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Posts from the road

Various Ontario Adventures

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(Various Ontario Locations)

As with last summer, my summer travel (so far) has been following the competitive lawn bowling circuit in Ontario. This blog post brings things up to date, in advance of a bigger adventure later this month!

My dinner special at Baan Thai in Nepean
My dinner special at Baan Thai in Nepean, Ontario

My early season focus was on the Ottawa suburb of Nepean. Nepean’s lawn bowling club has an artificial surface, which means that it is in playing condition much earlier than clubs with a natural grass surface. We took the opportunity to revisit an old favourite: the Baan Thai restaurant. We first ate here about 10 years ago when we saw Johnny Clegg in concert at the nearby Centrepointe Theatre.

Delivering the jack at the Provincial Men’s Fours championship in Windsor, Ontario

Distances in Ontario are vast. From Ottawa, my next major destination was Windsor…750 km to the southwest. I was playing in the Provincial Men’s Fours playdowns there, and I posted about Windsor’s special Ukrainian restaurant (and an Ethiopian restaurant too) in my previous blog entry.

Delivering a bowl in the rain at the Provincial Men’s Fours championship in Windsor, Ontario

As my team managed to claim the silver medal in rainy Windsor, we will be attending the National championships later this month…in Victoria, British Columbia! There’s more to come in this blog on that prestigious event.

My delicious platter (foreground) at Lalibela Restaurant in East York, Ontario

I spent a couple of weekends in Kitchener too, but unfortunately I don’t have any photographs to share from those adventures. But I also played at a few tournaments in East York, at the Cosburn Park club. And one of the great things about this club is its proximity to “the Danforth”.

Another view of our food at Lalibela Restaurant – love the plates!

The Danforth, or more recently “the Danny”, is a portion of Danforth Avenue historically associated with Toronto’s large Greek community. Part of it is still known as Greektown, and Greek restaurants abound. However, much of more recent immigration to this part of Toronto has been from Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. In fact, a portion of it is now known as “Little Ethiopia”. There are about a dozen Ethiopian restaurants within walking distance of each other. So, of course, I had to try one…

Lalibela Restaurant on Danforth Avenue in East York, Ontario

We ended up at a restaurant called Lalibela, and I was very happy with my platter. The spicy chicken and the salad (or rather the salad dressing) were particular highlights. I don’t know why, but eating Ethiopian style just feels so right after a long day of physical activity in the sun.

The beach in downtown Cobourg, Ontario

A little closer to home, I often find myself in the lakeside town of Cobourg. Their lawn bowling club has a great location near the beach, and it is just close enough to Kingston to be feasible for one-day tournaments without a hotel stay. And it also makes a good stopover on the way back from events in Toronto and points west.

A narrow alley leads to the Oasis in Cobourg, Ontario

I’ve been travelling to Cobourg for sports since I was 10 years old. But somehow I had never noticed a place called the Oasis on Cobourg’s main street. You get to it by following an alley (the end of it is shown above) from the street. I was very impressed by the fact that they carry Blanche de Chambly – a very refreshing summer beverage from Quebec.

Another view of Cobourg’s beach

I don’t think I had ever fully appreciated Cobourg’s beach. It is right downtown, and seems to retain a small-Ontario-town feel despite the new development (condos, etc.) just a couple of blocks away. It isn’t as vast as the beach in ‘s-Gravenzande, for example, but there is nothing like it in the other nearby towns.

A more modern development in downtown Cobourg, Ontario

East York isn’t the only part of Toronto that I’ve gotten to know through sports. On a couple of occasions this summer, I’ve been in the suburban neighbourhood of Agincourt (itself part of Scarborough). This area is known for its East Asian restaurants, and we found a very interesting one on our last visit.

Graceful Vegetarian Restaurant – a surprising find in Scarborough, Ontario

I haven’t had dim sum very often, but it is something I am going to try again in the future. It lets you sample many different dishes without committing to a lot of something unfamiliar. And the “Graceful Vegetarian Restaurant” obviously takes the dim sum concept one step beyond: everything is vegetarian or vegan!

Like nowhere else I have eaten!

I don’t know if I would have tried “real” barbecued eel. But I certainly didn’t mind trying the vegetarian version, with the (presumably soy-based) mock eel being very similar in texture to what I think eel would be like. It ended up being my favourite part of the meal.

Stay tuned for my upcoming British Columbia adventure!

Posts from the road

Windsor and its “Ukrainian Restaurant”

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(Windsor, Ontario, Canada)

I was recently in Windsor, Ontario, for the Open Fours Provincial Lawn Bowling Championships. I’ve written about Windsor before (click here for details). But for today’s post, I’d like to talk about some unique dining experiences that we had on this trip.

Interior of “Ukrainian Restaurant” in Windsor, Ontario

Windsor’s oldest Ukrainian restaurant opened on a quiet residential street in 1929. It was called simply “Ukrainian Restaurant“. The first owner was Pearl Hawrylak. She ran it until 1967. In 1968, it was purchased by Anna Momcilovic…who continues to run it today!  

Our meals at the “Ukrainian Restaurant” in Windsor, Ontario

Anna is now 88 years old, and is still the chef, server, manager, dishwasher, and sole employee. And it is still called “Ukrainian Restaurant”. To save time, you need to place your order through the window to the kitchen and grab your own drink from the fridge.

“Ukrainian Restaurant” on Marion Avenue in Windsor

It is incredible to have 94 years of service under one name, in one off-the-beaten-path location, and under just two owners. It’s not fancy, but it is definitely authentic and a most welcome throwback to another time. We opted for combination plates of perogies, cabbage rolls and sauerkraut. And I had to have borscht as my soup selection. It came with cream, which Anna told me was the proper Ukrainian way to eat it.

Detroit, Michigan, as seen from Windsor, Ontario

“Ukrainian Restaurant” was unique. But my team and I had also a very enjoyable meal in an Ethiopian restaurant called “World Marathon Ethiopian Restaurant“. I’ve written about Ethiopian restaurants in the past: see here, here and here. Eating with one’s hands is something most people have gotten away from in “sit-down” restaurants, but I still find it a lot of fun. According to Ethiopian folklore, people who share meals in this way will never betray each other.

Caesar’s Casino in Windsor, Ontario

World Marathon offers alternatives for those who aren’t quite ready for the “hands-on” authentic experience, but I dove right in. Almost all of my teammates ate that way too. They watched me briefly demonstrate the proper technique (scooping assorted sauces and specialties with pieces of my injera “crepe”), and then followed suit.

Our lunches at Sushi Cove in Woodstock, Ontario

Sadly, I was so enthusiastic that I forgot to take pictures before digging in. But I did remember to take some pictures when we stopped in Woodstock, Ontario, on the way home after the tournament. We went to Sushi Cove, where I ate Korean food in 2021 and had a good experience. I went for the bulgogi this time, while my wife went for the bibimbap (in foreground).

Sushi Cove restaurant in Woodstock, Ontario

I also picked up a couple of special vinyl records in Woodstock, before making the long drive back to Kingston. I’ve lost track of the number of records in my collection, but I can remember where I picked up each one. For me, it’s another way to commemorate some of the special travel experiences I’ve had. Just like this blog.

You are now entering Dorking, Ontario

And then there are the random places you stumble upon. Dorking (pictured above) wasn’t much more than a crossroads. It is in a very traditional part of the province. It’s so traditional that several horses (with buggies) were “parked” outside the general store.

Stay tuned for more on my local summer travels…and an upcoming trip requiring a couple of flights each way!

Posts from the road

Western Ontario – Part Two

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

August was HOT in Windsor. It’s hard to tell from the Ambassador Bridge (linking Windsor and Detroit, Michigan) photo at the top of this post, but the afternoons were almost comically sizzling. Once the Windsor tournament had ended, we went on a little road trip in the southernmost part of Ontario.

On the riverfront in Amherstburg, Ontario

Our first stop was Amherstburg. The historic downtown core was very quaint, and the local merchants were having a sidewalk sale to jump-start the pandemic economy. I found a rare music book at a tiny record shop, before we rushed on to the shores of Lake Erie.

La Casa de Las Arepas, in Leamington

We decided to look for a place to eat in Leamington. This is farming country, with a particular emphasis on tomatoes. A lot of Canadian ketchup comes from here! Given that, we didn’t expect to see a very diverse collection of restaurants. But we were wrong. Canada has a shortage of farm workers, so a lot of temporary foreign workers from Central and South America live here during the warmer months. As a result, a very interesting collection of businesses has sprung up in towns like Leamington. We chose a no-frills Venezuelan restaurant that specialized in arepas, a pre-Hispanic food sometimes described as a “stuffed corn cake”. It was really messy, but also very good (especially with the mysterious unnamed hot sauce that appeared on the table).

“Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese” at the Joker’s Crown in Ingersoll.

The next day, we gave ourselves a lot of time to get from Windsor to Woodstock. We stayed in the nearby town of Ingersoll. Rather than authentic Venezuelan cuisine, my dinner that night consisted of “Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese”. Despite being a typical food of absolutely nowhere, I have to admit that I enjoyed it. The “buffalo” sauce had a nice burn and was suitably offset by the mild macaroni and cheese.

The Elm Hurst Inn, in Ingersoll, Ontario. We stayed here while competing in nearby Woodstock.

After a budget motel in Windsor, we splurged on a very nice hotel called the Elm Hurst Inn. Was it necessary? Maybe not. But it was a nice treat, especially as the temperatures remained ridiculously hot. And besides being a very appealing inn, it has a claim to fame: this property was where a 7,300-pound cheese was made in 1866! The mammoth cheese travelled the world, visiting Sarasota (Florida), London (U.K.), and Paris (France). The inn occupies a mansion built in 1872.

Somehow, we found ourselves at Otterville Park (Otterville, Ontario)

Our tournament schedule allowed us an afternoon off, so of course we went on a little road trip to explore the area. Our first stop was Otterville, which apparently was a stop on the “Underground Railroad” in the 19th century. It is a very quiet community today, but has a very scenic park/baseball diamond set in the middle of a forest. We saw no otters.

I wish I knew the story behind the “Johnny Guitar” house in Delhi, Ontario

We then stopped briefly in a small town called Delhi. The “Johnny Guitar” house (see above) continues to puzzle me. If you know the story, please post something in the “Comments” section. After Delhi, it was on to Tillsonburg. I only knew it as the subject of a Stompin’ Tom Connors song about the thankless job of picking tobacco. But Tillsonburg the tobacco town would continue the Latin American theme…stay tuned for the details in the next (and final) instalment of my Western Ontario trilogy!

Posts from Base Camp

A cautious return to travel: Western Ontario

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

It’s been quiet on the blog for the past couple of months. But, after 17 months of pandemic restrictions…we were finally able to travel! I had some tournaments in the Toronto area, followed by a couple more in Western Ontario, marking the first times that I had been more than one hour from Kingston since March 2020. So, what was it like?

Our first out-of-town restaurant meal in ages: Thai cuisine from the Thai Coconut in Burlington, Ontario

In a word, “normal”. Yes, I had to wear a mask every time I went inside. And yes, I had to complete health declarations to compete in the tournaments. And many restaurants were still restricted to take-out only. But those restrictions seem almost normal too now.

Picked up some 45s at this record shop in Acton, Ontario.

The first trip was to a tournament in Burlington, followed by one the next day in East York. Booking the hotel was just like old times. However, I must admit that it was strange walking into a hotel again. Even though we are now being encouraged to “travel local”, there was still a lingering feeling of not having enough of a justification to be there. But being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 helped deal with that, and I soon forgot about it. As this first trip only took us away from home for two nights, we weren’t away for long enough to be totally disoriented.

Old mill in St. Jacobs, Ontario

After being home for a few days, it was time for the main trip to tournaments in Windsor and Woodstock. These were multi-day tournaments and took us about as far as we could go in southern Ontario without crossing a border. In fact, Windsor is so far from Kingston that we decided to stay overnight in Waterloo before making the final push on to Windsor.

Main Street in St. Jacob’s, Ontario

Once in Waterloo, we visited a nearby village (St. Jacobs) that we had never seen before…yes, a completely discretionary trip! ! The next day, we took a break from our drive to have lunch in the town of Tilbury…again, no special reason to go, it just happened to be there. We picked up some food from the grocery store and ate it on the lawn of the local library.

The Public Library in Tilbury, Ontario: our lunch spot

We reached Windsor in the mid-afternoon. We wanted to get some practice in before the start of the tournament the next morning. It was brutally hot, but we rewarded ourselves with dinner at a Mexican restaurant called “Palenque”.

Palenque Mexican Restaurant in Windsor, Ontario

So far, so good. After dinner, we took a walk along the nearby Detroit River. The park was filled with unusual plant sculptures. But the “Wow” moment was across the river. Across the Detroit River from Windsor is the (larger) American city of Detroit…and seeing a city from another country (see photo at the very top of this post) seemed very surreal after the last 17 months. True, we couldn’t go across the border (the U.S. land border is still not open to non-essential travel, even though their COVID-19 infection rate is far higher than Canada’s), but it was a taste of what we hope to experience again before too long.

My “Gringas” at Palenque

After a very brief period of adjustment, it wasn’t hard to get used to new things again. Stay tuned for more about our Western Ontario odyssey!