Resto Gare And Train Bar Bistro — Restaurant in Winnipeg

The service was excellent and atmosphere was adequate.

On to the important parts: the food. The menu is very attractive on paper, as is the wine list. But the execution leaves a bit to be desired. Claims have been made that Resto Gare is the finest French restaurant in town. I said to myself "ok, let's see about that". I decided to order the two items which, as a Frenchman from Aquitaine, are staples in France a that speak to the rest of the menu: escargots and duck confit for my entrée. The escargot was presented in a typical fashion; baked in a small cast-iron pan with mushrooms. But the brown sauce? Overwhelming for such a delicate flavour as snails. I couldn't taste them. Had it not been for the texture, they could have been serving me dumplings for all I knew, so overbearing was the sauce. I think that the chef fell into a typical habit when attempting French cuisine - take something simple and complicate it. It's escargot. Keep it simple. Butter, fresh parsley, bake. Maybe a little flambée with some Cognac... anything but brown beef-based sauce.

On to the duck confit. The duck itself was fine. It's hard to mess up duck confit short of burning it. The presentation on the other hand, had nothing in common with French cooking. It was served on a bed of rice with a piece of pineapple, a piece of beet, and a single Brussel sprout. I can not think of anything less French than a bed of rice, unless they were going for an Indo-China theme. Ever heard of "pommes Lyonnaises"? Those are potatoes cut with a melon-baller and sauteed, preferably in duck-fat and onions. That would be much more appropriate. Or asparagus. Or roasted endives. Or a bed of red lentils. Anything but rice. And please, enough with the fancy plates; a 15x30 rectangular plate is annoying. Every time I rested my cutlery to stop and savour the dish, they'd fall off. Just use a normal plate. All these weird square plates restaurants are using nowadays are pretentious. Finally, there's my wife's Ceasar salad. Her only complaint was that the lettuce could have been fresher. Not sure if they're getting it from a supplier like Cisco. If so, please stop and find a different source. The dressing didn't taste fresh made. If it was, keep trying... you'll get there.

The bread basket was excellent, and I suspect they're getting it from A l'épi de blé on Main Street - the finest bakery in the city.

As for the rest of the details, I was pleased that they serve Pernod and Ricard - check in the box for any French restaurant. Armagnac - another check. Small detail here. Don't serve Pernod on ice. If somebody did that in Marseille, they'd get laughed out of town. Pastis is properly served straight up with a small pitcher of ice-cold water on the side for the customer to pour himself to taste. I was pleased to have proper cloth napkins, but for the love of food please set the table correctly. If I wanted my cutlery rolled-up in a napkin I'd go to Earl's.

All-in-all, a worthy attempt. I understand how hard it is to find restaurant help willing to make it a career, which is key to a French restaurant - you can't do it with people who are just using it as a job to pay for university. I don't know if this is the case. If it is a career chef working back there, then I think it would be a worthwhile investment to send this person to Bordeaux for 6 months to see how it's done there. Or even Quebec City. I know you'll never find the quality ingredients in Canada that you will in France, but still. Don't serve escargots in brown sauce, or duck on rice! I'm not saying to go for a Michelin star (overrated), just that there is the French way of doing thing, and then there's everyone else's. This was about half-way there.

Finally, the menu was in the wrong order. In France it's appetiser, soup, entrée, salad, cheese, then dessert. They had the cheese plate with the appetisers. Weird.

I'd go again, because I really want a proper French restaurant in Winnipeg, and the kind gentleman from Alsace serving us made a very good impression. But next time I'll...

Disappointing Experience – A Far Cry from the Vielle Gare We Remember

We chose Resto Gare to celebrate my mum’s 83rd birthday, expecting a refined and nostalgic experience. Unfortunately, the evening fell short in nearly every way.

It had been years since our last visit, and aside from some new upholstery and paint, little had changed. The ambiance felt different—far too bright, lacking the warm, inviting atmosphere we remembered.

We specifically requested to be seated in the train car, anticipating a unique and intimate dining experience. Instead, we were placed at the very end, in what felt like an afterthought of a space. A nearby table sat unset, making the area feel incomplete, and the overall impression was one of neglect—peeling paint, a struggling vine, and a general lack of upkeep. The main restaurant area was also starkly empty for a Friday night at 7:30 PM, brightly lit, with servers standing around.

The Food…. The evening’s biggest disappointment.

We started with the French onion soup and Coquille St. Jacques, both of which missed the mark entirely. • The onion soup was murky and lukewarm, with a powdery broth instead of the expected rich, clear consistency. Despite a warning that the bowl was “extremely hot,” it wasn’t. The Gruyère was fine, but the croutons had disintegrated by the time it reached us. • The Coquille St. Jacques was particularly unpleasant—a strange, overly earthy mix of mushrooms and pearl onions, giving it the texture of ground meat and an oddly liver-like flavor. The two small scallops and unexpected shrimp (not mentioned on the menu) were lost in mashed potatoes. The dish lacked the typical wine-infused brightness and tasted more like a misguided shepherd’s pie.

For mains, we ordered the Prime Rib (8oz and 16oz), looking forward to a classic preparation with Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and beets. • What arrived was far from classic. The meat was medium-well to well-done, with not a hint of pink. The slices were inexplicably thick—1 inch (2.5cm) for the 8oz and 2 inches (5cm) for the 16oz—making for a chewy, difficult-to-eat experience. While the seasoning and bark were good, the execution was poor. • The potatoes and asparagus were fine. • The beets, however, were an unpleasant surprise—shredded and pickled, completely out of place in the dish and inedible.

The one saving grace? Dessert. We played it safe with crème brûlée, and thankfully, it was perfect—silky, well-balanced, and expertly executed. Even the coffee was a pleasant surprise—rich, full-bodied, and a nice way to forget about the rest of the meal.

We paired dinner with a Wente Cabernet Sauvignon, a reliable choice.

Service

Our server was polite and knowledgeable but lacked the refinement expected in a fine dining setting. • She frequently reached across us while serving and clearing. • Wine and water went un-topped throughout the meal. • And perhaps most telling—she never even lit our candle.

Final Thoughts

We had hoped to relive the charm and elegance of Resto Gare’s past, but this visit was a disappointment. Between the neglected ambiance, poorly executed dishes, and lackluster service, it no longer feels like the fine dining establishment it once was.

Sadly, we won’t...

Recently went to Resto Gare on a Saturday night for a date night out.

We requested to sit in the train car, and the ambiance and decor was very wonderful. The dining room looked nice, but was very loud, so I'm glad we got to sit in the car. The only con of the car was that throughout the night, the heat went off, and it got very chilly very quickly. But a kind waiter quicklyturned the heat up, so we didn't have to shiver for long. It's an old car and Winnipeg is freezing in January, not their fault at all.

The cocktails we ordered were fantastic. So was the food, save for the escargots...my partner and I both agreed that the beef sauce was way too heavy for escargot. A lighter sauce would have been preferable. The breads in the bread basket were super fresh and to die for. The mussels were excellent. Our mains were awesome as well, and so was the sugar maple pie for dessert. I think everything here is priced at a very reasonable amount for the quality of food and portion sizes. You can tell a lot of effort goes into preparing the food.

The only reason why this review is four stars out of five is due to service. I worked in the hospitality industry myself for many years, so I'm very understanding and patient when dining out because I've been in a server's shoes, but this place has five star food and three star service. Our waitress was polite and friendly enough, but seemed to be stressed out all evening, running from table to table, and forgetting to come back to us. It took ages to get a water refill, the dirty dishes sat on our table for a very long time, and our three course meal lasted three hours due to the amount of time left in between courses. It took twenty minutes for her to bring us our cocktails, and another twenty minutes for dessert, for instance. I feel like the server must have been fairly new, or very stressed out with the amount of guests she was taking care of. More training or better staffing could help with this issue.

Overall I think Resto Gare is absolutely worth a visit. It could easily be one of the finest restaurants in town if service...