Ontario Roadtrip

[Sea Urchin Ragout]

I'm planning a week in Ontario in June, taking in a few days in Toronto then maybe driving a bit further North and heading through Algonquin National Park towards Ottawa.

Can any of you resident Canadian foodies give some suggestions which towns / restaurants are worth a detour or indeed where I should be going to get some of Canada's best food?

Thanks in advance

[FlavoursGal]

I'm planning a week in Ontario in June, taking in a few days in Toronto then maybe driving a bit further North and heading through Algonquin National Park towards Ottawa.

Can any of you resident Canadian foodies give some suggestions which towns / restaurants are worth a detour or indeed where I should be going to get some of Canada's best food?

Thanks in advance 

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Montreal

[FlavoursGal]

Sea Urchin Ragout, I was sort of joshing when I wrote the reply above.

Toronto has some great restaurants, and there's wonderful Chinese food to be had in the suburbs immediately north of the city.

Are you looking for upscale, hole-in-the-wall, mid-range, or a combination of the three?

Edited January 25, 2007 by FlavoursGal (log)

[Endy']

Can any of you resident Canadian foodies give some suggestions which towns / restaurants are worth a detour or indeed where I should be going to get some of Canada's best food?

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am I interpreting your question correctly as you're looking for suggestions on places to stop while driving to/from Toronto?

if so, a name that comes up very often is Eigensinn Farm. It's generally suggested that one book a Bed and Breakfast nearby and plan to spend the night.

also, I'm not sure what route you're taking in to Toronto, but Langdon Hall is supposed to be excellent, it's in Cambridge, which is a little over an hour west of Toronto. In Kitchener (also in that direction), Verses is excellent (thread).

out of the 3, I've only been to Verses, and for that I'd say make a detour if you're driving by Kitchener on the 401 anyway, but I certainly wouldn't say go an hour out of your way for it.

[SushiCat]

I'm planning a week in Ontario in June, taking in a few days in Toronto then maybe driving a bit further North and heading through Algonquin National Park towards Ottawa.

Can any of you resident Canadian foodies give some suggestions which towns / restaurants are worth a detour or indeed where I should be going to get some of Canada's best food?

Thanks in advance 

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Montreal

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Excellent humour FlavoursGal! Still laughing!

Sea Urchin, I have to find notes from a few years back and I'll send you some data. Lots of great spots in Toronto / Montreal, a few further north and one or two in Ottawa.

[Sea Urchin Ragout]

Thanks for the replies so far folks. Here's the deal...I've got a 9 days off around June time and I've stumbled across some dirt-cheap, direct flights to Canada from Scotland. Calgary, Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver are the options...I want to have a bit of time in a City, drive around, listen to the Arcade Fire, see some of the outdoors and most of all, eat extremely well.

[C. Nuttall-Smith]

Thanks for the replies so far folks. Here's the deal...I've got a 9 days off around June time and I've stumbled across some dirt-cheap, direct flights to Canada from Scotland. Calgary, Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver are the options...I want to have a bit of time in a City, drive around, listen to the Arcade Fire, see some of the outdoors and most of all, eat extremely well.

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I quite love Prince Edward County, an area about two hours east of Toronto on Lake Ontario. It's becoming known as a wine region, with some fantastic wine makers and excellent limestone soils. You could go to Closson Chase, Norman Hardie and Rosehall Run, for starters, all excellent wineries (Jancis Robinson recently wrote about one of Hardie's wines, praising it as one of Canada's best). Dining in the area is brilliant: Harvest, the Carriage House and the Merrill Inn are all fantastic restaurants, with a focus on fresh, local, seasonal ingredients, and French-inspired approaches.

Buddha Dog, in Picton, is a pretty exciting little (hot dog!) joint—sounds odd, yes, but the dogs are all made and dressed with local, seasonal stuff, with help from a few of the area's best chefs. Well worth a visit for casual lunch. Waupoos Cidery is a gorgeous place for a drink with one of the best views around. Great, great beaches (Sandbanks in particular) and bird watching (Long Point) if that's your thing.

[FlavoursGal]

"Great, great beaches (Sandbanks in particular) and bird watching (Long Point) if that's your thing." (C. Nuttall-Smith)

Sea Urchin Ragout, I must agree with Mr. Nuttall-Smith regarding the beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park. The setting is Lake Ontario, but the white sand dunes and clear blue water are more evocative of the ocean or sea.

I haven't been there in years, though, so I've not been to any of the restaurants or wineries that Mr. Nuttall-Smith recommends. However, I can assure you that his opinion is very valuable, since he is the food editor of Toronto Life, a well-read, monthly publication.

Here's the website for Prince Edward County, opened to the page for Sandbanks.

http://www.pec.on.ca/other/sandbnks.html

Edited January 26, 2007 by FlavoursGal (log)

[estufarian]

If you're doing the route as conceived, then Eigensinn is indeed the only place worth a special trip (as Michelin would say). However, reservations are EXTREMELY difficult - you have to call (no email, website) and typically they don't return calls (because it's just the two of them and it would take too long). HINT: As they have a school-age child, calling around 5-6pm local time is best as they will likely be feeding him prior to preparing for guests and be around to answer the phone.

I suggest you try now, be very polite and tell them that you're coming from Scotland and friends have told you to come there. And you'd like a reservation (on whatever date or near that) so that you can plan your visit around whatever date they can accommodate you.

A loop through Niagara/Wine Country would also be fun - but I'm not sure that Prince Edward County is as desirable (some decent restaurants and disastrous wine). But there's more there than there is in Algonquin! It used to be great but, nowadays, increased tourism means you're restricted to much improved roads - unless you have time to get out camping (which you don't on a short visit). But you could reach Ottawa via Kingston (including Prince Edward County and 1000 Islands).

But, despite my love for Toronto, if the price is right, I'd suggest Vancouver (now ducking to avoid missiles).

[Jasmine]

I'm planning a week in Ontario in June, taking in a few days in Toronto then maybe driving a bit further North and heading through Algonquin National Park towards Ottawa.

Can any of you resident Canadian foodies give some suggestions which towns / restaurants are worth a detour or indeed where I should be going to get some of Canada's best food?

Thanks in advance 

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I agree with Endy' re: Verses (Kitchener), but Langdon Hall is good as well. If you are in the area and going to Stratford, I suggest The Old Prune...

Re: seeing some of the outdoors--the Elora Gorge is very lovely (Elora is between Guelph and Waterloo). Unfortunately, I don't know about the restaurants (it's been a while since I last ate there--I remember a mediocre meal and lousy service).

[jayt90]

June is a great month to visit Algonquin Park. But Killarney, at the top of Georgian Bay is a prettier gem. In any case, there won't be crowds of people, as in mid- summer, but there may still be a few black flies.

[marlowe]

If you are serious about Algonquin Park, but don't want to camp, google the three lodges that operate within the park boundaries: Killarney Lodge, Arowhon Pines, and Bartlet Lodge. I've been to the first two. Not inexpensive, but comfortably rustic and food and canoes are included. Since Park regulations prohibit the sale of alchohol within the Park, it is strictly BYOB, but they will chill and serve the wines without corkage fees (or chill your brew if you prefer). The American fellow with his family sitting next to us had a nice bottle of Colgin on his table when I was last there. Arowhon has a groaning board buffet at breakfast and for dessert, but otherwise the meals are limited to a few selections, almost always including a seafood entree. Toronto's leading food critic's family owns the place. Killarney is very good too, a little more accessible (it's just off the main highway within the park, on a large lake. Food is quite decent there as well, from memory. Happy trails.

[Sea Urchin Ragout]

Excellent advice by all, I've looked up and bookmarked a good number of websites based on your input. Prince Edward Country and Algonquin will feature...tempted to push through to Montréal too but not sure if it's worth that extra couple of hours? I'm currently thinking of going as far as Kingston and then heading North.

I'll pass on the Vancouver option though, just a little bit too far to travel and I've been told early Summer on the west Coast is as bad as Summer in Scotland!

Edited January 29, 2007 by Sea Urchin Ragout (log)

[Endy']

tempted to push through to Montréal too but not sure if it's worth that extra couple of hours?

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I was very close to driving to Montreal (from Toronto, and then back) on 30 Dec, when it is bitterly cold in Montreal, just to have dinner at Au Pied de Cochon.

I think you could do a very nice whirlwind tour of Montreal with a 1-night stay. Dinner at APDC, bagels at St. Viateur, smoked meat at Schwartz's (I don't think it's anything special, personally, but it's kind of a Montreal must) would be a good foundation. Montreal forumers could fill in the blanks and suggest a current high-end spot for an early dinner on the second night...

[Campofiorin]

Actually, you could take the plane to Ottawa. Stay there the first day then drive 2 hours to Montreal and spend a 2-3 days there and then drive down to Toronto (about 6 hours) for a couple more days and head to Niagara wine country (about an hour and a half from TO depending on traffic) for a day or 2 and head back to Ottawa. That way, you could get to try great restaurants in each cities and get to taste some of the better wines produced in Canada.

[MuskokaChef]

Sea Urchin Ragout; If you are still coming through the park or near the jewel of eastern Ontario, stop in and check out the Muskokas. We have quite a few great eating places. check out this link www.savourmuskoka.ca for some of the better places. I recommend Sherwood Inn as well as Riverwalk.

good travels

Edited April 4, 2007 by MuskokaChef (log)