Summer is finally here!

Blueberry Mojito and Seven Seas

That's right. I'm declaring it. Okay, so the calendar also declares it, so summer it is (even if the weather can't seem to be summer-like for more than two days in a row!)

I have made a major life change recently, going from nice and stable employment to the joys of self-employment. So far not starving to death, but also not typically getting to eat out as much as I might like!

Tequila Sour

Now, if I was going to eat out, weirdly (this makes sense if you read my post last year...) I would again choose to go to Joey restaurant. If my last post is a little to long for you to read, the TL;DR version is: usually I dislike chain restaurants, but Joey impressed me.

They haven't slowed down since last year, and again have brought out a summer menu that's something worth trying. Their mixoligists have clearly discovered the magic that egg whites bring to a drink (nice and frothy!) and they showcase them in drinks like their version of a Tequila Sour and their own creation of the Seven Seas. I was also pleased to see they brought back their Blueberry Mojito.

Tandoori Flatbread

Again, full disclosure, the nice people at Joey did feed me for free, but anyone who knows me IRL knows I wouldn't say nice things just because of that.

Korean Cauliflower

They took us through the menu just like if we were dining out, starting with appies and all the way through to dessert. Always a fan of an Indian inspired dish, I really enjoyed the Tandoori Flatbread. This is apparently a re-worked menu item and the bread is hand stretched and baked to order.



We also got to try the Korean Fried Cauliflower, which is a good way to get me to eat my veggies (I also am partial to cauliflower smothered in cheese sauce, should anyone want to invite me over for dinner) and the Calamari Frito; they only use the bodies and tentacles in their calamari, I didn't have the guts to try a body...

Market Salad

The Market Salad is a perfect lighter meal (because, let's face it, restaurant food isn't the lightest fare around) that still packs some protein as includes their HOURLY ROASTED chicken. Let's just pause for a moment and consider the idea of a chain restaurant preparing something hourly. If this seems like NBD to you, talk to anyone you know who has ever actually worked in a restaurant. Typically all prep is done in the morning. Also in the Market Salad you'll find kale, beets, corn and avocado... and a little cheddar - you gotta live a little you healthy people!

Lobster Grilled Cheese

Butcher sandwich

The Lobster Grilled Cheese was also tasty, but as someone who doesn't go ga-ga for lobster that part was a little lost on me; however it did have nice melty brie which I am a fan of! They also have their version of a beef dip, which they call the Butcher Sandwich. I'm not normally a huge fan of a beef dip, but this was actually really good. It comes with a smoky jus and the beef is nice and thinly sliced so it's really easy to eat.

ooooh..... fancy

Ice cream making

They finished us off with a demonstration of their in-house made-daily ice cream. This is made with liquid nitrogen, which, I can't lie, reminds me of the kids desserts they used to have at Moxies a million years ago (that was my first service industry job, a lowly hostess). However, again, hella impressed that they do this - expect the flavours to change daily. We were lucky enough to try the strawberry, salted caramel, the maple and the double chocolate - all delicious - it was a really tough day :p

So that's it guys. I promise to start writing some real blog posts soon, but basically, don't necessarily write off Joey restaurant just because it's a chain; I think this is like the equivalent of hating your favourite local band just because they started doing arena shows.

Ice cream!!!

**Also, since I'm now self-employed (read: poor as hell) please feel free to invite me to things that have free food :)

Psssst.... want to read a post I wrote last year about a castle??

If you're thinking this post looks familiar, it's because it does. I've totally just cheated and copied my post from just over a year ago.  Since the real estate link would no longer be valid, here is the new one.

I'm not sure why it's for sale again. I never went to look at it last time; perhaps the owner just bit off more than they could chew? The asking price is the same though, which would indicate that they probably haven't done anything at all to it since then. Or, I suppose it just didn't sell? Who knows. In any case enjoy my post from last year.

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Needless to say, there are not a lot of castles for sale in Manitoba, or perhaps even Canada. Which is probably a good thing because most castles were built in the days before indoor plumbing and central heating, two things I consider essential.

There is however, a "castle" for sale right here in Winnipeg, at 494 College Ave. In around 1906, construction started on this epic building (no, I don't know details like that at the drop of a hat, there is a incredibly detailed 3 part blog post on West End Dumplings).

People have been writing about this gorgeous house since the 50s according to a piece written by The Times two years ago, AND NOW YOU COULD OWN IT!!!

Since I refuse to consider the neighbourhood to be a downside to this property (because, it isn't, get over it) I would say that the complete lack of a back yard would be the only thing that might keep you from running out and buying this. It does have a pretty great front yard though, and trust me, you meet way more neighbours in your front yard vs. the back.

According to the listing for this property, 494 College is currently divvied up into 6 suites and assuming you live on the main floor in the 3 bedroom suite, you get to collect $2275 a month in rent! To point out the obvious, that means you would be being paid to live there... (assuming you could get away with 5% down, which you actually probably couldn't because it's a rental, but assuming you could, your mortgage would be $1344/mo based on the current asking price of $299,000 - but it's now been on the market for a month so you could maybe even get it a little bit less). Personally I would slowly start reclaiming some of the suites as personal living space, but so long as you left one or two you could still basically live for free. In a CASTLE.

Living in this house would put you in great company, with some of these other notable homes in Winnipeg, as found here.