Niagara-On-The-Lake Day 2

We woke up on the second day of our anniversary vacation at 6:30 am.  I didn’t sleep well so there wasn’t much enthusiasm when Ted suggested we check out the fitness room and pool.  I tried. That’s all I can say. I did a couple of chest presses which didn’t feel good.  I changed and got into the empty pool.  I couldn’t get a stroke going. I got into the hot and soothing Jacuzzi.  That made me feel ill.  I left Ted to work out and took a warm bath in our own private Jacuzzi tub. No energy.  My body says “VACATION!”

Breakfast was the Grande Buffet in the hotel.  They offered fresh fruits, made to order egg white omelets, breads and bagels, muffins and pastries, tater-tots, oatmeal, yogurt.  It was a foodies paradise.  We made the best of it and then set out on our road trip to Niagara-On-The-Lake.

A town with a historic past.  It has offered people a gentle climate and bountiful soil for over 10,000 years.

The town was destroyed by war in 1813.  As it was rebuilt, once again the land attracted the industry of agriculture for delicious fruits and vegetables.  The town offered Ted and I a quiet solitude compared with the more family style tourist area of Niagara Falls.

Ted was attracted by the hat shop and modeled many a different style for me.  I however, was chastised by the shop owner for taking photos in the shop. Buzz-kill!

Tempted but we never indulged in the delicious sweets, treats, and baked goods we saw during our window shopping tour.

*The photos to follow were taken and put on canvas by this photographer:

AMAZING work!

After spending a wonderful morning enjoying this little town, we decided on a wine tasting at the Wayne Gretzky Winery, No. 99.

We were so thrilled with two reds, we took a few bottles home.

The 2007 Estate Series Cabernet Merlot VQA.  Spicy pepper, hickory, plums and cocoa engage the senses.  Smooth with a persistent finish.

The 2008 Estate Series Shiraz Cabernet VQA.  A medium bodied wine of 60% Shiraz, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3& Cabernet Franc aged in a mix of American and French oak barrels.  Smooth and creamy with flavors of raspberry and a peppery spice.  Wonderful!

We didn’t buy the ice wine but it was so, so good. Absolutely out of this world if you pour it over ice cream!

2006 Shiraz Ice-wine VQA.  Strawberry and honey balanced with red peppers result in a warm tempered fruit finish.

It was the ice wine that did me in.  We were in the car and I said to Ted “I think that wine made me dizzy-wizzy”.  I know that it did because why else would I say “dizzy-wizzy”? Ted said “Are you sure you don’t want another drinky-winky?” We never claimed to be good at wine tasting, just that we enjoy it… maybe too much.

On the way to the winery, we passed “Inn on the Twenty”.

Years ago, we came to Niagara Falls for a Culinary-Wine event.  A chef from the Inn, Anna Olsen (also author of the cookbook “Sugar”), gave a few classes and I bought her cookbook “Inn on the Twenty”.  Naturally, we had to have a meal at this meaningful restaurant.   After the wine tasting, we stopped for lunch.

The menu didn’t offer a wide variety of vegetarian choices.  I decided on a Smoked Salmon Open Faced Sandwich.  Smoked salmon doesn’t usually appeal to me but I thought you never know when a food might click and also, we were in a very good restaurant.  If I was going to enjoy it any where, it would be here.

Citrus crème fraiche, slow cooked hens egg over micro greens.  Citrus-dressed roasted beets, French beans, and cucumber salad.

As good as it sounded, I couldn’t eat the smoked salmon.  It’s a texture thing.  It was soft and too mushy for me.  I did enjoy the egg, the beets, beans and cucumber.

Ted had braised sirloin tips with oven roasted vegetables and shoe string fries.

One of the first meals I’ll cook when getting home will be from my book “Inn on the Twenty”.

From Jordan Ontario, we made our way back to the Falls, taking roads we have never taken before.  So many people enjoy the park along side the Falls.

It was getting late and time to think about dinner.  Canyon Creek Chop House.

Dinner was grand!  I had the Tomato Caper Halibut.  Prince Edward County parmesan and a light cornflake crust. Baby spinach and steamed broccoli with a side of hollandaise.

It couldn’t have been better.

We meandered around the Falls view Casino.  We played a little and got away with a few small stipends here and there but it didn’t pay for our trip.  In the end, we made another “investment” but not enough to keep the place in business. We’ll leave that to the serious players.

We enjoy Canada.  It has a lot to offer and, just in case you didn’t know, the country of my birth.  Montreal Canada. Surprise!