One-Tank Trip for
April 13/13
(c) By Jim Fox
If you’re going to
travel or go on day-trips, then you’ve got to eat.
 |
| Enjoying a cool one along the Bacon and Ale Trail in Stratford. (Stratford Tourism Alliance) |
“Virtually any tourism
experience is enriched by food and drink,” says an Ontario initiative to boost
the opportunities for “culinary tourism.”
This helps tell the
story of the heritage, people and landscape of a geographic area, while
enriching travel experiences.
Add to that the
popularity of Food Network shows such as You Gotta Eat Here, Diners, Drive-Ins
and Dives and the Thirsty Traveller.
Here’s a sampling
of trails that tempt the taste buds.
Epicurean treks
Along with the
performing arts, Stratford has been “cultivating a local culinary heritage and
pleasing palates since 1832.”
It has one of Ontario's
oldest farmers' markets, circa 1855, the Stratford Chefs School and now the Savour
Stratford Perth County partnership.
The Stratford
Chocolate Trail will satisfy chocoholics with a $25 tasting pass to choose
eight treats from among 20 locations on a self-guided tour.
Go hog wild along
the Bacon and Ale Trail with a self-guided tour of Stratford food shops and
pubs featuring five tastings for a $25 pass.
The Pubs, Pilsner
and Spirits Tour is a walking pub crawl with samplings of five Ontario craft
beers while learning about the “tumultuous” brewing history of Perth County
($25 a person). Details: savourstratford.com;
1-800-561-7926
Savoury Elgin
A relative newcomer
to culinary tourism is Savour Elgin, with a focus on “food and drink that is
local and unique” to Elgin County and St. Thomas.
The area has more
than 60 restaurants, 40 agri-tourism businesses, farmers’ markets and even more
specialty food and drink businesses.
The new culinary
trail visits some of the best restaurants, farms, wineries and other culinary
attractions.
Members include
Quai Du Vin; Railway City Brewing Company; Green Frog Tea Room at Pinecroft;
Harbourtown Fudge; Killer Desserts & Cafe; Mad Hatters Tea Room; Ruby’s
Cookhouse; and Clovermead Bees & Honey. savourelgin.ca;
1-877-GO ELGIN, Ext. 168
99 bottles of beer
Brewers say Ontario
is “blessed with some of the finest craft beers available anywhere.”
They’ve established
the Ontario Craft Beer Route to discover the tastes while travelling along a
scenic one-tank trip route (with designated drivers a must).
Choose a
destination and then download the route guide along with free brewery passes.
The trails
encompass the Capital Region, Golden Horseshoe, Greater Southwest, Lake Country
(Simcoe/Muskoka) and Toronto.
In the
southwest, for example, the brewers are Brick, Grand River, Neustadt Springs,
Stratford, Walkerville and Wellington Brewery. ontariocraftbrewers.com/content.php?nextpage=daytrips;
(416) 494-2766
Sip and savour
The abundance of
wineries in Ontario has led to five sip-and-savour trip routes.
 |
| Ontario’s wine routes pass through the Victorian-style village of Niagara-on-the-Lake. (Jim Fox photo) |
The province is
divided into wine routes in Lake Erie North Shore and Pelee Island;
Niagara-on-the-Lake; Niagara Escarpment and Twenty Valley; Prince Edward County;
and “emerging regions.”
There’s a route
planner on the web to customize visits to vineyards and wineries. ;
(905) 562-8070, Ext. 221
 |
| Visitors along Ontario’s wine routes can learn all about the growing of fine vintages. |
Say
cheese!
In the heart of Canada’s Dairy Capital
is the Oxford Cheese Trail in the county surrounding Woodstock.
There were 98
cheese factories here in the 1800s while today are artisanal, sheep and goat cheesemakers
and large producers such as Saputo and the Bright Cheese House.
Gunn’s Hill Artisan
Cheese lets visitors become a Cheesemaker for a Day and sample various
varieties including curds. oxfordfresh.com;
1-866-801-7368
Apple a day
 |
| Serge Fiorino shows off tasty treats at Royal Majesty Espresso Bar Bakery, along the Apple Pie Trail. |
The Apple Pie Trail
in the Blue Mountains is perfect for a getaway with cafes, bakeries,
restaurants, markets and farms.
Enjoy delicious
apple pies and apple-inspired creations where the moderating effects of
Georgian Bay and the Niagara Escarpment create perfect conditions for growing the
fruit. applepietrail.ca; (705)
444-7398, Ext. 227
Tarts galore
The wonders of
butter tarts can be explored and tasted in Wellington North, an area north of
Guelph.
This self-guided,100-kilometre
road tour offers at least a dozen varieties of “decadently sinful” tarts.
These include doggy
butter tart treats, pottery trays in homage to the butter tart and scents, and
the butter tart sundae. simplyexplore.ca/buttertart.htm; 1-866-848-3620
Happy trails to you
- Discover the
tastes of Norfolk County where FlavourFest and its “Two Fairly Fat Guys” have
become iconic symbols of the local food movement. Continuing today (April 13)
is “Eat & Drink Norfolk” from noon until 10
p.m. at the Norfolk County Fairgrounds in Simcoe with 40 producers,
restaurants, wineries and breweries. norfolkcountyfair.com; norfolktourism.ca
- Kingston: kingstonfood.ca
-30-
Jim Fox can be reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com
For more One-Tank Trips: http://1tanktrips.blogspot.ca
No comments:
Post a Comment