John G.
Yelp
Looking for a superb meal in Picton? This is a sure bet.
The restaurant sits in the basement of the inn, a converted Victorian house, so it is small but quaint. The décor is nice - clean, cozy, you feel comfortable the whole time. Service is excellent - professional, but still friendly and very knowledgeable. The wine list is heavy on the local wines, so if you are not familiar with the wines of Prince Edward County, ask for assistance. We chose a terrific local Riesling to accompany our dinner (there are some great wines on the list). But this is a restaurant, what matters is the food, and the food here is excellent!
We started off with the signature salad - a mixture of spinach and lettuce topped by local cheddar, local apple slices, candies pecans and dressing - a fantastic mixture of tastes and textures, oh this is so good. Then we had the crab cake - a very good version, and the scallops and shrimp - mostly scallops, and heavy on the dill, but perfectly cooked and with a delicious broth.
I usually avoid ordering poultry in restaurants, as so few can do a decent job - because they need to pre-cook portions, the meat is usually stringy or dry. Not here. We had the paprika Cornish hen, which was truly delicious. It was tender, juicy, cooked to perfection with a lovely paprika rub that enhanced, not obscured the wonderful flavor of the hen. I had the duck breast - seasoned, seared, sliced and served with a blueberry based sauce that was so good I almost licked my plate in public. The duck might have been a touch overdone, but I like mine rare, not medium rare, so you can judge for yourself. The sides were lovely, but the Cornish hen and the duck were outstanding.
For dessert we had the crème arlequin - a vanilla brulee topped with chocolate mousse. It was decadent without being too heavy.
All in all, I loved the meal here, and I look forward to returning. Very highly recommended.