The Week in Yum - More Bench Adventures, Hamilton Come Through and Estia
After my day exploring the bench, I was a bit more excited than normal to drive Shack back to Hamilton to work and spend the weekend there with him because it meant I was going to be able to spend another day, driving around the Beamsville area on my own. Sure, I couldn't do any wine tasting BUT it also meant that I got to have lunch at Westcott Vineyard. Toronto duo, Ricky + Olivia, have taken up residence on the patio at Westcott for the summer and they were closed last week so I took my sister and my friend, Kate, back to Bench Brewing instead.
This time, I dropped Shack off on set, I dropped our bags off at the hotel and set off for the short drive to Beamsville. I returned to a couple of wineries to take more pictures, discovered some new spots like Calamus and their drool worthy rooftop patio and dropped in to visit some old favourites like Flat Rock.
Ricky + Olivia at Westcott Vineyard
Right up until I pulled into the driveway at Westcott, I was afraid I had taken a wrong turn. It's hidden away on a gorgeous country road, a bit off the beaten track - although Flat Rock is right next door so I have clearly driven by it a hundred times- with an undisturbed view of gentle rolling hills and nothing but green as far as the eye can see. If I was going to be lost, this was the place to do it.
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| overview of lunch and roasted potatoes with dijon aioli and adobo devilled eggs |
I opened my car door and was immediately hit in the face with the smell of a wood fire so I followed my nose, around the back and made my way to the patio where Ricky + Olivia are doing their thing.
I got there a bit before lunch service, hoping I could snap some photos of them working and maybe ask a couple of questions. Instead, they graciously chatted with me for 15 minutes and then, with my enthusiastic approval, they brought out a selection of menu items for me to photograph and eat - I took the leftovers back to the hotel to have for breakfast the next day.
Read all about my lunch here, on Auburn Lane
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| Flat Rock, BBQ at Smoke and Moonshine and smoking legs at Pearl Morrisette |
After my day driving around on my own, Shack snuck away from work a bit early so that we could go out for dinner and maybe some drinks. I have had my eye on a couple of restaurants and since Berkely North was a short walk from the hotel, we went there, hoping we could snag a table. I always laugh when we are told, aplogetically, that there is only room at the bar. WE LOVE THE BAR.
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| bright, open dining room, tuna crudo and Ribeye with frites |
The restaurant had thrown open the floor to ceiling windows in the front, the patio was packed and a nice breeze wafted through the room. It was a perfect night.
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| mushroom dumplings to share |
Our bartender kept us entertained with her mixologist skills while we shared some pretty delicious food. Starting with some mushroom dumplings in a gingery sauce, followed up by a tun crudo with crispy taro root chips. When I say we shared the 30 day dry aged Cumbrae Farms Ribeye and frites, I mean, he let me have a couple of bites but, oh what tasty bites. At this point, we thought he was in Hamilton for another week and I was staying until Monday, so we stopped there, thinking we would return to try more things.
31 King William St
Hamilton, Ont
Sun to Thursday lunch 12-3pm and dinner 5pm-9pm
Friday and Sat lunch 12-3pm and dinner 5pm-12am
1 905-522-5858
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| Hamilton Art Crawl - I spent $4 to get that dog to smoke that dart (oh stop it, it is a fake cigarette) |
Instead, we decided to check out the main drag and were shocked to see that it was packed with people! It turns out we were there for Hamilton Art Crawl . On the second Friday of every month, St James North comes alive with street vendors, performers, shops and restaurants stay open late and the sidewalks are absolutely throbbing with people. We saw a cigarette smoking dog, a geriatric blues band called Bill and the Art Crawlers, a craft market outside the Christ Church Cathedral, people selling books and snacks.... we impulse bought a leather and plywood armchair and drank natural wine at Synomym, a fabulous little spot that we thought was a cocktail bar but it turns out that they are a breakfast lunch place that only stays open for Art Crawl. Let's hope that changes because it is one of those places I would go to regularly for a glass of Rosewood Estates Unfiltered Pinot Noir, chilled - okay, so after drinking this wine there, we made a bee line (no pun intended as their logo is a honey bee) to buy a case of it. I had no idea that Hamilton was so much fun and I was actually sad when Shack was called back to Toronto the next day which meant I wasn't going to spend the whole weekend there.
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| the dining room at Pearl Morissette |
We took a spin BACK TO THE BENCH _ YES I HAVE A PROBLEM to Pearl Morissette to buy some bottles of Irrévérence, one of the unfiltered wines we tried the night before and Rosewood for the Pinot Noir. I knew that the restaurant at Pearl Morrisette is considered one of the best in the country but I did not know that they don't have a tasting room or retail shop. We wandered into the restaurant as they were setting up for lunch service to be given this information but, since we knew exactly what we wanted, the manager went and got us 6 bottles to purchase to take home. If we wanted more than 6 bottles, they would have to ship them but you can order it online here.
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| it's worth popping in just to look around a bit - every inch of this place is beautiful |
We also found out that dinner reservations are usually booked solid at least three months in advance but we are going to make reservations for lunch before the end of the summer.
We swung by Rosewood Estates on our way home for what we thought was a quick in and out to grab that Unfiltered Pinot Noir and ended up tasting a whack of other wines and then moved on to their Mead. We came home with our box of Pinot Noir as well as a few bottles of Mead, a jar of smoked honey and this funky unfiltered , experimental wine called Nebulous. It's clear until you open it (which I have been warned can be messy so do it outdoors lol) and then it gets cloudy, slightly effervescent and full of sediment. It's not Kombucha funky, just a bit of junk in the trunk funky.
Back at home, we just hung out and relaxed, caught up on household crap and I went back to work on Tuesday.
Estia
On Wednesday evening, I went to check out the patio launch at Estia, a Mediterranean restaurant on Avenue Road. I thought I was getting there early but it was already slammed when I arrived, so I had a couple glasses of lovely rose, managed to get my hands on a two of the plates hot off the grill and one teeny dessert morsel. I certainly liked what I saw, the little I ate and the patio is a beautiful oasis from the hustle and bustle of Yorkville. I look forward to going back for dinner this summer because the Turkish/Greek menu looks great and I already know I like the space. Definitely going on the summer patio list and I'll report back when I have had a chance to go for dinner.
90 Avenue Rd
Toronto, Ont
Sun-Wed 5-10pm
Thurs-Sat 5-11pm
416 367-4141
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