We are solidly in summer. The weather is as hot as our wildest wintertime hopes and we’re now seeking ways to cool off. What a fantastic problem! And ice cream is the perfect solution.

There’s an avalanche of icy options but Cornell Creme is no ordinary ice cream. Their flavours are a perfect cocktail of classic and bold. That said, their Vanilla is the best foundation you’ll find for sundae building and they have exotic flavours like Malty Ale Pail, a beer ice cream. Beer floats anyone?

Lisa Dyck and husband William are Manitoba’s first dairy owner producer-processor. Together they are making spectacular ice cream and know their suppliers well. The Dyck’s dairy farm near Anola, Manitoba provides the cream that is the foundation of their delectable offerings.

Lisa took her hobby to the next level in 2012, when she was given an ice cream maker. She had some experience baking for the teahouse in Anola but her development of Cornell Creme has transitioned the business into to a full plant operation. The Pumpkins Pastime teahouse (sadly, now closed) was where Lisa says she, “Developed my passion for creating something for others.”

There is nothing complicated or hard to pronounce on the Cornell label. Lisa explains that you are buying something totally different when you buy her ice cream. It is a full, fat full-on delicious treat and she makes no apologies for that. There isn’t a flavour I’ve tried that I don’t like but I agree with Lisa, the Vanilla Bean is the best vanilla ice cream I’ve ever had.

When I asked what she wanted for her company, she replied simply, “I want a company that Manitobans would be proud of.”

If you want to get your hands of some of this amazing ice cream for yourself or a friend, you might have to get in line. Vendors that carry Cornell Creme often sell out quickly and those who know it rarely leave with just one flavour. In Winnipeg you can pick some up at Crampton’s Market and Delucas. For a full listing check out their website at cornellcreme.com.

With dreams of a scoop shop dancing in her head, there is a lot more to come from Lisa and Cornell Creme.

Photos courtesy of Cornell Creme, photographer Ian McCausland 

What is it about steak and red wine? Such a classic pairing. What if you had the best steak available in Canada paired with the best wine list in the city and one of the top Sommeliers as your guide? You would have the perfect dinner.

I started off the night with my favorite cocktail, the French 75, and from there we decided that sharing was the way to go. My dinner companion Katie, who is a recovering vegetarian, was treated to some of the best beef and seafood our city has to offer. The first course was Beef Carpaccio with shaved Parmagiano Reggiano ($16) and Jumbo Prosciutto Wrapped Scallops ($18) paired with a glass of rare and beautifully complex white Chateauneuf du Pape. 

Next up was the classic Caesar Salad ($10) prepared table side.  There’s no question it is the best Caesar in the city. In fact, it’s the kind of salad that makes for a perfect lunch on 529′s riverside patio in the summer. But I digress! Christopher Sprage, the house Sommelier, paired it with a 2007 Arbois that made me rethink red wine with salad.

And then the steak. Oh, the steak. We had a perfectly seared, rare 6oz Tenderloin with Lobster Tail and Béarnaise Sauce ($45). 529 is one of the few places that serves Canadian Prime Grade beef and you can taste it. Only two percent of beef makes it into the prime category so you know you are getting the best. As Katie says, “the best loin is a tenderloin!”

529 knows its wines.  It boasts Manitoba’s highest rated wine list and won Wine Spectator Magazine’s “Best of Award of Excellence.” So when the Sommelier suggests a Riesling pairing with your steak…. you need to just go with it. We also had half glasses of Nappa Cabernet as a classic pairing and I can’t tell which I liked best.

Here is something you might not expect: the 529 Signature Onion Ring Tower ($12). Why can’t you have onion rings with white table clothes? The answer is you can and you should. I have yet to have better onion rings anywhere.

For dessert we had the bread pudding.  It has been slimmed down in size but is easily enough for 3-4 to share after such a big dinner.  It was expertly paired with a Muscat dessert wine.

529 has a unique blend of history and precision.  It’s food and service are expertly doled out in a location that almost demands it.  Built in 1912 and furnished with antiques, the atmosphere is warm. Manager Caroline Mehra aptly describes the feeling, “it’s like coming home.” Every occasion — big or small — is warmly welcomed at 529.

Post by Sarah Zaharia