Fuelling up on the road

If there’s one thing that makes you crave a home-cooked meal, it’s a road trip full of fast food, truck-stop fare, restaurants and such.

OK, maybe there’s more than one thing that makes folks fancy homemade fare — a stint in prison, perhaps, or being stranded in the desert for days on end.

But, dear Dish readers, only one of the above three has happened to me recently (or at all, knock on wood). I recently returned from a week-long trek out through Saskatchewan and Alberta — stopping in Saskatoon to see family and then on to Canmore, Banff, Lake Louise and such.

It was a lovely time, but between here and there was a whole lot of food (and gut-rot coffee) from fast-food joints and restaurants — fun for a while, then eventually exhausting. (Aside: the number of small-town Subways in this country is WILD.)

Surprisingly — given that I was traveling with my vegetarian/onion-intolerant partner and two teens (13 and 15) — figuring out where to eat wasn’t that hard. In fact, we managed a few really nice sit-down meals along the way… Here are my top three, with sub-par photos that really sell the sizzle…

Houston Pizza, various locations, Regina

This abomination of a food photo was my attempt to capture the thick, almost-burnt cheese that adorns Houston Pizza’s glorious pies. (Ben Sigurdson / Winnipeg Free Press)

Regina-style pizza is a category unto itself — thick and loaded with toppings under a whole whack of cheese, our closest comparison in Manitoba might be something along the lines of T-Town Style Pizza.

We stopped at Houston Pizza on the way to Saskatoon, having stumbled upon this Queen City institution a few years prior.

Once again it did not disappoint, with one pie and a salad split between the four of us and with leftovers to spare.

The only downside? The many football fans decked out in Rider green.

Amigo’s Cantina, Saskatoon

Amigo’s Cantina serves up solid Mexican-inspired fare by day, and transforms into a music venue at night. (Ben Sigurdson / Winnipeg Free Press)

Why, why, WHY can we not have a spot like Amigo’s in Winnipeg? Charming eatery by day and rock venue by night, it serves up some solid Mexican-inspired fare that hit the spot nicely before we left Saskatoon for the second, post-wedding part of our drive to Canmore.

We each scarfed down about half our meals in the sunny space, then ate the other half in the car in a gas station parking lot later in the drive.

I had the very good breakfast burrito with rice and black beans, while the 13-year-old opted for his go-to dish, chicken fingers and fries, and reported them as being pretty decent.

Galaxie Diner, Calgary

The Breakfast on a Bun sandwich with avocado from Calgary’s Galaxie Diner was a delight. (Ben Sigurdson / Winnipeg Free Press)

We popped into Calgary for a quick bit of shopping and a late breakfast on our way back from Canmore, and the decidedly retro Galaxie Diner very nicely hit the spot.

My travelling companions all ordered chocolate milkshakes to go with their meals (grilled cheese and bacon with hash browns for the kids and a kalamata scramble for my partner) at the mostly breakfast joint.

I opted for an iced tea and the breakfast on a bun sandwich, a fried egg concoction which comes with your choice of meat topping or avocado.

Never mind Le Burger Week — I’ll be thinking about that sandwich for some time.

Oh, and then we then hit a pricey vintage clothing store, where my 15-year-old daughter got a way-too-expensive “retro” sweatshirt you could easily find at a thrift store.

She put it on in the car and within an hour had somehow dipped one of the elbows into an open takeaway container of peanut butter. Kids, I tell ya.

If you’re looking for hot spots in Manitoba, check out the rural food road trips my colleagues Erin Lebar and Jen Zoratti took here and here.

Ben Sigurdson

Three Savour Manitoba magazine cover's promoting a food, drink, and lifestyle publication.

Tasty tidbits

Half of the culinary duo behind Two Hands at One Sixteen (116 Sherbrook St.) is heading back across the pond.

Michael Robins and Keegan Misanchuk both returned from the U.K. around the time the COVID-19 pandemic began, and worked together catering events under the Two Hands moniker before setting up shop with the folks at Good Neighbour Brewing Co. in West Broadway.

Now, Misanchuk is heading back to the U.K., according to an email and social media post from One Sixteen, leaving Robins and the rest of the team to steer the ship.

Following what is sure to be a busy Le Burger Week, Two Hands are planning to roll out a new menu.

There’s a new project running out of 3670 Roblin Blvd., home of Alena Rustic Italian and Bluestone Cottage. Steak Frites offers a small range of just what its name implies — steak and fries (although offerings include steak-less fry options including Breakfast Cheesey Frites, Huevos Frites and Meatball Frites). They’ve got a new Instagram account, and their dishes are also on Skip the Dishes.

Deer Lodge Centre Foundation is launching a new fundraising event on Thursday, Sept. 29 from 6-11 p.m. at its facility at 2019 Portage Ave. The “Deer Lodge Dance Hall Presents: The Roaring Twenties” will feature music by the Ron Paley Big Band, food from chef Ben Kramer and all manner of wine, spirits (from Capital K), cocktails and beer (from Trans Canada Brewing Co.). Tickets are $250 plus fees, with proceeds benefiting the Foundation. For more and to buy tickets, click here.

Le Burger Week kicked off Thursday with more than 200 local restaurants taking part in the national food festival (fun fact: Winnipeg has more participants than any other city in the country). While the event was slated to be a plant-based celebration, the lineup is still mostly made of meat patties.

The festival also marks the belated launch of Bright Side Kitchen, the city’s first vegan food truck, which you can read more about here.

Recommended fare

Ben: I’m just digging into David A. Robertson’s new novel The Theory of Crows, which, amazingly, given the volume of his output, is one of his few forays into writing for adults — so far, so good.

It’s about a dad and his teenage daughter who suffer a tragedy and head to a cabin on the family trapline near the Cree community that was once their home.

The trapline is a space Robertson has explored often as of late — in his recent memoir Black Water, for example, and his Governor General’s Award-winning picture book (with Julie Flett) On the Trapline.

Eva: I had a great meal from Cilantro’s last week. The local East Indian restaurant has two locations in the city — on Portage and on Gateway — and features a substantial menu of traditional cuisine and street food specialties.

The butter chicken was great, and the naan selection was unreal (try the stuffed potato naan if you’re a samosa fan).

Homemade

Homemade: Recipes and Stories from Winnipeg and Beyond is a community cookbook celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Free Press. Join us for a book launch at McNally Robinson on Thurs., Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. Visit Eventbrite to purchase tickets for the Free Press Fall Supper in support of Harvest Manitoba, which will feature a menu inspired by recipes submitted to the cookbook.

This week, we’re sharing a recipe for Peppered Shrimp submitted by Deidre Coleman and Patrice Gilman.

Iced drink with lime on a wooden surface's beside the Savour Manitoba magazine cover.