The Velvet Glove

The Velvet Glove
Two Lombard Place
(204) 9856255
Complimentary valet parking with reservations

Lewis and I went to The Velvet Glove today to sample the Dine Out Winnipeg menu. By the way, my site name is inspired by that title but is not affiliated with the American Express promotion. Dine Out Winnipeg offers three-course set menus at over thirty restaurants for either $15 (minimal) or $25 (plenty of choice). I was able to sneak a last minute reservation for an early supper at 5:00. Whomever answered the phone had informed me that the restaurant was completely booked after 5:00, but we noticed that it was only about 1/3 filled by 6:30, so I'm not sure what that was about.

The service was impeccable, as should be expected by such an instituation. So, I will just talk about the food.

The meal begins with a basket of freshly baked bread. There are two types of crackers and small buns, which come with two flavoured butters. All very tasty.

For our appetizers, we both had the Wild Mushroom and Manitoba Wild Rice Soup, with Roasted Leeks and Smoked Paprika Goat Cheese Crouton. I found the soup very pleasant. It was creamy, subtly flavoured, and had an abundance of wild mushrooms. Lewis is a bit of a salt fiend, so he added salt rather liberally.

For my main course, I had the Cranberry and Pumpkin Seed Stuffed Chicken Breast with Choke Cherry Jus and Smashed Fingerling Potatoes. I was also pleasantly surprised with steamed vegetables (red pepper, asparagus, green beans, and broccoli). The chicken breast was moist and tender and comes attached to the bone and with the skin, which can only add to the flavour. The stuffing is a mixture of a pumpkin seed paste, whole seeds, and cranberry raisins, and I thought it added an interesting flavour and a good texture contrast with the chicken breast. The choke cherry jus was the star of the show. It was rich and deeply-flavoured and paired excellently with the chicken breast, stuffing, and the side dishes. My potatoes were piping hot and seasoned well and the vegetables were steamed to perfection. Overall, I was very pleased.

Lewis chose the Prosciutto Wrapped, Basil Scented Salmon Filet with Beluga Lentil and Chantrelle Mushroom Ragout and Fresh Haricot Vert. Though Lewis wasn't wild about the lentils, he enjoyed the ragout nonetheless. The salmon filet, a generous piece, was delicious, he said.

Our dessert was the Creme Brulee Trio (Mocha, Grand Marnier, and Bourbon Vanilla Bean), which we both found to be a little too sweet. The trio actually refers to a layered creme brulee, with the vanilla on top, Grand Marnier in the centre, and mocha on the bottom. Of the three, I enjoyed the mocha the best and Grand Marnier the least (this was the one that was too sweet), which is unfortunate as the mocha was on the bottom. The creme brulee is paired with a cookie.

We both had lemonade. Our bill came with four chocolate-covered maraschino cherries--a nice touch! Too bad they weren't fresh cherries. I am not a fan of maraschino cherries.

All in all, a good experience, and I'm very glad I went. They have started a new sort of diner's club, so Lewis and I both signed up. We received coupons for 20% off our next meals and the club membership will notify us of promotions, special events, etc.

If you want to try to catch some of the Dine Out menu, go visit Ciao Winnipeg.