guess who's coming for dinner?

Nope, it's not me. Not yet, anyway.
And it's not really dinner per se. It may be a few dinners, I don't know at this point.

Since I'm sure you have better things to do with your time than guess, I'll give you the lowdown straight up: An Ottawa friend of mine and a colleague of hers will be flying to Winnipeg for work for a few days sometime at the beginning of November. I'm compiling a list of venues that she might want to check out during her short stay, and I'm asking for input from my readers, please (if I still have any after my sporadic posting the last while).

What Winnipeg restaurants, attractions, or activities would you recommend to an out-of-towner? (She's vegetarian, will be staying at the Fairmont, and will be working during the day. I have no idea if she and her colleague will rent a car or rely on taxis.)

Here are some ideas so far:

Restaurants

• Mondragon
• Underground Café - is it open at night?
• Baked Expectations - mmm, I want cheesecake just thinking about it (I have yet to find an Ottawa equivalent)
  
• King's Head Pub - members of the Choi Kwang Do club I once went to used to hang out there, and the 2nd floor is a Fringe Festival venue
• The Royal Crown Revolving Restaurant - OK, I've only been once, and it was so long ago, I can't for the life of me remember whether or not the food was satisfying. I vaguely remember thinking that it was rather neat to gaze out over the city. I'm guessing it's overpriced.

Cultural

• Manitoba Museum & Planetarium
  
• The WAG (Winnipeg Art Gallery) - do they still waive admission fees on Wednesday evenings, or is that a thing of the past?
  
• MTC (Manitoba Theatre Centre) - I see Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice is playing until Nov 8
• The Forks - anybody know if the Christmas Traditions store is still there?
  
• Corydon Avenue (little Italy) - 'cause she's Italian and may want gelati - either Nucci's or not-Nucci's (the way a friend of mine refers to GG Gelati).
  I suppose I could have placed this under restaurants, too, although I'm not all that familiar with the ones that are there. I've eaten at Colosseo's once or twice, enjoyed it, and used to like the Roasting House, but that was long ago, before it become Roca Jack's Coffee Co-Roasting House.
• Manitoba Legislature and the Golden Boy - they may be limited to a quick drive-by, because unless things have changed, I would't expect the Leg (pronounced "ledge") after dark to be a safe place. Hey, when do the Christmas lights go up on Broadway?
• Western Canada Aviation Museum - I've never been; have you?
  

Feel free to post your suggestions as "comments," or, if you'd rather, send them via e-mail.

Please keep in mind that this friend of mine will be visiting in November and has already referred to Winnipeg as "Winterpeg" (bah!), so river tours on the Paddlewheel Queen or by water taxi are probably inadvisable (even should they be operating).

As a side note, I'll be directing her to the following links:

• Destination Winnipeg - Factoids
• The Office - upcoming episode

More Ideas:
Thanks to Tawny and Perry for their suggestions.

Restaurants

• Papa George's - according to a Yahoo! Travel review, this restaurant is "open really, really late."
• Applebee's - 3 Winnipeg locations: 0 in Ottawa. I'd recommend the Santa Fe chicken salad (bet one could order it without chicken) or meatless quesadillas. The milkshakes are fantastic.

Cultural

• MTS Centre - The "Upcoming Events" shows Bob Dylan for Nov 2, and the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards for Nov 7, not to mention the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Nov 3. (Has anyone heard of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra before? More importantly, does anyone really refer to the MTS Centre by its full name, i.e., MTS/True North Sports & Entertainment? Maybe the additional mouthful is a precaution, just in case it ever goes the way of the former Corel Centre, now Scotia Bank Place, i.e., switching sponsors.)
  

In a class all by itself:

• McNally Robinson (bookstore) and its Prairie Ink Restaurant - why just shop books when you can also indulge in carrot cake with cream cheese icing? I prefer the Grant Park location (who can argue with more space for more books?), but the Portage Place location is fine, too. A visit "home" without a stop at McNally is unthinkable.