East & Main Bistro - Wellington in Prince Edward County

Tonight the executive chef of East & Main Bistro of Wellington, Ontario in Prince Edward County is competing in the regional Gold Medal Plates competition in Ottawa. Lili Sullivan has been the chef at East & Main since 2009.

My first experience with this place occurred when we took a weekend vacation to the County at the beginning of June this year. But the closest we came to eating Lili Sullivan's fine foods was a box lunch on a farm tour as part of the Great Canadian Cheese Festival. Though it wasn't any old box lunch by my way of thinking. I loved every bit of the vegetarian sandwich wrap, salad, to-die-for brownie and extra fixings.

A few months before I read through Ron Eade's Omnivore's Ottawa blog that Chef Sullivan was going to be participating in Gold Medal Plates come November.

A great box lunch doesn't necessarily give you great insight into whether someone can capture the GMP crown. I needed an excuse to return and sit in for a fuller East & Main experience.

That chance came last month when returning to Ottawa from an out of town trip. Not a lover of the steady hard pavement of the 401 with its unpredictable truck traffic, I meandered off the highway past Brighton to take in the County. And with luck, catch lunch at East & Main. Fall had set in and the drive down Highway 33 was beautiful. The Loyalist Parkway curves by Lake Ontario just before it heads into Wellington. I arrived remarkably rested.



Owners Kimberly Humby and David O'Connor understood the clientele that would enjoy their bistro when they opened two years ago. As I sat down for lunch, my keen people watching instincts told me that I was surrounded by locals, regular visitors and tourists alike. And of course, the very food focused curious, like me. This is a destination place.

The interior is welcoming. Upscale touches to the finishings but still a cozy feel. In one of the bay windows they have placed a dining room table that can comfortably seat 6. On this day, it was occupied by four well-dressed ladies that, by my estimation, made this outing a regular event. In the other bay, were smaller groupings of tables to make room for a full wall buffet of their homemade preserves.

The menu offered 4 appetizers - soup, salad, trio of tapenades & pita crisps, and a pâté plate. There were also 6 sandwich choices ranging from $10 to $14. They came with your choice of soup, salad or frites. The 4 mains ranged from $12 - $13. Pasta, stew, quiche and a composed salad.

For my sandwich I went with one of the new offerings on the menu. Lobster and shrimp roll with smoked tomato tartar sauce on mini pastry house rolls from Pastry House in Picton. (The same bakery that supplies The Buddha Dog their great rolls.) Pastry House rolls are some of the best I have ever tasted. They risked stealing the show; however, the seafood filling was superb. Not to mention a handsome portion. I chose to have it with the soup du jour, leek and asparagus. I loved the creamy, silky texture and full flavour but I am not a gal who goes in for big croutons. I would have enjoyed a garnish with a bit more of a dressy look. My sandwich plate rang in at $14.



I was likely full enough after the sandwich and shouldn't have considered dessert, knowing that I had a sedentary 3 hour drive ahead of me. But the menu beckoned.

I passed on the Mexican chocolate cake, crème brûlée, honey panna cotta and lemon curd tart. Instead, I chose the fresh berry shortcake: cardamom pound cake with macerated berries and cream. ($8.00) Being a Dane, cardamom is a much loved spice in baking. The cake had the balance of denseness needed to stand up to the juicy berries without being too heavy. Another hit.



I had a hard time leaving. It is a place you settle into and feel the comfort of home. Before I paid my bill I wondered to the wall of preserves to check out their creations. Owner, Kimberly Humby was restocking the shelves. She enticed me with the laborious love that goes into the Slow-Baked Applewood Smoked Tomato Paste (125 mL jar for $5.95) and the Ploughman's Branston Pickle (250 mL jar for $5.95).



Having just put away so many jars of tomato creations myself, I had to know every detail of the Tomato Paste. She indulged me. Considering all the work, I was starting to feel like $5.95 was a bit of a steal for that wee jar.

Kimberly shared with me that their preserves are made with vegetables from their own garden and also from farms nearby in the County - Laundry Farms on County Road 1, Hagerman's Farm between Bloomfield and Picton on the Loyalist Parkway, and Vicki's Veggies on Morrison Point Road, near Milford.

Ottawa Magazine recently did an interview with Lili Sullivan before the GMP competition. The week before, The Ottawa Citizen had an article entitled "Five Worth The Drive" focused on destinations for wine tasting. East & Main Bistro was included. It appears the word is getting out.

The food, wine and beautiful countryside make Prince Edward County a vacation retreat from the big city. There are so many great places to eat in the County, it is hard to cover them all in a weekend. If you can work East & Main Bistro into your itinerary, you won't be disappointed.



East & Main Bistro
270 Main Street
Wellington, Ontario
K0K 3L0
613.399.5420
Website: www.eastandmain.ca
Facebook: East & Main



Thurs to Mon: 12 - 2:30pm; 5:30 - 9 pm
Tues and Wed: CLOSED

Culinary Tourist Destination: Blumen Garden Bistro - Picton, Ontario

Blumen Garden Bistro, found on the edge of Picton, proved to be our safe dining harbour as we began our long weekend vacation in Prince Edward County at the beginning of June. The visit to The County was the second leg of our 10-day Ontario focused vacation.

Our travels had been interrupted by a 24-hour stop back home in Ottawa to attend to important matters. What a mood killer just as we were well into mentally unwinding. It didn't help that our efforts to get back on track were haphazard. We left Ottawa late in the afternoon, tired, hungry and feeling rushed. Our travel route was plagued with delays and construction.

Hungry on a '400' highway in Ontario leaves you with very little to choose from. Although neither said it out loud, eating fast food on a food holiday is sacrosanct. We would rather go to bed hungry than start off The Great Canadian Cheese Festival weekend with anything prefixed with the name Mc.

Feeling downtrodden at our disorganized attempt to get out of the nation's capital, we edged into Picton at about 8 pm. The solitude on County Road 49 was finally broken with the collection of buildings peppering the outer town limits.

And then like a beacon in the night, I caught the lit sign for Blumen Garden Bistro high in the sky. Now the big question, would they take us this late? Why, yes they would!

I think a standout for me was our waiter for the evening. His high energy and enthusiasm rejuvenated these two weary travelers. I just fell into the safety of his arms, so to speak. I let him pick my drink. I let him choose my dinner. We weren't looking for an elaborate dining experience. Just good food. A little something to take the edge off. So we both went for only a main. Were we ever wowed! I couldn't stop chattering to myself about my dish and the mister was happy too. The start of our vacation had been appropriately christened.

As we were finishing our meal, Chef Andreas Feller, came to visit us table side. I was thrilled to tell him how much I enjoyed my rabbit. One of the best dishes I have ever had and for sure the best rabbit dish I ever had. It turns out, I had the last of the rabbit that evening. The dish is very popular and he has a hard time keeping up with the demand. He had taken it off the menu once and his regulars really raised a fuss! I thank them for that.

Chef Andreas Feller actually has an Ottawa connection too. He worked at E18hteen in the Byward Market back in 2004-2005. He then went to Café Paradiso before moving to The County in 2008 to be chef/owner of Blumen. Trained in classic French cuisine, he grew up and apprenticed in Switzerland.

We appreciated Chef taking the time to come check in on us. We hear that this is a regular thing with him. Nice touch!


My very refreshing Cosmo in the foreground and the mister's Church Key beer tucked in the background.


Crisp seared wild Pacific salmon, celeriac purée, new potatoes, braised fennel, raisin and pine nut vinaigrette ($24)


Pulled braised rabbit over house-made gnocchi with leeks, mushrooms, lardons and Parmesan cheese ($24)

(When settled into our room at the Hayes Inn in Waupoos, just east of Picton, I went on-line to read more about Blumen Garden Bistro. I was delighted to come across a post by fellow food blogger Rachelle Eats Food. She too was a rabid fan of the rabbit! She is right. It is sinful.)

This evening we needed to be rescued. We needed to be rescued by people that know great food and great service. Blumen Garden Bistro does both of these effortlessly. Thank you for taking us in after an arduously long hard day. Our second mini-vacation was definitely starting on a high note.

Blumen Garden Bistro
647 Highway 49
Picton, Ontario
613.476.6841
website: www.blumengardenbistro.com
Facebook: Blumen Bistro

Gourmet Hotdogs at Buddha Dog - Picton, Ontario

We spent this past weekend in Picton and the surrounding area and after just a mere 72 hours they had us drinking the Kool-Aid. This quiet, powerful cult established here in the province of Ontario is simply being referred to as 'The County'.

Words associated with their rites and ceremonies include: terroir, rural renaissance, locavore, organic, slow food, viticulture, arts and culture, artisan cheese, platinum LEED, sophisticated, Loyalist, history, taste, festivals, farm fresh, 'rurban'.

Beyond the formal municipal government, there are many other structured groups working together to make life in The County a fulfilling dream. Such groups as Slow Food The County, Taste the County, PEC Winegrowers Association, Festival Players of PEC, just to name a few. They even have their own currency in the form of Vicki's Veggie-Bucks.

Once home, we actually started browsing through real estate listings! We contemplated small farming, homemade canning and preserves. We fell hard for this place.

No surprise I guess that when we made our last food stop late in the day Sunday, we were totally won over to pay $2.50 for a wee, slim 4" long hot dog wrapped in a delicate but full-textured bun, loaded with local flavours.

We had read good things about Buddha Dog before coming to Picton. As we walked the main street, the plump Buddha sandwich board lured us in.



The small haven to hot dogs was bright and airy with its Cloud White and Blackboard painted walls. Above the kitchen work station someone had meticulously laid out a non-bordered map of the area marked with the many must see locations from food stuffs to eateries to wineries to everything in between. It is clear that The County is loaded with experiences for visitors of any vacation stripe.





Eating a Buddha Dog is pretty straight forward. You add your seasonal sauces of ketchups, mustards, relishes, the daily mayo and the daily jelly. You then top it with your favourite cheese and voilà, the Buddha Dog.

To reasonably curb your hunger, it is common to get a flight of 3 dogs. They suggest one sweet, one savoury and one spicy.



I started with one just to see where this taste sensation would go. Smokey Ketchup. Chardonnay Wine Mustard. Caramelized Onion Relish. The Daily Mayo which was Wild Leek Aioli. The Daily Jelly which was Jalapeño Tequila Jelly. And then for the cheese finish - Fifth Town Plain Jane Chèvre. (The other cheese choices came from Black River Cheese Company.) They even tucked in fresh spinach from Vicki's Veggies.



The weiner is all-beef and supplied by Ted Aman of Aman's Abbatoir in nearby Wellington. Ted only processes local meat. For Buddha Dog he looks after the grinding, spicing, casing, and smoking of these pint-size weiners.

The wee 4" buns are made just across the road at Pastry House by Picton baker Peter Grendel.

The sauces are made by local chefs using local ingredients.

The two cheese companies are located just east of Picton. As is Vicki's Veggies.

It wasn't hard to consider going for a second Buddha Dog.



With the Great Canadian Cheese Festival in play this weekend at the Crystal Palace, visiting chef Craig Flinn from Chives Canadian Bistro in Halifax, Nova Scotia created the Dog of the Day. It featured his Dragon's Breath Mousse with Rhubarb Compote. These components were used in his dish the night before at the Cooks & Curds Cheese Gala. Dragon's Breath cheese comes from That Dutchman's Farm and is local to Chef Flinn's native Nova Scotia. Being one of my favourite taste experiences from the Gala, my second dog was Dog of the Day.



I am an easy convert to Buddha Dog. I lap up the whole locavore experience. I don't know if that is my farm upbringing, my foodie fetish, the loose 'vacation wallet' or just because it tasted good. I suppose some might quibble about the price being $7.50 for a lunching threesome but I personally am willing to pay a bit more knowing where my food comes from. Knowing that it was made with care.

Also worth mentioning - the service was great!




Buddha Dog
172 Main Street
Picton, Ontario
613.476.3814
website: www.buddhafoodha.com
Twitter: buddhadog

Open 7 days a week after May 27
Mon to Sat: 11 am – 5 pm
Sun: 11 am - 4 pm

Day 1 of the Ground Cherry Tomato Plant from Vicki's Veggies, Prince Edward County

Today is Day 1 for my Ground Cherry tomato plant. [Sweet, citrus flavoured. 1 - 2 cm fruit with papery husk.]

We have friends that are absolutely faithful about attending Vicki's Veggies Spring Seedling Sale every Victoria Day weekend for heirloom tomato seedling plants. Vicki's Veggies has garnered quite a reputation for her specimens. The farm is located in Prince Edward County near the Black River Cheese Factory.

Lucky for me that our friends' seedling to garden acreage ratio meant that there were leftover plants. So last night I headed over to pick up my new gift for full adoption. Today I carefully selected an open spot in the backyard garden where I anticipated the most sun and then gently transplanted it into rich black soil. Now the rest is up to mother nature. Though, I have been told there is regular grooming required to ensure height, appropriate fullness and a bounty of flowers.

I also added a cage to assist it as it expands, but also to protect it from the elements - rushing children, big dogs (we have neither but they exist at close proximity), rabbits (possibly could work), and general vermin. Anyway, this is the extent of my vegetable garden this year so I was willing to go that extra mile for G8/G20 level security measures. I have actually grown quite attached to the little fellow already. Perhaps he will get a name. Something catchy like Charlie.



If you are interested in picking up seedlings from Vicki's Veggies (family farmed, fresh and chemical free), the heirloom tomato seedling sale runs the weekend of May 29th and 30th as well.

What have you planted in your garden this year?