Townsman, 1991-07, Page 36Dornnowg o �a
Reviewing
the reviews
BY THE ROYS
Thanks to the Townsman, the Roys,
sometimes with their friends, have
spent more than a dozen evenings
sampling the fare of area restaurants.
Unfortunately, free evenings to enjoy
free meals are getting rarer than good
restaurants in our lives, so we're pass-
ing the task of reporting on food and
frivolity to some other fortunate cou-
ple.
There are many restaurants of excel-
lent reputation that we didn't get a
chance to visit, but of those we did, a
few stand out in our memory as places
we highly recommend.
Woolfy's in Stratford, though a
plain jane in decor and service,
remains our favourite for an imagina-
tive, even exotic menu. I especially
remember the salmon and whitefish
seviche and the grilled chicken in
cumin sauce, not to mention the
world's best dill pickle. From appetiz-
er to dessert, every dish was an adven-
ture and a joy. Excellent wines were
available by the glass, there was beer
from every micro brewery in Ontario,
and, in all our travels, this was the
only place where we were served
good coffee. Woo(fy's is terrific for a
"pre" or "post" Stratford play meal. It
does not pretend to offer the comfort
and grace one might wish for if dining
out is the sole entertainment of the
evening.
For wine lovers, The Waterlot in
New Hamburg can't help but be spe-
cial. The Waterlot also gets top marks
for gorgeous surroundings, friendly
service, terrific food and a gold star
for some delightful added touches that
make dining there a festive event. In
terms of moments of pleasure for each
dollar spent, the Waterlot outshines
the rest. If you decide to visit, leave at
least an extra hour for browsing
around the grounds and checking out
the items from the menu that may be
purchased in the gift shop.
34 TOWNSMAN/JULY-AUGUST 1991
For a fine evening closer to home,
I'm hard pressed to choose betwcen
The Benmiller Inn and The Red
Pump in Bayfield. Both are first class
establishments which gave us splen-
did meals in charming surroundings.
(The Benmiller Inn has an edge for
elegance, but then window shopping
in Bayfield is always fun.) The service
was equally friendly and helpful. Both
are also a tiny bit costlier than some
others, although the quantity and qual-
ity of food leaves nothing to be
desired.
For a truly special evening when
time permits advance planning, La
Brassine on Kitchigami Road, a little
south of Goderich, is unbeatable.
Owner -chefs Nicky and Tom Blan-
chard-Hublet provide an elegant party
setting and a wide selection of memo-
rable dishes for their special guests.
La Brassine is truly unique in our arca
as a place to enjoy a memorable
evening in the company of friends.
Yet the restaurant we return to most
often is Bailey's in Goderich. The
food is great and imaginative, though
not quite as imaginative as Woolfy's.
The choices, while more than ade-
quate, are not as many as several of
the others. The atmosphere is fine, but
nothing to write a column about.
There's something very lovely, very
easy, very casual about the little
restaurant on The Square which keeps
drawing us back. Perhaps it's the feel-
ing that an excellent dinner is a nor-
mal and not a special event.
There is a restaurant we would very
much like to recommend, but alas,
cannot. If it existed, it might be
named the Seasonal Cafe. Here a chef
as talented as those who staff our real
favourites might take the time to
experiment with more than one or two
of the wonderful foods that can be
obtained from the woods and valleys,
and the streams, lakes and gardens of
this County. Perhaps he or she could
take for a starting point the late
Blanche Pownall Garrett's book Foods
Of The Wild, and develop a repertoire
of seasonal recipes that would make a
menu unique to southwestern Ontario.
A sample spring dinner might start
with a salad of fjddlchcads and wild
leeks, or stuffed morels, or deep fried
day lily buds, and move on to free
range turkey with wild bergamot jelly,
or local trout baked in wild grape vine
leaves, served with steamed marsh
marigold leaves. Dessert could be a
sorbet made from preserved pears
simmered with the roots of wild gin-
ger. There arc many possibilities,
changing every couple of weeks until
autumn, if someone would just stoop
to pick and use his or her imagination.
0
Continued from page 33.
tale of Mandy's search for a "perfect"
brother and her discovery that the one she
has isn't so bad after all. Aug. 7, 9, 13, 15,
21, 23, 2 p.m. Tickets $6.
The Pied Piper, by Dorothy Lees -Blakey
is the Canadian premiere of a musical
adaptation of the classical children's tale of
the greedy Mayor of Hamelin and the Pied
Piper who rids the town of rats...at a price
the town is not willing to pay. Aug. 6, 8,
14, 16, 20, 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets $6.
The Polka Dot Door, Polkaroo and the
characters kids have grown to love on the
TV Ontario show appear live on stage for
two performances, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.,
Aug. 12. Tickets $7.
Going out?
Check out the
What's up
listings in Townsman first
Stoddart
Jewellers
Canadian Award Winning Designer
Specializing in one -of -a -kind
14K and sterling jewellery.
Custom work, professional
repairs, fashion jeweller).
Exclusive designs in gold and silver.
72 The Square, [519] 524-4509
Goderich