Uptown Magazine's latest issue has a supplement which lists the best of Winnipeg, according to Uptown's readers. It's a pretty comprehensive list. Jan and I both voted back when the survey was being given out, firstly because we occasionally read uptown (it's FREE!), and secondly because we both love surveys (the Canada Census was VERY exciting).
Some of the winners were pretty predictable (529 Wellington as Best Fine Dining) and some were downright shocking (The Keg as third Best Fine Dining?). I have a few bones to pick.
Tim Hortons won Best Coffee Shop, just narrowly edging out The Fyxx. Now I know Tim Hortons is a Canadian icon, a Canadian institution, a Canadian hallmark. And maybe their coffee is good (I'm not really much for coffee). And maybe some of their baked goods are still delicious (although I'm pretty cheesed that they've stopped cooking their donuts fresh). But seriously, the service sucks. Their staff are almost as surly and clueless as Superstore's. The Fyxx is also Canadian. I'll do you one better--it's a Winnipeg-owned chain! They serve good coffee (even I like it) and the staff don't look like their managers torture them whenever no one is looking.
Smitty's won Best Wings, beating out Carlos and Murphy's. I remember Smitty's being called something that rhymes with its name. Carlos and Murphy's have the best wings I've ever tasted.
Best Used Bookstore went to Red River. Ugh. That place gets my vote for worst used bookstore in Winnipeg. Okay, it wins points for being big. But it's terribly organized, the books are stacked to the ceiling so that you can't even take then out half of the time, the staff are rude and don't know what they stock, the owner is ruder, and it FULL of PORN! They probably have more porn than all their other books combined. Yech.
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7 comments:
They just have one section of porn! There's not all that much.
I mean, uh, I've never even looked in the direction of the porn... shazbut!
The owner is quite deaf, which explains part of his rudeness.
But yeah, it's pretty low on my list of 'cool used bookstores.' Aqua Books is way better.
I've only been in Red River Books two or three times. Maybe the mountains and mountains of porn is just a false impression I got. I just remember it being everywhere and oppressive in its quantity. I remember being grossed out.
Aqua was number three on the list last year, two this year, and hopefully number one next year. I'm not sure it really is THE best used bookstore in Winnipeg, but it's quite good. And I don't know any better.
We should definitely get together and go book-shop-hopping someday soon. There's a lot of nice little book & comic places in Winnipeg. Burton Lysecki Book is quite cool, if expensive (and the owner's wife, Mary Lysecki is an Anglican priest, so she steals all the really good theology books). I also like Book Ends (if I remember correctly?) on St. Mary's.
I'm totally in!
Someday. I'm kinda sick of shopping without money, so I don't really want to go look at all the pretty books I can't have. Once I have some money to buy some books, (probably next month) I want to check out the local bookstores again.
"Book-shop-hop" sounds like it should be a kind of music. Now, would it be like hip-hop? Naw, I think it would be more like an old man's shuffle.
I vote for Carlos & Murphy's. Boo to The Keg.
TIM HORTON'S SERVICE SUCKS. (Amen, brother.) When our youth group goes on road trips, we routinely stop for dinner at this one place that has all sorts of fast food. Everyone is always done eating within about half an hour, except for the poor suckers who chose Timmy's. It is Tim Horton's' fault alone that we schedule 45 minutes for dinner, and even then all the Timmy's fans have to grab their food and eat it in the car. No joke.
However, I'm a BIG sucker for their chicken salad sandwiches. Mmmmm...
I also like the chicken salad sandwiches EXCEPT when there's big chunks of gristle or bone. Which has happened to me once or twice, and makes me nervous even when 90% of the sandwiches are OK.
Paul and Elliot
I totally think GLOBOsapiens used books should have been on the list. A wonderfully ethnic vibe, a nice relaxing place to hang out and all their books are 1/4 the cover! The owner is very friendly and very easy to talk too. Although in Charleswood, a little out of my way, it's well worth the visit. A cool, eccentric type of place. I heard they were expanding to a larger place, not quite sue where yet.
check it out.
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