Hit the poutine bar then have a seat by the fireplace.
Sip your mulled cider and enter the early 19th century styled Winterer’s Cabin, where you’ll be regaled with tales of life during the fur trade under the North West Company.
Tuck into a spoon-tender lamb shank while seated alongside your colleagues, looking out over the Esplanade Riel and Winnipeg skyline.
These are just a few of the options from Gibraltar Dining Corp, which runs the excellent French bistro Promenade Café and Wine and the historic Fort Gibraltar in St. Boniface, along with Provisions at Lower Fort Garry during the summer months.
Owned and operated by culinary power couple Shawn Brandson and Connie McKane-Brandson – who have been working together for the past 20 years now – along with wedding and event planner Angela Hall, the company employs about 40 staff, and continues to excel at making events memorable for the right reasons.
Fort Gibraltar
Their specialty, be it a wedding, reception, event or even in their tent during Festival du Voyageur, is rustic comfort food, which is oh so apropos within Fort Gibraltar’s Great Hall, where up to 140 people can attend a sit-down service.
As winter tucks in, you and your crew can tuck into stick-to-your-bones dishes like beef bourguignon, bison tourtière, and vegetarian quiches, along with a robust selection of canapés.
On top of this, you can add interactive entertainment to your event that is saucier than the bourguignon.
Surrounding the Maison du Bourgeois (the fort’s main building, home of the Great Hall and The Partner’s Room) are numerous cabins that you can populate with jaunty costumed interpreters who will run your group through endeavours like playing the spoons, (minor) blacksmithing, and everyone’s favourite, hatchet throwing. You can also sit round the campfire, while these cheeky historic guides spin you warns about what life was like in this fur trade fort back in 1815.
You can also have a Caribou ceremony that involves your guests being sworn in by signing parchment, after sipping a dram of this concoction of wine, whisky and maple syrup that comes from Quebec.
Pretty much, it’s just as awesome a venue as it sounds.
Stand up service at Fort Gibraltar – which can include the aforementioned fireside poutine bar and various food stations – can accommodate 188 people, while upstairs you’ll find The Partner’s Room, which sits 48 in a private setting, while just outside the Fort’s towering walls is the Maison Chaboillez, a rustic charming cabin that can also seat 48.
Promenade Café and Wine
Promenade Café and Wine (130C Provencher Boulevard) serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, utilizing fresh local ingredients, and features a mighty fine wine selection, along with views of the city skyline across the Red River that you’ll readily drink up.
Along with the option of food stations, Promenade too serves up French comfort food with options for multi-course plated dinners, group menus, and numerous hot and cold hors d’oeuvres.
Outside of booking a party, we always recommend experiencing their bustling weekend brunches, where locals flock for dishes like Eggs Benedict with house smoked trout, sweet or savoury crêpes, and a tidy selection of omelettes (all using the best eggs around, that being Nature’s Farm).
For bookings at either Fort Gibraltar or Promenade Café and Wine call or email Connie at 204-999-0844 or connie@cafeandwine.com
