Prairie Ink

 

So last week, we decided to try Prairie Ink Restaurant, located in the McNally Robinson on Grant. Hidden behind rows of book shelves to the left you come to this little bakery front, selling all sorts of little baked goodies, (including the little apple pies will will gush about later.) Straight down from there is the actual restaurant. It was busier then we had expected, though there was only a 15-20 minute wait, and you have the option to go wonder through the books while you wait. Reservations may be recommended, given that there are often book readings and movie nights. 

Turning the corner the suspicion that this is not just a cafe begins to permeate. There's a lot of tables, and chairs, and people. The are tables that are actually long enough for 2 people to comfortably eat on and there are expensive paintings on the wall. A suspicion which is quickly confirmed by the menu.

The menu was more then we expected. Rather then baking and simple sandwiches, (which by all rights they have too), there was a large variety of food, all of which is made with local ingredients, and quite a bit of which was inspired by where we live.

Jess had looked up the menu online earlier in the day, and went in knowing what she wanted. The drink up top is called a 'Steamer,' (Yes, yes its a terrible name). It's pretty much just steamed milk and a shot of flavor. This one was a Hazelnut Steamer. It tasted like pudding, but better. There was a little bit of that perfect froth on top as well! The entree was a Bison Burger, served with potato wedges and coleslaw. The burger was topped with cheese, mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard and ketchup. The patty itself was perfectly cooked, juicy and meaty. Bison burgers taste quite a bit like beef burgers, but meatier. The bun was made in house, and sure tasted like it had just come out of the oven. The potato wedges were seasoned perfectly and were the perfect compliment to the burger. Delish!

Alex had the Moroccan Lamb on Couscous, (Alex: Which is completely out of my comfort zone, I've never had Lamb outside of a gyro, or Moroccan, or Couscous for that matter). As any new food experience it was interesting, and luckily not in a bad way. The lamb has sort of a glaze/sauce with (I think) dates and other dried fruits in it, as well as cashews. The lamb itself was cooked perfectly, and was just fall apart tender. Our newbie experience with lamb left us both with a similar summation, it tastes like meat. Very tender, very soft meat. Couscous, for anyone that doesn't know, is kind of like rice and pasta had a baby; tiny little pieces of pasta. It was simple, not over powering, but still tasty. All in all it was good, if you don't like lamb, it may not convert you, but if you are interested in trying it, this may be a good way to do so.

We both cleaned our plates!

Dessert was a Mini Apple Pie. Roughly the size of a cereal bowl, it's the perfect single serving of pie. The crust is perfectly cooked, crunchy on the outside but soft inside from absorbing the juices from the apples. The apples were cooked with cinnamon and caramel, and everything held up perfectly even after re-heating the next day in a microwave. To top it off, there was even some crystal sugar on the top crust. Yummy!

Now what we  forgot to snap a picture of was the vanilla Gelati which comes with the pie. For Alex, this was the crown jewel of the meal. It was the perfect blend, sweet vanilla but not overpowering in the slightest, had a slight lemony flavour which Jess compared to a lemon meringue pie. The only problem with it was one any delicious frozen treat is guilty of, yes my fellow Winnipegians, I'm talking about Slurpee syndrome. BRAIN FREEZE. Please Enjoy Responsibly.

All in all it was a very enjoyable experience, and we will definitely be back. If you're in the area, take a peek in, get some Christmas shopping done while you wait for them to call your name, or grab a pie to go from the bakery window.