Port Dalhousie II - Wine Tastings - Lake Ontario

Sunday dawned bright and clear, sunlight flooding through our windows, so we descended for breakfast and Jennifer produced home made granola with yoghurt, fresh fruit, croissants and muffins, orange juice, peameal bacon, fried egg and lots of coffee. Quite a breakfast and I availed myself of most of it. The croissants, in particular, were very good and I discovered they come from Costco which is a big wholesale store found all over North America. I will hi me there as soon as I can to check out these delicious croissants.

Whilst stuffing myself with all this food, we were chatting to Jennifer who was talking to us about web sites where educators can travel to B & Bs all over the place for pretty reasonable prices. She also talked about the Henley Regatta which takes place in Port Dalhousie (as well as in England of course) and said it was the biggest regatta in North America. She herself rows regularly and is a retired teacher. It was very interesting chatting to her. If we want to go to the area again, we will certainly go to that B & B it was delightful and not expensive by any manner of means.

Matt had been sufficiently impressed with the wine we drank last night, we decided to visit the winery. Jennifer had also told us that Vineland Estates did lunches and a friend from last night had recommended Fielding Winery. We set off for Maliviore first - delightful drive along the Wine Route - and just as we arrived a notice was being hung saying tasters welcome, so in we went. The first wine we tasted was their 2006 Estate Gewürztraminer VQA which is a big award winning wine. It was a beautiful wine but just a little too sweet for our palate. We then tasted their 2006 Pinot Gris VQA which we liked very much and bought a bottle. We don't drink a lot of white wine but every now and again we enjoy it with seafood of one kind or another.

We then tasted the wine we had drunk the previous night, 2005 Pinot Noir VQA which was a very good wine and we found just as pleasant to drink on the Sunday morning as we had with dinner at Treadwell's. We ended up buying two bottles of that as we figured we would be disappointed not to have a second once we had drunk the first bottle, whenever that happened. We were discussing corks with them and discovered that they prefer real cork or screw tops for immediate drinking. They have found that plastic cork can allow just a smidgin of air to get into the wines and cause oxidation. Not enough space to lose the wine, but enough to allow just a breath to infuse and spoil the contents. I might say, at this time, that to us, this wine is not a cheap one, more than we usually spend, but we had decided to treat ourselves as it was so enjoyable.

We also bought a bottle of their 2005 Cabernet Merlot VQA, another very good one which we tasted and enjoyed. At this point Matt decided to stop tasting as he was driving. One only gets about and ounce in a glass, but that can mount up if you aren't careful. I then decided to taste their 2007 Chardonnay Musqué so he gave me some water as I was going backwards in my tasting. It was good but we didn't buy that, however, he showed us a half bottle of 2004 Estate Chardonnay which was also good and I thought the half bottle was a good idea so bought two of those. There isn't a picture of that particular wine. If you are interested in reading more about Maliviore and their wines there website is here where you can buy their wines if you live in Ontario, unfortunately it is a small and somewhat exclusive winery and does not sell very much outside Ontario. Their productions are limited. The LCBO (Ontario's liquor board) does occasionally have their wines apparently but not on a large scale. Having finalised our purchases they gave us a free wine carrier and we were, obviously, not charged for the tastings which is normally $5 a head. We saw one of the vineyards outside the tasting room where the Pinot Noir grapes were being grown. It was on a hillside which I found interesting, mostly you see vines being grown in flat fields. If you go on the website, you can read all their viticulture policies and practices.

We then headed to Vineland Estates which is quite a different proposition and, I think, much bigger.
We went into their tasting room where they were also selling very expensive glass of all kinds, some absolutely beautiful pieces. Matt didn't want to taste any more so I was going to but he wandered off so I ended up tasting their Pinot Gris and then leaving and we walked to the restaurant. When we got there we were seated and I hung my purse/handbag on the chair and looked at the menu. Interesting but not what we were looking for. Much too much, set menu, etc. so we left. I was followed by one of the staff waving my purse!!!!! Thank goodness. I felt such an idiot.

We drove a bit further and ended up in a Tim Horton's which is a chain restaurant throughout Canada. I ended up with a ham and cheese BLT which was not very interesting, but I have to eat three meals a day minimum. Matt didn't eat at all as he was not hungry. Nor, I guess, was I.

We then decided to drive back to Port Dalhousie where I was anxious to get near the water. I find that since we left England which is surrounded by water, I love to be near the coast or at least a lake or river. After a bit of driving down wrong turnings, one of which dead ended at Lake Ontario and I took a picture, see above, we finally came to a small port area where we strolled along the pier which was, for me, quite a long walk, I was very impressed with myself. It was delightfully sunny and quite warm. The only thing spoiling the walk was the flies. There were literally millions of tiny flies. I was wearing a white jacket which looked black by the time we had finished our walk. What a pain. We saw cobwebs absolutely thick with these flies and reckoned the local spiders knew a thing or two. Beyond the harbour one can see Lake Ontario, I wish I could convey to non Canadians just how huge these lakes really are. Ontario is the second smallest of the five Great Lakes and you could take the British Isles, chop off Scotland and Wales and just drop England into the lake without any trouble.

You will notice we were a bit nearer the lighthouse on the left. There was a second lighthouse beyond that. When we got there we saw a couple - he was obviously setting up for something, fishing maybe, not sure, however she was dressed in an extremely tight dress, flowing long hair and 6 inch heels. Just the right gear for walking a pier and spending the afternoon by the lake. Matt kept saying she had good legs!!!!!!
Having walked back to the car and shaken, brushed and generally dealt with all the flies, we drove into the village itself and decided to stop at one of the bars with an outside veranda. Matt had a beer and I had a strawberry martini. Wasn't bad. I had to ask the waitress where the washroom was and she turned her back on me!! If you can't read the shirt, click on the picture to increase the size. You can do that with any of the pictures of course. I thought it was extremely funny although she did make sure, verbally, that I knew where it was.

As, by now, it was getting late in the afternoon, we headed for the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) and our road home. Looking at all the blossom again on the way out of Port Dalhousie. It was such a pretty little spot, I am sure we will go back.

As Pickerel is one of the favourite fish pulled out of the Great Lakes, I thought I would give you a recipe for it although one of the favourites around Lake Ontario seems to be breaded or battered as shown in the picture. The pickerel at Treadwell's restaurant was certainly not battered. I am not sure how it was prepared.

Pickerel in Almond Butter Sauce Recipe

A recipe from an old edition of Chatelaine Cookbook. It is a very tasty fish dish.

by Allyoop

15 min | 5 min prep | SERVES 6

2	lbs of fresh pickerel fillets or frozen pickerel fillets
	milk
1/2	cup seasoned flour
	salad oil
1/4	cup unsalted butter
1/3	cup blanched slivered almonds
1	tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley
1	tablespoon lemon juice

1. Cut fillets into 6 serving pieces.
2. Dip them in milk, then in seasoned flour (1/2 tsp mixed salt and pepper to 1/2 cup flour).
3. Heat 1/4 inch salad oil in large skillet.
4. Add fillets.
5. Saute quickly on both sides until lightly browned; do not over cook.
6. Place fish on a heated platter.
7. Melt butter in a separate pan, add almonds and stir on low heat until lightly toasted.
8. Remove from heat and add parsley and lemon juice.
9. Pour over fillets.
10. Garnish with lemon wedges.

© 2007 Recipezaar.

Have a great day.

Port Dalhousie

Despite the bad beginning to the day, we decided to go ahead with our plans. We drove to Port Dalhousie (they leave out the h) on the Saturday afternoon and arrived at the bed and breakfast just before 4 p.m. Then discovered I had been given the wrong number for the person who was looking after us this weekend. As it happened, she turned up shortly after we arrived, so no problem. It was a delightful house with a lovely yard. The whole of Port Dalhousie seemed to be in blossom - they are 60 miles south of us and the plants are a bit more advanced. There were Japanese Maples in flower wherever I looked. It is one of my favourites, I had one in North Carolina and was sorry to leave it behind. I call them tulip trees as the blossoms look very like tulips before they open. They are absolutely beautiful. It never occurred to me they would grow in Canada until we came back here to live. There were other blossoms visible, I know some were peach and others apple blossom, but I am not a good enough gardener to know which was which. We seemed to be in the middle of orchard country coming into the Port - we knew we were close to wine country, but this particular area is known as Fruitland I discovered.

Jennifer, at the Old Port B & B took us into the house and showed us around, a delightful lounge and a family room with TV which we were welcome to use. A kitchen where we could obtain ice and where she set a pot of coffee ready for me when we came back from the restaurant. Then we went up to our room which was very pleasant, light and airy, with a nice en suite bathroom. We were impressed with the whole set up. I didn't take any pictures inside but there are some here if you would like to look at them.

We then went to check out where the restaurant was located and found it just a few minutes away beautifully sited right on the water. Looked a very nice spot. We went back to the B & B and decided to have a drink before dins. Jennifer was still there setting out things for breakfast in the morning and pottering about with various jobs. Apparently she fills in for the owner quite a bit and some people have never even met the owner because she goes away with her son's sports team quite a bit.

Went back to the restaurant for 6 and met the owner and his wife, Stephen and Sue with their son James, all from the UK although they have lived here some 26 years. Steve is the owner/chef and his son is the sommelier. The maitre d' had also spent a lot of time in the UK so it was almost like old home week especially as my friend's mother is English originally although she has been here some 50 odd years.

After drinks and discussing the menu, we finally ordered what we wanted. The menu was prix fixé at $55 (3 courses) or $65 (4 courses) and there were various items one could add such as the foie gras at an extra $15. Once the meal was about to start they produced demi tasses with a spicy tomato soup covered with a cappucino foam (I think) for an amuse bouches. It was absolutely delicious. Also delicious home made breads, a multi grain and a sourdough. With the bread was a dipping sauce of oil and vinegar. I then began my meal with the foie gras which was sautéed and served on a brioche with a rhubarb sauce. The foie gras was delicious but I personally found the garnishing too sweet. Matt had a Prosciutto salad garnished with sliced pear and shaved Parmesan which he said was very good. My friend had both the foie gras and a Roast Beet salad which included golden beets. She gave me one and it was delicious. Another item which a couple of people had was Leek and Potato Soup garnished with lobster meat and a cheese straw. I was told that it, too, was wonderful, it certainly looked it. I have always liked Leek and Potato soup anyway, but with the lobster - yum - you know how I feel about lobster. There seem to be a couple of starters missing, there were eight of us altogether, but I am not sure what else anyone ordered.

For the main course several of us chose lamb. Matt and I had a lamb filled tortellini with ours and my friend chose a mashed potato with mustard. Her son had the venison with carrots which were cooked in sparkling water and carmelised with honey. No picture of the venison I'm afraid, but it did look good. Matt and I drank a glass of Pinot Noir, it was by a local winery called Malivoire. We only had one 6 oz. glass each as that was $18 a piece!! At least two of the group chose fish, my friend's English mom had Pickerel and another of us had Whitefish, both of which are delicious fish and as nothing was left, I assume they were good.

Last, but not least were the desserts. You remember I am a chocolate freak, so needless to say I chose a chocolate dessert, they had chocolate volcanoes similar to those we made last week; my friend assured us the only difference was in the shape. They were served with ice cream (coffee flavoured I think) and a cookie. Matt decided to have the Ginger Creme Brulée and then there was a lemon tart chosen as well as a local cheese tray which came with a couple of chutneys or jams. Nothing served in the restaurant contains ingredients which are not local. I did get a taster of some of the cheeses which were very good. Once we had finished the desserts, we were served coffees and teas and they produced a kind of ginger turkish delight, very sticky and sweet. Finally we got small, crunchy macaroons which were delightful. I ate two, (diet, what diet?). After that of course we got the only part of a meal which comes free, the bill, a lot of money. We certainly didn't expect it to be quite so high. I guess one doesn't do the addition as you go along. Still it was a delightful restaurant with a very pleasant view over the water and the service was superb.

Finally we went back to our B & B and everyone else wended their way home. I made my coffee and had a couple of cups plus we had a bedtime drink and then climbed the stairs and slept like logs.

I think you have had enough about food today, so I won't post a recipe. I will tell you about our Sunday tomorrow.




Have a great day.

Juggernaut to Camelot and Port Dalhousie

We watched the English movie Juggernaut on TV last night. It was only given a couple of stars, but we enjoyed it. Richard Harris played the lead and Anthony Hopkins played a cop with Omar Sharif as the ship's captain. There were all kinds of faces that we knew but couldn't put a name to. One being David Hemmings who was Richard Harris' sidekick; I finally realised he was so familiar because he played Mordred in Camelot. King Arthur's son in case you don't remember. Now that was one of my favourite movies, again with Richard Harris of course and Vanessa Redgrave as Guinevere. Of course Richard Harris was also the first Professor Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. So sad when he died.

If you are wondering why I am so late posting today, I had a busy morning trying to sort out why I cannot open one particular web site. I was working with my ISP, but I still cannot open the page, he could, my friends can, I can't. Its a pity because its about a restaurant we are going to at the end of the month. A friend sent me some of the menu choices, but I would love to see the site for myself. The restaurant is called Treadwell's and their specialty is buying local food and serving what's in season. In the hopes you can open it this is the website Treadwell's so you can read all about it even if I can't. The occasion is to be a farewell dinner for a Romanian mother who returns home on the following Monday. Whilst talking to the ISP he was reading the menus and telling me how delicious everything sounded. If that wasn't frustrating, I don't know what is.

As the restaurant is in Port Dalhousie which is a couple of hours drive for us, we decided to stay the night and spend the next day visiting the area. It is between two of the Great Lakes, Ontario and Erie and owes its existence to the building of the first Welland Canal. We have never been there before so it will be interesting to look around. Also, its not far from the Niagara wine region which I have mentioned before, so if the worst comes to the worst, we can always force ourselves to go to a winery. The picture on the left is the Bed and Breakfast where we will be staying.

Today, we picked up two recipes from the local paper which we are planning to try. The first one is a Curried Shrimp Salad.

Curried Shrimp Salad

1 lb shrimp (deveined and peeled) 2 Tbs butter 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste 1 Tbs mild curry paste 1 Tbs lime juice 2 celery stalks finely chopped 1 1/2 cup grapes, cut in half 1 Tbs raisins 1 green onion finely chopped 2 Tbs walnut pieces 1/4 cup plain yogurt 4 Tbs fresh cilantro, finely chopped 1 In a large frying pan, melt the butter. Once hot, add the shrimp, after two mins, add the chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Stir. After another two mins add the curry paste and lime juice and mix. Fry for about five mins. In a large bowl, add the celery, grapes, raisins, green onion and walnut pieces. 2 Add the shrimp and most of the pan juices to the bowl with the celery and grapes. (Be careful not to scrape the pan). Stir in the yoghurt and mix all ingredients together. 3 Sprinkle with cilantro and mix again. 4 Serve with a spinach salad. Servings: 4 Recipe Source Author: Liz Monteiro & Luisa d'Amato Source: 30 Minute Miracle

Have a great day.