PELEE ISLAND, LAKE ERIE – I’ve only been in the Anchor and Wheel Inn restaurant for two minutes and I’m already in love. There are pirate flags and colourful, wooden fish and bright orange buoys hanging on the walls. There’s reggae music and Jimmy Buffett tunes floating over the speakers. Owner and head chef Mark Emrich walks by and I compliment him on the décor and the music. “Welcome to the Canadian Keys,” he says with a grin. Emrich loads my plate with two huge pieces of blackened pickerel, as well as steamed green beans done just right and a Read more
cycling
You can tell a lot about a place by the bulletin boards or the signs in the window of their local coffee shop. Are there are ads for organic soy milk? Goat yoga? A concert starring a KISS cover band? At the Pastry Peddler in Millbrook, a small community a few minutes southwest of Peterborough, the messages in the window seemed all about community; “Support local farmers.” “Thank a Quilter Day.” “Port Hope Fair.” I liked it already. And then I stepped inside and found beautiful, wood floors, soaring ceilings, bicycles hanging from the walls, local art on display, and Read more
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA – I’ve just finished a wonderful lunch at a place called Shorehouse Kitchen, and I’ve got time to explore the downtown area of this very walkable, compact city on the Pacific Ocean. I spot several nice, independent shops (if there are any chain shops downtown, I didn’t see them) and then poke my head into a marvellous Italian shop called Vigilucci’s. It’s one of those places that makes your head spin; filled with lovely meats (iberico ham, perfect Bresaola, pink prosciutto with just the right ribbon of fat), imported cheeses with deep, cheesy smells and Italian chocolates, olives Read more
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FLORIDA – I’ve just pulled into this Atlantic coast town for the first time when I spot a place to eat that fronts right onto the beach. I step inside at The Breakers and find a super casual set-up with touches of Florida kitsch and a huge, long seating bar up against the windows for folks to check out the ocean. I pull up a chair by the window, which is open, and order a blackened mahi sandwich and a local beer from a waitress who calls me “Sugar.” I’m thinking I’ll quietly gaze out at the Read more
NOTE: THIS ITEM FIRST APPEARED EARLIER TODAY IN POSTMEDIA NEWSPAPER WEBSITES ACROSS CANADA: LAC BROME, QUEBEC – “I don’t want something that starts big and then goes ‘pfffffttt’ after two seconds. I call that a quickie.” Leon Courville is pouring some of his wines for me at his pretty, barn-like winery in Quebec’s Eastern Townships and explaining how he emphasizes making wine with structure. His St.-Pepin, a white wine made with a grape that does well in cold climates, starts a bit thin to my taste but finishes with a nice, lingering, chardonnay-like finish I quite like. “I think people Read more
