LUXOMME

One thing I always look forward to during the Summer months is a good BBQ party.



My dear girl Hera here has never really experienced a Canadian BBQ party, having just arrived from overseas, so I gathered a few of my nearest and dearest and shuffled them all into my backyard for some good grillin' fun.





Since we are essentially playing with open flames, things can get pretty crazy at times.

Memorable quote of the night, 'Um, is the fire supposed to be that high?'.


Despite the fire hazard, Jane and Gary bravely manned the grill while I worked on the garlic pesto penne indoors, taking a break in between pasta stirs to go paparazzi on them and admire their skills.


On the grill today were smoked farmer's sausages (very Manitoban), grilled rosemary chicken, stuffed bell peppers, parmesan green beans, bacon wrapped scallops, and some perfectly charred corn on the cob.

Delicious.


So eager to dig in, we quickly set the table and didn't even notice that nothing was matching!




Not quite sure if we had made too much, or if my dining area was too small - we played a game of tetris on the table, trying to fit all the food in at once.






Feeling particularly exhausted and ravenously hungry from having to grill our own food, we spent the rest of the evening filling ourselves up with delicious BBQ, while watching the sun slowly start to set.

We wanted to go for a walk around the park while shadows of the sun were still around, but by the time we finished, we were all too full to move a limb. So instead, we retired to the other room to relax with a cup of tea and a riveting round of monopoly.

naomi

You've probably seen these two girls pop up in quite a few of my posts this past year. Well, after Summer started, everyone's been doing their own thing and we haven't had quite as much time to see each other as we would have liked.

Shauntel spends most of her time at the cottage, casually cruising around the lake on her boat, and tanning in between rides. Summer life is difficult to tear her away from, so when she finally came back into the city, Hera and I jumped at the chance of getting together.


I never quite understood the lure of patios because I've eaten outside before and it's really not that fun. Half the time I'm trying to keep my napkin from blowing away, the other half of the time, I spend trying to keep insects away from my food.

Sharing my food isn't really something I do.


The girls on the other hand ADORE patios.


Since I'm currently on a 'explore everything', and 'never say no to new experiences' streak, I begrudgingly agreed, with one place in mind.

Santa Lucia Pizza (St. Boniface), is a place I always drive by on the way to the mall. It's a restaurant with gorgeous indoor seating on the bottom level, and a fantastic patio which spans the entirety of the roof. Surrounded by huge panels of unobstructed glass, restaurant go-ers have a great view of the surrounding city, while elevated above the streets.



The weather in the city right now is gorgeous, which is not a word I use often on this blog to describe Winnipeg. But when it is slightly warm with a light cool breeze, I have to sing a few praises.

It's also perfect margarita weather.





While the girls sipped on their cool drinks, I stuck to my water and eagerly anticipated our food to come, which soon arrived fresh from the kitchen and straight out of the oven.



The girls shared a meat lovers pizza [11.45] and a lunch portion lasagna [8.95] , while I opted for a delicious greek salad [9.95] instead.

Both the salad and lasagna comes accompanied with generous pieces of fluffy and perfectly buttered garlic bread.









After this experience, I've had a change in heart when it comes patios -- which can be mildly fun as long as there are no pesky flies wanting to share.

So next time someone wants some patio time, please invite me along.

naomi
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More reviews of Santa Lucia Pizza can be found at the link below

To be honest, meeting up is fun - but figuring out what to do can be a headache. One thing we can always do is lunch - and it's something we can always agree on.


Wanting something simple and casual, we decided to stop by Yujiro - a traditional Japanese restaurant.

Before we jumped into conversation, we mused over the lunch menu, which has enough options to keep me interested, but not enough to confuse me. I ended up going for a simple cold tempura udon [12], while Jane opted for a more traditional style bento box with chicken kaarage and spicy ebi fry roll [11.5].



Both sets come with a generous portion of salad drenched in the typical dressing you'd get at a Japanese restaurant. Jane's bento came with miso soup, which was light and not overly salty. What I liked most were the large cubes of fresh tofu, and slightly chewy sheets of kelp which help flavor the soup. Most other places make this soup too salty, with low quality tofu and wakame. These are things that I honestly did not pay attention to prior to my trip to Japan - so it's true when they say that Japan ruins Japanese food for you.





Right as we finished our salad, the main courses arrived at our table. On Jane's plate, some karaage chicken, salmon teriyaki, ebi fry roll, inari sushi (yumyum) and two slices of juicy orange to finish it off!


I sprung for something a little simpler. Zaru udon served the way it is in Japan (oh how I've craved it), a variety of tempura, and some maki rolls - tuna maybe? I have no clue.












Jane and I kept to our own meals so I can't say much for what she had, but my noodles were absolutely delectable. Most places make their udon soggy - which I've learnt is not the way they serve it in Tokyo. Instead, these ones were springy with a bite. Just how I like it.

People always told me that Yujiro is the best in Winnipeg - and I never quite agreed, feeling that all sushi places were equally delightful. After coming back from Tokyo, it's quite clear why Yujiro is a step above the rest. Not only do they serve food the Japanese way, but the flavors and quality of food is something I thought would be difficult to find outside of Tokyo. Someone told me that the true mark of a Japanese chef is in the way he treats his rice, and as you can see here, the rice is cooked and seasoned perfectly so that you can still see each grain. It is also delicate enough to almost fall apart, but yet manages to stay together just long enough for one perfect bite.

Seriously, I have a new appreciation for this place.

This place was the perfect send off for Jane, who will be indulging in European delicacies for the next month. More adventures with her once she returns.

naomi.

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Click here to read other reviews of Yujiro