Why The Forks is the Place to Be This Winter

PASSERO /Corto

Fine Dining is here at The Forks 

A Word from the Chef, my friend Cody Meindl. I asked him to give me an inside perspective on what Passero is all about and what his favourite dish is.

“The restaurant at its core is Italian, its a Scott Bagshaw restaurant - he also owns Enoteca and Maque... So its Scott’s food, with Italian flavour. Its share plates which I always believe is the best way to eat as it allows you to try more dishes. Your palate also doesn’t get saturated as easily. We usually like to control the order with which your food comes out so we can cater the experience exactly how we want it. The food is definitely more simple than it first appears and most dishes are remixes of traditional Italian ones (caesar, chicken marsala, etc). We import some really beautiful charcuterie from Italy as well as cool ingredients such as octopus. My favourite dish is definitely the octopus, its poached until its beautifully tender, and then seared to crisp the outside, served with nduja (spicy spreadable sausage) and romesco sauce. Its clean and theres a lot of texture and the flavours are big and punchy. We all work very hard so our crew is quite small, there’s essentially two stations in the kitchen, hot and cold and depending on the day I can do either one. We all do our own dishes and help out in every area we can, running food, polishing silverware and talking to tables is all part of cooking there, its wonderful teamwork”.

- Cody Meindl

Chef at Passero/ corto 

FOOLS + HORSES is now serving up delicious coffee and latte art at The Forks, in addition to their first booming success on Broadway. The Perfect way to warm up this winter.

Fools & Horses composts all cups and waste possible at the shop – even labelling the garbage chute as the “last resort.” They have managed to achieve approximately 85 per cent compost and 10 per cent recycling production – meaning only 5 per cent is left for the landfill.

“One of the main ideas behind creating Fools & Horses was to provide a place for people to do what they love, particularly with respect to food, arts, and the environment,” says co-owner James Magnus-Johnston. “So I suppose you could say that we can’t take all the credit for creating something unique, but rather enjoy cultivating opportunities for the broader community to highlight things they’re passionate about.” 

The Common

Now that you’ve spent the day outdoors, you deserve to come inside and warm up with your choice of hand selected craft beers and wines. 

Can’t decide on just one? They’ve got you covered. The Common has created Manitoba shaped boards or otherwise known as “flights of beer” where you can mix and match your favourite four out of the twenty beers listed to try a taster of each. The same goes for the flights of wine. The Common did their best to source beers and wines from as many local places as possible. Some of their wines have been from local places such as Delucas, Banville and Jones, and Kenaston [wine market]. As for the local beers you can find Little Brown Jug, Half Pints, Fort Garry and many more as they are always changing. 

The whole first floor now has a liquor licence, so that means you can shop while sipping on a cocktail, or choose from any of the first floor food vendors to find a bite to eat to accompany your drink. The common is a game changer for Winnipeg with incorporating an eclectic, contemporary style, with numerous food vendors to choose from. 

There has been 2.8 million + poured into this renovation and The Common intends to keep pouring back profits into improving The Forks! How awesome is that?

Don’t worry, if you don’t drink - there are plenty of alternative options to choose from on the amazing first floor of the common. 

Creating Buzz in Downtown Winnipeg

Fat Bike Riders enjoying the Pontagon Warm up Shelters! Fat Biking is one of the fastest growing discipline in cycling right now.

Mirror Cloak

Designed by: Shelter by U of M Architecture Students Wong Zheng, Rafael Vieira Leal and Wei Zou

Selfie in the mirror was taken at The Mirror Cloak, Thanks for being awesome architecture students! 

Totem

Designed by: Architecture Office b210 Tallinn, Estonia

“Blinding white horizon with snow plummeting into your eyes. The wind is cold and road is long. Suddenly, a towering tower in front of you, forming a point of reference to your journey”

A symbolic representation of a long journey where you are not quite sure of where you are and what you are leaving behind, until this magical totem is seen in the distance as a sign of hope and future. The Totem was interesting to see in person as it was very tall (much taller than myself), but very slim in width. The artistic vision is representing the two totems as a catalyst for interaction between the two landmarks, creating both an individual journey of growth but collectively sharing a bond between two climbers whether they be friends or strangers. 

In the second photo is my boyfriend climbing to the top! 

The Trunk 

Designed by: Camille Bianchi and Ryder Thalheimer, Vancouver BC

The design team describes this one as being inspired by the quiet slowness of growth in the natural world. As the river goes from running water, and transitioned to cold, thick ice, a temporary outdoor space is created to slip away into the trunk of a tree. I loved the feeling of serenity and safeness when standing inside.

The Golden Bison

Designed by: David Alberto Arroyo Tafolla Morelia, Michoac an, Mexico

The design team describes the golden bison as symbolizing Manitoba’s official animal, then taking that and meshing it with our famous Golden Boy that sits on top of the legislative building. They say that by meshing together these two essential symbols of Manitoba, creates The Golden Bison. The Golden Bison has the power of survival and protection when in the face of any challenge. The designers intended for the first glance to be intimidating by visitors, but that as they approach closer that they will discover that the Golden Bison is there to protect and shelter. 

The Warming Huts

An Art & Architecture Competition on Ice 

This next section will be focused on displaying my four favourite warming huts located on the River Trail. 

This year's new winning designs include huts from Morelia, Mexico, Vancouver, British Columbia and Tallinn, Estonia, along with an invited guest hut titled "Temple of Lost Things" by Winnipeg filmmaker Guy Maddin. 

Before showcasing the huts - here is a little bit more information about how this fascinating process works start to finish. 

2018′s annual competition to design huts for the river trail has been the best one yet. The River Trail attracted a record breaking number of 180 submissions from artists and architecture students from all over the world. The wonderful thing about all of the huts included is that they are all very representative of Winnipeg and its prairie landscape and indigenous history.

http://www.warminghuts.com/uploads/ck/files/warminghuts/WarmingHuts2018CallForProposals.pdf

On this link above, all the rules and regulations for submitting warming hut proposals is carefully outlined with specific instructions for those who wish to enter. How the lucky winning contestants get graded on their unique design is by an appointed jury to ensure fairness. 

The hut designs are judged based on creativity of the materials used, how well they provide shelter, the poetics of assembly and form, the integration with the landscape, and the ease in construction. 

Winnipegger’s are aware of the harsh weather conditions, but for those who are visitors the temperature can drop below -30 C from December-March. The guidelines on the proposal suggest teams should engage in methods of solar radiation and windchill so the huts can actually keep people warm on their rest stops along their skating trek down the river on those cold days. 

Here is a boomerang video I took of my friend, Andrew, having a great time on the Red River Mutual Trail on Louis Riel Day! 

Embracing the Spirit of True Winnipegger is my central theme because...

Skating is one the biggest attractions to The Forks. There is the Canopy Skating Rink located right beside the Plaza. The Festival Park Skating Rink, and of course the Red River Mutual Trail. The Red River Mutual Trail reached record breaking lengths this winter, the trail was the longest it has ever been this winter stretching 10 Kilometers from The Forks down the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.

Embracing the Spirit of a True Winnipegger!

Get Outside and Enjoy all this city has to offer!

The Arctic Glacier Winter Park 

Outdoor Activities

Some of exciting things to do at The Forks this Winter

Tobogganing at the Festival Field

Enjoying a Sleigh Drawn Carriage Ride

Skating

Hockey

Curling

Bannock Making & Storytelling

The Ice Castles

Spending Quality Time with Friends & Family 

Walking Trails

Ski Trails

Place and Memory @ The Forks 

The Forks is a place of public memory. 

Evolution of Winnipeg. [1872-1974]

digital collage by: Courtney Champagne 

This map was intended to observe the primarily concentric expansion of the City of Winnipeg, expanding from the original core of 1872. The circular, outward movement follows the rivers, west along the Assiniboine, north and south along the Red. This graphic was created by overlaying a number of historical maps of Winnipeg for an ED3 studio project in the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape + Urbanism  at the University of Manitoba.

A friend of mine, Courtney, who is an architecture student at the University of Winnipeg has created some amazing pieces of art... she has received so much positive feedback that she created a page to showcase her work. Why her work is so amazing to me, is because a lot of it is about Winnipeg and life on the prairies. It ties into composing Winnipeg wonderfully.

Feel free to check it out.