Hubby took me to the Distillery District for our first wedding anniversary, a year after the Historical district opened its doors as a village centered on art, culture and entertainment. In the mid 1800’s the buildings in the area started as a flourmill and later on included a distillery owned and operated by Gooderham and Worts, brothers-in-law who immigrated into Canada from England. In its heyday, the distillery accounted for half of the entire alcohol production in Ontario and at one point was the largest distillery in the world! But with the war and prohibition, the business declined until operations ceased. Over a hundred fifty years later, the district has been restored and is now the setting of thousands of films, wonderful events, exquisite dining, and is also home to many art studios. There are walking tours and even Segway tours to help you explore the place.
We have gone back maybe once or twice since our first anniversary, but not since our eldest daughter DD#1 was born. It has been years! So, for Mother’s Day, hubby took me and my mom (and the girls, of course) for lunch at the Distillery District.
We arrived before 11:30am and just walked around the area. We enjoyed walking on the cobble stone steps and looking at the beautifully restored and maintained brick buildings. Several works of art were on display and the girls had fun in the modern play area. The day started out a bit chilly and had I known there would be many structures to climb, I would not have had the girls wear tights. Needless to say, I now have to get two new pairs. Oh well.
We managed to get reservations at Pure Sprits Oyster House. The kitchen was backed-up. As they were fully booked, they should have anticipated the number of patrons! While service was slow, the food was phenomenal! I started my meal with their soup of the day, a butternut squash soup, which was wonderfully creamy. DD#1 asked if she could have it along with her kid-sized haddock and chips. I then had the crisp-skinned Pacific Salmon, which no longer had a crispy skin by the time it was served as we had to wait for my mom’s Black Cod and Dungeness Crab paella! Both the salmon and cod were fresh and juicy. I had some pesto pasta on the side which was a perfect complement to the salmon. I also got to taste my mom’s paella. The flavours were rich and the rice was hearty with scallops and squid. Hubby had a Black Angus striploin which was perfectly grilled. The béarnaise sauce on the side was heavenly. We capped this with our first dessert (as you will read later on, we had more after this!) of crème brulee.
We then headed off to SOMA for chocolate! Hubby loved the Spicy Mayan hot chocolate which is supposedly their most popular creation. It is made of dark Venezuelan chocolate with a special blend of spices. I, however, was quite happy with my choice, “Dark Side of the Mug.” It was divine. Intensely dark, rich, and smooth--this time it was DD#2 who asked to finish my drink! We also got some chocolate bars of Costa Rican milk and Peruvian Dark to enjoy at home!
Next, we had to have some coffee (as if crème brulee and hot chocolate were not enough). So, we got a mug each and just relaxed inside Balzac’s. We sipped the intensely dark and bold brew at the loft while internalizing the art exhibit.
And what trip to the Distillery would be complete without some Mill St. beer? We got a 6-pack Coffee porter which hubby and I like—and we are not even beer-drinkers! This concoction is brewed with Balzac coffee, which gives the aroma of dark roast coffee and notes of chocolate, and is not available in all LCBO’s. It was a Happy Mother’s day! Cheers!
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