caribbean Restaurant

photo credit @diyfoodtours

Deen's Caribbean Restaurant

Caribbean Restaurant

Must try: Goat Roti

“Roti is eaten widely across the Caribbean, especially in countries with large Indo-Caribbean populations such as Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and Jamaica. Originally brought to the islands by indentured laborers from the Indian subcontinent, roti has become a popular staple in the culturally rich cuisines of these countries. In the Caribbean, roti is commonly eaten as an accompaniment to various curries and stews. The traditional way of eating roti is to break the roti by hand, using it to sop up sauce and pieces of meat from the curry. However, in the Caribbean, the term roti may refer to both the flatbread (roti) itself and the more popular street food item, in which the roti is folded around a savory filling in the form of a wrap” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roti#Caribbean)

How to portion: One order can provide up to 5 tastings
Address: 205 Marion St, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0T5, Canada
Hours: Saturday 12–7:30PM
Sunday Closed
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11:30AM–8PM
Wednesday 11:30AM–8PM
Thursday 11:30AM–8:30PM
Friday 12–8:30PM
Website: NA
Instagram: NA

Hot chocolate from Chocolatier Constance Popp

photo credit @poppchocolates

Chocolatier Constance Popp

Chocolate shop

Must try: Spicy Chocolate Drink

Available Wednesdays to Saturday (sells out)

“Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civilization (19th-11th century BCE), and the majority of Mesoamerican people ─ including the Maya and Aztecs ─ made chocolate beverages… The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste and must be fermented to develop the flavor. After fermentation, the seeds are dried, cleaned, and roasted. The shell is removed to produce cocoa nibs, which are then ground to cocoa mass, unadulterated chocolate in rough form” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate)

How to portion: One order can provide 1 tasting
Address: 180 Provencher Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0G3, Canada
Hours: Sunday Closed
Monday 10 AM–5 PM
Tuesday 10 AM–5 PM
Wednesday 10 AM–5 PM
Thursday 10 AM–5 PM
Friday 10 AM–5 PM
Saturday 12–4 PM
Website: https://constancepopp.com/
Instagram: @poppchocolates

Tourtière Pie from Molly’s Meat Pies  

photo credit @diyfoodtours

Molly's Meat Pies

Bakery

Must try: Tourtière Pie

“Tourtière is a French Canadian meat pie dish originating from the province of Quebec, usually made with minced pork, veal or beef and potatoes. Wild game is sometimes used. It is a traditional part of the Christmas réveillon and New Year’s Eve meal in Quebec… There is no one correct filling; the meat depends on what is regionally available. In coastal areas, fish such as salmon is commonly used, whereas pork, beef, rabbit and game are often included inland. The name derives from the vessel in which it was originally cooked, a tourtière” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourtière)

How to portion: One 4″ pie can provide 2 tastings, 9″ pie can provide 6 tastings
Address: 390 Provencher Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0H1, Canada
Hours: Friday 9AM–5PM
Saturday 9AM–3PM
Sunday Closed
Monday Closed
Tuesday 9AM–5PM
Wednesday 9AM–5PM
Thursday 9AM–5PM
Website: http://www.mollysmeatpies.com/
Instagram: NA

Butter Chicken from Shahi Flames

photo credit @shahiflames

Shahi Flames

Indian restaurant

Must try: Butter chicken

“Butter chicken, traditionally known as murgh makhani, is an Indian dish originating in New Delhi. It is a type of curry made from chicken with a spiced tomato and butter (makhan) sauce. Its sauce is known for its rich texture. It is similar to chicken tikka masala, which uses a tomato paste… Chicken is marinated for several hours in a mixture of lemon juice, dahi (yogurt), Kashmiri red chili, salt, garam masala, ginger paste, and garlic paste… The marinated chicken is cooked in a tandoor (traditional clay oven), but may be grilled, oven-roasted, or pan-fried. It is served in a mild curry sauce that includes butter. The sauce is a tomato, garlic, and ginger-based sauce that is simmered until smooth and much of the water has evaporated. There are many variations on the composition and spicing of the sauce, which is sieved so that it is velvety smooth. Spices may include cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, garam masala, and fenugreek” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter_chicken)

How to portion: One order can provide up to 6 portions
Address: 208 Marion St, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0T6, Canada
Hours: Thursday 11 AM–10 PM
Friday 11 AM–10 PM
Saturday 12–10 PM
Sunday 12–10 PM
Monday 11 AM–10 PM
Tuesday 11 AM–10 PM
Wednesday Closed
Website: https://shahiflames.com/
Instagram: @shahiflames

Muffaleta sandwich from Pasquale’s Italian Restorante

photo credit @diyfoodtours

Pasquale's Italian Ristorante

Italian Restaurant

Must try: Muffaleta (Assorted Italian meats, provolone cheese with olive vegetable spread on home focaccia bread)

*ONLY AVAILABLE AT LUNCH*

“The muffuletta or muffaletta is both a type of round Sicilian sesame bread and a popular sandwich that originated among Italian immigrants in New Orleans, Louisiana, using the same bread… The muffuletta sandwich is said to have been created in 1906 at Central Grocery Co. on Decatur Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., by its delicatessen owner Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant…The traditional-style muffuletta sandwich consists of a muffuletta loaf split horizontally and covered with layers of marinated muffuletta-style olive salad, salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and mortadella… The signature olive salad consists of olives diced with the celery, cauliflower and carrot found in a jar of giardiniera, seasoned with oregano and garlic, covered in olive oil, and allowed to combine for at least 24 hours” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muffuletta)

How to portion: One order can provide up to 4 tastings
Address: 109 Marion St, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0T2, Canada
Hours: Thursday 11 AM–2:30 PM, 4–9:30 PM
Friday 11 AM–2:30 PM, 4–10 PM
Saturday 4–10 PM
Sunday Closed
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11 AM–2:30 PM, 4–9:30 PM
Wednesday 11 AM–2:30 PM, 4–9:30 PM
Website: https://www.pasqualesrest.com/
Instagram: NA

notable nearby

Fromagerie Bothwell

Cheese Shop

Must try: Marble Cheddar, White Cheddar, 2-Year-Old White Cheddar

“Fromagerie Bothwell was established in 2018 by co-owners Kevin Thomson and Jean-Marc Champagne. Their vision was to make Fromagerie Bothwell a revolutionary cheese shop that not only featured award-winning Bothwell Cheeses, but that also showcased some of the most amazing locally-made products found in Manitoba. Fromagerie Bothwell is committed to providing an authentic made-in-Manitoba shopping and culinary experience by fusing ingredients, cultures, products, and traditions inspired by our great province! Fromagerie Bothwell is proud to carry hundreds of local products from well over a hundred local makers, all under one roof! Thank you for choosing to shop local!” (www.fromageriebothwell.ca)

Fromagerie Bothwell

photo credit @fromageriebothwell

Address: 136 Provencher Blvd, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0G3, Canada
Hours:
Saturday Closed
Saturday 10AM–6PM
Sunday10AM–4PM
Monday10AM–6PM
Tuesday10AM–6PM
Wednesday10AM–6PM
Thursday10AM–6PM
Friday Closed
Website: www.fromageriebothwell.ca

Bothwell Cheese

“The World Championship Cheese Contest was held in Madison, Wisconsin, from March 3-5, 2020.  Bothwell Cheese once again received top recognition in three highly competitive cheddar categories:

Other varieties such as Jalapeno Monterey Jack, Habanero with Cracked Black Pepper, and Maplewood Smoked Extra Old Cheddar placed in the top ten at this year’s competition” (https://www.bothwellcheese.com/2020-world-champion-cheese-contest/)

* TASTING HACK *

Try Bothwell White Cheddar on a Reuben from Marion Street Eatery

COMMENTS/QUESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/UPDATES

Email: Matt@diyfoodtours.com