Rudy’s Eat
& Drink
Manitoba Hydro Place
375 Graham Ave
R3C 0H6
204-421-9094
Twitter: @Rudys_Winnipeg
February,
2013
Sitting in
the slick Manitoba Hydro building, Rudy’s offers us a view of what Winnipeg’s downtown needs—good food, a
hopping lounge and a huge patio overlooking a sculpted courtyard. If you dine in summer, definitely try to get
a seat outside but in the cold grasp of winter, the exciting and energetic
lounge comes complete with TVs for the sports enthusiasts. The more-subdued dining room has a unique
character; think of Rae & Jerry’s, now replace the red motif with milk
chocolate brown. Throw in some Brady
Bunch dining room chairs and some Broadway glittery lights and you start to get
the idea.
Let’s keep
the imagination machine running. Think
of the traditional steak joints you visited.
Many of them have lots of leather (vinyl), dark walls and an abundance
of wood. Judging by the atmosphere and
the amount of attention paid to the menu, Rudy’s wants to be known as a steak
destination as well as a bistro-like stopover.
Unfortunately, the steak is the weakest of the foods we try here. Although the meat is done to the desired
wellness, the one-dimensional taste leaves it tasting empty. The sautéed mushrooms usually add a
dimension, but they too taste bland and listless.
If meat is
your thing, try instead the braised lamb shank, which falls easily off the
bones and melts in your mouth. The dark ale demi-glace tastes wonderfully
deep and complex, acting as the perfect accompaniment to the lamb. After you finish the lamb, take your knife
and scrape every last bit of the feta (fay-ta, as in beta, not fetta, as in
betta) anchored sauce off your plate and spread it onto your whipped
potatoes. I cannot get enough of this
dish.
On the
lighter side, Rudy’s offers a number of alluring options. The tempura tuna roll tantalisingly tempts
me. I love fish, and I especially love
salmon and tuna, but the tuna in this appetiser shares its lead role with the
daikon, carrot and ginger co-stars. The
lovely melody of crunchiness augments the texture of the tempura—all nicely
cradling the delicate tuna meat.
The
appetisers aren’t very large, so naturally, I add the salmon tartare as a
follow-up. This creation fuses the
flavours of the Japanese sushi with French preparation. The hint of wasabi and the taste of the
seaweed complement the salmon perfectly, and the wonton wrapper finishes it
with a crunch.
The cremini
mushroom soup comes loaded with delicious wild mushrooms in a rich and creamy
broth. However, the soup tastes like
it’s been sitting on simmer for too long, as the saltiness level reached
critical. A bit of dilution from my
water glass helped a lot but these are the kinds of details that leave poor
impressions.
If you’re
in the mood for a sandwich, be prepared for a monstrous serving of food. Rudy’s Club substitutes the traditionally
boring turkey with exciting barbecued duck meat. You need a snake-like disarticulation of the
jaw to envelop this 10 cm thick sandwich.
You can choose to eat this a bit at a time but you cannot get the full
effect of the perfect bite unless you get a bit of each ingredient into your
mouth.
If you want
an even greater challenge, try the Max Cheese burger. This abominable sandwich starts with a
regular burger with the regular fixings.
The thick meat patty is almost lost in the forest of onions, lettuce and
just enough pickles for an accent. On
top of this substantial burger, Rudy throws on another layer, including a fried
egg, and another bun. This concoction
stands almost ½ foot tall and guarantees that you leak sauce, vegetables and
yolk all over your lap. This meal comes
with a steak knife and I highly recommend that you use it.
Don’t
overlook Rudy’s pasta section as they make everything in-house. The present special is a pillowy soft ricotta
gnocchi that comes in a rich and thick crème fraîche. The onions add a
layer of depth and bacon powers the flavour of the dish.
To complete
your meal, Rudy offers a competent selection of wines, a nice assortment of
micro and mainstream beers, as well as interesting martinis/cocktails. Of our three visits, two paired us with
exemplary service while once, the wait took an excruciating amount of time,
coupled with curt delivery. Since a lot
of people come before an event or a hockey game, I recommend allowing plenty of
time to enjoy your visit. You definitely
don’t want the anxious feeling of looking between your watch and the server,
counting down the minutes before face-off.
**** /5
This is a free product that I'm happy to bring to
you. If you enjoyed reading this, please
consider clicking on the accompanying ads.
This is the only payment I receive for offering this public
service. Thank you as always for
reading.
Comments
Post a Comment