"It should be only a few more blocks down this way." Those were my last words spoken calm and cool as Jay and I ventured down the streets of downtown Los Angeles in March 2013. I had lost sight of our surroundings and before we knew it, shopping carts, cardboard boxes, and blankets lined the sidewalks. We wound up in Skid Row searching for "The Varnish" on 118 East 6th Street. "The Varnish" is not just any cocktail bar, but one that is discretely hidden inside a restaurant called "Cole's French Dipped Sandwiches". "The Varnish" is not advertised and access is gained through an unmarked door at the back of the restaurant. These hidden bars commonly known as speakeasy's, pay tribute to the prohibition era during the early-mid 20th century, when bars were secretly hidden inside French restaurants and accessed was gained only through secret doors or passwords.

Fast forward to November 2015, Winnipeg has its own speakeasy bar and another prohibition era inspired hidden restaurant.


"Sous Sol" (Frenchtranslation "underground") is an underground restaurant located on 22-222 Osborne that opened over the summer. According to food blog Peg City Grub, "it's in the back, look for the plain black awning and the glass door that reads 'Building B, Lower Level, Vandelay Industries'." You can check out their review at the link HERE . They serve a variety of French entrées and of course cocktails. Keeping in the theme of secrecy, they are only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5PM-late night.

"Blind Tiger" (725 Osborne [former 7 1/4 Bistro]) is the second speakeasy bar to open shortly after "Sous Sol". The term 'blind tiger' was a term used synonymously as 'speakeasy'. On the surface they are a coffee shop that serves coffee from 7AM - 3:30PM, but at 5PM the coffee bar becomes a hostess stand to the hidden bar. Watching the CBC interview , one must ask the host "How, pray tell, do I walk into the restaurant?", he/she then presses a button that opens the door to the back restaurant. Inside, you will find a lounge with beautifully restored original building brick exposed. On the menu you will find French entrées and an extensive cocktail menu .


Common in all three are lack of advertising and the French themed restaurant. The French theme is perfectly fitting for Winnipeg's French culture. Both are recently opened places on Osborne so we haven't been to either but I'm excited to try them out. Stay tuned for a thorough review once we venture out on a cold Winnipeg night.

In my last post, I talked about how technology has affected dating in modern times. No matter how much it has changed from the past, the fundamentals are still the same. The guy usually always makes the first move. Even when you get a match on Tinder or other dating apps, guys are expected to text first. Today I want to talk about approaching and making the first move. I think it would make sense starting from the beginning and go through the process of dating and relationships with every post. How to approach...well it's not rocket science so how hard can it be? It really depends on you. It will be difficult if you over think it and have doubts. However, if you confidently go up to a girl and naturally talk to them without thinking about it too much then it will be fun and easy. I myself at times have these moments where I don't approach and it's a missed opportunity. How I think about meeting girls is related to gambling as odd as that sounds (pun somewhat intended). If you think about it, there is no probability of winning any money if you don't risk betting; similar thing with approaching women; no risk, no reward.

Crawl Before You Run

Some people are more extroverted and some are more introverted, either way everyone has to start somewhere. If you are shy to begin than we will start with learning how to crawl before we start running. Before you even start speaking with someone, try getting some eye contact with someone no matter how brief it is, simple and easy, just to get comfortable with some type of interaction. It's also safe and with the least effort. Of course, it also has low results. From there you can also start having minor conversations with anyone when you go out. Whether it's a guy, a girl, old or young. Anyone! You're wondering why would you want to talk to a guy or someone you're not interested in and the reason is because there's less pressure and it's casual. Speak with the bartender, people near the bar, or the servers to get more confidence in initiating. These conversations don’t last long and are not meaningful. Ask how their night is going and make small talk. Main focus is getting you to initiate, because if you can’t speak to any random stranger, then there is a high probability that you will not make the first move to a girl you are enchanted by at first sight.

Importance of Location


For starters, go somewhere that interests you and that way you have some common ground to start a conversation. Events like festivals, concerts, art galleries or sporting events will give you a topic to talk about right off the bat compared to general places like bars, clubs or the mall. There is one location in Winnipeg, which is a good start to get some experience mingling with people is at Across the Board Game Cafe. They have singles night every month which they group men and women evenly in separate tables to play board games with each other. This is a better option, in my opinion, than going to a grocery store and tying a plastic bag to your cart or basket. There's a higher change that you will be talking with someone since you are exchanging seats, playing different games with different people in rotation.


I admit, I was not interested at all in going to this but our friend Richard (one of our bloggers...) suggested we go, since I jokingly said that speed dating would benefit him. However, the event focuses more on the board games and less on the interaction but it is entirely up to you to pay less attention to the game and more attention to the women around you. Even if it isn’t singles night, you can ask a random girl if they would like to play a game and go from there. I can’t imagine any other way this can be easier, unless the girl approaches you first!

Level Up With Experience

Once you are experienced enough with approaching, it will come second nature to you and you wouldn’t even second guess yourself before you take the first step. Just like with everything, practice makes perfect! In addition, the environment that you are in will not matter as you progress with approaching and you will adapt to any situation. Even if you get rejected, the fact that you made a bold move of going up to someone is a victory in itself. So don’t think of rejection as a loss, learn from it and know that you were confident to make a move. It is common to get rejected as well. Just like how it is with gambling, you win some you lose some. The only difference is you are gaining experience and insight with each loss. I know it is not a good feeling and your self-esteem gets a hit but soldier on and you'll end up with thicker skin that rejection will not affect you as much.Think of it as a win-win situation!
~Jay Alarcio

My friends and I discovered that it was "Burger Week 2015" this Labour Day long weekend. The curse of the Labour Day Classic for the Bombers continues and to forget about the game, we decided to head out for the specialty burgers that were available for this week only.

Some of the burgers that stood out were "The John Stamos" found at "Nu Burger, "The King + Bronutyne" at Bronuts, and "The MPB" located at "The Grove Pub and Restaurant". Out the many, our little group decided to walk over the Provencher Bridge and try out "The Fat Louis" at "Mon Amis Louis".

After brisk walk from our parking spot to the restaurant in pitch black darkness on a Sunday night (we could of sworn we had a "Gaijuu" sighting ...). The weather was nice and I am sure the scenery would of been beautiful, if we hadn't arrived at the location around 10:00pm that night.

As we enter the doors of Mon Amis Louis, to my surprise, the restaurant was packed with patrons. I didn't know that burger week was such a big deal in Winnipeg until entering the establishment. Our group of three quickly find out that we are lucky enough to be ordering the last 3 burgers of the 300 that were available that day. We were seated by our beautiful waitress, served our drinks and waited for the our meal.

This is my first time at Mon Amis Louis. As I look around, I get this classy, yet olden day fast food restaurant feel. White walls and reds lights hanging from the rafters. Glass windows from ceiling to floor to look out onto the Red River. I am sure the scenery would of been amazing ... The staff were neatly dressed in dress shirts, ties, and corresponding pencil skirts and dress pants. The crowd was a good mix of young adults and people in there 20-30's. The atmosphere was pleasant and the service was excellent.

After a small wait, our food arrives. The "Fat Louis" created specifically for burger week 2015 was made with a tender brisket patty, braised short-ribs off the bone, crispy onions, tomato, lettuce, topped off with chipotle BBQ sauce in between a house made rosemary brioche bun. It comes with side choice of spring salad, french fries, or soup.


After taking one bite out of the burger. I noticed that the patty was excellent, juicy and tender. Maybe one of the best in the city. The short-ribs on the other hand were a little chewy and felt unnecessary. The vegetables, seasoning, and rosemary bun complimented the burger rather well. I would definitely give this burger another try, if available in the future.

The food was great, modestly priced and the service was excellent. An excellent first experience at Mon Amis Louis, located on Esplanade Riel, across the Provencher Bridge. If you ever get a chance, give them a try.

Agree, Disagree? If you have any thoughts, suggestions, request. Please leave us a comment below.

This is where I sign off, Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Michael Hoang