food

The Royal Treatment in Prince Edward County

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For those who have been following along you know that I am married with two small kids – they are 6 and 3. Like any couple with young children, we are in the thick of it. My husband and I need to make a big effort to carve out time, get away and enjoy an evening or weekend that doesn’t involve picking up toys or fetching snacks. So, when The Royal invited us for a stay, we were thrilled at the chance to reconnect in such a beautiful space, sans children.

Located just under an hour away from Kingston in Picton, The Royal Hotel is a perfect mixture of classic and modern. The 146-year-old building is on the main strip surrounded by some of the best restaurants in Prince Edward County and a small distance to many amazing wineries and breweries.

We arrive just after 3pm on a cold and quiet Saturday. After parking just behind the building (they have guest parking!), we enter the impeccably mid-century modern designed space and walk to main reception for check-in where we are greeted by kind and friendly staff. They offer and pour us each a glass of sparkling from local winery, Hinterland. These are the touches that matter to me, some prefer a digital experience but I love speaking to a person upon arrival. The glass of bubbly is also a nice touch!

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Upcoming Event: Open Farms Harvest

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I often talk about how lucky Kingstonians are to have such an incredible farm-to-table experience within arm’s reach. So many of our local restaurants support our local farmers and together they create incredible food experiences! What better way to celebrate these delicious collaborations than the upcoming Open Farms Harvest event on Oct 2, 1:00pm-4:30pm. It is being held inside City Hall as well as at Springer Market Square, “Local chefs will be preparing local food grown from within rural Kingston and the surrounding Frontenac County to experience and learn where every ingredient on your plate comes from. There will also be craft beer from local breweries, wine tastings from Prince Edward County and Niagara wineries, as well as education seminars, chef demonstrations, and the chance to hear firsthand from farmers about the food they produce.”

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The Grocery Basket Kicks Off Cooking Classes

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I’ve mentioned before how much I love The Grocery Basket. They do a fantastic job at supporting local farmers and businesses in Kingston and have a great selection of local produce, delicious baked goods and vegan-friendly products.

Recently, they posted about upcoming cooking classes they would be hosting with their chefs. Tacos, Salad and Eggs Benny would be their first themed workshops and I couldn’t wait to try one of them! I love a good week night adventure. My husbands go-to meal to cook is tacos so I thought that would be the most appropriate class to try for a fun date night!

We arrive at The Grocery Basket and make our way downstairs to the kitchen in the basement to find the tables neatly set up with aprons, stacked bowls and utensils. The class is a good size — five other people as well as my husband and myself.

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The Grocery Basket is Filled With Local Goodies

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Kingstonians are lucky for a number of reasons: our convenient proximity to beautiful waterfront, our stunning historical architecture  and our abundance of fresh local food and strong culture of supporting local shops and farmers.

Exciting news, a new addition to Princess street (east of Clergy), The Grocery Basket, has made accessing fresh local produce and supporting local farmers fun and easy.

I strolled in this afternoon and was greeted by the sweetest young woman, Brianna, who volunteered to give my husband and I a little tour of the new space. Brianna explained the store’s effort to provide as many local ingredients as possible and introduced us to all the The Grocery Basket has to offer.

The Grocery Basket is a multi-purpose shop with prepared, frozen meals and lunches to-go as well as  fresh produce, fresh baked goods (daily), handmade cheeses and vegan food items that are hard to find in regular grocery stores (like dairy-free cream cheese and avocado-oil mayonnaise!).

With produce curated from my favourite local farmers:  Main Street Market and Wendy’s Market (Wendy sources from local independent farms), seeing all of the fresh goodies reminds me of the joy I get from shopping the markets on Sunday mornings. Now, it can feel like Sunday morning on any week day or night. Exciting!

After just a quick drop in, I pick up a bag of Main Street Market pea shoots, a bunch of garlic, a honey vanilla tea and my husband grabs a coffee. As we walk out of the store, he says, “I feel like you’re going to be visiting there a lot.” He’s not wrong.

Keep up with The Grocery Basket:  Facebook – @thegroceryygk, Instagram – @thegroceryygk, Twitter – @thegroceryygk.

Bread 101 at Riva Restaurant

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This week I was pleasantly surprised with the most thoughtful birthday treat by two very close friends. They told me to set aside my Tuesday night with no details of the plans.

After work we drive east on the 401 get off at Joyceville and continue on Highway 2. I have absolutely no clue where we are headed until I see the “Welcome to Gananoque” sign. Then I think, “Riva?” Riva is one of Gananoque’s greatest foodie attractions – I’ve heard amazing things! Continue reading →

Why Bella Bistro’s Burgers are the Best

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Bella Bistro. This understated, west-end restaurant found on the corner of Collins Bay and Bath road is one of the most unassuming, down-to-earth spaces I’ve ever eaten in but the food is beyond delicious and thoughtfully prepared. If you’re going to use that old motto your mother taught you, “don’t judge a book by its cover” Use it here. Bella Bistro keeps it simple in the decor department and goes above and beyond when it comes to food preparation. When you think about it, that’s the way it should be, right? Continue reading →

Bayview Farm Restaurant Feels Like Home With Five Star Service

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Turn off one of Kingston’s busiest roads and onto a dirt path framed beautifully by large trees, pass a well-manicured house and you’ll see a turquoise exterior topped with the words “Bayview Farm Restaurant.” At first, it feels as if you’re visiting a friend’s country home – expecting a golden retriever named Duke to race towards you. But the restaurant sign is a reminder that you’ve made a dinner reservation and you’re here to enjoy a five-star meal prepared by skilled chefs and served by them, too. Continue reading →