One-Tank Trip/ Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
Scenic ride to Niagara-on-the-Lake is filled with delightful stops
NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont.—Winston Churchill once described the Niagara Parkway, which runs along the Niagara river from Fort Erie to Niagara-on- the-Lake, as the “prettiest Sunday afternoon drive in the world.”
Although the weather was not at its best the day we chose to visit Niagara-on-the-Lake, we found Churchill’s pronouncement to be spot on. The parkway is a lovely winding road which crosses the Niagara Peninsula. Gorgeous homes in parklike settings stand on the left, the tumultuous Niagara river churns on the right and sycamore and weeping willow trees arch overhead to form a leafy canopy.
We drove, watching Canada geese and a variety of ducks bob in water and, finally, we could see the mist rising in the distance as we neared the falls. Hundreds of seagulls hovered above the water, hunting for breakfast, as we continued past souvenir shops, family restaurants and dozens of bed-and-breakfast inns.
Culinary trail
We made our first stop in the Niagara region at the Kurtz Orchards and Gourmet Marketplace, a family-run place that specializes in providing local food to the area. We were greeted by Anne Just, a third-generation Kurtz who now oversees much of the operation. She explained that, in addition to the wine tours for which the area is famous, food growers are now working to make culinary tours just as attractive to families visiting the region.
“Creative farmers must be innovative in preserving the land,” she told us. “By purchasing goods from our marketplace, people are supporting 50 acres of green space.”
Among the delicious goodies on offer are Cabernet Sauvignon, Ice Wine and Chardonnay wine jellies and spreads; tables of dried fruits including walnut-filled dates and chili lime mangos; 33 varieties of homemade fudge; 12 varieties of nut brittles; and a daunting assortment of delectable cheeses like the Stilton-Sticky toffee and the Red Dragon cheese with mustard seed and ale that we couldn’t resist purchasing.
Wineries have offered wine tastings for years and Kurtz has followed suit by providing tasting stations for many of its delicacies. We all had our favorites. For Colleen, the homemade marshmallows—light and tender rather than chewy like the store-bought variety, hit the spot. Frank loved the red pepper pesto, while Bob couldn’t say enough about Kurtz’s best selling asiago bread topper.
For me, an inveterate lover of anything sweet, the handmade Turkish Delight couldn’t have been more perfect. If you are familiar with the C. S. Lewis tale, “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” from “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, you know that Turkish Delight —an authentic Turkish confection dating back about 230 years—is the candy given to Edmund by the White Witch in order to convince him to be on her side. Well, it worked for Edmund and these treats—small jelly squares with a soft, sticky consistency, dusted with powdered sugar—certainly encouraged my allegiance to the candy makers at Kurtz Orchards.
If you arrive with an appetite, you can’t miss with the homemade soup, a crispy panini, a muffin bursting with fresh fruits and a smoothie. You can enjoy your meal at one of the many picnic tables set up on the vast lawn, and you can even take time to feed the fish in the on-site pond.
History and Hollywood
It might never occur to the casual visitor that Niagara-on-the- Lake was a battlefield during the War of 1812 because walking into the historic center of town now is like walking onto an old-time movie set.
Our carriage awaited us in front of the the Prince of Wales Hotel, and we discovered from our driver that, in fact, this little town has been the setting for several movies. As we rode through the narrow streets, the sound of the horse’s hooves clippity-clopping in the brisk air, our driver pointed out a house just past Simcoe Park built in the 1860s, that was the setting for scenes in Stephen King’s “The Dead Zone.” Down the road from that, in Queen’s Royal Park, stands the gazebo also seen in that movie.
We also passed the Apothecary shop where, many years ago, “It’s a Wonderful Life” director Frank Capra filmed his drug store scenes. Our driver, a sturdy woman who knew the asking and selling price of almost every house we rode past, was also quick to point out that the Niagara-on-the-Lake golf course, established in 1865, is the oldest in North America and was the first to accept female members.
After our tour, we braced ourselves for some heavy duty “retail therapy.” Shopping in Niagara-on-the-Lake is a double pleasure: Not only are the boutiques unique and varied, they are housed in well-preserved buildings dating back to 1817. We strolled down Queen Street poking into one portal after the next.
At Favorite Finds we leafed through table runners and colorful quilts and marveled at dainty porcelain tea pots and cups, awash with blue butterflies and pink pansies. The Prospect offers up row upon row of glitzy flip flops adorned with beads and glue-paste gems along with a line of winethemed T-shirts, proclaiming “Life is wine” and “Peace, Love, &Wine.” Willow Tree angels are all the rage at Great Things and jars of lemon curd sit alongside Goatmilk soap at Crabtree&Evelyn.
If you fancy clothing from across the Pond, check out the hats, sport coats and hand-knit sweaters at the Irish Shop. And how easy it is to be entranced by the tinkling, ringing and clunking of hundreds of wind chimes on the porch of The Viking, where it’s a pleasure to stand and watch the world go by. Finally, we couldn’t resist an ice cream parlor/clever T-shirt boutique named Cows. Before you eat what is touted to be the “best ice cream in Ontario,” take some time to peruse shirts with such slogans as “Steerbucks Coffee,” “High School Moosical,” “Guitar Heifer” and, my personal favorite, “Namooste.”
But no trip to Niagara-on-the- Lake would be complete without a great meal. We opted to have dinner at the Stone Road Grille, a place frequented by and known to the locals simply as “Rest.” According to the restaurant’s Web site, when the restaurant first opened, the owners could not afford a new sign so they asked one of the servers to peel off the letters from the old sign that read Mina’s Restaurant&Bar and to leave up just the “restaurant” portion. By the time the owner went out to check on the progress, the overzealous employee had removed all the letters except “Rest.” And the name stuck.
When we arrived at Rest, owner Perry Johnson ushered us into a dimly lit industrial space: Exposed black heating pipes snaked around black fans which spun over black tables— all set against muted red walls for a perfect Manhattan-like ambience. Everything about this place whispered “minimalist,” even the portions, as we came to discover.
We loved the breads—a dense rye, a purple Cab Franc sourdough, and a traditional sourdough—all made in house and all deliciously crusty outside and a touch chewy inside. Of the appetizers, Frank’s mussels in a Chorizo sausage broth won raves while the Organic Green Bouquets, although clever in presentation—about 12 leaves wrapped in three thinly sliced bands of cucumber and stood on end like little trees— made for a pretty skimpy salad. The main courses—the grilled flat iron steak with bearnaise, the coq au vin, the shepherd’s pie—were all perfect. Unfortunately, Colleen ordered the Wild Mushroom Crepes in appetizer size, an option available for all entrees. Her plate arrived with a very minimalist solitary pencil-sized crepe lying in a blanket of sauce.
To cap off the evening, we stopped at the Olde Angel Inn, a pub that boasts live entertainment on weekends. The hewn wooden ceiling beams, thick wooden tables with antique Singer sewing machine pedestals and wide-plank wooden floors proved a perfect backdrop for the folksy music cranked out by the band. Pints here run a little over $5 (Cnd.) and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.
Although we chose not to overnight in Niagara-on-the- Lake, the area provides a multitude of bed-and-breakfasts, inns and hotels for those who wish to stretch a perfect day into a luxurious weekend getaway.
If you go
Kurtz Orchards, Vineyards& Gourmet Marketplace: 16006 Niagara Parkway; www.kurtzorchards.com . A great spot to purchase fresh fruits and specialty items along Niagara’s Culinary Trail ( www.niagaraculinarytrail.com ). Sentineal Carriages: Horse-drawn carriage rides depart from Prince of Wales hotel. A 30-minute tour is $60; 45- minute tour is $85.
Rest (Stone Road Grille): Garrison Plaza, Mary at Mississagua Street; www.stoneroadgrille.com . Appetizers $5 to $16 (Cnd.); entrees $18 to $25. For reservations, call (905) 468-3474. Shaw Festival: www.Shawfest.com , (800) 511- SHAW. This season offers 11 selections by playwrights such as G. B. Shaw, Noel Coward, Eugene O’Neill and others. Season runs through Nov. 1. Tickets range from $45 to $110.
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