Thursday 28 January 2016

Hit the Beach(comber) at The Forks



Like the theme song from Cheers, sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. The Beachcomber Restaurant at The Forks is that kind of place. 

If owner George Tsouras is sitting in his ‘office’ – the second table from the entrance – when a patron walks in, he’ll greet them like they’re an old friend. Whether he knows them or not. Maybe it’s because he’s Greek, and being welcoming comes naturally to him. Most likely, though, it’s just because he loves what he does.




George recognized early on that going to a restaurant is a luxury that people enjoy. They are happy when out for dinner, in a good mood, and having fun. It’s the kind of business George could embrace. So he started working in restaurants at the age of 14, washing dishes after school. His parents, like most, wanted their son to be a lawyer or doctor. But by 21, he opened his first restaurant, and never looked back.




When The Forks opened in 1989, George was an original tenant with Branigan’s. In 2005 he changed the location to The Beachcomber, choosing the name due to the waterfront proximity, and because of one of the best – and affordable – seafood selections in town. If you’re craving crab, lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels, or fresh PEI oysters, you’ll find it at The Beachcomber.




An avid traveler with a passion for ‘old world’ tradition, George gets creative ideas from dishes served in other countries. He offers items you don’t typically see in Winnipeg restaurants, like Kettle of Fish Paella. Inspired by a trip to Madrid, what has become The Beachcomber’s signature dish is a mouth-watering medley of seafood simmered in red pepper broth with chicken and chorizo sausage.




Visitors to The Forks from around the world love trying Manitoba pickerel. The Beachcomber sells over 400 pounds of these melt-in-your mouth fillets each year, bought directly from local fishermen. Another favourite meal from the prairies is bison short-ribs, accompanied by locally-grown produce whenever possible.

For popular drinks, the Bulldog consists of a lime margarita containing an upside-down Corona beer. The Beesar is the same thing, but with a Bloody Caesar as the base beverage. The Beachcomber is the only place in Winnipeg – and likely all of Canada – that creates ‘bursting bubble’ cocktails in six different flavours.




Because George engages with and listens to his guests, you’ll find an ever-evolving menu at The Beachcomber. Different themes, like oyster night on Wednesday, ladies night on Thursday, and paint night on Sunday, provide recurring reasons to keep coming back. That, and the fact The Beachcomber takes great pride in good food and good service.

Above all else, they’re always glad you came.

Follow the Beachcomber Restaurant on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Monday 4 January 2016

Hey there Lindsay: The Forks' Fitness Guru

Hello New Year and hello to resolutions! 

It's the first full week of 2016- and already, some resolutions may need some help {especially the healthy living ones}. But have no fear, Lindsay Somers, our new resident fitness expert at The Forks, is here to help you on your way. 


Down-to-earth, hilarious, and full of energy, Lindsay is the perfect person to help motivate us to have a healthy year full of adventure and fun at The Forks.

As part of new healthy living initiatives coming up in 2016 (stay tuned to hear about those), we invited Lindsay on with us to share how to be healthy here at The Forks, and anywhere you go!

Lindsay will be blogging every couple of weeks, offering tips, tricks, and ideas and suggestions about how to be happier, greener and get leaner for good. 

Lindsay doesn't just embody the spirit of The Forks — she lives it. She owns Lindsay Somers Lifestyle Health, where she is a lifestyle health coach, offering personal training, and consultation services to help people make sustainable changes for healthier happier lives. She is also the featured lifestyle/health expert for Global, Shaw TV, and CBC radio.


Image from Lindsay's Instagram
Now let's let Lindsay do the talking. After all, she's the expert!

Q: What does wellness mean to you?

Lindsay: It’s feeling good in your mind, in your body, and in your soul. It’s the ability to wake up every day and feel good about yourself, spend time doing the things you love, and show gratitude and a kindness to others. And like the reflection in the mirror.

Q: When did wellness become important to you? 

L: It's been a part of whole life. My dad was working out to Burton Cummings since I was a baby. I remember being so small and we would dance in between reps. We were always outside playing; going for walks as a family. If we wanted a snack, options were apple, orange or banana. We ate a full meal together. We ate a full fat meals, no diet food. But it was all in balance. Junk food was just that — junk food.

Image from Lindsay's Instagram

Q: Why do you do wellness as your work?  

L: I used to work in film. I always loved working with people, but it became hard to balance. I used to go boxing at lunches, and I noticed how it gave me great focus and how much better it made my life. I love helping people and making people feel good about who they are. Everyone can feel better about themselves if they take the time to care of themselves.

Q: What is lifestyle health?

L: Lifestyle health is about how you spend every day of your life. It isn’t an hour exclusive private workout. It’s your daily activities and how you build activity into your life. We have choices all the time — sleeping, eating, taking stairs, looking at social media all day — this makes up your lifestyle.


Image from Lindsay's Instagram



Q: What draws you to The Forks?

L: I love it because it’s in the middle of the city. I can ride my bike, walk or skate along the river. Being social is part of being well and coming to The Forks means being around people; it’s a wonderful meeting placeYou come together to move, to play, to eat, to relax and The Forks provides all that. There isn’t any other space in Winnipeg that offers that. 


Q: What’s your hope for wellness at The Forks?

L: To showcase and highlight little moments that you can take to breathe and relax, play with your kids, and places that you can do mini-workouts. Exercise is wayyy down the list. It's about play — and fun — because if it’s fun you'll want to do it again.



Image from Lindsay's Instagram


Look forward to Lindsay blogging in 2016. Until then, you can check her out on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Happy New Year!