Photo, Tara Slone.
Each week, Tara Slone, co-host of Rogers Hometown Hockey, stops in a different Canadian town or city in search of the country's most compelling hockey stories. She also keeps an eye out for the best places to eat wherever she goes. Here are her picks from the second four stops on the tour: Orillia, Kingston, St. Thomas, and Oakville. Check back in with this post to find out where Tara ate in Winnipeg, Kamloops and beyond, as Hometown Hockey continues through the NHL season.
Poutine is my weakness, so when the fine folks at Jonathan’s were serving poutine especially for the Hometown Hockey festival-goers, I jumped at the chance to gobble it down. It was just the right combination of crispy fries, tasty and rich gravy, and proper cheese curds.
Who can resist homemade apple pie? I couldn’t help myself when I walked into the Holy Angels church in St. Thomas and saw that the resident Pie Ladies were having a bake sale. Absolutely perfect pie.
(Editor’s Note: Try Chatelaine’s classic apple pie for your own taste of homemade.)
Opened in 1984 by the team behind Chez Piggy, the Pan Chancho Bakery & Cafe is a European style bakery, a gourmet food shop and dine in cafe — perfect for a casual bite at any hour. I decided to indulge in one of their fine desserts, a Quebec Maple Chômeur. The verdict: magnifique!
The famed Mariposa Market in Orillia is stacked with knickknacks, preserves and delicious baked goods. If you’re in the mood for a perfect, fluffy, sweet donut that’s almost as big as your head, their Texas Donuts are for you!
Truro has the most adorable little downtown, with the aptly named “Nook and Cranny” as its culinary and entertainment centrepiece. Their house-brewed beer and live music make it a nighttime hotspot, and the reasonably priced food never disappoints. Particularly delicious were the Baja fish tacos, with blackened Atlantic haddock, roasted corn, and crème fraiche.
It was potato harvest season when we hit Charlottetown in October, but I’m a sucker for a good oyster, especially on the East coast. For our Malpeque feast, we went to the quaint Water Prince Corner Shop in downtown Charlottetown, and we were in oyster heaven!!!
For the second week in a row, we found a local restaurant with a hockey connection; McKecks was originally owned by former NHLer Walt McKechnie, and is one of Haliburton’s most famous establishments. I tried the grilled steak and blue cheese salad once, and ended up having it every single day I was in town. Totally addicted.
The first stop on this season’s Hometown Hockey tour was Niagara Falls, Ontario, adopted hometown of Hockey Hall of Famer, Marcel Dionne. We stopped at Marcel’s Blueline Diner for one of the most satisfying breakfasts ever (OMG the potatoes!), served with a side of entertaining hockey stories.
Can't make it to Truro for The Nook and Cranny's fish tacos? Try ours!
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