Music, music, music everywhere! In Nashville, it’s hard to go around the corner without bumping into a songwriter, performance venue or recording studio. Music City truly lived up to its name on my recent visit.
My first stop was RCA Record’s Studio B, which was built in 1957 at the request of Chet Atkins to facilitate the needs of RCA Victor Records. Atkins, an amazing guitarist, worked for RCA and was responsible for the move away from what was thought of as twangy “hillbilly” music of the 1930s and 40s, to the more sophisticated, orchestral “country and western” sound.
My guide, Stephanie Layne, a country singer herself, explained that thousands of top hits had been captured here, including those of Roy Orbison, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Floyd Cramer, Hank Snow and the Strokes. “Dolly was in a rush to get to her first session here and banged her car into the side of the building. I guess that was her first hit at Studio B,” Layne joked. 
Elvis recorded 200 hits here, including Heartbreak Hotel, It’s Now or Never, Fever, and Are You Lonesome Tonight. “He’d come in at 6 pm with hamburgers and his own producer. He’d warm up with gospel songs at the piano. Sometimes he’d be there until 7 am. In June of 1958 he recorded 12 songs in 13 hours. 
His last recordings here were done in 1971, My Way and I’ll Be Home for Xmas.” She pointed to the Steinway. “Want to sit where Elvis sat? You can pretend to play, but DON’T TOUCH!” In 1982 it was converted into office space and then in 2006 philanthropist Mike Curb bought the building and restored it. Today it’s open for tours and is a recording classroom from Belmont University.
Being on Music Row, which is 16th Street and is a 20-block neighbourhood, I took a walk and passed Starstruck Studios, once owned by Reba McEntire.
Apparently, she lost it in her divorce. Layne told me, “Faith Hill started out here as a secretary. Reba didn’t think she could sing.” 
Owen Bradley Park honoured all the town’s big names I learned this area is considered a Federal No-Fly zone, so the sound won’t be compromised. However, Nashville is booming with construction. That’s where all the noise is coming from these days.
At the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Dave Filipe, the publicist was kind enough to let me pop my head inside this magnificent, classic-looking building. “It was built in 2006 and modeled after European halls. It has some of the best acoustic in the country,” he explained. 
The symphony is now its 76th season, and is a Nashville institution. The 83-member orchestra has recorded with Taylor Swift, Amy Grant and many other stars. They do 150 concerts a year, mostly classical music, but jazz, kids and a pop series also bring out the crowds. “We do two Harry Potter concerts a year and one Star Wars. We have to adapt to new audiences,” said Filipe. A good idea when you have 1840 seats to fill. To get the music out to communities that otherwise might not hear it, they have a program for disadvantaged youth. “We take 16 kids, from grade 4 to the end of high school. They come to concerts and if they want to go to music school, a symphony member will mentor them.” The program is supported by a Mellon Foundation grant.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened in 2001 and expanded with a $4 million gift from Taylor Swift. 
There was even a Taylor Swift Educational Center there with banjo lessons and camps for kids. I took a walk through the Outlaws exhibit with all sorts of ephemera from so-called bad boys including Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. They had Kristofferson’s military uniform!
The costumes and cars on display were amazing.Carl Perkins’ blue suede shoes! 
Elvis’ gold Cadillac! 
Embroidered suits like this one belonging to Porter Wagoner.
Downstairs, a highlight was a visit to Hatch Show Print. Our guide Tori Zemer informed us the print company was 139 years old. 
“It’s the oldest letter press in the United Stated. Preservation by production!” Started in 1879 by the Hatch brothers, the business moved five or six times. 
The last location is now home to the AT&T building, affectionately known as the Batman Building because of its two pointy antenna-like ears. They moved to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2013. What is produced here are the old-time type posters made from hand-inked letter blocks and hand cranked presses. We even got to try out hand at a two colour print. “ZZ Top, Robert Plant and Jack White have signed the press. Sometimes musicans like to come here before a concert at the Ryman Auditorium. The tradition is to sell a limited run of posters at the Ryman before a show.”
The Ryman Auditorium, also known as the “mother church of country music,” is filled with curved wooden seats, much like pews.
In fact, after watching an introductory video, I leaned the building was originally constructed as a revival tabernacle by Captain Tom Ryman, king of the riverboats. A former drinker and sinner, Ryman built the hall to house meetings of the Reverend Sam James, who put him on the straight and narrow. After Ryman died it became more of an entertainment center. 
Opera singer Enrico Caruso and Harry Houdini were some of the early performers, as well as the Grand Ol Opry live radio show. 
On the stage I notice a little area of the original pine flooring, where Johnny Cash and Hank Williams tapped their toes. Due to wear, the rest of the stage has been replaced with Brazilian teak.
At the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, “Smilin’” Jay McDowell, the multi-media curator and former member of bandBR5-49 walked me through a number of different galleries. In particular, I enjoyed learning about the Wrecking Crew and the Funk Brothers, superb groups of musicians who offered their services to all the big name acts in the 1960s and ‘70s. 
They had some great historic items on display, including the Rek-O-Kut direct to disk machine that Elvis used to make his first recording… “My Happiness,” a present for his mother. The museum was divided into geographical regions of the United States. Nashville’s started off with the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Fisk was a school where freed African American slaves were first educated and it’s still going today. An interesting fact I learned was that no drums were allowed on the Grand Ole Opry stage…at least that could be seen. The drummer had to play behind a curtain. 
They even had the original sign and office furniture from Sun Records, Elvis’ first recording home in Memphis.
Wanting to catch a little bit of local talent, I headed to the Listening Room where Justin Ebach, Darby, Jordan Minton and Jackson Michelson were performing. 
The big room had great acoustics and it was a pleasure to hear these musicians tell their songwriting tales and demonstrate their talents. Darby was especially compelling since she was only 15 and sang like an old pro.
A town that pays homage to musicians and their instruments, it was no wonder there was a vintage guitar collection worth $9.5 million available to admire at Belmont University’s Gallery of Iconic Guitars. The 500-piece collection was donated by Steven Kern Shaw, the son of band leader Artie Shaw, and grandson of Jerome Kern who wrote such hits as Ol Man River and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. The oldest out that day was an 1887 Martin guitar, the most intriguing was the 1927 Gibson F-5 mandolin, rarer than a Stradivarius violin. Plus, there was a gauntlet of Gibsons, Fenders and Loars.
On my final night, I visited the Grand Ole Opry, part of Opryland – an amusement complex of hotel, restaurants and entertainment venues. 
“The show is 93 years old. It’s recorded at Opryland every Friday and Saturday night, no breaks for holidays,” Dan Mason, my guide explained. Singer Kelly Pickler was doing fundraising with listeners for her North Carolina home so devastated by Hurricane Florence, and beloved icon Connie Smith also did a few numbers.Square dancers? You bet! Don’t know how that transmits over the radio, but what the heck! 
Mason Ramsey, a 12-year-old Hank Williams Snr. fanatic, was definitely the highlight that evening.
His version of Lovesick Blues, complete with yodelling, knocked my socks off. He got noticed after a YouTube video of him singing in a Walmart went viral. Ellen DeGeneres had him on her show and this year he was signed to Big Loud Records.
Finally, what does everyone do in Nashville? Goes to Broadway, where the honky tonks twang like there’s no tomorrow. Tootsies, The Stage, Legends, you name it, they were all packed.
Would I recommend you go to Nashville? In a musical heartbeat!
Saratoga Springs is firstly a horsey town and secondly a spa town. It is the home to the first thoroughbred race track in the country, built in 1863. The town capitalized on its wealth of mineral springs (21) during the Depression and Franklin D. Roosevelt had a spa complex, including four huge bath houses, built where people could come for various “cures.”
When I was there this September with some friends, I was able to channel the spirit of Seabiscuit, dip my toes in the bubbly spa water, marvel at the mansions…and yes, eat fantastic food.
Held in Saratoga Spa State Park at the Reflecting Pool, it was orchestrated by Colin Cowie (think events for underachievers such as Oprah and Jerry Seinfeld). 
Menu created by celebrity chef Todd English…lively music by DJ On the Move and lots of old school 1980s hits like Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley. My era! There were Ferraris 
and a Bat car to gaze on, great food and an endless supply of rose and specialty cocktails. There were even scents you could spray on to match the cocktails. My fave was the Bloody Mary – spicy!. Between the dancing, I took a break to get some chicken and waffles. Cowie, ahead of me in the buffet line, noted, “Got to eat something to soak up all the alcohol.”
For instance, behind the check-in desk was a mosaic made of 100-year-old crystal dishes. 
Stunning Victorian-era furniture was reupholstered in leather and the wooden frames sprayed silver, with touches of lush brocade added here and there. Pier mirrors lined the hallways, in their original state. The ceilings had been hand painted in soft blues and greys, finished with a sponge of distressed silver. 
Throughout the hotel,the soaring 12 foot ceilings gave the property an airy feel. Originally the hotel had 100 guest rooms. That shrunk to 64 guestrooms with the previous owner, but the new renovation cut the number to 32. My bathroom was the size of a small bedroom, complete with heated towel racks, Toto Washlets (look them up, oh my!), and special makeup removal washcloths. Particularly wonderful was the huge marble shower with raindrop showerhead. Saratoga Springs water is chock full of minerals and feels a bit slippery on the skin – like soap that won’t rinse off. I loved the 4 oz. Raintree (lavender) amenities, gorgeous egg-style tub, double sink, and the floor of black and white basket-weave tiles. 
Evening turndown treats? House-made Madelines and Saratoga water.
Local historian Hollis Palmer met us on North Broadway, a street abounding in mansions with colourful backstories. Hollis told me he leads around eight bus tour group tours a year and relishes the role. Dressed in bowler and black tux he and his partner 
Sandy Graff, in a long Victorian dress, looked right at home in front of the historic homes. “In the summer season before the Civil War, Saratoga Springs was the place to be for socialites. After the Civil War, two huge hotels were built. One was the largest hotel in the world with 1.5-mile-long hallways, on 5.5 acres. Plus it had a water park. Back in those days Saratoga Springs was the summer social capital of the country. They came for the waters, stayed for the parties,” Palmer explained. He noted that in 1886 things came to a standstill when the Temperance movement took hold. Booze was forbidden and the state stopped all gambling. Only in 1978 was gambling allowed again. Some of the original home owners on this street (many of whom had stills in their backyards?) The inventor of Arrow shirts, the Drexels (of university fame), and Arrow’s competitor, Van Heusen.
I had steak blue cheese salad, filet mignon nuggets wrapped in bacon, on a bed of chopped greens, with a big slab of blue cheese in the middle. This place specializes in comfort food.
My friend’s eggplant parmesan was big enough for two people.
“At Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs in 1853 a patron ordered friend potatoes with his meal. When served, he complained they were too thick and soggy. The cook, George Crum, was upset about the criticism so sliced a new batch of potatoes very thin, fried them in boiling oil until crispy then lightly salted them. What was intended as a slight turned into a hit and became known as the Original Saratoga Chips for more than 160 years. – since 1853, America’s First Kettle Chip.”
Saddles are feather-light and look like shoe horns. Jockeys, according to New York State law must wear a safety vest and helmet. The coloured silks, or jacket they wear represents the owners of the horse. 
Surprising fact, jockeys don’t exercise the horse, that job goes to the “exercise trainer.” Sometimes a race is the first time a jockey will even get on a horse.” If they don’t click with the horse trainer, a jockey can be changed,” Wheaton told me. How do you get to be a jockey? “There’s a school in Kentucky. Plus, they work on the apprentice system and a jockey may start out as an exercise trainer. If they are small enough they have a chance. Horses can run as fast as 42mph, especially if you are light. 
Jockeys weigh in at 108-110 lbs. For steeple chase the weight limit is 120 lbs,” Wheaton said. Before Jim Crowe, the first jockeys were African Americans and often children. One famous black jockey was Isaac Murphy, considered one of the greatest riders in America, winning three Kentucky Derbys. I learned that John Morrissey, an Irishman and bareknuckle boxer was the founder of thoroughbred racing in Saratoga. He wanted to attract society not only for the waters, but to stay and spend money, so he had the racetrack built in 1863. It is still home to a society-filled 40-day racing season every summer.
There are 21 public mineral springs in town, and 14 can be found in the 2,400-acre Saratoga Spa State Park. Locals bring gallon jugs to the fountains, often under decorative gazebos, and fill up. Geologically, the springs occur because a fault line runs through the town. The most popular, good tasting spring is called State Seal, near the bath houses in the park. Tasting the sweet, clear, cold water, I could see why this pavilion got lineups. 
The water at some other springs I tried was quite pungent. Good if you feel the need to load up on sulphur. 
Driving down the park’s majestic Avenue of the Pines, we headed to the Hall of Springs which was built as a drinking hall, but the water’s mineral content corroded the pipes. Now it is an elegant event space. Next to it was the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, SPAC www.SPAC.org. 
The New York City Ballet Company have been in residency here every summer since 1966. That’s why the town is filled with ballet slipper statues. The SPAC amphitheatre has 5,200 seats and combined with open air seating on the lawn there is a 20,000 capacity for the season’s program of dance and music. Also in the park is an 18-hole golf course, two swimming pools, (one is family, the other Victorian Pool where ballet dancers hang out). There are 10 event buildings on campus including Home Made Theatre with 500 seats. 
Of the four original bath houses, Washington Bath is now the Dance Museum, Lincoln Bath is offices, Roosevelt Bath 2 is set to become and wellness centre and Roosevelt Bath 1 still operates as a bath house. One journalist said getting in the tub here was like bathing in warm champagne. Built in 1934 and part of the FDR Works Project the facility has 42 baths. 
After checking in and waiting in the tranquility rest area an attendant calls my name and escorted me to my personal bath room – literally! As well as tub, each has a water closet. The tiles and tub are original,” she noted as she handed me a towel and showed me how to use the plastic foot stool as a stabilizer once in the bath. The tub was four inches below floor level and the salt content of the water made it very buoyant. She laid a towel at one end of the tub so I could lean my head back, with feet on the jammed in stool. Ah. Bobbing like a cork, then stability and relaxation. 
The water colour was rather off-putting, like watery brownish tomato soup due to iron content but soon my skin was covered in tiny bubbles. Leaning back, I almost fell asleep. In no time the 45 minutes was up and my skin was baby soft.
Lunch was in Putnam’s, a casual dining room in the Gideon Putnam Hotel, the only hotel in the park. 
I had the healthy Buddha bowl with sweet potatoes, avocado, romaine, carrots, chickpeas and pomodoro peppers. Juicy burgers. But the best thing was the complimentary house-made potato chips and onion dip. 
Yum! If case you wondered, Gideon Putnam was an original settler in 1763, though of as the founding father of Saratoga Springs.
I love creative restoration of old buildings, so I visited Amy Smith whose parents opened the Saratoga Arms in 1998. “Built in 1870 it had 16 rooms originally. We expanded in 2004 and now have 31,” she explained. They serve a complimentary full breakfast and evening drinks are available on porch. Each room is unique, Amy’s mother and her interior designer friend come up with creative ways to show off unique furnishings. “Every year four-to-five rooms are refreshed or totally redone – carpet, drapes, furniture.” For those who like variety, they can opt for the “Sleeping around Package” and stay in a different room each night. Children over age 12 welcome, but sorry, no pets.
This is one of Saratoga’s historic landmarks. Opened in 1938, the location has been serving Southern and Louisiana cuisine ever since. Hattie’s goal was to serve the backstretch folks (African Americans) who maintained the Saratoga Springs race track and stables. In a covered courtyard, I noticed locals bellied up to the bar (open spring and summer). The main dining room, I was told, is open all year. The fried chicken was to die for. 
Hattie’s current owners have kept her secret recipe, beating Bobby Flay in the Throwdown. 
Fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese ball, lump crab cake, meatloaf, and catfish were also on the menu. The epitome of comfort food is served on tables covered with gingham table clothes. The decorations? Painted hens and Mardi Gras beads.
Very full and very satisfied, I headed back to the Adelphi. Not far away, but worlds apart, in lovely Saratoga Springs.
“We bring in the lambs annually to do leaf removal on the vines. We call it ‘ewe-unized’ labor,” jokes owner David Johnson. When the lambs reach a certain weight, they are sold and end up on local restaurant menus. 
David’s wife, Louise, joined us with Amadeus perched quietly on her gauntleted arm. “He acts as a deterrent when he flies over the fields. The smaller birds leave,” she explains. Inside, David pours me a splash of of Black Sheep Riesling. It is superb. I savor the fresh, crisp apple flavor tinged with a hint of honey.
But before eating, I sipped tasters of sparkling rose, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay Noir. Doug Whitty, the owner, told me his family has owned the property for three generations. “My grandfather came here in 1908 from Ireland during the potato famine,” he explained. The grandfather was drawn to the attractive farmland and an established community of Mennonites who had come up from the New York area during the Battle of 1812 to escape George Washington and his troops. “They valued peace and stability, but were persecuted because they were British supporters,” Doug explained. 
At a delightful outdoor patio, I noshed on goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes, salad.
Dessert was freshly made cherry pie. Heavenly!
Set within the beautiful Twenty Valley, the park was once home to a mill owned by Loyalists George and John Ball who came to the area in 1807 after leaving New York. 
I wandered around the preserved structure, marvelling at the wooden troughs and milling machinery. “It’s one of the oldest surviving flour mills in the province made of wood,” my guide Jill Walters explained. “Milling flour produces a lot of combustible dust and many of the old mills have burned down.” Thanksgiving is the only time the mechanisms are powered (with electricity) and they sell the resulting whole wheat flour to the public. I took a quick peek at the park’s Centre for Conservation, a LEED-Gold Standard (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) structure full of light and laminated maple beams where school groups gather for educational presentations. A lovely place to learn and appreciate the environment.
At Creekside Winery winemaker Rob Power had me taste a sparkling sauvignon blanc called Backyard Bubbly that was fruity and delicious. During my site tour, a highlight was the barrel cellar, one of the oldest and largest in the Niagara Region. Afterwards, I dug into a fragrant, peach-wood smoked suckling piglet, thick molasses baked beans, braised red cabbage and buttery roasted new potatoes at the winery’s eating spot, The Deck, helmed by chef Nathan Young, open from May until Thanksgiving.
Sue-Ann’s family has been farming in the region for five generations. She lives in the original farmhouse, which also serves as her shop and tasting room. So far, her production is small, 5,000 cases a year, but it is growing. She also hosts weddings at a permanent tented site on her property overlooking a large pond.
The winery was started by her dad Grant and step-mother Carolyn. Their first vintage was produced in 2012. The tasting room opened last year and Victoria came on board to lead the customer experience. Some of the wines were named after flowers. I especially enjoyed the Lillias unoaked Chardonnay which was light and crisp with the slight tang of quince. Hanging on the walls were many black and white photos including Victoria’s step-mother’s grandmothers. “They were both presidents of Temperance leagues, which is pretty funny considering what the family business is now,” she said, giving me a wink.
But, what I was most interested in was the Guild Park, now managed by the City of Toronto. That’s where the architectural gems collected by the property’s former owners, Rosa and Spencer Clark, now rest.
The park is filled with flowers in summer and walking through it felt rather surreal.
The large stone fragments are spectacular…and in a way make me long to see the original edifices from which they came.
Sadly, Toronto underwent a huge growth development in the 1960s and many treasured older buildings were torn down. But walking past these wonderful pieces of art, it felt like I was taken on a journey back to the grand days of Toronto’s Victorian past.
Robert Holmes was a painter famous for his florals.
What’s left of the old Royal Conservatory of Music.
A stone-cutting flywheel.
The bell from Victoria Park School.
The museum is currently housed in an old manufacturing plant, but it is in the midst of $65 million fundraiser to build a new home by the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent Severn Waterway scheduled to open 2022.
“They went as far as Fort William on Lake Superior, delivered trade goods and then returned to Montreal laden with furs,” Jen explained.
The whiskey, vodka and gin is organic. Red Fife wheat is used to make the vodka, which is 20 times distilled. Yikes! I had a wee taste and it was smooth and almost buttery…due to fat lipids, owner and master distiller Robert Black told me. Who knew? Another interesting fact? Gin is made from vodka with added herbs and other goodies. He uses a secret recipe of botanticals with lemon peel, juniper, lavender, sage, coriander, cardamom, cubeb and angelica.
Currently, their products are available in 25 LCBO locations in the province. Robert let me try a tiny sip of the “cask proof” barley whisky (57%…strong, but still smooth when diluted with a bit of water).
They also specialize in middle eastern favourites such as saggi (made with raisins), fini (made with cashews) and arak, (flavoured with aniseed). The distillery is owned by Bruce Khabbazi and his wife Sara, originally from Iran. They have been in the business for 20 years and currently have five products in LCBO outlets.
Interestingly, they also are the world’s biggest producer of yogurt soda, a middle eastern favourite that tastes a bit like butter milk. “We use milk from Kawartha Dairy. Our house brand is Mashky, plus we produce for many other companies. We make a plain, mint and cucumber version,” Lorne, our guide and a distillery employee told us.
Kate Tremel Clay – 
When she speaks about her art, it’s like poetry. “Working with clay is not really a choice for me, but more of a compulsion. Its tactile qualities are seductive. The challenge of deconstructing the form by piercing the thin walls of the clay at their most fragile state is for me, an exercise in understanding the fleeting tenuousness of beauty itself. I find inspiration in the simplicity of the everyday pot, its history and the process of trying to find a fresh, modern interpretation.”
I especially liked the transcript of Betty’s interview with 60 Minutes where she talks about drugs and premarital sex in a very down-to-earth manner. Then there’s the outraged letter from Maria Von Trapp (Sound of Music) saying Mrs. Ford’s remarks were “damaging to society.”
Detroit’s automotive industry was a major contributor to the Allies winning the war. In the 1950s GM took over the Willow Run facility using it for a GM Powertrain factory and engineering. They closed the plant in 2010 (bankruptcy).
There’s a strong component of Chinese paintings and Japanese and Chinese ceramics, plus Tiffany architectural glass from the H.O. Havemeyer mansion in Manhattan, and paintings by Whistler, Monet, and Helen Frankenthaler.
The conservatory at the visitor center opened in 196 and you can see plants from three climate zones – tropical, temperate and arid. Plus, the lovely bonsai and jenjing collection.
“It closed during prohibition in the United States, and then in 1987 new owners reopened it,” she explained. They still had the old millstones used to crush the barley and outside a paddle wheel attested to how the plant was powered up until 1887. The taste of this blond Irish whiskey? Light and slightly sweet.
We also saw the restored prefamine cottage of Dan O’Hara who was forced to emigrate in the 1840s when he was evicted from his home.
“There was a law that said 5’6″ was the maximum height a door could be. In 1845 Dan O’Hara increased the size of his door and windows and his landlord increased his rent. When Dan failed to pay he was evicted and the cottage was set on fire,” the Centre’s founder Martin Walsh told us. On our way out, I noticed a number of trees with the donors’ names on them.
He strummed up a storm in the dining room and told us not to mind the brownish water in the taps. “It’s that colour from the bog. It’s very good for the skin,” he said. I tried a bath that night and he was right.
The wind was fierce, up to 65km an hour, but the little vessel felt stable and we arrived safely. Inishbofin has a population of 165 but it’s a popular summer destination and they get up to 40,000 visitors a year. 
The ruins of Cromwell’s Barracks met us at the harbor entrance. Doonmore Hotel was a short walk from the pier and owner Andrew Murray treated us to a video outlining the island’s history. It’s a harsh life, electricity only came to the island in the 1970s and fishing tragedies have been many. One phrase from the film became etched on my brain, “The Atlantic forever held this area in a drowning cup.” On a more cheerful note, the hotel’s little restaurant was rustic but the food was top-notch. I don’t think I’ve ever had scallops so fresh, sweet and tender and the sticky toffee pudding was to die for.
Originally 13,000 acres, the estate is now a tourist destination and home to nine Benedictine nuns whose homemade soaps, creams and chocolates are available in the gift shop.
Chef Sidney Krick served up a stuffed Chicken Supreme with Thornloe blue cheese, grilled Bosc pears, Vineland sundried cherries and a VQA Shiraz glaze. This sat on a bed or celery root rosti and roasted Den Boer Farms root vegetable fritter. Delicious. To wash it down? A Wayne Gretzky Estate Series Cabernet Merlot. Lovely.
Chef Bill Greenan whipped up slow roasted Ontario beef short ribs, Bright’s extra old cheddar mashed potatoes, Simcoe County asparagus spears, green peppercorn jus and crispy shallots. This rich, melt-in-your-mouth dish was nicely paired with a Queenston Mule made with ginger beer, lime and 99, the Gretzky whiskey.
The Wayne Gretzky Estate Series sauvignon blanc was a perfect match. To top it all off? A baked Spy apple tart, Crimo Farms heartnut marzipan, sea buckthorn, berry gelato and cranberry Anglais sauce …along with a lovely shot of Gretzky Cream Cocktail.
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