October, 2020
Welcome to the County! There is lots to see and do here year-round. You can use this blog to find hidden gems and explore beyond the vines in the nine regions of the county. My favourite regions include Waupoos, South Shore, Picton, Bloomfield, Wellington, Hillier, and of course Sandbanks. Well that is almost all the regions, isn’t it? Let’s explore, shall we?
We stayed in Cherry Valley in the South Shore in October, 2020 which was breathtakingly beautiful under a canopy of fall foliage. Of course, visiting during the summer is always an option, but it will be busier. As you know, I prefer the shoulder season when traveling as you can still enjoy some lovely weather during the days, but with less people and crowds. We stayed at Sandbanks Summer Village Cottages, as a girlfriend of mine has a cottage there and was gracious enough to loan us her place for 5 days. It was the perfect little retreat with everything we needed including an onsite gym. There are other options for lodging in the area including the Drake Hotel, Huff Estates, Lake on the Mountain Resort or the Edward Bed & Breakfast – it really all depends on your budget for your getaway. You could always explore some local airbnbs in the area too. Within the Cherry Valley region, you will find fresh farm-stand goodies including seasonal produce, local honey and gooiest butter tarts along with other baked goods, the squeakiest of cheese curds for those Sunday afternoon drives, and farm family wineries that are off the beaten path. Is it just me or did you grow up too having cheese curds on Sunday afternoon drives – a few of my favourite things.
Did you know that Prince Edward County is home to over 40 wineries as well as a mix of craft breweries, cider houses, and some amazing little gem restaurants? Of course, we toured and tasted at some of the most unique wineries which I have included in another blog post of our favourite wineries in the area which you can check out here.
Set some time aside to explore Sandbanks Provincial Park, which is known for its Caribbean-esque waters. If you are visiting during the high season (i.e. summer) then you should know this park attracts thousands of visitors annually, which means long lines to get in and busy trails. October was perfect! We drove right in without any lines, no issues with parking and used the free park pass from Sandbanks Summer Village Cottages for the day and barely spotted anyone on the trails. With various trails to choose from, I am sure you can find one or two that will meet your fitness level. We explored the Sandbanks Dunes trail which is an easy 2.5km loop. This trail loops along a fragile dune, one of the largest dune system of its kind in the world. The Lakeview Trail is a 2.4km one way trail, so 4.8km out and back. It winds its way along the edge of Lake Ontario offering views of trees, rock, and shoreline along the way. A beautiful walk in autumn with the sun dancing against the red, orange and gold leaves. It certainly was a magical day offering a change of pace from wine tastings.
You can certainly spend a day touring around from region to region exploring what each one has to offer from antique shops, cheese factories, walking trails, lookout points, boutique shops, art studios, unique cafes, lavender fields, seasonal farmers markets, farm to table restaurants and small batch ice cream stores. Truly, you can easily fill a day just exploring. We spent some time exploring the Black River Cheese factory, some antique markets, wandering the boutique stores in Wellington and Bloomfield, and exploring the seasonal farmer market stands along the county roads which may have included an impulsive home-made butter tart purchase. Don’t worry you will find one or two markets along almost every county backroad.
We spent some time exploring the grounds at the Summer Village walking along the wooded onsite trails and taking in the views from the beach shore line overlooking East Lake. A little cool for a swim, but there are kayaks and paddle boards available which is the perfect way to explore the lake. Of course, we built in some down time to just relax and read in the cottage which is an ultimate start to any day!
Next up will be some recommendations on where to dine in this hidden culinary region of Ontario! After we settled in on Thursday night, we made our way into Picton to check out 555 Brewing. It has one of the largest craft brewery patios I have ever seen and we grabbed a table outdoors, giving the dining experience a European flavour. I think D was most excited about the beer, but I was equally anticipating the wood fired pizza. D in traditional fashion ordered the Footprint IPA West Coast style, which he loved. I settled for a flight to sample more than one option. My choices included the Witness Belgian Wit, Muskoka Craft Lager, Jury American Pale Ale, and I have the Power Pale Ale – 5 oz each offering a range of tastes. As my craft beer palate is expanding, I really enjoyed both pale ales, the IPA lite, as D refers to them. A craft brewery that serves food is completely in my wheelhouse and even more so when they serve amazing wood fired pizza cooked in a $20,000 pizza oven directly from Italy. The advancing craft beer and foodie scene is exploding especially across Ontario and we love supporting local as much as possible. With 9 pizzas to choose from I am certain something will interest you. D picked the Chicken BBQ pizza with red onion, BBQ sauce, chicken and mozzarella – the BBQ sauce was a bit spicy for me, but it paired nicely with his bold IPA. I opted for the duck pizza with a balsamic reduction, smoked duck, caramelized onions, brie and arugula. It was absolutely divine and I cannot recommend it enough. I am actually disappointed we didn’t go back there another day on this trip because it was that amazing. It’s the perfect little date night spot with small brewed beer and deathly good food, but you can be the judge.
Looking for a great lunch spot with a view? Book a reservation at Waupoos Estate Winery at their farm to table restaurant and either grab a table on the patio overlooking the vineyards or the panoramic lake view – your choice. You can also book a tasting prior to or after your lunch at the winery onsite. It’s ideal to share a salad and one of the sandwiches. We opted for the Waupoos garden salad and the smoked turkey club to share. Sometimes we enjoy sharing as this enables us to book another place to try more food later as you aren’t too full from lunch – one of my tricks while traveling. Interesting fact, Waupoos was the first winery in Prince Edward County and is the only waterfront vineyard in the area, hence the views. If you are looking for something sweet on the way out there is also a chocolate and candy store adjacent to the winery. On a side note, don’t task me why, but it can always be so challenging to get a decent picture with D!
Looking for some light tapas with a view? Check out Miller House at Lake on the Mountain. This restaurant specializes in tapas, small plates and sharing platters in one of the oldest buildings on Lake on the Mountain with the most spectacular views from their patio. They offer a good selection of wine from the surrounding area, as well as their own craft beer made directly at the Lake on the Mountain Brewing Company. Settle in with your favourite beverage, an IPA for D and a glass or Rose for me while we indulged on the Local and the Fromage a Trois platters soaking in the sun dancing on the lake below. A side note – the Miller House is only open till sunset so plan accordingly.
The Inn at Lake on the Mountain is a perfect restaurant for dinner. The restaurant is located in a historic general store from 1796 with the traditional farm to table vibe. There are options to enjoy dining indoors by the wood-burning fireplace, in the historic old stone dining room or on the patio overlooking the Bay of Quinte. We enjoyed this restaurant as it offered an old-fashioned home cooked meal with products from their gardens, local farmers and seasonal farmers markets in the area. To start, D and I shared the bruschetta which offered a unique compilation to the traditional Italian one – with whipped chevre served with a mixture of Roma tomatoes, cucumber and onion. The cucumber contributed to its unique flavour. Occasionally, and maybe more common these days, D and I order the same entree as our main. We were both enticed by the Beer Braised Short Ribs. They are braised in the Lake on the Mountain’s own Country Brown Ale and served with roasted garlic potato puree and an array of seasonal veggies, which included some roasted brussel sprouts. This was the perfect comfort food meal in traditional home cooked fashion on a rainy cool fall day in the county. We finished by sharing a bourbon pecan pie with a side of vanilla ice cream from one of the local vendors. The perfect sweetness to end this meal. I would make a reservation for this venue in advance.
Midtown Brewing in Wellington, oh where do I begin? I had the highest of hopes for this place after hearing such good reviews on it. Honestly, I don’t have much to say other than I wouldn’t personally recommend it. The beer was blah, the pizza wasn’t memorable and the service was inferior. Perhaps we caught them on an off night, which was a Saturday, but this is when I had wished we went back to 555 Brewing in Picton for dinner instead. If you want to try it by all means, I am just sharing an objective review of my experience.
We chose an option for some finer dining on this trip and I made a reservation at Blumen Garden Bistro in Picton. Of course, there are some other fine dining options such as The Drake or East and Main in Wellington, but I can’t speak to them. Perhaps I was inspired by the atmosphere, a restaurant in an old house or seduced by the menu or possibly a bit of both that resulted in me choosing Blumen over the others. To our surprise one of the waiters that evening was the same fellow who was performing the live music with a guitar the night before at Karlo Estate Winery. I will give D credit to this one – he recognized him by voice only and while wearing a mask serving customers, oh the joy of dining during the COVID pandemic. Anyway, onto dinner. We decided to take a break from local wines and ordered a bottle of a Northern California Cabernet Sauvignon, a little bolder and full-bodied compared to the lighter wines in this region. From start to finish, D and I ordered the exact same things – surprise! Some days I think we are morphing into one another – twining is winning as the saying goes. To start, it was the mixed organic greens salad with sliced apple, aged cheddar and honey roasted pecans seduced in a signature pear and vanilla vinaigrette. The flavours from this ensemble teased my taste buds as the aged cheddar was the perfect balance against the vinaigrette – it was divine. For our main, we ordered the Angus Ribeye which was grilled to perfection over a red wine demi-glace. We finished dinner with the most fabulous flourless chocolate cake with a heavenly peanut butter sour cream icing. Such a rich flavour against a 2 oz glass of 20-year-old port. Make a reservation at this charming little bistro, just north of Picton, you won’t regret it. However, I should note it may be difficult to get a reservation with them as you can only contact them via phone and you will likely need to call back more than once! Trust me the phone tag will be worth it!
I also have a few more recommendations for places to eat in the county, which are at some local wineries and I have included those in my winery review blog of this area.