Barney Gargles, now what's that?

I've wanted to post something about Barney Gargles since the day I started this blog. "Barney's," as it's known to regulars and people in the area, is a humbly-sized restaurant in Selkirk. If you're driving in from Winnipeg down Main Street, you can't miss it. Or the line of people waiting to get in for a seat, any time of the year.

Thing is, I'm so biased. Not only have I grown up going to this restaurant, but it was also my first "grown up" job - I worked there as a server while in college. Being so familiar, and such a fan of their menu, there was no way I was going to be able to offer an accurate review.

So, I waited on it.

Then, last Friday, I got a panicked/upset call from my mother:

MOM: Amber - Marion Warhaft's review in the paper today is for Barneys!

AMBER: No way, that's cool! What'd she say?

MOM: It got four stars.

AMBER: Wow! That's pretty good - I'm surprised it didn't get more though. What didn't she like?

MOM: The carrots.

AMBER: Ah, yes - I agree.

MOM: Amber, do you realize what this means?

AMBER: ...

MOM: We're never going to get a seat in there AGAIN!!

(I think at this point I heard a small muffled sob)

Anyway, point is - Barney's has great food. Everything is homemade, from the fries to the chicken fingers and the amazing cheesecakes (which, in my opinion - biased as it is, are better than anything I've found in Winnipeg).

The two women who own it, Judy and Shirley, were my bosses, and two of of the hardest working women I've ever seen. They've owned that business for as long as I can remember. Quality, respect, cleanliness and customer service at all at the top of their list for things to achieve on a daily basis, which is no doubt why this restaurant continues to thrive despite major chain restaurant additions to the small city. As I started my own little cupcake adventure, it was the advice I'd gotten from those two women I thought about most, "Amber, no matter what we do, we're never going to sacrifice our Philly Cream cheese and real german chocolate - even if we have to charge $10 a slice for a piece of our cake." (To this day, pieces of cake are still only a little over $5 there, don't worry).

So now that I've gushed about this place a bit, and have Ms.Warhoft's review to back me up, so you know I'm not lying to you, you should go check Barney Gargles out! Like my mom said, there were line-ups before, so if you're going to make the trek, be sure to make a reservation first!

And save room for the skor cheesecake...it's my favourite :)