Prairie Ink - Incredible Brunch

The odd schedules of a resident sometimes necessitate eating at odd hours and often missing meals entirely. There would be call days lasting 26 hours before I could get a substantial meal in, instead relying on sugary drinks and quick snacks ... I know the exact opposite of what your neighbourhood Doctor should be recommending. You can imagine then that during days/weekends off we would indulge and for me ... binge. Giving me a stretch without call on the weekends allows me to try new restaurants I have not been able to try previously. One of those is Prairie Ink which I recently checked out for a fun brunch on a bright Sunday morning.

The advancement of online book ordering through Amazon and/or Chapters have taken a significant chunk away from brick and mortar book stores. This is no better exemplified than through McNally Robinson, a previously national chain of quaint book stores with locations peppered across Canada. With the coming of the times though necessitated closing down a large portion of them with, from my understanding, Winnipeg being one of the last ones standing. A shame really because the store itself is beautiful, comforting and houses not only books but also community workshops like art lessons, creative writing and astronomy classes. Part of the popularity and draw of McNally Robinson is Prairie Ink, a fully realized restaurant within the bookstore. Contrary to the coffee shops that have been popularized within other stores, Prairie Ink features a full breakfast and lunch menu that rivals even standalone restaurants. The focus is on wholesome fresh ingredients in a collection of both oldtime favourites and in novel new combinations. Served bistro style, the restaurant gives a sense of calm and relaxation, a perfect spot to spend a few hours of your day indulging in a new book and a new meal ... you would of course get a number of dirty glares from the immense lineup looking for a spot =).

This Salmon Melt with West African Peanut Soup was incredible. The open faced concept of this sandwich works well both stylistically to showcase the beautiful piece of roasted salmon topped with creamy Bothwell cheese, but also in flavour too as it is a perfect amount of bread to compliment but not overpower the dish. The star here is truly the salmon though, tender, rich, fatty and perfectly cooked medium rare. Described as a white wine tarragon, the cream sauce on top resembled a Hollandaise in consistency mixed in with a spiciness from the wine and earthiness from the tarragon. On the side is their signature West African Peanut Soup which in actuality is a mix of sweet potato and peanut puree, a wise choice considering the potato gives a nice creaminess to compliment the peanut. Mild but delightfully rich.

I am a sucker for Benedicts and so this Smoked Salmon Florentine Benedict was really calling out to me. The premise is similar to the open faced sandwich above but this time using smoked salmon as the protein of choice on top of a slightly crisp English muffin half and topped with Hollandaise and wilted spinach. The smokiness of the salmon plays well here delivering a saltier and more pungent flavour than its roasted cousin. This concentrating of flavour works well with each bite in the benedict a delightfully rich and velvety smooth bite. Perfectly cooked eggs form a contrast to the strong salmon flavour while the leafiness of spinach tries to balance everything out. I was not enamored by the roasted potatoes on the side though as they were too tough and slightly overcooked to my liking.

Being the gluttons I am, I semi-persuaded my dining companion to order a Proscuitto & Fig Pizza. More in resemblance to a flatbread the "pizza" dough is thin and crispy while thick enough to hold all the ingredients in. Topping it are proscuitto slices and sun dried figs on a garlic blue cheese sauce an drizzled with a balsamic glaze. While this may seem a mouthful and too cluttered, the ingredients work incredibly well here. The thin proscuitto adds enough of a meaty punch to contrast the delicate figs and the strong aromatic and salty blue cheese dressing. And though this was missing the traditional slather of cheese to finish it, the balsamic glaze does well to give a pungent and rich finishing sauce.

And so tit for tat, when I order something extra my fellow foodie friend counters and orders a dessert. I was enamored at the Ispahan from first site. The dessert is best described as a giant macaron with fresh fruit filling. The two macaron halves are made from rose water and filled in the middle with fresh raspberries and .... Lychee cream. And it is the Lychee cream that gives this dish that sweet kick to balance out the tart raspberries. Beautifully presented, wonderfully crafted, there is nothing to dislike about this dessert.

Prairie Ink opened my eyes with its delightful food, use of fresh local ingredients and incredible desserts. It truly is a perfect pairing for McNally Robinson and is an automatic recommendation whenever wanting to visit the bookstore. Just expect a wait during peak hours on the holidays and weekends.