2016 Canadian Vacation: Good Eats

This will be my final vacation post. Besides spending our time biking, paddling and visiting with family, Jack spent a lot of time swimming (more specifically snorkeling) and of course no vacation would be complete without checking out the best local restaurants.

FRIEND's DINER

On every trip, my favorite thing to do is find the best breakfast joints. So on our first day in Orillia, that is what we did. First up was Friend's Diner (ranked #6 on TripAdvisor for restaurants in Orillia) and it was my favorite breakfast place on this trip. Located in an old shopping center, it isn't much to look at, but man was it good!

Coffee comes with your meal and the huge plates of food satisfied all of us – even our growing boys! We arrived in the nick of time, because shortly after we were seated, the place filled up and had a 30-minute wait. The food was delicious, and served quickly. Jack's favorite part was the phone booth outside... Evidently these are still a thing in Canada. He quizzed us, "Why is there a phone in a box, outside?"

HASTY TASTY

Our other diner to visit was Hasty Tasty (recommended by my aunt and rated #60 on TripAdvisor). I have to say I liked the food at Friend's better, but Hasty Tasty was unique in it's own way. Built in an old house and a true, old-time diner, harkening back to the 1950s, it's a special place. My aunt says a lot of old-timers eat here and it's a great place to people watch. You can squeeze into a booth or at the bar up front, or like us, you might end up at a table in the back.

Our experience would have been better if we had managed to get a booth up front – a regular came in and snagged the booth we were waiting for. I guess he didn't notice me sitting there with two kids (Daniel had run to a bank next door because the establishment only takes cash). The food was good and the name is fun to say!

The other days, we ate breakfast at our cottage and I always ran into town to grab a large triple-triple coffee at Tim Horton's – a mile from our house.

For our other meals, we tried to bike to dinner as often as we could. Of the four restaurants listed below, we biked to three of them. The fourth was a day that our kids were exhausted, so we chose to drive.

THEO's EATERY

 {image via}

Our first bike-to-dinner option was Theo's Eatery (ranked #1 on TripAdvisor), located about 2 miles from our cottage. This was a nicer, sit-down type of restaurant, but still kid friendly.

The food was Mediterranean style and good, but a little pricey. This was not our favorite restaurant, but the food and service were both good. The boys split a huge plate of spaghetti, Daniel had lasagna and I tried a Shish Kabob.

Our experience at Theo's (and then most other restaurants) was that the kid's meal comes with dessert. Is this a Canadian thing? Jack LOVED getting a scoop of ice cream at the end of the meal, and it was a great way for us to bribe him to finish up his food.

BREWERY BAY FOOD Co.

The next day we biked to the Brewery Bay Food Co. in downtown Orillia (ranked #11 on TripAdvisor). Located 3 miles from our cottage, we were ready to eat when we arrived. We were able to get a table outside and had a friendly waiter.

The food was excellent, but we were all caught off guard when the power went out unexpectedly (I'm glad we were sitting outside instead of in). I don't know what was going on, but power on the whole street was out for about 20 minutes. We finished up our meal and the power came back on just in time for us to pay! Which was a good thing because I don't think we had been to a bank to get Canadian money yet and we were too far north to pay with American! Brewery Bay is definitely worth a visit – it has your typical Pub food. Jack had chicken fingers and a salad. I tried an amazing burger (that I shared with Isaac) and Daniel went light with a Greek salad.
 

MARIPOSA MARKET CAFE

During the middle of the week, we grabbed lunch at Mariposa's Market Cafe (ranked #1 on TripAdvisor). We almost didn't go here because I thought it was strictly a bakery.

We ran by to order cakes for my parents and aunt and uncle's anniversary celebration (the cakes were amazing and fairly inexpensive!), and then we realized they also served lunch. So we knew we needed to go back.

This place is really cool. I wish we had had more time to explore. Besides making amazing cakes and cupcakes, they serve sandwiches, and a variety of hot lunch pastries, AND ALSO lots of specialty items and souvenirs.

Daniel and Jack both tried a turkey sandwich while Isaac and I split a spinach quiche and a meat pastry. It was all delicious. Jack also tried his first sip of coke (from a bottle). He loved it. We told him it is only for special occasions!
 

TOR's FISH & CHIPS

Being in Canada, I knew we needed to grab fish and chips one night. This was our only dinner out that we didn't bike to. Our boys were wiped out from the busy week and both fell asleep on the 5-minute drive to Tor's Fish & Chips (ranked #29 on TripAdvisor).

We arrived 15 minutes before closing, and we asked the ladies if we were too late. They looked at our tired boys and told us to order and take a seat.

Jack was cracking them up because he literally laid across the chairs and slept until our food arrived. We decided to split the Haddock Fish and Halibut Fish. These plates were huge and between the four of us, we didn't come close to finishing the fries!

THE SHACK EATERY

{image via}

We finished out our week by trying something a little bit different for us. The Shack Eatery (ranked #13 on TripAdvisor) is fairly new to Orillia and serves slow-cooked Portuguese style food. And it was delicious. The flavors were a little spicy, but really great.

We picked out two plates and the generous portions were way more than the four of us could eat. They also brought out mashed potatoes (not part of our order) for our boys because they thought the food might be too spicy. They were so considerate!

We enjoyed sitting outside and eating their fantastic food. The boys had fun climbing in the old firetruck parked outside. I hope The Shack had continued success in Orillia!

Boathouse Rotisserie & Raw Bar

Daniel and I are in a season of life where date nights are hard to come by... our last official date was in March, which is a far cry from the year we intentionally went on more than 52 dates. This is partially because we have not committed to finding a reliable babysitter, and partially due to Daniel's work schedule. 

I know there will come a time when we will date more consistently again, but for now we will continue to make due with family date nights and be grateful for the evenings we can slip away, just the two of us.

Thanks to Daniel's dad and his wife, Friday night we had the opportunity to go on an actual date. While our boys enjoyed pizza with grandparents we went to the Rock Creek Outlet to shop without distractions, and then grabbed a bite to eat across the street at the Boathouse Rotisserie & Raw Bar.

We arrived around 6:30 and had a 20-minute wait. The first available table was on the porch overlooking the water. which was perfect for us. 

Porch fans and misters kept us cool even though it was a hot summer evening. We had a view of the Bluff District and North Shore with the sun dipping behind Signal Mountain in the background. 

Daniel tried the Trout Almandine while I had the Extra Large Grilled Shrimp (they were really huge!). Both were served with a side of olive fries (fried in olive oil) and a cabbage slaw in sesame oil. 

We finished up by sharing a slice of decadent Key Lime Pie. It was all delicious. 

With good food and a lovely view we didn't want to leave, but we had two little boys waiting at home.

We love our boys, but every once in awhile it's nice to enjoy a meal without having to discuss things like Paw Patrol...

 

The Feed Co.

Lately Daniel and I have been sticking close to home for our eat out nights. Let's be honest, with two little ones, sometimes it's just easier to run to the handful of restaurants on our mountain. But there are only so many times you can do Mexican or pizza before you crave something different.

Several months ago I ate with a friend at Clyde's on Main and noticed The Feed co. Table & Tavern across the street. My interest was piqued but an opportunity to go had not presented itself.

Last night Daniel and I were both in the mood to try something new so we agreed to meet at the bottom of the mountain when he got home from work and drive downtown. I checked Trip Advisor for some new options and was reminded of The Feed co.

Chattanooga has so many good restaurants (many are fairly new) and The Feed co. doesn't actually appear until #44. Since many of our favorites eateries are in the top 50, I figured it was still worth a visit (to be fair it is #2 on the bars/pubs list).

On a Thursday night, the patio of The Feed co. was packed, but inside (at 6pm) was almost empty. I was surprised at how huge the place was. The interior is beautiful – very industrial rustic, with many original features (thick lead windows, metal ceiling tiles, etc.).

We were bummed to be inside on such a beautiful day, but having the place mostly to ourselves (with little ones) had its perks.

Jack is great at eating out. We have done it enough that he knows the drill. He even placed his own order, immediately telling our waiter that he wanted spaghetti. When our food came out, his plate was actually penne with red sauce and I thought he might have a preschooler meltdown (he rarely has fits, but you never know). Thankfully he was cool about it. I just told him it was pasta and that spaghetti was also pasta. He liked that he could blow through the penne (he is a little boy after all!). I don't know if they were out of spaghetti or what, but I think their menu should match what comes to the table (especially when it comes to kids). Jack thought the pasta was great and he finished his plate.

Daniel ordered the Grilled Salmon. It came with creamed corn, green beans and crab salad. It was excellent. Meanwhile I ordered the Smoked Chicken Penne and man, it was delicious. That first bite of roasted chicken with the creamy penne was a fantastic combination. Isaac enjoyed sampling all of our food.

We liked that The Feed co. didn't feel uppity or pretentious. While there weren't a ton of kids there, we didn't feel out of place with kids in tow. They are a little more expensive than we would spend on a regular eat out night, but the food was excellent. They have recently started serving a Sunday brunch and I would definitely be up for going back to give it a try (you know I love breakfast!). If you are looking for a new place to try, I would definitely consider The Feed co.!

Mean Mug

Last week, on Super Tuesday, Daniel and I had a breakfast date before going to cast our votes in the primary elections.

With a teething Isaac in tow, we decided to try Mean Mug Coffeehouse in downtown Chattanooga. A friend had recommended this local breakfast place and I am never one to turn down the opportunity for breakfast (or coffee!).

Mean Mug is a small establishment where you order at the counter and claim a table. We were lucky to snag the last available table. The rain outside did not deter people from getting their morning coffee!

I tried a breakfast plate and Daniel had a breakfast biscuit. Both were delicious. I don't normally like grits, but the ones Mean Mug serves are cheesy and delicious. I also got their specialty coffee of the day, I think it was a salted caramel mocha. It was hot and sweet, and warmed me right up.

I felt a little bad for the other customers because Isaac was feeling pretty miserable from teething and our normally happy baby kept shrieking and crying. He finally settled down when we let him chew on some ice.

Mean Mug is definitely somewhere I would go back to.

Breakfast in Gatlinburg...

If you know me, you know I love to cook. But more than cooking, I really enjoy eating out. Especially on vacation. And especially for breakfast. It has become a bit of a tradition that we try as many local breakfast places as we can when we are traveling, and we stuck to this tradition on our recent trip to the mountains.

Log Cabin Pancake House
Daniel's family has been visiting Gatlinburg and going to the Log Cabin Pancake House since before Daniel was born which means for our family, no trip to this area is complete without a stop for pancakes and waffes. I say "this area" because we have driven out of our way to get breakfast here when hiking in the general vicinity.

 

Log Cabin was our very first food stop on this trip and it was exactly how we remembered. This was our boy's first visit to this long-standing Gatlinburg establishment and Isaac had a biscuit (on the house) and Jack tried Blueberry Kids Pancakes while Daniel got his usual Chocolate Chip Belgian Waffles and I had my usual Caribbean Pancakes with a coffee. Thumbs up from everyone.

We have officially passed on a long-standing tradition of eating at the Log Cabin Pancake House to a new generation.

Currently Log Cabin is ranked #6 on Trip Advisor's Best Places to Eat in Gatlinburg and has a rating of 4.0 on Zomato (formally Urbanspoon).
 

Crockett's Breakfast Camp

Our second day in the mountains included a stop at Crockett's Breakfast Camp. oh.my.word. This may be the best (and biggest) breakfast I have ever had. We lucked out with our timing, because we only had to wait for 30 minutes on a Saturday the week before Christmas. Off season is the best time to visit popular eateries like this.

 

Daniel tried the Jake's Creek Skillet while I had the Black Bear Camp Skillet, and Jack got the kid's waffles. Technically this was our lunch with plans to hike afterward and we actually managed to eat almost everything on our plates (we did take the 1-inch pancakes home for later and they were amazing! 

Honestly, for a typical breakfast, I think we could have split a skillet between the four of us. Isaac enjoyed eating bits and pieces from our plates.

If you want an amazing breakfast with great atmosphere, you really need to try Crockett's Breakfast Camp. As a side note, the pancakes are Aretha Frankenstein's from here in Chattanooga! 

 

Crockett's Breakfast Camp is currently ranked #1 on Trip Advisor for this area and has rating of 3.4 on Zomato (seems too low!).

 

Mountain Lodge Restaurant
On our final morning in the mountains, we decided to try the mom-and-pop Mountain Lodge Restaurant. It was located off of the strip and we noticed several local emergency responders parked there. We thought that was a good litmus test for a good local place.

When we arrived, the place was packed, but we snagged one of the last available tables. They get coffee and food to your table at record speeds. For a home-cooked, southern style meal, this place is worth a visit. Trip Advisor ranks this spot as #5 for the area and it scores a 4.2 on Zomato.


Since we couldn't live only on breakfast, I wanted to include the restaurants we tried for dinner as honorable mentions.

Uncle Buck's Grill
Friday night we saw Santa at the Bass Pro Shop in Kodak (just outside of Sevierville), and we decided to eat on site at Uncle Buck's Grill (we didn't think the boys would stay awake long enough to make it to another restaurant). 

This restaurant has a low ranking on Zomato, but we thought it was surprisingly good. Daniel tried the fish and chips, Jack had mini burgers and I had the wild boar burger with fresh chips. Daniel and I shared our dishes and both were excellent (Isaac thought so too, 8 months old and he has already tried wild boar!).
 

Big Daddy's Pizzeria
Saturday night, after an afternoon of hiking, we grabbed a pizza from Big Daddy's Pizzeria in Gatlinburg. We called ahead and they had it ready in about 15 minutes. The pizza is wood fired and had great flavor, though after a strenuous day, I could have used something a little heartier, especially since we were splitting between three of us (thank goodness for my huge lunch from Crockett's that morning!). We actually ate at Big Daddy's in Pidgeon Forge several years ago and really liked it (but then there were only two of us sharing a pizza!).


That wraps up our recent dining experience in Gatlinburg. When looking for new restaurants to try, we have found that Trip Advisor's Top 10 lists come in handy. Typically, if a restaurant makes the Top 10, we will generally have a really good experience. Until next time!