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ONTARIO OUT OF DOORS, Fall 2011
click HERE to download article ‘Rice Lake Rendezvous’ – fishing at Elmhirst’s

ONTARIO CULINARY ADVENTURE GUIDE 2011 Premier Issue!

“Play, Eat and Wander” by John Lee

Elmhirst’s resort have been playing host to visitors for four generations. Today, enjoy the hospitality of a historic operation with all the modern touches: five-star cuisine, spa and modern cottage-style accommodations. For the kids, there’s kite boarding and canoeing. For the adults, golf and muskie fishing. For nature lovers, walking trails offer endless delight.

jenn and blaine are an absolutely amazing couple! i had so much fun with the two of them during their engagement shoot and at their rain filled wedding day… jenn’s dream was to have her ceremony outside on the deck at elmhirst resort… unfortunately she had to make a last minute decision to have it indoors due to the terrential downpour that was going on outside. on a brighter note, she was dead set on having a shot of all of the guests on the same deck as where the ceremony was supposed to be, and for a moment we didn’t think it was possible… but then the rain held up just long enough for us to get it done! i was so happy i was able to get that one shot for her, that meant so much!

their wedding was one of the most intimate affairs i’ve ever had the chance to witness… it was amazing listening to the speeches during dinner and realizing just how truly amazing jenn and blaine are… i knew this from dealing with them on several occasions.. but to hear everyone else just reconfirm how i felt about them was truly amazing.

there were so many obstacles to overcome on their wedding day, with the rain, being in the middle of nowhere, ontario.. but when you have a truly amazing couple like these two… it doesn’t matter where you are or what the weather is like, it will be amazing anyways!

guys, i had a truly incredible time with you and your families on your wedding day, and i wish you all the best in life!!! and maybe one day i can afford to go to switzerland to watch you play Blaine!!!

enjoy some pics from your day!

J

Fiesta Buckhorn

July 17, 2010 at 11:50 pm

My last post was about the Elvis dance that was part of Fiesta Buckhorn – I do wish I had a little more flare for comedy writing for that post because I’m not sure I captured how bloody amusing it was.  But I tried.  Honestly, try to picture a dance populated by the over-50, with music that ranges from Billy Idol’s “Mony, Mony” to John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” and then add in an aging Elvis impersonator and man, I don’t see how it couldn’t be amusing… especially for someone with my warped sense of humour.

But enough of the dance.  Today was the actual Fiesta Buckhorn – a food, wine and beer festival that is held in Buckhorn, Ontario (30 minutes north of Peterborough and about 2 hours north-east of Toronto).  For those of you that don’t know, Buckhorn is my hometown (although I haven’t lived there since I was 18).  The Buckhorn Community Centre holds festivals and events throughout the year as fundraisers and most are well worth a visit.  This was the 15th Fiesta Buckhorn and it was a fabulous day for it – sunny (although there was a threat of a thunderstorm, it never materialized) and not too hot.  Okay, it was a little windy (I had to be aware of my dress a little) but mostly that was good too as it cooled everything down. Basically it was the perfect day to wander around a festival sampling new wines, a beer or two and yummy food.  Let me quickly explain how it works (it’s fairly standard for food/wine festivals).  There’s an entrance fee which gets you a wine glass, a ballot for a prize draw, a pen and a little book of the festival (called a passport).  Then once you’re in, you purchase tokens (1 for $1, most people start with $20 worth) to use at the food, wine and beer venders.  Each vendor decided how much to “charge” – anywhere from 1-5 tokens.  Most wine samples (1 oz.) are 1 or 2 tokens with a few at 3 (award-winning ones generally).  Food is all over the map (1-4 generally) and beer is usually 1 token.  Okay, now that you know the rules… let’s get on with the review

I will say, I was a little disappointed in the food.  There didn’t seem to be as many food venders as in past years and some were more candy or spreads (wine jellies, etc.) than food.  But there was still some yumminess to be had.  The two cheese places were definitely yummy - Empire Cheese and Mariposa Dairy were their names.  I love cheese so that’s usually a hit for me but I also heard others recommending them to their friends so it wasn’t just me.  Hot Belly Mama’s sweet potato fries and ribs were delish but then they simply make yummy food (it’s a restaurant in Peterborough that I frequented regularly in university).  Elmhirst Resort’s fancy Reuben was nice – loved the mustard, it had an interesting, full flavour.  But the rest… it was just okay. Now there was quite a bit I didn’t try because a few places were serving smoked salmon in some form and I’m super allergic to it (which sucks because it’s super yummy) so perhaps there was other good food.  But the number of venders definitely seemed down.

On the wine front, there were quite a few staples in the Ontario winery scene – like Inniskillin, Jackson Triggs and Pelee Island - as well as several lesser known ones and a few I didn’t know.  If you do go next year, try the lesser know ones.  Why?  Two reasons.  First, you get to try something new probably and you might find a new favourite.  Second, they usually require less tokens which means you can drink, I mean sample, more My favourites this year were Diva White by Legends Estates Winery (their Gewurztraminer was nice too but the guy at the both was right, the Diva White was better),Moonlight White by Colio Lake & River Wines (great for summer) and the Founder Series Merlot by No. 99 Wayne Gretzky Estates.  The last one I tried because of the name – I may not like Gretzky but I am a hockey fan so… plus it’s interesting to note that a portion of the proceeds of the sale of their wines go to the Wayne Gretzky Foundation.  So you can drink good wine and do something good On a purely girly note, I tried a nice Shiraz spritzer by Naked Grape that would be perfect for camping, the cottage or a summer evening in the backyard.

On the beer front, there were only five to choose from and I’ve drank three of them before - Steamwhistle, Mill St. and the Publican House Brewery (a local Peterborough brewery).  One of the other two ran out early (like hours early which is just wrong, especially as I wanted to try theirs) and the other was okay.  It was a little disappointing (like the food) but the wine choices and quality did make up for the deficiency in the beer.

All in all, it was a great wine festival but considering it was a wine, beer and food festival; I would down-grade my rating to good.  Last year’s was better.

On a sidenote: one of the wineries there – Rosehall Run Vineyards – had served one of their wines to Queen Elizabeth II during her recent visit to Canada.