Jane's

Ok, this is a great GREAT place. It's a training restaurant for Red River College's food services courses. The building is an historically important and beautiful building. It was an old bank and the restaurant is in the old public hall of the original bank, beautifully restored. (There is an additional fun historical connection as the International Brotherhood of Magicians was founded in the building last century, for anyone interested in magic. ) The arrangement is to train food workers to work in 5 star elite restaurants so you are getting served by students under their teacher's supervision. The place is great, the service is wonderful, not always formally correct, (they might clear from the wrong side, or forget to mention today's special or something, and a quiet comment will waft through the air to remind them of correct protocol ) and the food is Devine. Sometimes there are experimental or very innovative dishes that the students have thought up and the results are fantastic. Today someone created mushroom chips, lightly seasoned and sauteed slices of mushrooms baked till crisp and crunchy, which were used to garnish a wonderfully rich tasty mushroom soup. My partner and I tried the pickerel and flank steak and we both loved them. We started with the mushroom soup, and the minestrone. As mentioned the mushroom soup was top notch, the stock of the minestrone was excellent, and the bits and pieces included chunks of chicken and cheese tortellini. Absolutely wonderful. Served with a selection of fresh baked bread and herbed butter it was a good start. The main courses were well cooked, very tasty and cooked perfectly. I had the flank steak, medium rare and it was juicy and perfect. Served with a special sauce ( super gravy dating to medieval french cooking techniques) and a very nice form of potatoes that were a cross between french fries and roasted potato wedges. The veg was string beans cooked perfectly. I enjoyed every byte. My partner had the pickerel and even though I am not a big fish fan I found it light and delicate with an interesting sauce. The mixed vegetables were well done and I will cheerfully try to emulate that side dish. Dessert was the chocolate chiffon with pickled raspberries, and the creme caramel. Both were delicious and interesting. I do not like raspberries, and frankly they tasted like lightly vinegar flavoured raspberries, but the chocolate was smooth and rich and light. The only complaint was the crumb crust was a touch tough as it was a bit too thick, but great taste. The caramel was another innovative approach, not a creme brulee, but garnished with sugar glass fibers they had a crunch that made it a cross between both. All in all, the price was good for the lunch I got, and I will definitely come back for a whack at the other dishes. Note though that the restaurant is open as part of the academic session, it is only open for another 5 weeks before shutting down till the next session. Check their webpage, and reservations are a must. Although it is a very fancy restaurant it is not enforced formality, casual dress is acceptable. There is parking around the place, but it is right on main street on the #18 route. This is a great place and I look forward to going again.

Fine dining at a discounted price! We had a wonderful first experience at Jane’s. The students are very attentive and eager to please. The food is decadent and the cocktails are equally tasty. The menu changes every few weeks so be sure to check online for the current menu. Looking forward to our next visit!

Absolutely wonderful venue for private functions! The culinary arts students are very motivated and creative - intent to impress! The kitchen team was a delight to work with and were spectacular at accommodating a variety of dietary restrictions without any hiccups in service. A lovely building with a beautifully appointed venue, and very reasonable rates.