Trying not to freeze at RAW:almond

My Dad at his most Winnipeg-esque

The past seven days have had an outdoor theme. This included watching two Coors Light NHL Stadium Series games from the comfort of my living room.

I also went to RAW:almond, a temporary restaurant set up on the river at The Forks on Sunday.

It was below -30 degrees Celsius with the wind chill and I did not dress warm enough for the conditions.  While I understood the restaurant consists of a tented complex on the ice, I was under the impression that it would be well heated.

According to the chef, the sitting I attended was the coldest one yet.  Apparently, the heater was not working properly.

The food was delicious.  The first course was crackers and pate, followed by beef brisket and multiple flavours of homemade mustard, then a ham hock with an egg and mushroom sauce, and finally ice-cream with a cookie drowned in chai tea.

The server told us that multiple chefs helped design the menu, which featured both hot and cold elements.  Under the circumstances we may have just preferred hot.

As we ate, my sneaker clad feet became colder and colder.  Eventually, my toes started to feel numb and I thought I might have a problem.

As a solution, I loosened the laces on my shoes, discreetly took off my mittens and put them on my feet. I then stuffed my mitten covered feet into my shoes.  I pulled the bottom of my snow pants over my heels as they were hanging out.

My setup worked perfectly.  I was able to enjoy the meal with minimum discomfort.

After the meal I walked back to the car on my toes, my feet still in my mittens in my shoes.

Both my father and I enjoyed the experience and the food.  As someone who lived in Japan for a couple years, it was fun to do something that is so unique to Winnipeg.