Waring House serves up Flavours of Prince Edward County
[caption id="attachment_109" align="aligncenter" caption="This fine old stone house, now The Waring House Inn, has stood sentinel at Waring's Corners since about 1860."]
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We sat in Amelia’s Garden dining room at a window table in front of a bed of blooming Iris watching yellow finches and doves in the garden outside. Ginny Merritt, the marketing manager at the Waring House Inn & Cookery, had invited us here. We were to experience Chef Luis de Sousa's new five-course tasting menu dinner and guided wine tasting, and to stay overnight in one of the Waring House Inn's new suites.
The tasting menu is basically a chef’s way of showing off his best stuff. I was a little intimidated by the ten pieces of silver utensils at each place setting! They were a harbinger of the extravaganza to come.
Jeremy was our server and there was nothing he didn't know about the local wines. He called them the "gems of the County". It's all about "The County" out here, Prince Edward County that is, the rapidly expanding tourist destination that some call the new Niagara. Small wineries have been popping up here lately like mushrooms after a rain. Talk about local! The wines being served here are all from wineries close by, with names like Rosehall Run, Huff Estates and Black Prince (Judy loved the Black Prince 2007 Cabernet Franc so much we are thinking of dropping by the winery to pick up a couple of bottles).
By the time we made it through the squash, the pear, the blue and the brie, we had licked our lamb chops and mused about the venison medallions, enjoyed the glaze, the drizzle, the jus, the bisque and the tapenade, it was time for dessert. I was just barely able to make room for the rhubarb and berry pie (all local and seasonal of course) topped with a scoop of vanilla from Slickers, the local, artisan ice cream maker.
After three hours at the table, we said "good night" to Jeremy and made our way out through The Barley Room Pub, the Picton meeting place where the locals were just starting to get going.
[caption id="attachment_111" align="aligncenter" caption="The two new lodges at The Waring House Inn"]
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Our home away from home was in one of the spectacular new lodges that have just opened at The Waring House. Named Commercial Project of the Year by the Prince Edward County Construction Company, the two lodges each hold sixteen rooms and suites. We were given one of the suites and couldn't believe its size when we walked through the front door. It had a full living room, huge ensuite bath, a two poster king bed and two gas fireplaces. I don't normally sleep well in a strange bed but that night I slept like a log, so the first thing I did when I woke up was check the name of the mattress. BeautyRest World Class with an extra four inch mattress on top of it. Absolutely divine. Gibbard's Furniture, which has made furniture in nearby Napanee for 170 years, handcrafted all of the fine cabinetry in our suite. I fell in love with the little vanity and bedside tables only to be told that Gibbard's is going out of business. I guess it just can't compete with all the cheap imports. That's a real loss for Canada because the company's workmanship is outstanding!
The Waring House Inn & Cookery has a Flavours of the County package on until September 30, 2009 that includes two nights' accommodation for two in a standard room, a five-course tasting menu and guided wine-tasting for two, a three-course dinner in the Barley Room Pub that includes a glass each of the County's own Barley Days beer, a hands-on cooking class for two with lunch included at the Waring House Cookery, and country breakfasts both mornings. $397.70 pp/double occupancy, plus taxes and gratuities. www.waringhouse.com
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We sat in Amelia’s Garden dining room at a window table in front of a bed of blooming Iris watching yellow finches and doves in the garden outside. Ginny Merritt, the marketing manager at the Waring House Inn & Cookery, had invited us here. We were to experience Chef Luis de Sousa's new five-course tasting menu dinner and guided wine tasting, and to stay overnight in one of the Waring House Inn's new suites.
The tasting menu is basically a chef’s way of showing off his best stuff. I was a little intimidated by the ten pieces of silver utensils at each place setting! They were a harbinger of the extravaganza to come.
Jeremy was our server and there was nothing he didn't know about the local wines. He called them the "gems of the County". It's all about "The County" out here, Prince Edward County that is, the rapidly expanding tourist destination that some call the new Niagara. Small wineries have been popping up here lately like mushrooms after a rain. Talk about local! The wines being served here are all from wineries close by, with names like Rosehall Run, Huff Estates and Black Prince (Judy loved the Black Prince 2007 Cabernet Franc so much we are thinking of dropping by the winery to pick up a couple of bottles).
By the time we made it through the squash, the pear, the blue and the brie, we had licked our lamb chops and mused about the venison medallions, enjoyed the glaze, the drizzle, the jus, the bisque and the tapenade, it was time for dessert. I was just barely able to make room for the rhubarb and berry pie (all local and seasonal of course) topped with a scoop of vanilla from Slickers, the local, artisan ice cream maker.
After three hours at the table, we said "good night" to Jeremy and made our way out through The Barley Room Pub, the Picton meeting place where the locals were just starting to get going.
[caption id="attachment_111" align="aligncenter" caption="The two new lodges at The Waring House Inn"][/caption]
Our home away from home was in one of the spectacular new lodges that have just opened at The Waring House. Named Commercial Project of the Year by the Prince Edward County Construction Company, the two lodges each hold sixteen rooms and suites. We were given one of the suites and couldn't believe its size when we walked through the front door. It had a full living room, huge ensuite bath, a two poster king bed and two gas fireplaces. I don't normally sleep well in a strange bed but that night I slept like a log, so the first thing I did when I woke up was check the name of the mattress. BeautyRest World Class with an extra four inch mattress on top of it. Absolutely divine. Gibbard's Furniture, which has made furniture in nearby Napanee for 170 years, handcrafted all of the fine cabinetry in our suite. I fell in love with the little vanity and bedside tables only to be told that Gibbard's is going out of business. I guess it just can't compete with all the cheap imports. That's a real loss for Canada because the company's workmanship is outstanding!
The Waring House Inn & Cookery has a Flavours of the County package on until September 30, 2009 that includes two nights' accommodation for two in a standard room, a five-course tasting menu and guided wine-tasting for two, a three-course dinner in the Barley Room Pub that includes a glass each of the County's own Barley Days beer, a hands-on cooking class for two with lunch included at the Waring House Cookery, and country breakfasts both mornings. $397.70 pp/double occupancy, plus taxes and gratuities. www.waringhouse.com