Get it while it’s hot

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/01/2018 (2289 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of Winnipeg’s favourite food trucks has made the jump to a permanent location. Red Ember Common now brings the truck’s inspired Neapolitan-style pizzas — and a few smartly considered sides — to the Forks Market food hall.

Pizza options include an old-school Margherita, with the simplicity of sweet San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozza, basil and a little sea salt. Other pies feature upgraded ingredients like Berkshire pepperoni and goat cheddar brought together in interesting combinations.

Lean chicken sausage is offset with red onion and walnut-basil pesto in the Super Bird. Twist & Sprout is a punningly named white pizza of crème fraiche, blue cheese, pancetta and the light green leaves of brussels sprouts — an intriguing mix that was great hot, and just as good the next day as cold breakfast pizza.

There were some consistency issues. Crusts were really good one night, just what you’d expect from that show-stopping super-hot Italian Forza Forni oven, which can blast a pizza in about 90 seconds. On the second night, however, one pie was soft and soggy in the middle, while another was overly blistered and black at the edges.

Red Ember’s thing is pizza, of course, but the sides are strong. Mixed olives range from small, briny and intense to big, sweet and mellow — and they’re finished with gremolata. (Almost everything is better with gremolata.) Meaty marinated mushrooms are tossed with delicate chives and shards of parm. And the small, tender meatballs are sauced with tomato curry, peanut and cilantro pesto and Calabrian chilies, all somehow singing together.

The simple salad, greens with apple slices and Parmesan cheese, is fresh and light and nicely balanced. And the roasted beet salad, with a tahini dressing and a herby, nutty edge, is beautiful.

One caveat: This is stand-up pizza, sometimes literally. It can be hard to find a seat.

This is not a knock on the staff, who are an obliging bunch. Food comes up fast, and the restaurant has worked out an efficient buzzer system that alerts you when your order is ready. It’s more of a resource allocation issue: there just aren’t a lot of seats around Red Ember’s counter, and during peak times. Even the general seating in the food hall fills up.

Our initial foray was on a weekend night, the first mild evening after a cold snap, and those crazy-beautiful ice castles had recently opened. The food hall was absolutely packed.

We managed to claim two chairs for the four of us and a bit of counter space, where water and pizzas and salads in takeout cartons overlapped. It was a bit of a juggle, but the whole experience felt buzzy and big-city and kind of fun.

Well, it felt that way the first time. The second time — a weeknight, which we hoped might be quieter — it began to seem like a bit of a hassle, especially at what are close to table-service prices. I don’t really mind not getting table service. I can carry my own water. The problem is not getting a table at all.

I realize this is not the worst issue to deal with. I remember the empty, sad, dingy days of the old Forks food hall, and I love the redesigned space and the upgraded venues. But popularity can be tricky, especially at rush hour.

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I know what you’re thinking. Why is this crazy person talking about ice cream in January?

Trust me, Chaeban Ice Cream, recently opened on South Osborne on the site of the much-missed Banana Boat, is just that good. I was happy to brave the -36 C wind chill to try its rich, gorgeous textures and fascinating flavours.

Chaeban champions old-fashioned hard ice cream, but uses premium ingredients with innovative twists.

The Lebanese and Syrian couple behind the business pay tribute to Middle Eastern traditions with Abir Al Sham, a delicately perfumed mix of rosewater, orchid powder and pistachios.

They also embrace their Canadian home with lots of made-in-Manitoba ingredients. Subtly sweet beets are finished with sour cream and poppy seeds in the beautifully pink Baba Beets. Mustang Sally relies on Winnipeg’s own Dogwood coffee, for a real caffeine kick you can feel in your chest, offset with the creaminess of white chocolate. Vanilla, too often dismissed as bland and unadventurous, comes into its own in the Plain Jane flavour, which uses cottage cheese, Beeproject honey and loads of vanilla beans.

There are also dairy-free options, including a coconut and chocolate melange.

The sleek new space features big windows and a clean, white, airy interior. The ice cream is pricey — $6 a scoop or $9 for a tasting flight of four — but it’s very rich and a little goes a long way. A 500-millilitre take-home container is $11, with a one-dollar refund if you come back with the glass jar.

And you’ll want to come back.

alison.gillmor@freepress.mb.ca