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New features on restaurants and events have been on the slow side here on the blog. However, this doesn't mean I've been stuck at home this winter. On the contrary, the boy and I have never been more 'out and about' than ever. For Valentine's night, we found ourselves at Raw Almond 2016, having communal dinner with some locals (including the mayor no less). The 5-course meal was prepared through a collaborative effort from some of the best chefs in the city. For us, the most memorable dishes came from the husband and wife tandem of Chef Norm & Chef Kristal Pastorin who made the deconstructed adobo and the flourless cake respectively. It was another successful run this year for Raw Almond -- and personally, a date night well spent!   

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Aahh life lately…
Unlike January, this month is proving to be uneventful. This is exactly what I ended up talking about with Winnipeg blogger, Michelle (FullWPG) a few days ago. We decided to catch up at the Raw Almond Skate Up Brunch hosted by Tallest Poppy over the weekend. The 4-course meal included Red River Cereal with Berry Peach compote, Mexican Veggie Hash, Sweet Waffle & Duck and Sweet Bread Dessert. Overall, it was a great experience and a good value for money ($30 per person). They are doing it again this weekend so if you happen to be a local reader and can go to The Forks, then I highly suggest checking out the Raw Almond Skate Up Brunch!

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You, guys!!! I can't even express how excited I am for this post!!!!

I had the wonderful chance of attending Raw:Almond this year and let me give you an idea of how cool it is. In its third year, Raw:Almond is a fine dining event that gathers notable chefs all over the country to showcase their own 5-course meal inside this architectural masterpiece. That triangular door is the opening to this X-structure pop up restaurant built on top of a frozen river.

The boy and I decided to celebrate Valentine's day early this year since we didn't want to go through the hassles of February 14, falling on a Saturday.

Chef Kyle serving the first course: Smoked Fish chowder

Chef Kristen explaining the second course: Beet Ravioli

Third course was a Rabbit dish with Carrot puree, Fourth was Chestnut stuffed Oxtail

Fifth course was a plethora of desserts from the chefs' bakery shop, The Store Next Door!

Kristen Chemerika-Lew and Kyle Lew

This exceptional culinary couple not only can indulge you with that amazing 5-course meal, but also, owns Chew Restaurant here in Winnipeg (featured in this blogpost).

Raw:Almond was such a fulfilling experience. Being a part of it this year was remarkable and it made me really proud of what the city can achieve. All I can say is, sign me up for next year!