Village Squire, 1979-10, Page 32SQUIRE'S TABLE
Walton Inn
still improving
About three years ago this time of year
your reviewers paid a visit to the recently
opened Walton Inn to try the fare. We
promised at that time to keep tabs on the
place that showed a good deal of promise if
in a rough state at the time.
Since then the Inn has changed hands
twice with new owners arriving just this
spring. Urged on by friends we decided to
make another visit to see how things had
progressed.
The report on the Inn is much the same
as before. It's interesting and should get
3e:ter as time goes on. Decor still isn't
exciting but food is good for the family
style patronage the Inn seems to be
seeking.
The Inn is a pleasant old country
crossroads inn. Some of the simple antique
beauty of the building remains despite
modernization over the years. The
diningroom suffers from a lack of
furnishings. The tables and chairs are of
the stacking kind one expects in a school
cafeteria but an attempt is made to make
them look more friendly with nice cloths.
There were other little things that you
wouldn't find in a restaurant of top notch
calibre such as unmatched cutlery. But the
feeling of the Inn is one of relaxed old
fashioned (without being stylishly quaint)
comfort so it isn't jarring.
The menu had a fairly large selection of
dishes. The lady eventually chose the
Famous Walton Inn Seafood Platter (never
let it be said that the management is too
humble). The writer chose the veal cordon
bleu.
The meals came with a salad. The lady
had one and received a simple tossed
salad. The writer favoured the soup and
was rewarded with a creamy homemade
tomato soup served piping hot. It was an
excellent start to the meal.
Europe Tour
FEATURING:
OBE RGAU
(Passion Play)
VISITING:
Holland, Germany, Switzerland,
Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy,
Mocaco, France
20 DAYS
TWO DEPARTURES -- MAY 20TH
AND SEPT. 16TH, 1980.
Contact
The Coach House
Travel Service
59 Hamilton St.
Goderich
524-2615
399 Main St. 115 Dundas St.
Exeter London
235-0571 672-7720
or toll free 1-800-265-4260
30 Village Squire, October 1979
The lady's seafood platter contained
shrimp and scallops and while not gourmet
fair were quite enjoyable. It was
accompanied by homemade french fried
potatoes.
The veal was also quite enjoyable though
unremarkable. It was served with braized
potatoes which were a welcome change
from the usual potatoes offered. Not so
welcome however were the vegetables,
much too like the soggy fair often offered in
Canadian family restaurants. And in the
middle of the gardening season too, yuk.
The meal was completed favourably
though when the dessert choice came
along. The lady, totally disregarding her
waistline chose the coconut cream pie. The
writer chose pecan pie. The outstanding
feature of the Walton Inn when we
reviewed it a couple of years ago was the
pie. It still lives up to that reputation.
So progress has been made at the
Walton Inn. Slowly but surely the Inn is
moving forward. It's not the kind of place
where the owners can afford to go out and
redo the whole place overnight and wait for
fancy dressed dinner guests to line up to
get in. It's a small place with small budgets
but it provides a nice change of pace for
people looking for old-fashioned home
cooking.
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